Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Build It—And Advocate For It—And They Will Come: Lessons From A Collaborative Project In Archives Advocacy And Program Development, Jodi Allison-Bunnell, Linda Morton-Keithley, Elizabeth Knight

Journal of Western Archives

Libraries at small- and mid-sized academic institutions continue to re-define themselves as journal and monograph collections go online, budgets and staffing remain flat or reduced, and value to student learning and the institutional mission needs to be apparent. This all spells opportunity for archival programs which, with a strong focus on advocacy and daylighting formerly hidden collections of unique content, can re-invigorate the library and spotlight the active role today's service- and user-oriented archives can play in supporting student research, fostering ties with constituents, and ensuring the preservation of an institution's stories and history. A recently-completed National Historical Publications and …

Primary Sources On C. E. Kelsey And The Northern California Indian Association, Larisa K. Miller

Journal of Western Archives

This article provides a brief history of and identifies primary sources on C. E. Kelsey and the Northern California Indian Association, which brought federal support to the nonreservation Indians of northern California in the early 1900s. Kelsey is a frequently mentioned but largely unknown figure in the unique history of Indian-white relations in California. As an officer of the Northern California Indian Association (NCIA) and special agent for the Indian Office he altered the landscape for California Indians. Because there is no corpus of Kelsey's personal papers, NCIA records, or government records, he remains largely unknown, to the point that …

Review Of How To Manage Processing In Archives And Special Collections, Jillian Cuellar

Journal of Western Archives

Learning to process archival collections as an intern or student processor constitutes many archivists’ first practical understanding of the archival enterprise. Though this experience is an excellent hands-on opportunity for many nascent archivists to sharpen their project management skills, it does not fully prepare them to manage an archival processing program. Few students in archival graduate programs receive in-depth management training, leaving many to learn effective management techniques without formal guidance. With How to Manage Processing in Archives and Special Collections, Pam Hackbart-Dean and Elizabeth Slomba set out to offer archivists a comprehensive, practical toolbox for managing a processing …

The Bonds Of Organization: Zine Archives And The Archival Tradition, Rachel Woodbrook, Althea Lazzaro

Journal of Western Archives

There is a current movement amongst zine archives toward collaboration and the standardization of policies and practices. As a relatively new area of archival collecting, zine archives are progressing through core archival issues at a rapid pace; this progression provides an opportunity for them to redefine traditional archival practices in relation to their specific needs.

The community-based nature of their collections compel zine archivists and librarians to include their unique audiences in the mapping of traditional practices onto the organic structures of their largely grassroots organizations: they are translators and interpreters between archival theory and this grassroots practice. Ideally, this …

Beyond A Box Of Documents: The Collaborative Partnership Behind The Oregon Chinese Disinterment Documents Collection, Natalia M. Fernández, Cristine N. Paschild

Journal of Western Archives

This article is a case study of a collaboration between the Oregon Multicultural Archives of Oregon State University, Portland State University Library's Special Collections, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA), and the Northwest News Network to preserve and make accessible a recovered box of Oregon Chinese disinterment documents. By examining what influenced and engaged each partner, this case study offers an opportunity to better understand the motivations of diverse stakeholders in a "post-custodial era" project that challenges traditional practices of custody, control, and access.

Book Review: Archival Arrangement And Description, Tiah K. Edmunson-Morton

Journal of Western Archives

The 2013 book Archival Arrangement and Description, the first installment in SAA’s “Trends in Archival Practice,” has broad appeal for archivists with different professional duties and in a variety of repository settings. Published as both an e-book and a print edition, this book is built on flexibility and user needs. Editors Christopher J. Prom and Thomas J. Frusciano offer a great introduction for the three modules that constitute the book, calling for archivists to archivists embrace change and professional evolution. Sibyl Schaefer and Janet M. Bunde begin the book with an exploration of how standards facilitate intellectual control and …

Fruits Of Their Labors Digital Collection: A Case Study, Elizabeth Smart, Kristi Young

Journal of Western Archives

University folklore archives are expanding collections through cultural documentation projects run by students and community members. These new collections are a rich source of potential digital content. Bringing these collections online requires keeping the research audience in mind with thoughtful processing, modernizing traditional folklore archives description techniques, and working collaboratively with multiple library departments. The end results include expanded holdings and new digital resources for local historians.

The Importance Of Reappraisal And Deaccessioning In Collegiate Archives In The Pacific Northwest, Courtney Buehn

Journal of Western Archives

This article examines the current reappraisal practices and procedures of archives, and investigates the need for official deaccessioning policies through the analysis of literature in the field and eight personal interviews conducted with professionals in universities in the Pacific Northwest. These persons were asked about the initial appraisal procedure of their repository, the current reappraisal process done without an official policy, and the factors that contribute to the decisions made concerning deaccessioning. Formal policies for appraisal and deaccessioning are important for responsible management of individual archival repositories, and also for the development of archival communities.

Capturing And Processing Born-Digital Files In The Stop Aids Project Records: A Case Study, Laura Wilsey, Rebecca Skirvin, Peter Chan, Glynn Edwards

Journal of Western Archives

In September 2012, the Manuscripts Division of the Stanford University Libraries Department of Special Collections and University Archives completed a one-year National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC)-funded project to process the records of the STOP AIDS Project, an HIV prevention non-profit organization in San Francisco, California. This project marked the department’s first large-scale processing project to capture and process born-digital records. Building upon the nascent framework outlined by the AIMS white paper and the infrastructure developed by Stanford University Libraries, the project team captured born-digital records and implemented new processing strategies using digital forensics tools. This case study will …

The Development And Professionalization Of The Utah State Archives, 1897-1968, Cory L. Nimer, J. Gordon Daines Iii

Journal of Western Archives

The 20^th century saw the rise and development of the archival profession. This paper examines what it means to be a profession and how the characteristics of a profession began to manifest themselves in the archival community using the Utah State Archives as a case study. The Utah State Archives reflects many of the national trends towards professionalization as it was initially part of the Utah State Historical Society and eventually became its own entity.