Library and Information Science Commons^™

The Primary Source, Vol. 34, Issue 1, Elizabeth La Beaud

The Primary Source

No abstract provided.

Regional Archival Associations Consortium, Daniel Alonzo

The Primary Source

Did you know that there are over 50 regional archives groups (Regionals) in the United States? Some, such as the Northwest Archivists Inc., represent multiple states over a large geographic area, while others are more narrow in geographic scope, such as the Archivists of the Houston Area, which represents a single metro area.

Finding Captain Dickson: The Archivist As A Researcher, Gerald Chaudron

The Primary Source

Item-level description is a luxury few archivists can afford to indulge in as processing has adopted the MPLP model and eliminating backlogs has become a clarion call. But there are instances when only research done by the archivist will allow the significance of a document to be recognized and no longer hidden in a collection. An account of an incident before the Civil War Battle of Chickamauga written by Mississippi soldier Captain Thomas Hyde Dickson is one example of why there is still a place for item-level description and how the role of archivist as researcher is critical to making …

Entire Issue Volume 32, Number 2

The Primary Source

Complete issue of Vol. 32, No. 2 of The Primary Source.

Mississippi's Role In The Civil War As Seen Through The State's Official Records, Jim Pitts

The Primary Source

Mississippi, the second state to secede from the Union, played a major role in the South’s bid for independence. The state provided troops to Confederate armies in Virginia and in the Mississippi and Tennessee River valleys. Factories in the state provided military equipment and the farms provided foodstuffs. Much of this is documented in the official records of the state held by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History at the William F. Winter Archives Building, 200 North Street, Jackson. The department was founded in 1902. The first object and purpose of the department, by state law, was “the care …

William Harris Hardy And The American Civil War, Reagan L. Grimsley

The Primary Source

On Friday, May 31, 1861, a 24 year-old lawyer turned volunteer company commander gathered his unit of eighty men in the small central Mississippi town of Raleigh, the county seat of Smith County. The above quote described the scene that day as the soldiers and their families shared their last moments before the troops left for war. The company, nicknamed the “Smith Defenders,” would march the next day to Brandon, Mississippi and then continue onward via railroad to the state capital at Jackson. In both Brandon and Jackson, citizens greeted them with pomp and circumstance, characteristic of the early days …

The Growing Digital Civil War Archive At The University Of Mississippi, Susan Ivey

The Primary Source

In 2011, the University of Mississippi’s Archives and Special Collections began an ongoing project to digitize a portion of materials related to the Civil War. This started as a means of participating in the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries’ (ASERL’s) collaborative digitization project, Civil War in the American South, which was established to celebrate the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War. ASERL’s project provides a single access point for Civil War materials from multiple repositories, and currently includes over 10,000 items from 30 libraries. In addition to providing greater access to the University’s materials via the ASERL’s portal, the …

Southern Cross Of Honor Records At The Mississippi Department Of Archives And History, Jeff T. Giambrone

The Primary Source

Some of the most widely requested records at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History are those related to the State’s participation in the American Civil War. The service records of Mississippians who served in the Confederate army, their postwar pension applications, and the list of veteran grave registrations are all frequently used by researchers. In addition to the above mentioned records, there is an often overlooked resource at the archive that might be helpful to someone researching a relative that fought for the Confederacy: the United Daughters of the Confederacy (Mississippi Division) Southern Cross of Honor Records.

Charles T. Cotton's Civil War: "Whatsoever Thy Hand Findeth To Do, Do It With Thy Might", Christopher M. Laico

The Primary Source

In 2008, the Columbia University Libraries EAD Working Group developed workflows for creating EAD finding aids for newly processed collections. These work flows utilized a robust technical infrastructure for managing the EAD files and designed an attractive web presentation for the finding aids. These goals were achieved in 2009. In 2010, the archives unit at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library (RBML), Columbia University decided to apply these workflows to the conversion of all paper based and scanned finding aids into EAD. The RBML project addressed inconsistent descriptive practices, corrected outdated information, ensured DACS compliance and provided enhanced search tools …

War And Remembrance: Walter Place And Ulysses S. Grant, Ryan P. Semmes, David S. Nolen

The Primary Source

In 1862-1863, General Ulysses S. Grant conducted military operations in the state of Mississippi, culminating in the siege and eventual surrender of the city of Vicksburg. During part of this time, Grant’s wife, Julia, took up residence at Walter Place in Holly Springs, Mississippi. In the years after the Civil War, Walter Place became known not just as an antebellum home, but also as a place with a strong connection to Grant and his family during the Civil War. When Mike and Jorja Lynn purchased the property, they began collecting Grant-related items for display in the home, including modern and …

Entire Issue Volume 32, Number 1

The Primary Source

Complete issue of Vol. 32, No. 1 of The Primary Source.

Mississippi Digital Library, Elizabeth La Beaud, Nicole Lawrence

The Primary Source

The Mississippi Digital Library (MDL) is dedicated to increasing the awareness of and access to the diverse and valuable resources found within Mississippi. As the collaborative digital library program for the state, the MDL partners with a range of institutions to bring together the vast amount of primary sources found in Mississippi and provide worldwide digital access to those resources. Ultimately, the MDL aims to provide a digital portal for the wealth of diversity found in and about Mississippi, and enhance collaboration between cultural heritage institutions within our great state. Working with over twenty institutions, each with a distinct focus, …

Visions: Art Outside The Box At The Ohr-O'Keefe Museum Of Art In Biloxi, Mississippi, Callie Wiygul, Barbara Johnson Ross

The Primary Source

The Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi, Mississippi, is the preeminent repository for the works of visionary Biloxi-born pottery master George E. Ohr (1857-1918). During his youth, Ohr was an apprentice to potter Joseph Fortune Meyer for approximately one year in New Orleans. It was during this time that he began to hone his artistic skills and to learn the mechanics of the pottery trade. After his apprenticeship, he traveled to potteries in sixteen states and numerous World's Fairs to learn about techniques and glazes. He came back from his travels and assisted Meyer once again in New Orleans at …

A Past Honored: Preserving The History Of The Chinese In The Mississippi Delta, Emily Jones

The Primary Source

Over 130 years ago the Mississippi Delta was a stop along a sojourner's path. Those few months or years expected to spend in the region turned into decades and generations of roots being planted and families raised. Lives were lived, dreams were built and experiences were remembered. Yet time can also dash away a century of existence in a blink of an eye. What remains when people of different nationalities and ethnic backgrounds interact are traces of the blending of those cultures. For the Chinese in the Mississippi Delta, their presence may not be as strong as it once was …

Lgbt Literature And The Twentieth Century: Collection Highlights From The Mccain Library And Archives, The University Of Southern Mississippi, Peggy Price

The Primary Source

Scholars interested in the publishing history of gay and lesbian literature will find key resources available at the McCain Library & Archives at the University of Southern Mississippi. As Curator of Special Collections, I did not set out to create a collection of LGBT materials, but as I worked with items from writers and others with Mississippi connections I noticed a fair amount of books and periodicals related to gay and lesbian topics on our shelves. Curators always hope for multifaceted research potential with the resources we obtain for our libraries, and I was pleased to discover the emerging opportunities …

Diverse Collections In The Mississippi University For Women Archives, Derek Webb

The Primary Source

In the history of higher education in America, Mississippi University for Women (MUW) occupies a peculiar, though rarely acknowledged, position. The University's history provides uniquely fertile ground for studies of diverse groups and their interactions in institutions of higher education, but the lack of a functioning archives has long impeded such study. It was a pioneer in women's colleges, intended to serve the educational needs of all economic classes, teaching Latin and penmanship alongside dressmaking and stenography. It also offers the distinctive perspective of a college explicitly founded for white women that underwent integration in the 1960s, which is still …

Entire Issue Volume 31, Number 2

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Complete issue of Vol. 31, No. 2 of The Primary Source.

Guarding The Map Room: Understanding Theft And Increasing Security In Archives, Brian Shetler

The Primary Source

In 1963, after decades of increased thefts and security failures in libraries and archives nationwide, the American Library Association published a report on the protection of libraries and their resources. Though a long time coming, the highly anticipated report “failed to give much attention to the actual concerns regarding theft.” Librarians, archivists, and others in the field were left to fend for themselves.

Finally, in 1987, the Security Committee of the ACRL RBMS (Association of College and Research Libraries—Rare Book and Manuscripts Section) began collecting information on all reported thefts within libraries, archives, museums, and special collections. The report, which …

Shipwrecks, Hospital Wards, And Landscape Architecture: On The Unexpected Utility Of Maps In Archival Collections, Jeffrey Mifflin

The Primary Source

An obsessive cartographer in Reif Larsen’s novel, The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, describes a 25-year project of attempting to compile and catalogue maps of all kinds to arrive at “a totally comprehensive understanding of the history, geology, archaeology, botany, and zoology of the land.” Mr. Benefideo realizes that the task is too much for one person or even one generation and hopes that a new generation of cartographers will pick up where he left off. “A map does not just chart,” he suggests, “it unlocks and formulates meaning; it forms bridges between here and there, between disparate ideas that …

Map And Geographical Imagery In Editorial Cartoons, Linda K. Ginn

The Primary Source

Editorial cartoons are a form of social commentary combining text and imagery. Small in size, they must be worded succinctly and have recognizable images. By their nature, use, and placement – traditionally on the opinion and editorial page of a newspaper – editorial or political cartoons have a point to make, an agenda to press. Whether that message is subtle or blatant, editorial cartoons are designed to comment on and make people think about events and issues of local, regional, national, or global significance.

This study examined map and geographical imagery in selected editorial cartoons. The purpose was to identify …

Editor's Note - On The Map: The Function, Use, And Preservation Of Maps In Archives, Mona K. Vance

The Primary Source

Editor's introduction for The Primary Source, Vol. 31, No. 2.

Entire Issue Volume 31, Number 1

The Primary Source

Complete issue of Vol. 31, No. 1 of The Primary Source.

Hidden Collections At The Georgia Tech Archives, Jody Lloyd Thompson

The Primary Source

At the Georgia Tech Archives, the collections are typically located on shelves grouped by similar physical formats, such as manuscripts and records, photographs, architectural drawings, and books. The discovery of manuscript materials in the book section was very puzzling and concerning. The archivists had to determine how many other collections would be in the same situation and what other rare Georgia Tech materials would surface. With a small staff (3 archivists at the time, 1 library assistant, and two staff in records management) and 13,000 linear feet of holdings, these just added to the challenges.

Collection Level Records For Hidden Collections: Our Responsibility To Users, Cassandra A. Schmitt

The Primary Source

There is no shortage of literature discussing processing backlogs in United States repositories and the need for a shift in approach. With many institutions currently facing decreased support and funding it becomes essential for collection management practices to be as efficient and productive as possible.

This article will highlight the experiences of Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) at the University of Oregon Libraries in uncovering hidden collections by utilizing collection level records and supporting this work with a grant by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). Over the past several years we have undertaken a major effort …

Archives, Their Reception, And The Nature Of Archival Reading, Robert Barnet Riter

The Primary Source

This paper offers an introductory discussion on how archives contain and disseminate information, considered within the context of what is hidden and revealed during the process of creating archival collections. Here, the view is put forth that archival collections can be conceptualized as works, and acts of archival access and use, as acts of reading. The archivist, in evaluating and making accessible archival collections, helps to determine what archival information will remain hidden, and what will be revealed, within a body of records, and how the user will read the archival work.

Archives can be described as assemblages. As objects, …

Putting Private Papers On Deposit: A Case Study, Jeffrey Mifflin

The Primary Source

As the part-time Archivist and Curator of the Massachusetts General Hospital, I am occasionally free to moonlight as a consultant for other organizations in need of advice about what to do with their historical records. For several years I have served as Consulting Archivist for the Wakefield Charitable Trust, an educational foundation that administers the buildings, grounds, and fortune bequeathed by Mary M. B. Wakefield, the heiress of a venerable Brahmin family. Mrs. Wakefield lived on a twenty-one-acre estate (now known as the Wakefield Estate and Arboretum) in a semi-rural part of Milton, a Boston suburb. In younger years she …

The Case Of A Scrapbook Collection That Tripled In Size: The Benefits And Unforeseen Consequences Of Digitizing A Hidden Collection, Keith Phelan Gorman, Kathelene Mccarty Smith, Hermann Trojanowski

The Primary Source

Responding to the Association of Research Libraries’ call for Special Collection librarians to make their “hidden collections” more visible, the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) surveyed its “hidden collections” as it prepared for a move of its holdings to a new location and set processing, preservation, and digitization priorities. Recognizing the growing research interest in documents that reveal the cultural and social life of students and faculty, the department identified a poorly housed and partially cataloged scrapbook collection for a digitization project. While seeking to impose intellectual control …

Editor's Note - Hidden Potential: Revealing The Hidden Collection In Your Archives, Mona K. Vance

The Primary Source

Editor's introduction to The Primary Source, Vol. 31, No. 1.

Entire Issue Volume 30

The Primary Source

Complete issue of Vol. 30 of The Primary Source.

Social Media Outreach: How The Ernest J. Gaines Center Explores New Platforms, Derek T. Mosley

The Primary Source

The Ernest J. Gaines Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette) is an international center for scholarship on Ernest Gaines and his work. The center honors the work of UL Lafayette’s Writer-in-Residence Emeritus and provides a space for scholars and students to work with the Gaines papers and manuscripts. Born in 1933 on a plantation near New Roads, Louisiana, Gaines based his award-winning novels on the African American experience in the rural South. His works include The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and A Lesson Before Dying, both later produced as award-winning films. Having a great research …