Museum Studies Commons^™

Sharing Historic Costume Collections Online, Arden Kirkland, Kathi Martin, Marlise Schoeny, Kiki Smith, Gayle Strege

School of Information Studies - Faculty Scholarship

The recent increase in online costume history resources has provided scholars of dress with fresh sources of information for inspiring and validating their research. The best digital archives consider the needs of their users in creating systems that make it easy for more users to access the greatest amount of relevant information. Users of online costume history resources have specific needs that should be addressed, both for internal users (organizing and entering information) and external users (finding information). This paper follows a panel presentation at the 2014 Symposium of the Costume Society of America, on the subject of digital initiatives …

Opening Remarks To Outing Lorraine At The Schomburg Center, Shawn(Ta) Smith-Cruz

Publications and Research

This article is an edit of the opening remarks for the event held on May 22nd, 2014 at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture as part of the In The Life Series supplying Black LGBT programming coordinated by Steven Fullwood. Outing Lorraine included panelists: Alexis DeVeaux, Joi Gresham, and Steven Fullwood and was moderated by Shawn(ta) Smith-Cruz. Opening remarks provide a biographical description of Lorraine Hansberry's life, prepare the audience for a conversation on the implications for "outing" a black iconic figure, details the purpose for use of primary and secondary sources when, and provides a bibliography for …

A Little Bit About Sensory Science And Museums, Leo S. Lo

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

Article discusses how sensory analysis and sensor technology can be used in libraries and museums to enhance user experience.

#Paperwork, Natalie S. Sherif

Blogging the Library

This is history, not bureaucracy, right? I am fairly certain that my methods professor did not mention anything about a thirty-page report, so why the paperwork? In order for Special Collections to request objects for loan from specific institutions, I have to complete what is called a “General Facility Report” which is a comprehensive document that inquires about facility conditions. [excerpt]

Toeing The Line Between Offense And Education, Natalie S. Sherif

Blogging the Library

Medical history can be gruesome. People shy away from blood and guts and images of death perhaps because it makes us question our own mortality or perhaps because it reminds us a bit too much about the origins of that hamburger we ate for lunch. Whatever the reason, a lot of humans cannot stomach the truly heinous. [excerpt]

Do You Doodle?, Natalie S. Sherif

Blogging the Library

If you were, are, or will become a student, then you have probably thought about doodling during class. Fear not! We are not the only generation to draw in the midst of a lecture. Today’s research escapade led me to investigate George Currier’s notes from his time as a student at the Medical Department of Pennsylvania College. [excerpt]

A Hypochondriac Investigates The Evolution Of Medicine, Natalie S. Sherif

Blogging the Library

This exhibit will open to the public in February 2014, but until then I have my work cut out for me. I am currently researching various aspects of medical history spanning from the mid-1800s, through the Civil War, to WWI. Thus far I have read accounts of women volunteers during the American Civil War, important changes that went into effect during WWI, and an overly detailed description on how to perform tooth extractions according to the latest science of the 1860s. [excerpt]

Last Day & Farewell... Sort Of!, Emily A. Francisco

Blogging the Library

My summer internship experience at the library is officially done. It’s odd to think about just how much I’ve accomplished this summer—I’ve researched Civil War genre painters, learned about nineteenth-century sheet music, installed frames, arranged Union soldiers’ swords—the list goes on. I truly am fortunate to have had such a unique and stimulating experience this summer. [excerpt]

Installations, Check!, Emily A. Francisco

Blogging the Library

I guess I assumed the most work was always put in BEFORE an exhibit went up (planning, researching, etc.), but I’ve realized now that it takes the same amount of time and effort to make an exhibit look good for the public as it does to plan it. Maybe it’s because I’m both an artist and a perfectionist, but it took me at least a good hour on each exhibit before I was satisfied with the results. [excerpt]

Exciting News!, Emily A. Francisco

Blogging the Library

I have some great news—as it turns out, I won’t have to say good-bye completely to my job at the library this fall! Meggan told me that they’d like to keep me on to work next year, if my schedule allows. I’ll get to work on my Political Cartoons exhibit after all! I might also get to help out with Jim Agard’s work that’s going on the second floor, and I’ll be here for all of the ALA exhibit preparations too. Meggan also said they were interested in having me do some Public Relations stuff—my official title will be along …

Fun With Civil War Sheet Music, Emily A. Francisco

Blogging the Library

One project I haven’t blogged too much about yet is the Civil War Sheet Music exhibit for the Main Floor. Initially, Meggan only asked me to come up with a tentative list of pieces to display from the resources available; now, though, I’m finding myself assigned to the task of organizing, mounting, and labeling the exhibit. It’s a cool assignment, because it’s so different from everything else I’ve been working on this summer. [excerpt]

Time Flies..., Emily A. Francisco

Blogging the Library

We had another important EPiC meeting yesterday afternoon. Beforehand, Meggan told me to prepare some materials so that I could update the rest of the Committee on the status of my projects.

I can’t believe it’s the middle of July already! My internship seems to just be flying by. One of the things we discussed at our meeting, actually, was how it was almost time to put up the rest of the exhibits. Scary thought! I know my 1860 Election exhibit is just about ready, but I can’t help but feel that there’s so much more research I can do …

"Artifacts" Galore!, Emily A. Francisco

Blogging the Library

Back on my first day of training, Meggan told me about a new feature that the Library was in the process of adding to select exhibits. Ever heard of QR codes? Well, through “artiFACTS,” these codes will soon be changing the way Gettysburg students can interact with special items and displays. [excerpt]

Cartoons, Campaigns, And Bottle Caps, Emily A. Francisco

Blogging the Library

I can’t help but wonder what my AP U.S. History teacher, Robert C. Lemire, Jr., would say if he knew I was designing an exhibit on the Election of 1860. I get chills every time I crack open a book from the research stack on my desk; suddenly I can hear his college-style lectures all over again, drilling me about the differences between popular sovereignty and free soil. Who knew that after two years of being out of high school, the old curriculum would find its way back to me? I’ll have to shoot Mr. Lemire an email. [excerpt …

Adventures With Künstler And Gallon, Emily A. Francisco

Blogging the Library

My second week here at the library has gone by just as quickly as the first. With so many interesting projects to work on, I’m keeping busy and learning an array of new things, especially about exhibit curating. This week I’ve also made sure to take note of new connections between the research I’m doing at the library and my studies in Art History. [excerpt]

Greetings!, Emily A. Francisco

Blogging the Library

When I walked into Musselman library for my first official day as Exhibits Intern, I have to admit that it felt like the strangest thing in the world. First of all, I’ve only been to the library once or twice since finals ended; it still feels eerie to see the place so empty. Second of all, it felt weird to be walking in as an employee instead of just some sophomore running to print out a paper before class. [excerpt]

Ua51 Wku Libraries: An Introspective Review 2011, Connie Foster, Chair

Library Annual Reports, Reports, and Statistics

No abstract provided.

Ua51/3/4 University Libraries Library Special Collections Events, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records documenting exhibits and events sponsored by and held in the Library Special Collections. Includes invitations, flyers and posters.

Ua51/3/5 University Libraries Library Special Collections Awards, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Awards received by Library Special Collections.

Burn After Viewing, Or, Fire In The Vaults: Nitrate Decomposition And Combustibility, Heather M. Heckman

Faculty and Staff Publications

Although the fire risks associated with nitrate film stock are widely known, understanding of the relationship between nitrate decomposition and combustibility remains weak. This paper surveys the contradictory descriptions of decomposition and combustibility of motion picture film in current archival and safety literature, evaluates their sources, and compares them to descriptions by image stability researchers and chemists. Throughout, the author argues that the dialogue among the archival, safety, and scientific communities is inadequate and that no community has satisfactorily established the evolution of flammability as nitrate decomposes. The author concludes by outlining a plan for nitrate research and advocacy over …

Feather Evidence Helps Clarify Locality Of Anthropological Artifacts In The Museum Of Mankind, Carla J. Dove

Pacific Studies

Species of birds used on ethnographic artifacts collected during the eighteenth century and stored at the Museum of Mankind (British Museum) were identified by using microscopic and whole-feather characters. One of the objects (VAN 345), labeled as having been collected on Vancouver’s voyage to Tahiti, was a feather pendant made of long strands of chicken feathers with small red feathers at the base. The small red feathers were examined microscopically, compared with museum study skins of all possible species, and identified as Vestiaria coccinea (‘I‘iwi). Since this species is known only from the Hawaiian Archipelago, it was determined that the …

Vol. 20 No. 4 (1997): Pacific Studies Front Matter, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Pacific Studies is published two times a year by The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i #1979, 55–220 Kulanui Street, Lāʻie, Hawai‘i 96762, but responsibility for opinions expressed in the articles rests with the authors alone. Subscription rate is US$40.00 yearly, payable to The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies. The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies (formerly The Pacific Institute) is an organization funded by Brigham Young University Hawai‘i. The Center assists the University in meeting its cultural and educational goals by undertaking a program of teaching, research, and …

Contributors: Vol 20 No. 4, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Contributors list of Vol. 20 (1997): Pacific Studies Full Issue 4

Introduction: Imaging, Representation, And Photography Of The Pacific Islands, Max Quanchi

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

Making Histories: The Torres Strait Expedition Of 1898, Elizabeth Edwards

Pacific Studies

The Cambridge Torres Strait Expedition used photography to address two agendas, both of which were grounded in the temporal ambiguities of photography. Photography was used first as an integrated tool of anthropological investigation, particularly in the field of salvage ethnography and through “reenactment”; and second as a site of social interaction between the expedition and the Torres Strait Islanders through the exchange and display of photographs. I argue that these two agendas and their function as “history” are grounded in the temporal ambiguities inherent in photographic inscription. The first, the scientific, depended on the construction and representation of a “static” …

In Search Of “Men Of Nature”: Paul Wirz’S Photography In New Guinea, 1916–1955, Andrea E. Schmidt

Pacific Studies

Between 1916 and 1955 the Swiss anthropologist and collector Paul Wirz (1892– 1955) took several thousand photographs during his research trips to New Guinea, where he stayed with the Marind-anim of the south coast, at Lake Sentani, in the highlands with the Western Dani and the Enga, at the Papuan Gulf (Gogodala), and in the Sepik and Maprik areas. For his black-and-white–dominated photography Wirz used first gelatin dry-plate technology, later roll film. The photographs served as illustrations for his numerous publications, and, sometimes hand-colored, as lantern slides for his lectures. In content, Wirz believed that photography should above all document …

Official/Unofficial Images: Photographs From The Crane Pacific Expedition, 1928–1929, Virginia-Lee Webb

Pacific Studies

The Crane Pacific Expedition was privately funded by Cornelius Crane and institutionally sponsored by the Field Museum, Chicago. Originally planning a pleasure trip, Crane offered to fund and organize a scientific one for the museum. The expedition circled the globe from November 1928 to October 1929, and collected over 18,000 specimens of all types for various departments at the Field Museum. Sculptures were also collected and given to several museums. However, the Crane Expedition is particularly significant for its photographic record of the Sepik River, New Guinea. One official photographer, Sidney N. Shurcliff, was documented, yet five men are now …

Vol. 20 No. 4 (1997): Pacific Studies Full Issue, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Pacific Studies is published two times a year by The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i #1979, 55–220 Kulanui Street, Lāʻie, Hawai‘i 96762, but responsibility for opinions expressed in the articles rests with the authors alone. Subscription rate is US$40.00 yearly, payable to The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies. The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies (formerly The Pacific Institute) is an organization funded by Brigham Young University Hawai‘i. The Center assists the University in meeting its cultural and educational goals by undertaking a program of teaching, research, and …

Pacific Islands Collections At The California Museum Of Photography, University Of California–Riverside, Felicia R. Beardsley

Pacific Studies

More than twenty thousand photographs in the collections at the California Museum of Photography, University of California–Riverside (UCR CMP), document a century of history in the Pacific region. Most were taken between 1870 and 1930, many by a corps of unnamed photographers dispatched by stereographic companies to collect images for commercial purposes. There were also individuals like Harry Pidgeon, who crossed the Pacific documenting all aspects of life in the region. The Pacific images in two of the principal stereographic collections at UCR CMP, the Keystone-Mast Collection and the Harry Pidgeon Collection, are described. These collections have not been cataloged, …

Ua77/1 Alumni, Wku Alumni Association

WKU Administration Documents

WKU's alumni magazine. Contents:

• Education Doctorate Proposal Withdrawn
• Western’s Budget Hit by State Revenue Shortfalls
• Meredith, Thomas. Continuing the Dream – Kentucky Museum
• Watkins, Dianne. The Kentucky Museum: A Hidden Jewel
• Hodges, Pat. The Shakers of South Union
• McGuire, Sue. War Letters from Somewhere In . . . – Frances Richards, World War II
• Mills, Connie. A Rather Political Collection – Julius Rather
• The Kentucky Museum Collection
• Staebell, Sandra. Invasion of the Toy Soldiers
• The Henry Hardin Cherry Society
• Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet
• Coal Science Program Receives $50,000 Endowment
• Campus Construction Continues – Preston Health & Activities Center, Meredith …