Elizabethtown College English major Emily Erdlen ’23 is processing research materials from collections on the Amish, which were donated by Distinguished College Professor, Senior Fellow, and Professor of Sociology Emeritus Donald B. Kraybill and author Karen Johnson-Weiner – two of the most prominent experts on the Amish in the country. Emily has been hard at work in the High Library this summer, categorizing the documents into categories, writing descriptors, and creating a finding aid for each collection.
Working alongside staff mentor and Etown Archivist Rachel Grove Rohrbaugh, Emily is also working on creating oral histories on the Amish through interviews with Kraybill and Johnson-Weiner.
This Summer Creative Arts and Research Program (SCARP) archiving process is an extension of efforts over three years to catalog collections of documents and sources on the Amish at the College.
Title of Research
Promoting Access to Archival Information on the Amish
Student Researcher
Emily Erdlen ’23 (English major)
Staff Mentor
Rachel Grove Rohrbaugh, Archivist
What are you researching?
Emily: I am primarily preparing recently donated materials from Dr. Kraybill and Dr. Johnson-Weiner to be archived. This involves organizing the materials, rehousing them, updating the Kraybill Collection finding aid, and creating the Johnson-Weiner Collection finding aid. My mentor and I have also conducted an oral history interview with Johnson-Weiner and will be conducting an interview with Kraybill later this summer.
Why did you choose this topic?
Emily: I have been working with my mentor, Rachel Grove Rohrbaugh, since the fall of 2021 when I first started considering becoming an archivist. When she first approached me about this project, I knew I wanted to do it since I have enjoyed all my archival work so far and was eager for more hands-on experience.
What is the most interesting aspect of this research?
Emily: I have really enjoyed learning about the Amish through this process. Earlier this summer, I went to, “The Amish and Their Neighbors: A Multidisciplinary Conference” where I attended multiple presentations on different Amish communities and concepts, learning many things I would not have otherwise.
How has your staff mentor helped you?
Emily: Ever since I approached Rachel a few years ago about wanting to get experience with archival work, she has been incredibly helpful with that, and through this project, she is providing me with even more knowledge and hands-on experience.
Hear from the staff mentor – Rachel Grove Rohrbaugh
“Research materials on the Amish and other Plain Anabaptist groups are some of the most heavily used collections in the Hess Archives,” Grove Rohrbaugh said. “Emily’s SCARP project will promote access to new collections and lead to further research by both Etown students and outside scholars.
“We are especially excited to make the papers of Dr. Karen Johnson-Weiner available to researchers so soon after their acquisition. Johnson-Weiner’s papers contain 35 years of correspondence with Old Order Amish women. A collection with this much material written by Amish women is an unmatched treasure.”
