Archival Science Commons^™

Back Matter

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

Back Matter

Defining Archives: Ingenuity, Innovation And New Perspectives, Dr. Meredith Evans

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

At the 2016 Society of Georgia Archivists Annual Meeting Dr. Meredith Evans gave the keynote address on the conference theme: Defining Archives: Ingenuity, Innovation and New Perspectives. This is the text of her remarks.

The Austin Archives Bazaar: A Collaborative Outreach Event, Daniel Alonzo, Amy Rushing, Kristy Sorensen

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

The Austin Archives Bazaar (AAB) is a biennial, multi-institutional, community outreach event organized by the Archivists of Central Texas (ACT), an all-volunteer group of archivists in Austin, Texas. It is designed to be free, fun, and appealing to the general public, including folks who may not even know exactly what an archives is. This paper looks at the planning and execution of the 2016 Bazaar and reflects back on how it built on lessons learned in 2014 with a focus on issues of governance, fundraising, publicity, logistics, and the participating repository perspective. This case study of a creative, multi-institutional outreach …

Utilizing Student Workers At The Digital Library Of Georgia, Mandy L. Mastrovita, Donnie Summerlin

Georgia Library Quarterly

Libraries and archives have become increasingly reliant on student employees to perform duties essential to the daily work of making cultural heritage materials accessible to patrons. This article details how students are recruited, trained, managed, and mentored from the perspective of supervisors at the Digital Library of Georgia. Topics discussed include hiring procedures, training techniques, work assigned to undergraduate and graduate students, the handling of archival materials, digital imaging, metadata, and social media. The article will also examine methods for creating a rewarding and educational work environment for students that promotes the library profession.

The Digitizing Of ’34, Traci Joleigh Drummond, Kathryn Michaelis

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

The Digitizing of ’34 documentary was created by staff at Georgia State University Library to share information about work on a National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) grant received in 2015. The grant funding provided professional digitization and transcription services for interviews created for The Uprising of ’34 (1995), a feature-length documentary that tells the story of the general textile strike across the south in the same year. While the interview was one-and-a-half hours in length, the interviews created for the documentary consist of over 200 hours of footage. The short documentary, an homage to the original documentary, provides …

Some Remarks On Motion Picture Film Digitization And Communicating Expectations To Digitization Vendors, Chris Lott, Alexander Kroh

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

This article examines archival methods for digitizing film assets and potential miscommunications of expectations when using third-party digitization vendors. In the course of outlining our department’s archival practices as they relate to film scanning, we provide a schema for communicating expectations with labs, ensuring the efforts of the lab best conform to an individual’s/institution’s expectations. By better understanding the process and the decisions that need to be made at each step, archivists will have surer footing in conversations with digitization labs and a better understanding of the cost-benefit trade-offs for certain services.

Moving Forward: Enhancing Preservation Of And Access To Oral Histories At Unlv University Libraries, Karla Irwin

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

The Oral History Research Center (OHRC) at University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries holds recordings for over three thousand oral history interviews stored on audio cassette tapes and removable media. With the establishment of a new Technical Services department in Special Collections in 2014 came the opportunity to standardize description and enhance access and preservation of the audio and transcript files. A multi-phase approach has been employed to address legacy interviews, including a cassette digitization outsourcing project as well as procedures for preserving and providing access to the born-digital interviews. Accessioning procedures for new oral history interviews have also been …

From Basement Storage To Online Access: Processing And Digitizing The Mathematical Association Of America General Mathematics Film Production Elements, Justin Kovar

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

A two-part case study of a film project processed and digitized by an archival institution, from the planning stages through online access. Using a single title, "The Kakeya Problem," as an entry point, these videos detail the process of shipping, identifying, rehousing, describing, and digitizing a film collection, with a focus on the rationale that shaped these processes at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.

Art Of Defiance: Found Footage, Legal Provenance, And The “Aesthetics Of Access”, Claudy W. Op Den Kamp

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

This essay focuses on the artistic practice of found footage filmmaking—defined as the practice of creating new films with extant material—and the relation of found footage filmmaking to Lucas Hilderbrand’s 2009 concept of “aesthetics of access”. A focus on legal provenance of the source material, as well as techniques of circumvention that are used when obtaining material for compilation, will be used to analyze the aesthetic form of found footage films, both within and outside an institutional archive context. It will conclude that these films as well as the changing practices within which they are produced emphasize the interdependent relationship …

“Is This Enough?” Digitizing Liz Lerman Dance Exchange Archives Media, Bria Parker, Robin C. Pike, Vincent Novara

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

Special Collections in Performing Arts (SCPA) at University of Maryland Libraries collects performing arts materials that preserve performance practice, instruction, and scholarship, including the full scope of audiovisual (AV) formats. The Liz Lerman Dance Exchange Archives at SCPA contains, among common print archival materials, a significant number of AV materials. This collection is examplar of the numerous challenges facing AV digitization and preservation projects in university libraries and archives, including determining metadata standards and best practices, describing at the appropriate level, handling technical and personnel issues, and working with vendors. In this article we outline the decisions made for this …

Editor's Note, Cheryl Oestreicher

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

Editor's note

Only Connect: Communities, Archives, And The Making And Keeping Of Memory, Jeannette Bastian

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

Keynote presented at the 2015 annual meeting of the Society of Georgia Archivists in Columbus, Georgia.

Our Love Won’T Fade Away: Processing The Jerry Garcia Memorial Altar Collection, Scott J. Carlson

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

On August 9, 1995, Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead was found dead of a heart attack. Four days later, a public memorial for Garcia, held in Golden Gate Park, was attended by the band and almost 25,000 fans. Underneath an enormous portrait of Garcia, fans deposited letters, artwork, pictures, and a vast array of personal offerings in memory of the late musician. The "altar" materials, as they were called, were eventually gifted to the University of California Santa Cruz, now home of the Grateful Dead’s archives. Out of context, the 3,100 individual items of the collection might seem haphazard …

Hoarding And Its Effects On Acquisition And Appraisal: Two Case Studies From The University Of Illinois Archives, Roxanne M. Dunn

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

Compulsive hoarding is characterized by the acquisition of, and failure to discard, a large number of possessions and clutter that prevents the use of living spaces as intended, and often the items acquired are unsanitary, worthless or hazardous. (Frost, Pekareva-Kochergina & Maxner, 2011) Acquiring materials from hoarders poses significant challenges to archivists who rely in part on the retention decisions of creators and collectors.

This paper will define compulsive hoarding, identify the challenges that hoarded environments present for archivists and will share steps taken by myself and other professional archivists to filter through two hoards. Included is a list of …

Reviews, Debra March, Michael Nagy, Laura Starratt, Mandy L. Mastrovita, Carol Waggoner-Angleton, Grant Maher, Cheryl Oestreicher, Michael K. Law, Pamela Nye, Mandi Johnson, Amanda Pellerin

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

Book reviews

Archivists And Faculty Collaborative Course Development, Courtney Chartier, Gabrielle M. Dudley, Donna Troka

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

This article describes an innovative collaboration and partnership between archivists and a faculty member to enhance teaching and learning on a college campus. For archivists, instruction is often relegated to a secondary function with well-worn show-and-tell sessions that feature collection highlights. However, in a dynamic university environment, these traditional teaching methods are not sufficient for the needs of faculty in their teaching, students in their learning, or archivists seeking broader uses for their collections.

The Case Of The Stanly Will, Ryan Speer

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

This article presents a historical account of the state of Georgia's 1926 suit to recover a colonial will which had been an item of commerce for some 50 years at the time of the court proceedings. Ultimately, Georgia was unable to prove that the will was a state record. The state’s result can been seen as part of a larger pattern indicating that replevin is not consistently effective in recovering documents lacking conclusive evidence of long-standing public custody.

Time, Money And Effort: A Practical Approach To Digital Content Management, Christine S. Wiseman, Alfred S. Matthews

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

As libraries and archives continue to convert mass quantities of collections to digital form, we are faced with ensuring long term accessibility to these digital assets. This article addresses the process one institution undertook to evaluate the digital content management and preservation landscape to plan for future growth and expansion of its digital program.

The Right To Know . . . Or Not: The Freedom Of Information Act, 1955-1974, Tommy C. Brown

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

In recent years the Society of American Archivists and other organizations committed to open records have called on Congress and the president to work together to strengthen the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). For archivists and other transparency advocates, understanding the history of the FOIA may shed light on recent events and why efforts to maintain open records and strengthen the law continue regardless of which political party occupies the White House. This article explores the early history of the Freedom of Information Act from the establishment of the Special Subcommittee on Government Information in 1955 to the amendments …

Front Matter, Heather Oswald

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

Front Matter

Back Matter

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

Back Matter

Editor's Note, Heather Oswald

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

Editor's Note

A Push In The Right Direction: Expanding Models Of Mentorship, Lynette Stoudt, Caitlin Birch, Michelle Chiles, Luciana Spracher, Darla White

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

According to the nineteenth-century Massachusetts Senator John C. Crosby, “Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.” In a field where technology, priorities, and job responsibilities are constantly changing and challenging professionals, mentoring has become an essential tool to ensure the success of individuals at all levels of their careers. This article highlights the establishment of two regional archival organization mentoring programs that have taken the traditional model of mentoring relationships and expanded it to better fit the needs of their communities. The Society of Georgia Archivists Mentoring Program facilitates one-to-one …

Back Matter, Heather Oswald

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

Back matter

Opening Access To Fresh Air's Archives, Melody Kramer, Anu Paul

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

Producing a daily public radio show while preserving past content and metadata for public access is both time-consuming and difficult, particularly for a small staff untrained in archival techniques. Over the past decade, however, Fresh Air with Terry Gross has made a concerted effort to preserve its collection, by digitizing and standardizing the metadata in its archives in order to ensure future public access to its material. In this paper, we detail why Fresh Air’s archives and other audio-dominant collections deserve such urgent attention, and present a case study for how a small public radio institution successfully managed an archival …

Front Matter, Heather Oswald

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

Front matter

Reimagining Record Groups: A Case Study And Considerations For Record Group Revision, Matt Gorzalski

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

The record group hierarchy at Southern Illinois University Carbondale reflects many of the problems noted by record group critics, and has evolved into a burdensome structure. This article describes how previous considerations about creating record groups have influenced revisions of the record group hierarchy at SIUC. The author does not advocate wholesale revision of a hierarchy, but only in areas where the end result creates a sensible and manageable classification system.

Ethics Of Access In Displaced Archives, Samantha R. Winn

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

This paper presents an exploratory review of archival literature on access to displaced archives. In order to understand the ethical imperatives that govern access to displaced archives, archivists must navigate a complex web of competing moral claims, contradictory legal frameworks, shifting national security norms, and customary practices that reflect centuries of colonization, occupation, and conquest. In the absence of either rigorous professional engagement or a clear ethical framework, institutions managing displaced archives may establish policies that unnecessarily restrict access, violate the values of the creators, privilege certain groups of users over others, or inflict harm upon members of the originating …

A Vibrant And Vocal Community: Establishing An Archival Outreach Plan For The Lgbtq Community In Utah And Similar States, Julia Huddleston

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

Despite being both politically and culturally conservative, Utah has a vocal and vibrant lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community that has been making history and headlines for decades. However, there is a demonstrated lack of primary source material documenting these movements. The lack of archival material highlights the need for archives in Utah to actively seek out collections from LGBTQ individuals and organizations through a concentrated outreach effort.

This paper addresses the unique concerns associated with acquiring LGBTQ collections—building trust, respectfully arranging and describing materials in a way that maximizes access, and creating inclusive physical spaces through reference …

Archives As Artifacts: Authenticity, Preservation, And Significant Properties In Microfilm And Digital Surrogates, Jamie A. Patrick-Burns

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

Abstract: From microfilm’s widespread adoption in the 1950s to its fading popularity due to electronic media, archivists have evaluated its benefits and shortcomings, debating its ability to preserve authenticity. While many practitioners initially praised microfilm’s stable and tamper-evident qualities, more recent re-evaluation has placed new emphasis on the materiality of originals for the context they provide in addition to the information content, unlike surrogates. These changes in archival practice are relevant for today’s challenges with digitization; archivists’ past experience with microfilm technology and current work on digital preservation can provide important lessons and perspectives regarding records’ essential characteristics and the …