Staff profile: Leigh-Anne Yacovelli

Written by: Leigh-Anne Yacovelli

Leigh-Anne processing materials from the Office of Public
Relations collection.

My name is Leigh-Anne Yacovelli, and I am very excited to begin my short time here at the Delaware State University Archives and Special Collections. As a recent graduate, my experience working in an archives has been limited. In addition to what you can read in my bio, I was also asked to answer a few more questions. Please feel free to leave any questions in the comments section below.

DSU Archives: How did you decide you wanted to work with archives and special collections?

Leigh-Anne: I learned the value of online access to collections while an undergrad at APU. The history teachers required the use of primary sources for every paper, which was extremely difficult since so little had been digitized and made available on the Internet. I came to realize that in every town there is a relatively unknown collection (or two or three!) tucked away in all sorts of places, from volunteer-run historical societies to universities such as DSU. I felt a library science degree could teach me how to improve visibility of, and access to, these collections, so that others can enjoy and learn from them.

DSU Archives: What excites you the most about working at Delaware State University?

Leigh-Anne: I get really excited when I think about the opportunity I have to dig through the history of the university and add material to the Delaware Heritage Collection. This is a chance to find and showcase items that feature DSU, both the institution and its people’s contributions to national, state, and local events.

DSU Archives: What are your favorite materials to work with, and why?

Leigh-Anne: I like working with photographs and documents equally. There are things that can be said about both that show how difficult it is to pick one over the other. You see, photographs provide visual clues to not just the people, but also their surroundings. They freeze images for future generations to see things ranging from clothing and hairstyles to room furnishings, all within the context they appeared. Since most photographs are not arranged like paintings, where clues to people’s personalities, hobbies, and lines of business are deliberately included in the image, historical documents can provide this missing information, as well as other bits of valuable information like facts and figures of events (and even the names of the people in the photos!), to help researchers learn more.