Library and Information Science Commons^™

This Be The Beloved Curse: Learning To Love Ever-Evolving Born-Digital Description, Ruth E. Bryan, Megan M. Mummey, Andrew Mcdonnell

Library Presentations

The title of the presentation, “This be the beloved curse” is taken from Philip Larkin’s poem “This be the curse.” In it, Larkin describes the cycle of life where children are messed up by their parents, who, with the best intentions, “...fill you with the faults they had/and add some extra, just for you.” He goes on to explain, though, that our parents, in their turn, were equally messed up “...by fools in old-style hats and coats…”, handing on what Larkin terms “misery” from one generation to another.

As archivists, and especially as archivists working with digital formats, our “beloved …

Using Description To Unify School Of Music Recordings And Programs, Treshani Perera, Ruth E. Bryan

Library Presentations

Acknowledging that existing collection management practices and policies are no longer adequate takes courage. Acting on this takes time and patience. This can be especially true when tradition and inertia maintain a status quo that does not serve the interests of the collections or users. The presenters discuss their approach to unifying University of Kentucky School of Music concert recordings and programs housed in the University Archives and the Fine Arts Library. They will cover collection acquisition and description decisions, including their decision to create an archival collection guide in ArchivesSpace and a collection-level MARC record providing two access pathways …

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

Library Presentations

Cultural heritage resources are increasingly being produced and distributed digitally yet the world of physical materials has not declined. Can you realign current resources to meet future collection needs while at the same time continuing with existing collection needs? Analog-based archival theory and practice is still relevant, but born-digital formats make acquisition, appraisal, resource allocation, collection management, and external relationships much more challenging. These challenges range from monetary and environmental costs to resource allocation to social media technology woes to campus-wide IT relationships.

In this presentation, University of Kentucky archivists share practical tips, tools, and mental frameworks to identify gaps, …

Archivesspace Adventures: A Migration, Adam Stephen Guy Smith, Heidi J. Southworth

Library Services Publications

On February 4, 2019, the University Archives and Southern Minnesota Historical Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato successfully launched a new archival tool for our patrons called ArchivesSpace. While this at first glance may not seem like a big deal, the journey that the archives undertook to transform this search tool from a set of static HTML pages (all 700+ of them) to an easy-to-use search engine contained danger around every corner. The team had to fend off lions, tigers, and bears and had to blaze a path through a thick forest of metadata and archival records. The journey traveled …

Keep@Downsview: An Evolving Shared Print Project, Harriet Rykse

Western Libraries Publications

Keep@Downsview is a shared print partnership between six Canadian academic institutions. This article describes the evolution of the partnership from what began as simply an operationally focused collaboration for shared preservation space, in order to release collections space in on-campus libraries, to a partnership that is involved in the larger shared print discussions in North America and which has refocused its strategic directions enabling a more intentional evolution of the partnership.

Four strategic directions were identified prior to the outbreak of the pandemic. Since the onset of Covid-19 it has become apparent that several influencing factors related to the pandemic …

The John Stokes And Mary's Gardens Collection, Stephanie Shreffler, Jillian M. Ewalt

Roesch Library Faculty Publications

The John Stokes and Mary’s Gardens Collection documents the research of John S. Stokes Jr. and the history and activities of the Mary’s Gardens movement, a popular Catholic movement related to planting devotional gardens dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This article provides an overview of this collection and a discussion on archival management, preservation, and outreach.

What's New In Preservation At Musselman Library: Student Workers And The Beauty Of The Book, Carolyn Sautter, Mary Wootton

All Musselman Library Staff Works

Musselman Library's Special Collections and College Archives at Gettysburg College involves student workers and interns in our preservation and conservation efforts. The recent addition to the staff of a half-time conservator position has opened up new avenues for training. This has also resulted in additional access points for our students, faculty and other researchers to interact with our collections. This presentation discusses our preservation activities and our new digital collection The Beauty of the Book. It also illustrates how we have engaged student workers in conservation and enhanced cataloging description projects giving them a deeper appreciation for and understanding …

Modern Special Collections: Embracing The Future While Taking Care Of The Past, Meredith Evans

University Libraries Publications

As managers of special collections engage with evolving formats and technologies, it is imperative that these professionals remain well versed in papyrus, paper, and principles that inform archival work. The permanence of this content defines our past, informs our present, and shapes our future. However, a constricting interpretation of archival principles heavily focused on the “integrity” of recordkeeping drives collection managers further from the resources needed to do their jobs in this new age of archiving. Thinking in a non-traditional strategic manner can ensure continued collection development, access and relevance for the next generation.

Navigating The Flow Of Value-Streams To The Seas Of Collection Management, Acquisitions, And Preservation, Greg W. Voelker, Richard J. W. Zwiercan, Michael Frazier

Library Faculty Presentations

Discusses the background, goals, achievements, focus, and criteria of Collection Management, Acquisitions, and Preservation.

Using A Survey Tool To Establish Preservation Priorities: Results From The Historical Folio Collection Survey At The Cushing/Whitney Medical Library, Yale University, Robin Featherstone, Sarah Burge

Western Libraries Presentations

Objective: An item-level survey was undertaken to reveal the preservation needs of a unique collection of rare medical historical folios and oversize anatomical atlases at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library, Yale University.

Methodology: During a re-shelving project, surveyors noted detailed preservation information in a FileMakerPro database. Recorded information included: dimensions, whether a new enclosure was needed, external status (condition of boards, spine, cover), internal status (cover-to-text attachment, paper), attributes (covering material, binding type, inclusions, bookplate owner, decoration), value/damage (value, damage summary, treatment summary), and photos.

Results and Conclusions: Survey data revealed vital information for determining preservation priorities. The …