This is the newest post in our “So You Wanna Be An Archivist,” series, where archivists and other information professionals describe their path to the profession. In this article, COPA member Angie Piccolo interviews Nadia Westenburg about their path to becoming the Park Archivist for Yosemite National Park. 

Q: Please describe your current position

Nadia Westenburg: I am the Park Archivist for Yosemite National Park. Our collection is one of the largest in the National Park Service (NPS), and consists of over 3000 linear feet of material, including primarily federal NPS records, but also park records predating the creation of the NPS in 1916, records of the park’s concessionaires, personal papers and manuscript collections relating to the park’s history, and more.

Q: What drew you to the profession?

NW: I first studied the NPS during my graduate program in decorative arts history, for which I wrote my thesis on a series of silkscreen posters the NPS produced during the New Deal. In my research I discovered that most NPS units have their own on-site museum collections and archives that tell the institutional stories of each park. As a major outdoor enthusiast, I thought working in an NPS collection would be the perfect intersection of my skills and personal interests.

Q: Can you describe your educational background and work experience?

NW: My career trajectory is atypical in the archives world in that my educational background is in Art History and my professional experience has largely been in museums and curatorial settings. I lived in New York City for several years, but in my mid-20’s I fell in love with the outdoors and realized the life I thought I wanted—living in a big city and working at a major museum—was not going to fill my cup. I needed to live somewhere with easy access to nature and public land, but also didn’t want to neglect the part of myself that really enjoyed history and museum work.

I worked as a Museum Technician at Zion for two years, and at Yosemite for one year, before landing a permanent job as an Archives Specialist with the NPS’s Technical Information Center (TIC), which manages planning, design, and construction records for the entire NPS. During that time I also did a four-month detail as the Cultural Resources Program Manager at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, which was both a fantastic professional development opportunity and an amazing personal experience. After over three years with TIC, when Yosemite’s long-time Archivist took a promotion at the park and his position became vacant, I couldn’t resist applying.

Q: What skill has been the most valuable in your career? 

NW: A desire to be a lifelong learner. A diverse skill set is crucial working for a government agency that is chronically underfunded and in which employees always wear many hats, and I am always trying to learn new things that I enjoy and that may help me in my career. For me this has meant cross-training in things like Tribal consultation, historic preservation, leadership, and more.

Q: What advice would you give to someone who is trying to enter into this field?

NW: First, stay adaptable and don’t be afraid to pivot! For me this has meant stepping outside my comfort zone and sometimes pursuing jobs or experiences that felt new and scary to me. A diversity of experience, and even periods of stepping away from work to pursue personal endeavors, have been major professional assets.

Second, who you work with is even more important than the work you do. Even the most amazing position can look like a dream job on paper but be ruined by a bad supervisor or a toxic work culture. Always try to get some intel on the realities of a position, and build a network you can call on to suss out the vibes of a future workplace. A great job will bring you professional satisfaction and enrichment but also allow you to live your “dream life” outside of work as well.