This blog post was written by Toyosi Stephen Adedara, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and the 2024 Dowdy Summer Intern.
My Dowdy summer internship experience at the Poage Library humbled me. Before this summer, I had always thought of libraries as mere repositories for books and documents. However, my time at Poage taught me that libraries are far more than that. The Poage Library exposed me to remarkable primary sources related to policy-making, congressional sessions, and other pivotal records that have shaped our nation’s history.
Stephen diving into some archival research
During my first week at Poage, I felt uncertain about my responsibilities and relied heavily on my supervisor, Tommy DeShong, for guidance. While I had a plan for the iEngage Poage experience, I soon realized how little I knew. I brought an academic “know-it-all” attitude into the library and was quickly humbled by how much there was to learn. To effectively connect with the middle school students coming to Poage for the iEngage summer civics program, I needed a deeper understanding of Waco’s history. So, I delved into online archives and the documents within our stacks to gather this knowledge. I received incredible support from Tommy and Mr. Jeff Pirtle (Poage Library’s director) who encouraged me to explore further. Touring the Texas Collection revealed fascinating aspects of Baylor University’s history. These experiences demonstrated the wealth of knowledge available in libraries and archives. I now believe that if you want to learn about a community’s history, you should visit these local institutions. This experience at Poage has even made me consider a career in the library sector, perhaps as a researcher or in a role that helps organize and categorize library documents for better public understanding.
Stephen co-leading an iEngage station on the rural electrification of Waco
In the subsequent weeks, I developed station ideas for the iEngage Poage experience that highlighted significant aspects of Waco’s history, including the development of Lake Waco, the Waco Tornado, the integration of Waco, poverty and hunger in Waco, and the rural electrification of Waco led by Representative Bob Poage. I also mastered the Tuckman Model of group formation, created by Bruce Tuckman in 1967, and applied it to archival sources to categorize them based on stages of community group formation. I collaborated with and relied on people from various departments, including the Baylor Institute for Oral History, the Texas Collection, the Keston Center, the Armstrong Browning Library, Poage Library, Jones Library, and Moody Library to ensure the success of the iEngage program. I am particularly grateful for Tommy’s guidance, which helped me understand how to use archival documents to comprehend a place’s history and significance. As a doctoral student interested in community engagement research and improving citizenship education, I believe libraries, archives, and museums can play a crucial role in advancing citizenship.
Stephen sharing some laughs with his students
Inspired by my experience at Poage, I hope to see institutions where I work in the future collaborate closely with local libraries and archives to engage with their communities. To create informed and civic-minded citizens, it is essential to make history tangible—allowing students to see, feel, and touch their history. Effective collaboration between educational institutions and libraries can make this possible. I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity and did not take it for granted. Special thanks to the Dowdy family, Mr. Thomas DeShong, my Ph.D. advisor Dr. Karon LeCompte, Mr. Jeff Pirtle, all the Poage experience volunteers, the iEngage students, and everyone else who contributed to the success of this experience. I hope to use the knowledge and skills gained from working in the library to enhance my research and ability to work with archival documents in the future.
Thank you!