McCandless intern helping to document town's land developments for future digitization

As land develops and properties change ownership over the years, it’s important to keep it all straight and accessible.

Taking on this necessary work for McCandless is summer intern Alyssa Broome-Webster, who graduated in May from Duquesne University with a bachelor’s degree in history. She also interned with the university’s archives department.

“I handled very delicate objects that were important to the institution’s history, whether it was from alumni or people closely affiliated with the university,” said Broome-Webster, 22, who lives in Pittsburgh but is originally from Florida.

She also helped with Duquesne University’s ongoing digitization project currently being performed with the archives, through identifying historically relevant materials unique to the collection.

During her time in McCandless, Broome-Webster will document all active and past files of land developments and prepare them for eventual digitization. The process requires attention to detail.

She also is helping to downsize the number of files at the town’s offices to maximize the limited space available, she said.

All of this work matters.

“This process is important because land changes frequently and having a collection of the files allows you to go back and see the development plans. It is also important for the town to know their history and having full access to it for future generations,” she said.

Town Manager John Schwend announced at a May meeting that Broome-Webster would be joining the planning and zoning office to improve its record-keeping and filing system and prepare McCandless for future digitization.

Broome-Webster will be working in McCandless until August, per the town’s website. She eventually hopes to transition to a full-time position.

“Locationwise, I am keeping an open mind. I am willing to work anywhere so long as the opportunity is available,” she said.

Broome-Webster joined McCandless through a municipal intern program of Local Government Academy, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, according to a recent social media post by McCandless officials.

As for post-graduate plans, Broome-Webster is exploring her interest in public history through Johns Hopkins University’s master of museum studies graduate program in the fall, she said.

Broome-Webster is the only intern for this summer. McCandless typically considers hosting an intern every year or two, based on need, Schwend said.

“Hosting interns has been a great way for the town to engage with students and recent graduates, bringing new thoughtful ideas and the perspective of young professionals to the town,” he said. “We align our projects with specific interests and skill sets for each intern in order to create a valuable outcome for the town as well as have a meaningful experience for the intern.”