Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

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

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, …

Making Love Easier: Automating Communication For Better Relationship Building For Web Archives, Emily Collier

2024 R&I Day

Starting in Fall of 2023, Ruth Bryan and Emily Collier began researching sustainability for the Web Archiving Program, which led them to building communication channels with the University of Kentucky Office of Public Relations and Marketing Web Content Development group. By tightening this channel, we hope to initiate the archival mindset right at the moment of content creation, as well as limit gaps in our web archives collection as the PR team is directly involved in monitoring sites that go live and expire. Part of this tightening of communication has been finding ways to automate alerts when changes are made …

“Integrated Library Planning: A New Model For Strategic And Dynamic Planning, Management, And Assessment” [Book Review], Julene L. Jones

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Review of "Integrated Library Planning: A New Model for Strategic and Dynamic Planning, Management, and Assessment” by Myka Kennedy Stephens.

Pathways To Discovery: Exploring Transdisciplinary Learning With Primary Sources, Matthew Strandmark

Library Presentations

No abstract provided.

Uk Libraries' "Wildcat Histories:" Preserving Student Activist Social Media Content, Ruth E. Bryan, Taylor C. Leigh, Emily B. Collier

Library Presentations

In this presentation, we describe the current web archiving program at the University of Kentucky Libraries; provide an overview of the "Wildcat Histories" activist student organization social media preservation project, funded by Project STAND; discuss the technical aspects of the "Wildcat Histories" project; and the project's current status and lessons learned.

On Being Seen, On Being Legible, On Being: A Black, Agender Perspective On A Career In Libraries, Adrian Williams

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

This ethnographic essay explores the author’s journey in understanding, contending with, and building a career in academic libraries that is affirming to their Black and agender identity. The essay discusses the hypervisibility of the author’s race in libraries, in contrast to the invisibility of their transness, and how that contrast has affected how they navigate their work as a pre-tenure librarian.

Preserving Family Artifacts, Ruth E. Bryan

Library Presentations

The Casey County Library is hosting a talk about “Preserving Family Artifacts” on Saturday July 15, 2023 at 11:00 am-Noon. Anyone interested in learning how to care for important family papers, photographs, sound and film recordings, digital information, and books and Bibles are welcome to attend. Ruth E. Bryan, the University Archivist for the University of Kentucky Library’s Special Collections Research Center, will be sharing key steps to keep your family treasures safe for future generations.

Will Our Future Selves Thank Us? An Examination Of Born-Digital Curation Practices At Ukl, Megan M. Mummey, Sarah Dorpinghaus, Ruth Bryan, Emily Collier

Library Presentations

Cultural heritage resources are increasingly being produced and distributed digitally yet the world of physical materials has not declined. 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. During this session, four archivists and librarians from the University of Kentucky Libraries (UKL) will share their current challenges and successes working with different aspects of born-digital stewardship. They will share practical tips, tools, policies, and mental frameworks to help attendees identify gaps, pitfalls, and opportunities in digital stewardship at their own institutions. Sarah Dorpinghaus will provide …

Preservation Perseverance: Archiving Social Media Content, A University Of Kentucky/Latino Student Union Collaboration, Ruth E. Bryan, Taylor C. Leigh, Emily B. Collier

Library Presentations

The voices of activist student leaders and organizations are crucial to preserve, whether it be in a formal archives or as part of an archiving process undertaken by individuals and groups to preserve their legacies. Increasingly, these voices are found in social media and other online and web platforms that are difficult to preserve. Wildcat Histories is a year-long, grant-funded collaboration between the University of Kentucky Libraries and the University of Kentucky Latino Student Union (LSU) to research the best technologies for (as of July 2023) and then carry out the preservation of activist student organization social media content. The …

The Archives And You: Why Your Memorabilia Matters, Ruth E. Bryan

Library Presentations

Join Ruth E. Bryan, University Archivist at the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center, as she describes what archives are and how your memorabilia can contribute to historical research and scholarship.

A View Into Collaborative Methods Between Minority Organizations And Archivists At The University Of Kentucky, Claudia Elizabeth Benito

Anthropology Presentations

This poster examines the white and male-dominated narrative promoted in the archives. Archivists hold the power to record and contribute to what is included in the archives. The lack of descriptions and identifiers causes archivists to define materials to the best of their ability. A third party is then creating historical notes that may not be complete and the materials lose, to some extent, their meaning and value. This becomes even more problematic when the materials have originated from or highlight minority individuals or groups. Particular language, or lack thereof, can make locating and understanding these materials more difficult for …

Looking Back: Woman's Library Club In Kentucky, Reinette F. Jones

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

The Woman’s Library Club Movement arrived in Kentucky around 1896. It was not a true movement, but rather a period when dissociated groups named Woman’s Library Club were established throughout the United States. There was not a national office or state offices. Each club functioned independently. The state of Kentucky was a minor player in the Woman’s Library Club Movement. Had it not been for the Paducah newspaper articles, the state as whole may have been overlooked.

Looking Back: Kentucky And Children’S Book Publishers, Reinette F. Jones, Charlotte Stephens

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Though Kentucky was not a leader in the early publishing industry for children, it was an active participant. Printers within the state, as in the rest of the country, saw the potential in producing literature for young readers. Through the end of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth centuries, this literature became more established. Slowly, children’s books started to step away from solemn moral instruction toward the playful stories we know and love today.

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 …

Exhibit: Documenting The Presence Of Hispanic And Latinx Students At The University Of Kentucky, Ruth E. Bryan, Taylor Leigh

Library Presentations

From December 6-7, 2022, at the request of Hispanic Studies Department faculty Heather Campbell-Speltz, University Archivist Ruth Bryan and Hispanic Studies Librarian Taylor Leigh presented to students in classes SPA 211 and 208 an exhibit of items from the University Archives in the UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center that document the presence of Hispanic and Latinx students at the University of Kentucky. Starting with the first student from Latin America to graduate from the Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1878 (the precursor to today’s university) and going through some of the activities of the Latino Student Union in 2022, …

About Private Tommie D. Smith Guy, Wac, Reinette F. Jones

Library Presentations

Tommie D. Smith [Guy], from Lexington, KY, was one of the three African American WACs who were beaten by the local police and charged with disorderly conduct for sitting in the white waiting area of the bus station in Elizabethtown, KY. The three WACs were with the 1550th Service Command Unit, WAC Section II. The three women were eventually found not guilty of any charges.

Born Digital Layer Cake: A Tiered Approach To Digital Preservation At The Ukl Scrc, Megan M. Mummey

Library Presentations

No abstract provided.

Advocating For Higher Wages For Archival Student Workers: Or How To Stop Exploiting Your Students, Megan M. Mummey

Library Presentations

No abstract provided.

Suddenly, Everything's Online! What Do We Do Now?, Ruth E. Bryan

Library Presentations

In this presentation, the author, the University of Kentucky university archivist, outlines a problem with acquiring currently-created university documents and offers some initial solutions. The problem is that key university records of historical and strategic importance are being distributed or published online and not routinely transferred to the archives the way they were in the past. Unless these documents are proactively acquired by the university archives, they are likely to be lost because of the ephemeral nature of the Web. Yet, crawling or otherwise capturing dynamic and changing web platforms adds technological complexity and thus requires additional resources. Given that …

Soap Eaters & Coon Dogs… According To Kentucky Newspapers!, Reinette F. Jones, Kopana Terry

Library Presentations

Kentucky newspapers are a valuable research option with many articles about the history of the state, as well as national and international news. This presentation was brief overview of the Kentucky Newspaper Digital Program [KDNP] and its development over many years. KDNP provides patrons access to the hundreds of Kentucky newspaper titles. Many of these titles are available full-text online via the University of Kentucky Library catalog. The weekly history vignettes are based on Kentucky newspaper articles and cover a wide range of topics. They are online at the KDNP Facebook site.

Sacscoc In Libraries, Julene L. Jones, Kathleen Bell

Library Presentations

In this webinar, two Assessment Librarians describe SACSCOC Library standards 11.1-11.3 as well as the narratives and evidentiary documents they compiled for their institutions' 2022 and 2023 reaffirmation processes. Slides also available at http://www.aserl.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/SACSCOC-in-Libraries.pdf

"Online Learning: Steps Taken, Lessons Learned", Matthew Strandmark

Library Presentations

This presentation details the creation of digital learning objects for use in the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center education program during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in following semesters. It discusses the origins of the online learning modules, how they were created, how they are advertised, and how they are assessed.

If It’S Not In The Newspapers, Don’T Believe It!, Kopana Terry, Reinette F. Jones

Library Presentations

Kentucky newspapers are a major asset for historical research and genealogical work. They hold the treasures not found in any other resource and are a great educational tool for all ages. We will share with the audience how the Kentucky Digital Newspaper Program (KDNP) came to exist in its present form, who uses it, and why it is free to all who have internet service. Added to that, will be the overview of why so much local African American history can be found in the newspapers, and how the newspapers have been a vital resource in the development of the …

Maximizing Good: An Inquiry-Based Approach To Minimal Description For Online Archives, Sarah Dorpinghaus, Cory Lampert, Rebecca Pattillo, Kyna Herzinger

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Minimal descriptive practices have been embraced by archives over the past fifteen years for their efficiency and practicality. This paper explores the strengths and weaknesses of minimal description within the context of digitized collections and evaluates them against the assumptions made by cultural heritage professionals. It considers whether minimal description provides digitized collections with sufficient metadata to meet MPLP’s user-centered goals of improving access, sufficient context to ensure collections are understandable within their digital environments, and sufficient framework to facilitate data exchange across systems, all while considering MPLP within archival ecosystems that impact labor and resource allocation. The authors offer …

Sustaining Cross-Departmental Programmatic Change For Reparative Description At The University Of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center, Megan M. Mummey

Library Presentations

No abstract provided.

Information Resources For University Of Kentucky Dei Plan, Ruth E. Bryan

Library Presentations

In this presentation, University Archivist Ruth E. Bryan discusses the various information resources available in the University of Kentucky archives and online for researching University of Kentucky, its land grant beginnings and land purchases, the laborers who constructed and maintained university buildings, and the university's growth in relation to its surrounding neighborhoods.

Beyond "Viuda De": Practical Approaches To Promoting Mexican Books Printed At Women-Owned Businesses, Taylor Leigh, Colleen Barrett

Library Presentations

Women print shop owners have existed for much longer than most people realize; the first examples in Mexico date to the seventeenth century. Unfortunately, these texts are not always clearly described in a way that is findable beyond searching “viuda de.” Though many title-pages describe their businesses in terms of being a widow of their husband, these business owners deserve credit for their entrepreneurial efforts and should be findable in their own right. This poster would highlight the strategies and steps taken by a Hispanic Studies Librarian and a Rare Books Librarian to better promote these types of works held …

Business Models For Post-Crisis Information Ecosystems, Antje Mays

Library Presentations

Since early 2020, the global COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted activity across business, education, research, and communities. Public health safety precautions have forced drastic reductions in economic and educational activity, resulting in widespread economic uncertainty and sizeable budget cuts. With library budgets already declining since the 2001-2002 recession following the dotcom crash and more steeply since the 2007-2009 Great Recession spawned by the financial crash, the pandemic has accelerated trends that were already underway. Libraries’ reduced purchasing power places the information ecosystem at risk of contraction in the race to contain costs.

While economic contexts and publishing forms have changed considerably. …

Legacy Missions In Times Of Change: Defining And Shaping Collections In The 21st Century, Antje Mays, Oya Y. Rieger

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

Despite the rapidly changing information and technology landscape, collections remain at the heart of academic libraries, signifying their enduring importance in providing access to our cultural heritage. Given broader trends in research and the current information ecology of an increasingly networked, distributed, and licensed environment, building collections and developing collection polices is increasingly ambiguous. These trends impact librarians in form of ever-expanding portfolios, diffusion of effort, weakened sense of focus, and a rising sense of persistent yet unmet needs for developing new skills. This paper outlines current research on collection trends and summarizes the interactive exchanges from the 2019 Charleston …

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 …