Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Lunch and Learn at the Maryland State Archives
Conducting Research at the Archives:  How the presence and absence of records drives a historical argument

Austin Kibler is a Research Librarian at Williams and Connolly, LLP. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a MLIS and a MA in History. His thesis, “Maryland, the Marine Hospital Service, and the Medical Relief of Chesapeake Oyster Dredgers, 1870-1900,” looks at the important role played by newly professionalized bureaucracies in developing public policy through its examination of the creation of the MHS Relief Station at Solomons Island. His work also showed that policymakers viewed the Chesapeake Bay as an industrial space which influenced responses to the oyster dredgers’ health problems. Mr. Kibler will be sharing his triumphs and challenges in using Archives for scholarly research as he delves into the history of oystering in Maryland. Feel free to bring your lunch and your questions to this public event. This program is free, but please email emily.squires@maryland.gov in advance to reserve your spot.