The archival work experience was a very interesting assignment for me. Doing research and putting in effort, not just clicking on a computer screen but moving to a different location, was a very enjoyable experience. I even thought that this might be what I want to do after graduation. Doing archival work, being in the field, observing – all of that made me feel "active."
Regarding archival work as a method, I felt that archival practices weren't very developed. The computers were very slow and discouraged. Many of the given newspaper codes didn't work. Archives were suddenly cut off on very random dates and couldn't be found. Because of these reasons, I'm not sure how effective a research method it is in Türkiye. I thought that a more technological and advanced digital archive could do everything better and make it a more effective method. However, on the other hand, examining historical events that we know have had a great impact today in the newspaper of the day developed a new perspective for me. For the date I chose, the fall of the Berlin Wall, only a small space was allocated, and the agenda completely changed in the days that followed. Looking back, I thought this event would be in the headlines for days, but at least in the newspaper coverage, I saw that wasn't the case. So, in my opinion, while it's a useful study to use as a direct source and perhaps improve the perspective, it's also a challenging method due to some digital shortcomings.