Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Will Our Future Selves Thank Us? An Examination Of Born-Digital Curation Practices At The University Of Kentucky Libraries, Sarah Dorpinghaus, Ruth E. Bryan, Megan M. Mummey, Emily B. Collier

Library Presentations

University of Kentucky archivists share practical tips, tools, and mental frameworks to identify gaps, pitfalls, and opportunities in stewarding born-digital collections. Topics include managing a shifting digital preservation landscape, instituting comprehensive appraisal practices while considering environmental impact, curating born-digital and web-based university records, and aligning resources with future collection needs.

So You Want To Be A Leader? Examining Pathways To Special Collections Administration, Sarah Horowitz, Colleen W. Barrett

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

This article seeks to understand the current state of the field of special collections library administration in the United States. Using a dataset gathered through publicly available information about special collections directors from the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), Independent Research Libraries Association (IRLA), and the Oberlin Group institutional members, the authors explore the educational backgrounds of directors, the types of positions they held prior to taking on their current roles, and the effect of gender on leadership advancement. This article also discusses the similarities and differences between institution types as well as promotions within institutions and across types of …

The Archives At The Tip Of Their Fingers: Exploring User Reactions To Large-Scale Digitization, Emily Lapworth, Su Kim Chung

Library Faculty Publications

Advances in digital image capture technology and the adoption of More Product, Less Process methods have resulted in special collections and archives large- scale digitization that creates a new kind of digital surrogate. Mirroring and reusing aggregate archival arrangement and description, these digital surrogates represent multiple items and are minimally described as a whole. The authors conducted interviews to explore user reactions to this digitization method at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. This study found that large-scale digitization does have a positive impact for users, although additional strategies may be required to maximize the usefulness of the resulting digital …

The Game’S Afoot: Introducing Students To Archival Resources, Amy Rohmiller

Roesch Library Staff Presentations

University Archives and Special Collections (UASC) at the University of Dayton began exploring gamifying some of the programs offered to students that introduced them to UASC and its collections. This poster introduces the tools used to create the games; highlights some of the impacts the new, gamified programs had on UASC; and talks about some lessons learned. Attendees will learn about resources they can use to implement these ideas at their own institutions.

Aim High: Pushing Collaboration And Outreach Limits For The 50th Anniversary Of Apollo 11, Molly Stothert-Maurer, Julie Swarstad Johnson

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

Exhibits in archives and special collections function as an important outreach tool for these specialized, sometimes formidable repositories. Exhibits increase public knowledge of available collections, promote engagement with those collections, reach new audiences, and provide opportunities to build bridges across campus units. This case study looks at a rotating exhibition titled Moon at the University of Arizona Libraries Special Collections created to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing on July 20, 2019. This article covers exhibit design, programming and events that accompanied the exhibit, and coordinated efforts across the University of Arizona campus to celebrate this …

Perspectives And Practices: Archival Processing Metrics Survey Findings, Cyndi Shein, Sarah R. Jones, Tammi Kim, Karla Irwin

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

Professional literature and case studies demonstrate that processing metrics are valuable in advocating for resources, informing priorities, supporting grant proposals, and predicting costs for collection storage and care. This article analyzes responses to an archival processing metrics survey that gathered perspectives and practices from archivists working in a variety of repository types. The findings describe how archivists collect processing metrics in different ways, what data points they view as essential, and how they use certain data points to serve specific purposes. The findings indicate that although most respondents acknowledge the value of processing metrics, the majority of them still do …

Teaching Undergraduates With Primary Sources 2020 Research Study Report, Jay-Marie Bravent, Deirdre Scaggs, Matthew Strandmark, Danielle Gabbard

Library Reports and White Papers

This report presents the findings of an exploratory examination of the pedagogical practices of social sciences and humanities instructors who teach undergraduates with primary sources at the University of Kentucky (UK). Conducted in December 2019 and January 2020 by a research team from the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center, the study reveals areas of success within existing programs and services, the benefits and drawbacks of teaching with digitized primary sources, as well as inherent pedagogical challenges to overcome. A list of recommendations based on the findings seeks to address these challenges and concludes the report. As part …

Born-Digital Preservation: The Art Of Archiving Photos With Script And Batch Processing, Rachel S. Evans, Leslie Grove, Sharon Bradley

Articles, Chapters and Online Publications

With our IT department preparing to upgrade the University of Georgia’s Alexander Campbell King Law Library (UGA Law Library) website from Drupal 7 to 8 this fall, a web developer, an archivist, and a librarian teamed up a year ago to make plans for preserving thousands of born-digital images. We wanted to harvest photographs housed only in web-based photo galleries on the law school website and import them into our repository’s collection. The problem? There were five types of online photo galleries, and our current repository did not include appropriate categories for all of the photographs. The solution? Expand our …

Institutional Repository And Archives Partnerships And Futures, Elizabeth James, Lindsey M. Harper, Lori Thompson, Gretchen R. Beach

Librarian Research

A reality of dwindling resources in archives, as well as in higher education more broadly, is that the ability to purchase and maintain a specialized archives management and content management software is often out of reach. For Marshall University Special Collections, the solution to make finding aids and other digital archival materials accessible online required evaluating software already available at the university. Marshall Digital Scholar (MDS), an instance of the bepress institutional repository software, was chosen for its immediate availability, robust discovery services within the repository and through outside search engines, statistic tracking capability, metadata flexibility, support for multiple file …

Return To Work Planning: Covid-19 Re-Opening And The Uncertain "New Normal", Jay-Marie Bravent

Library Presentations

Jay-Marie Bravent discusses the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center's plans for fall instruction and public services.

Kicking & Streaming! Enhancing Digitally-Born Oral History Collections In Digital Commons, Autumn Johnson

Digital Commons Southeastern User Group 2020

Oral history collections pose unique challenges for archival institutions. Making these important histories available to researchers is often impeded by complex issues of access, privacy rights, and media obsolescence. These challenges are magnified when histories are digitally-born. Not only do they face the same issues as their analog counterparts, but digital materials have their own unique preservation and access issues with which archivists are still struggling to identify best practices. Digital Commons offers archivists a platform for sharing digitally-born oral histories that mitigate many of these complex issues. Not only does the platform allow for the consolidation of files from …

Treasures In Special Collections At Wcu, Christopher Borroughs

English Student Work

The Special Collections Department at West Chester houses an impressive array of children’s literature, though this collection has largely remained untapped and unstudied. However, I have identified many significant holdings upon the shelves, such as Newbery and Caldecott-winning titles, esteemed children’s classics, and other notable works by local authors and illustrators. My presentation will propose several potential research topics for scholarly investigation within the collection, such as studying the history of illustration through our Wind in the Willows collection, observing how depictions of race have progressed over time, and conducting gender and other theoretical studies. I also propose methods to …

Polaroids From Heaven: Experiential Learning With Special Collections, Jillian M. Ewalt

Marian Library Faculty Presentations

This presentation covers an experiential learning collaboration between the Marian Library and the course Alternative Photography at the University of Dayton. Instructors developed a series of hands-on sessions in which students interacted with the Marian Apparitions photograph collection to inform the image-making process.

Balancing The Art And Science Of Archival Processing Metrics And Assessment, Cyndi Shein, Sarah R. Jones, Tammi Kim, Karla Irwin

Journal of Western Archives

At the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) University Libraries, archival processing metrics are used to support value propositions, project proposals, project management, and strategic planning. When making data-driven decisions, UNLV Special Collections Technical Services staff strive to balance the art and science of archival processing metrics—to critically assess their data and look beyond the numbers for additional information that brings meaning to the metrics. In this research paper, the authors review processing metrics across the profession and place their own archival processing field data within the context of more than three decades of professional practice. They report and explore …

On-The-Job Information Literacy: A Case Study Of Student Employees At Purdue University Archives And Special Collections, Tracy Grimm, Neal Harmeyer

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

This chapter presents Purdue Archives and Special Collections as a case study in growing an organizational culture committed to teaching information literacy parallel to classroom learning through student worker experiential learning. While student employment or internships may not traditionally be considered co-curricular activities, Purdue University Archives and Special Collections provides an environment not only for students to gain pre-professional experience but also expertise, confidence, and competence in information; for many students, this preparation has resulted in careers in museums, archives, libraries, and cultural heritage institutions. The result is a new approach to student employment: one designed to establish an environment …

Review Of Advocacy And Awareness For Archivists, Erin Hurley

Journal of Western Archives

Review of Kathleen Roe's book Advocacy and Awareness for Archivists.

“Polaroids From Heaven”: Collaboration Between The Marian Library And The Course, Alternative Photography, Jillian M. Ewalt, Carrie K. Chema

Marian Library Faculty Presentations

This presentation covers a collaborative project between the Marian Library and the Department of Art and Design at the University of Dayton.

Review Of Digital Preservation In Libraries: Preparing For A Sustainable Future, Lara Michels

Journal of Western Archives

Review of Digital Preservation in Libraries: Preparing for a Sustainable Future, edited by Jeremy Myntti and Jessalyn Zoom.

2019 Annual Report Of The Work In Imsa’S Archives, Marti Guarin, Christian Nokkentved

Archives' Annual Report

The IMSA Archives, housed in the Leto M. Furnas Information Resource Center, serves to collect and preserve materials relating to the history and ethos of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. The Archives includes both special and general collections with materials about IMSA’s establishment, led by Dr. Leon Lederman and Governor James Thompson. There are materials about the Academy's opening in the fall of 1986 and its development since, as well as about its ideas and programs and how they evolved. We have sample curricula, presidential speeches, samples of student work, as well as material about and from partnership programs …

Ann Hopkins Papers., Beth S. Harris

Finding Aids: Guides to the Collections

This is a collection of personal and professional papers related to the Hopkins v. Price Waterhouse (Wash., D.C. Federal District Court) and Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins (U. S. Supreme Court) cases. The final decision capped a seven-year battle against Hopkins’ employer for gender discrimination and her final victory in 1990 helped to expand workplace discrimination laws to include gender stereotyping.

The collection date ranges from 1967-2001 and includes correspondence, court documents, materials related to the book So Ordered: Making Partner the Hard Way (University of Massachusetts Press, c1996), newspaper and periodical publications, photographs, and a scrapbook.

Additional personal correspondence (1965-1989) …

Apparition Or Icon? Integrating Critical Visual Literacy Into Primary Source Instruction, Jillian M. Ewalt

Marian Library Faculty Presentations

How can art librarians and visual resource professionals embolden undergraduates to find, use, and think critically about images? This poster outlines how visual literacy instruction was integrated into an undergraduate course on archival and primary source research at the University of Dayton. It covers partnerships with instruction librarians and archivists, course structure, hands-on activities utilizing archival images, and assessment. The poster addresses how students were engaged both with visual literacy standards and in thinking critically about how they interact with images. The audience will be encouraged to discuss and reflect on critical visual literacy and feminist pedagogies, instructional partnerships, and …

James Madison University Special Collections: Collections Management, Tiffany Cole, Kate N. Morris

Libraries

This presentation covers different facets of collections management at James Madison University Special Collections. Presented to archival professionals from institutions and organizations within the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the presenters also discuss collection development, access, and outreach operations at their repository.

Established in 1983, Special Collections serves as JMU Libraries’ repository for rare, irreplaceable, unique, or otherwise valuable materials in various formats which warrant special handling or care to assure their long-term availability. Historically, Special Collections has acquired materials that document the Central Shenandoah Valley, the history of James Madison University, as well as other unique materials that support the …

Did U Know...?, Andrea Belair

2019 Diversity and Inclusion Certification Course

Did U Know...? is a collaborative project from Union College’s Office of Multicultural Affairs and Andrea Belair, Librarian for Archives and Special Collections. The goal of the project was to bring out under-represented voices and issues from Union College’s past through the use of primary source materials.

Exploratory Evolution: Using Participatory Change To Rethink And Reorganize Digital Collections Services, Annie Benefiel, Jacklyn A. Rander, Matt Ruen, Leigh Rupinski

Scholarly Papers and Articles

Change is the only constant in digital collections work. Evolving technologies, resources, and needs require a constant flexibility in not only what work is done, but how and by whom. Over the course of the 2017-2018 academic year, Grand Valley State University Libraries held a series of facilitated conversations to analyze the workflows, organizational structure, and overall support for the management of digital collections and repositories. This article summarizes the facilitation process and highlights areas of opportunity, aspirations, and future directions.

History In The Making: Outreach And Collaboration Between Special Collections And Makerspaces, Erin Passehl-Stoddart, Ashlyn Velte, Kristin J. Henrich, Annie M. Gaines Mlis

Collaborative Librarianship

Makerspaces present unique possibilities for creative partnerships within libraries, including the opportunity for interdisciplinary use of emerging technologies with archival objects and primary sources. One example of this type of interdisciplinary collaboration is the fabrication of cultural heritage replicas via 3D scanning and printing of historical university objects in academic libraries. Two departments in the University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives (SPEC) and the Making, Innovating, and Learning Laboratory (MILL), partnered on such a project as a way to broaden maker competencies across library departments, leverage interdisciplinary connections between emerging technologies and historic archives, and create innovative outreach …

Records Of A School At Sea, Annie E. Tummino

Publications and Research

This presentation is largely about strategies for dealing with archival legacy description. Not just in terms of data migration or updating standards, but what to do when you inherit a large scale collection that was organized using a methodology that no longer works in a 21st century context. How do you move forward, and how do you document your interventions and decisions? This is what happened to me at SUNY Maritime with the college’s institutional records.

2018 Annual Report Of The Work In Imsa’S Archives, Marti Guarin, Christian Nokkentved

Archives' Annual Report

The IMSA Archives, housed in the Leto M. Furnas Information Resource Center, serves to collect and preserve materials relating to the history and ethos of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. The Archives includes both special and general collections with materials about IMSA’s establishment, led by Dr. Leon Lederman and Governor James Thompson. There are materials about the Academy's opening in the fall of 1986 and its development since, as well as about its ideas and programs and how they evolved. We have sample curricula, presidential speeches, samples of student work, as well as material about and from partnership programs …

Migratory Patterns In Irs: Contentdm, Digital Commons And Flying The Coop, Michele Gibney, Kristin Laughtin-Dunker, Elizabeth Chance

Michele Gibney

What is the importance of institutional history and special collections in a digital environment? Should these pieces of history have their own digital platform or be merged with the institutional repository? What role do repositories play in the institutional environment? What impact do digital historical collections have on the stakeholder contingent as well as the global community? The speakers will discuss the rationale behind migrating collections from CONTENTdm to institutional repositories (all using bepress’s Digital Commons platform). Reasons range from subscription costs to file format concerns to increased search optimization. The migratory act will be covered in terms of method …

Learn By Doing: Cal Poly Pomona's Efforts To Modernize Archival Practices And Increase Student Life Records In Special Collections And Archives Through Collaborative Partnerships, Katie Richardson, Alexis Adkins, Elizabeth Gomez

Collaborative Librarianship

"Learn by Doing" focuses on the steps Cal Poly Pomona Special Collections and Archives staff have taken to modernize and align unit practices with other special collections and archival repositories in the field and their effort to increase the documentation of student life in their university archives. The article outlines steps taken, lessons learned, partnerships established along the way, and suggestions for those wishing to engage in a similar endeavor.

There's A Special Library For That?, Brian Elliott, Basia Delawska-Elliott, Yael Hod, Heather Kiger, Laura Doublet, Swetta Abeyta, Will Sheppard

Basia Delawska-Elliott, MLIS, AHIP

A presentation hosted by SLASC for an exploration of different types of libraries! We had student and alumni members representing everything from medical libraries to the Yosemite Library and beyond. Our panel included:

• Brian Elliott – Medical Library
• Basia Delawska-Elliott – Medical Library
• Yael Hod – Stanford Libraries/Tech Services/Purchasing
• Heather Kiger – Government/Yosemite Library
• Laura Doublet – Archives/Special Collections Academic
• Swetta Abeyta – Architecture Library/Pacific Energy Center
• Will Sheppard – Labor/Unions Library