Library and Information Science Commons^™

Conducting A Literature Review, Jim Alderman

Beginning Library & Information Systems Strategies

The literature review is an integral part of any research project and is undertaken as a means of surveying what research has been conducted previously on a particular topic. There are many reasons for conducting a literature review, but one of the primary reasons is to establish a base line of what is already known on a topic before exploring the topic any further. The review typically involves a search of any previously published or presented materials that might have relevance to a prospective new study.

Choosing A Research Topic, Jim Alderman

Beginning Library & Information Systems Strategies

One of the most difficult things about doing research is finding a good topic. Finding an area of interest is usually no problem, but discovering a specific topic within that area can be challenging or even frustrating. The following discussion should help you to select an appropriate research topic.

Boolean Logic/Boolean Searching, Jim Alderman

Beginning Library & Information Systems Strategies

Help using Boolean operators for a successful online or database search.

Books: Their Role In Research, Jim Alderman

Beginning Library & Information Systems Strategies

Help evaluating books as resources in an academic research project.

Parts Of The Book, Jim Alderman

Beginning Library & Information Systems Strategies

Information to help recognize the different parts of a research or academic book.

Bibliographic Styles: A Brief Guide, Jim Alderman

Beginning Library & Information Systems Strategies

Documentation of sources is a critical part of preparing a research project. A responsible researcher will provide his or her readers with a list of all sources referenced in the project and will provide in‐text documentation of all ideas that are not original. Following are some general guidelines for what types of information to record as you use sources in a project.

Article Types: Choosing What Is Best, Jim Alderman

Beginning Library & Information Systems Strategies

Help recognizing different types of articles and choosing what type of article is best for different academic research projects.

Promoting The Value Of Special Collections: A Subject Librarians' Approach, Anne Larrivee, Leslie Vega

Library Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Popcorn And A Movie: Using Popcorn.Js To Enhance Digital Collections, Sean Anderson, Adam C. Northam

Velma K. Waters Library Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Native American Empowerment Through Digital Repatriation, Michelle L. Fitch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Following the Enlightenment, Western adherence to positivist theory influenced practices of Western research and documentation. Prior to the introduction of positivism into Western scholarship, innovations in printing technology, literary advancements, and the development of capitalism encouraged the passing of copyright statutes by nation-states in fifteenth century Europe. The evolution of copyright and positivism in Europe influenced United States copyright and its protection of the author, as well as the practice of archiving and its role in interpreting history. Because Native American cultures practiced orality, they suffered the loss of their traditional knowledge and cultural expressions not protected by copyright. By …

Documenting Women’S Civil War Experiences In The Ohio Valley At The Filson, Eric Willey

Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library

This collections essay describes archival collections of the Filson Historical Society of Louisville, Kentucky. These collections document women and their experiences in the American Civil War.

Au Courant - Fall 2013, Jim Alderman

Au Courant

Newsletter of the Thomas G. Carpenter Library

Cultural Sensitivity In The Archives: Digitizing Controversial Materials, A Balancing Act, Marisol Ramos

UConn Library Presentations

What is the role and responsibility of the archives when considering giving access to potentially controversial material? How cultural sensitivity can serve as a framework to balance access to material that may hurt the feeling of individuals or groups? These are some of the questions discussed in this presentation. The presentation will focus on two cases at the University of Connecticut where issues about cultural sensitivity have an impact in the decisions taken to digitize the collections. In specific, I discussed working with sensitive cultural materials which have the potential to hurt, embarrassed or infuriate different type of stakeholders. I …

Digitization Is In The Details: Using Data From Patron Research Patterns To Enhance Accessibility, April K. Anderson-Zorn

Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library

Materials like yearbooks, catalogs, and university governance are highly requested items at a university archive. For Illinois State University, we decided to digitize these items to make them more accessible to our out-of-town alumni and researchers. Digitizing these materials was a huge accomplishment for the department and helped us achieve our goal of gaining a larger web presence with our patrons. But where do we go from here? All too often, archivists tend to think we know what our patrons want but in some cases, our digital efforts are rarely viewed online. What parameters can we follow in choosing materials …

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 …

Documenting 'Herstories' In The Ohio Valley At The Filson, Eric Willey

Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library

This collection essay describes archival collections held by the Filson Historical Society of Louisville, Kentucky. The collections described document women’s contributions to the region’s history, their struggles and triumphs, and the contours of their daily lives, including interactions with family, peers, neighbors, and business associates.

The Well‐Rounded Archivist: A Unlv University Archivist Perspective, Tom D. Sommer

Library Faculty Presentations

I’m going to be focusing on three main themes today:

• The first theme will be “Being a University Archivist.”

• Next will be the things that I “Wish I had Known.”

• Lastly, I’m going to provide you a series of thoughts and feelings that center around my “Advice for New Archivists.”

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 …

Creative Collaboration: Maximizing Resources For Multi-Collection Exhibits, Jillian M. Slater, Nichole M. Rustad

Marian Library Faculty Presentations

This presentation illustrates the collaborative, multi-format approach used in preparing an exhibit of archival materials on the 1913 Dayton flood at the University of Dayton Libraries. Originally formed due to the absence of a University Archivist, the small planning committee was able to combine areas of expertise including archives, history, graphic design, video/audio production, marketing, and digitization. The collaborative process facilitated a creative approach resulting in a unique, interactive exhibit utilizing audio, video, original materials, reproductions, a permanent digital component, and a discussion panel event. The presenters will also discuss how the planning committee maximized available resources (without a budget) …

Cultivating A Special Collection: How The Personal Touch Can Sow The Seeds For A Major Acquisition, Sue Lynn Mcdaniel, Nancy Richey

SCL Faculty and Staff Publications

Introduction:

Serendipity is often the best friend of special collections librarians. Sharing our passion for history and preservation can create happy accidents, connecting us with the caretakers of the remnants of past generations. In fact, libraries come to acquire many cultural treasures, often discovered in the contents of someone's attic, basement, or storage space, because we nurtured a relationship with a potential collector over time.

Au Courant - Spring 2013, Jim Alderman

Au Courant

Newsletter of the Thomas G. Carpenter Library

Crowdsourcing Transcriptions Of Archival Materials, Aaron G. Noll

Graduate History Conference, UMass Boston

Crowdsourcing is a method that has been effectively used to pool the knowledge and skills of large numbers of online volunteers for the creation of information resources utilized by historians, genealogists, and scientists. In recent years, archivists have begun to crowdsource the transcription of their handwritten records. Transcription of such records has traditionally been completed by professional transcribers who are skilled in reading multiple handwriting styles, knowledgeable about the creators and historical context of the records, and can interpret varying record formats and genres. However, increasingly limited resources of time and money have made traditional transcription more difficult to accomplish. …

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.

Preserving Film Preservation In The Digital Era, Becca Bastron

School of Information Student Research Journal

This paper explores the current controversies surrounding film preservation in the digital era. Questions address the benefits of new technologies and the potential sacrifices to a film's authenticity and designation as a valued historical, social, and cultural artifact. Issues examined include film's frail format, archives's financial and storage limitations, the concept of "the original film," and how current digitization methods affect each of these areas. This paper addresses the recent restorations of two particular films—Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927) and Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958)—and concludes that digital technologies are not stable enough to replace traditional preservation methods, but they can greatly …

The Student As Subaltern: Reconsidering The Role Of Student Life Material Collections At North American Universities, Jessica L. Wagner

Publications and Research

This article argues for college and university archivists to undertake advocacy and activism to better document student life. It discusses key shifts in archival and historical theory that supported an interest in collecting from a wide variety of people rather than just elites. Next, it describes recent archival scholarship on student life materials and considers the extent to which college and university archives are actively documenting the student experience via the collection of these materials. Analysis of the results of a survey of college and university archivists about the nature of these collections sheds further light on prevailing opinions of …

True Single Search: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly, Margaret T. Kidd

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Since the advent of Google, the trend in search engines has been to try to provide as many types of information as possible from a single location. Libraries are no exception, with discovery tools such as Primo and Summon becoming more and more popular. This presentation discusses the pros and cons of using Primo in relation to finding manuscripts and archives materials.

Attitudes About And The Affects Of The Use Of Student Assistants In Special Collections And Archives., Carol Waggoner-Angleton

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

The continuing backlog in collections processing could be reduced through the application of More Product Less Process (MPLP) or other approaches, but the effort is still hampered by a lack of personnel to assign to processing. This discussion addresses whether it is possible to consider student assistants a viable labor source in special collections and archives to mitigate this personnel gap. A retrospective literature review determined historical attitudes toward the use of student assistants in academic libraries and the tasks that students were capable of performing. Study participants practicing in Special Collections and Archives in academic libraries in Georgia were …

Persuasion, Promotion, Perception: Untangling Archivists' Understanding Of Advocacy And Outreach, Jeremy Brett, Jasmine Jones

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

More and more, archivists find themselves having to be advocates for their own institutions, fellow archival institutions, and themselves. This is an especially complicated turn of events because of discrepancy among archivists as to what specifically constitutes archival advocacy. Over the past year, as a response to this, the Issues & Advocacy Roundtable of the Society of American Archivists has been conducting surveys on archival advocacy in the profession, designed to gauge the advocacy environment as it exists among today’s archivists and archival institutions. The ongoing goal of the project has been to create a dialogue about what advocacy is, …

The Use And Availability Of Environmental Activism Collections In Academic Archives, Amy F. Stempler

Publications and Research

This study seeks to reveal the current state of environmental research in academic special collections and archives, with an emphasis on materials associated with environmental activism. The use and availability of archival environmental activism collections were assessed in a two-fold process. The use of such collections was evaluated through a citation analysis of related research articles published in Environmental History, the premier scholarly journal in the field of environmental history. The citation analysis reviewed the prevalence of archival collections sourced, and examined citations by repository type and material type in order to gain insight into the kinds of items used …