MLS student Ashley Spears of Midland, TX put an entire semester’s work into her first curated exhibit at the museum and childhood home of President George W. Bush. The exhibit called a “Friendship for a Lifetime, the Earle and Dottie Craig Collection.” The collection contains the exchange of pictures and letters between President George H.W. Bush, Former First Lady Barbara Bush and Mr. and Mrs. Craig. Some of the exhibit pieces date back to the 1960s. It took Spears months to gather all of the written exchanges between the couples. Local news stations covered her research on the project and the opening of the exhibit. “This experience and knowledge I have gained prepared me for a career in information studies by building my confidence in organizing and cataloging artifacts, as well as getting hands-on experience building an exhibit inside a museum to display to the public,” said Spears.  

She told reporters the most exciting part of her internship was getting to see the exhibit transform from items found inside boxes to be a full display in glass cases inside the master bedroom of the historic George W. Bush Childhood Home. 

Spears is working towards her Master's in Library Science with a concentration in Archival Studies & Imaging Technology. She’s also working towards a Graduate Academic Certificate in Archival Management. She will graduate with both May of 2020. After she graduates, Spears’s goal is to work for a special collections library or museum in a curating capacity. She’s also interested in archiving and handling artifacts/manuscripts for a special collections library.