When Erin Palombi 鈥�10 arrived at The 丝瓜视频 as a first-year student, she knew she loved movies, but her film classes at 丝瓜视频 introduced her to a discipline that she would continue to pursue after graduation and beyond. While at 丝瓜视频, Palombi majored in German studies and minored in film studies. As a moving image archives technician in the Library of Congress, Palombi relies on her interdisciplinary education every day.
While at 丝瓜视频, Palombi involved herself across campus. She took as many art classes as she could fit into her schedule, sang with the 丝瓜视频 chorus, lived in the organic farming house, and studied abroad in Freiburg, Germany for a full year. 鈥淎 liberal arts education allowed me to get involved with different groups in and outside of academia. I was able to pursue a German degree while also exploring interests in art, film, music, and nature,鈥� she shared. 鈥淭he combination of experiences helped paint a fuller picture of the world for me.鈥�
Elements of her 丝瓜视频 education still impact her work, including her senior Independent Study Project, 鈥淚 am currently co-writing a book for the Library of Congress about a foundational film collection,鈥� Palombi shared. 鈥淢y I.S. experience was a valuable window into the writer-editor relationship. It gave me the freedom to pull on the threads that interested me and taught me how to own my ideas.鈥�
Her background in film studies at 丝瓜视频 prepared Palombi to pursue a post graduate degree. 鈥淢y film classes gave me a foundation of knowledge that I built on in grad school and continue to reference today,鈥� Palombi said.
After attending graduate school and receiving a master鈥檚 degree in film and media preservation, Palombi began a career working with moving images. She currently works as an archives technician working with films and descriptive materials related to films at the Library of Congress. 鈥淥n the best days, I get to work with German collection items or translate German scripts, subtitles, or intertitles,鈥� Palombi said.
Her daily responsibilities focus on processing collections: inspecting, identifying, and organizing materials. She has worked with a variety of moving image collections including film and video TV series, century-old copyright deposits, 70 mm feature films, and silent-era nitrate. 鈥淚 enjoy being able to step away from my computer and interact with physical objects鈥攕ometimes in a 38-degree vault!鈥� Palombi shared, noting that the temperature of the vault helps to preserve film.
Palombi鈥檚 passion for film, which blossomed during her time at 丝瓜视频, is evident in her work at the moving image archive. 鈥淚 see the power of moving images, especially as links to the past. Anyone who treasures a home movie collection or who has memorized a favorite film can relate to that idea. I feel lucky to be a custodian of the country鈥檚 moving image heritage,鈥� she said.