Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Digging Up The Past: Archival Issues With Found Time Capsules At Illinois State University, April K. Anderson-Zorn

Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library

During the demolition of an Illinois State University dormitory in the spring of 2016, workers discovered two time capsules. Tasked with their care, the university archivist looked for archival guidance on the safe handling of time capsules, best practices for working with their contents while balancing public demand for access. This case study examines the time capsule as an object of collective memory, how it fits into an institutional collection, the archivist’s work to document and recover materials in two recently discovered time capsules, and how to work with multiple institutional departments to make them accessible. It suggests best practices …