My name is Clara, and I’m originally from the United States of America. North Carolina, to be exact. I have a bachelor’s degree in linguistics from a university back home, as I am fascinated with the inner workings of language. Syntax is my particular favorite.
After getting my bachelor’s, I immediately sprung for a master’s degree in library science. I had started working at a university library before the pandemic started, and knew that I had found my chosen career. As someone who has always dreamed of travel, I chose to get my master’s degree in a foreign country. However, as I was not fluent in other languages, I decided to choose an English speaking country. In the end, I spent a year in Scotland for my degree. I had the amazing opportunity to intern at the University of Glasgow’s Archives and Special Collections, and work closely with an 18th century album amicorum.
I started searching for some sort of program I could enroll in to get me closer to my dream job. I found some short courses available in the US, but the Master of Rare Book and Digital Humanities at the University of Franche-Comté stuck out to me. A whole degree program focused on rare books? (I was excited about the digital humanities aspect too) I applied, not sure of what would happen. I later found out that I had been accepted! However, there were some roadblocks in my way, and I had to return home to the US instead.
I worked at a community college library in the US for two years, and deeply enjoyed it. I had the opportunity to help students of their academic and career journeys, which was quite fulfilling. However, I greatly missed working with rare books and archives. I remembered the rare books program I had previously applied for, and decided to give it another try. I wasn’t sure if I would be accepted again, but I decided I might as well try. Imagine my surprise when I did! I was very excited but also anxious about this journey, but I had made up my mind to go.
Now that I’m here in France, I can say that it was totally worth it. Besançon is a beautiful and historic city, and I have interacted with books far older than I even expected. It is a very practical degree, requiring us to interact with the rare books, as well as their sellers. I am excited to continue this journey, as I am also seeking more knowledge.
