Over the course of the past year, a new part of my fellowship has been learning how to use ArcGIS Storymaps, a really helpful tool for producing excellent maps and digital exhibits. I migrated two exhibits completed by Chloe Eastwood for Omeka to StoryMaps, called “Developing Volunteers” and “Services Asked For, Given, and Received.” They are excellent-I highly recommend you check out her work! Many Peace Corps Community Archive fellows contributed to the Omeka exhibit “Answering the Call: The Peace Corps and Its Volunteers,” which I migrated to StoryMaps and also added to. Today I published “The Peace Corps Through the Decades,” a summary of the agency’s history as told through Volunteers’ stories.
This is also my last contribution as the 2022-2024 Peace Corps Community Archive fellow. I am incredibly grateful for Leslie, Jeana, Austin, and Laura’s help and support over the past two years. I have grown substantially in my capacities for archival work, research, and writing-which I would not have achieved without them. Thank you also to everyone who’s read my work and to all of the Volunteers who have donated their stories. Special thanks also goes to Jessica Vapnek and Arnold Zeitlin, who graciously let me contact them with questions about their donations and experiences last spring. I have enjoyed learning and writing about the lives of Peace Corps Volunteers-it’s been a pleasure! I am excited to see the work produced by a new Fellow in the fall.
In memory of Arnold Zeitlin (1932-2023)