Archival Science Commons^™

Developing Collecting Areas Through Digital Surrogate Donations: Are The Benefits Worth The Risks?, Kevin C. Miller

Pepperdine University Libraries

Special collections librarians at small or medium sized institutions may lack the resources required to build new collecting areas or further enrich the collecting areas mandated by their mission. As one measure to overcome this challenge at Pepperdine University, we are experimenting with an approach that we call “digital surrogate” donations. In these cases, we work with donors to create digital surrogates—typically scans of images or texts—of select physical materials with which donors are not quite ready to part. Per a modified donor agreement, the digital surrogate collections are then made available to researchers through our digital archive and open …

“Save Our History!” Collaborating To Preserve The Past At Umass Boston, Meghan Bailey, Patricia Bruttomesso, Andrew Elder, Carolyn M. Goldstein, Jessica R. Holden, Joanne Riley

Joseph P. Healey Library Publications

Sparked by the 50th anniversary of the founding of the University of Massachusetts Boston in June 1964, University Archives and Special Collections (UASC) staff in the Joseph P. Healey Library collaborated with departments across campus to carry out a wide range of initiatives, all focused on locating, accessioning, preserving, and sharing the physical evidence of the university’s history. This poster outlines the various collecting activities, outreach methods, digitization projects, and dogged detective work that resulted in the addition of more than 2,500 linear feet of unique historic materials to the University Archives, as well as a number of well-received public …

New Perspectives On Internship And Practicum Requirements In Archival Education, April K. Anderson-Zorn

Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library

This conference panel discussed internship and practicum work in archival repositories. The presentation delivered by Anderson focused on training at institutional repositories and the program she developed for both ISU and regional students. As per the panel’s abstract: ”This session will generate new perspectives on the issue of internships and practicums with the intended goal of balancing the educational needs of students, the instructional requirements of archival educators, and the ethical concerns of institutions.”

Last Post, Abby M. Rolland

Blogging the Library

I cannot believe this is my last week working in Special Collections and there are less than three weeks until graduation. My time up here has gone by so fast and I’m sad it’s coming to an end! I’ve made a lot of progress and learned a lot as well. [excerpt]

Re-Housing Slides In Special Collections, Abby M. Rolland

Blogging the Library

So as I mentioned two weeks, I re-housed a lot of old slides. I’ve added some pictures, to show the wear that old slide covers get and how slides need to be housed in specific, archival sheets. I got through all of the slides in the back. Then, Amy (archivist) and I went to look at some of the slides in this other area and we found at that there are lots of slides in nice, healthy slide covers, but they’re all completely out of order. There are slides from 1986 in the same sheet as slides from the early …

So Many Projects, So Little Time, Melanie L. Fernandes

Blogging the Library

Recently I’ve been going back and forth between a few different projects. I’ve been working hard trying to identify people in the digital photos from past Gettysburg College theatre productions in the GettDigital Theatre Arts collection. The staff taught me how to use the ContentDM program so that I can actually have the website show the names I’ve uncovered. I’ve been using yearbooks, alumni catalogs, and some of the staff from the Theatre Arts Department as resources. At the beginning I was making a lot of headway with identifying people; however, things are going a bit slower now and the …

Selecting My Senior Star Book!, Abby M. Rolland

Blogging the Library

In the past two weeks, I’ve been working on the Whiting journal and re-housing the PR collection slides. I’m editing Kate Whiting’s travel journal, which is coming along nicely! I would’ve loved to meet her and talked to her about her adventures, including but not limited to why she and her family picked the boat and places they did and if they ever took any other trips. I’ve re-housed a lot of PR slides and they look way better in the new covers. The old covers get sticky and start to smell funky when they get old. I’ll post some …

Making Your Popcorn And Enjoying It Too, Sean Anderson, Adam C. Northam

Velma K. Waters Library Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Travel And Publicity, Abby M. Rolland

Blogging the Library

So in the past couple weeks (interrupted by Spring Break), I spent time cross-checking the PR files with the Finding Aid for them in Word, which some of the interns last summer compiled. It’s incredibly detailed and I only made a few additions – they did a really good job! Since then, I’ve been reading and researching a travel journal written in 1898 by Kate Burr Draper Whiting. I just finished reading and taking notes on it today and it’s incredibly fascinating. Whiting, around 60 years old at the time, took a two and a half month long “cruise” with …

Review Of Extensible Processing For Archives And Special Collections: Reducing Processing Backlogs, Todd Welch

Journal of Western Archives

Review of Extensible Processing for Archives and Special Collections: Reducing Processing Backlogs.

Keeping Busy!, Melanie L. Fernandes

Blogging the Library

I have been keeping very busy in Special Collections! I just finished a project combing some papers that had initially been separated. One box was intended to be department papers, while the other was supposed to be personal papers. I talked with some of the staff and we decided that it would be best to combine the papers, as they have a lot of common information that would be good to have in one place. That collection is finally complete and it feels great to have my first full project all done! [excerpt]

Nsuworks Annual Report 2014-2015, Michele Gibney

Brochures, Pamphlets, and Reports of the NSU Alvin Sherman Library

In 2014 Nova Southeastern University celebrated its 50^th. In conjunction with the anniversary, the NSU Libraries determined a need to preserve the past, present and future of the university by creating a campus wide repository for all scholarship, creative work, and historical materials produced by the university. NSUWorks is a part of the NSU Libraries’ contribution to the university’s ongoing growth and success as an internationally recognized research institution. NSUWorks was launched at the Dean’s Meeting on November 2014, and reached its one year anniversary at the end of February 2015. The NSUWorks Annual Report covers the period …

Time For My Second Post!, Abby M. Rolland

Blogging the Library

So I have fully processed the Leo Jarboe Collection. At some point, my draft finding aid will be read and edited and will eventually go online. To top of finishing the collection (or so I thought at that point), Melanie and I took a little trip to New Oxford (about a 20-minute drive) to meet Leo Jarboe. It felt so surreal to meet a man whose papers I had been going through for the past month. We talked about his adventures on the USS Callaghan (DD-792), his life after World War II, and his family. In addition, he donated more …

Finished Processing First Collection!, Melanie L. Fernandes

Blogging the Library

Hello! On Tuesday I finally finished processing and organizing my first collection. On the left is my finished product, all labeled and organized. Processing this collection was a very enjoyable experience for me–I feel that I am the expert on this collection. Throughout the process it was sometimes difficult to know how to group some of the items. Certain things, like meeting minutes, are easy to group together. Some things like handwritten notes or various articles are more difficult to group. If the notes contain a wide variation in subject matter, it might be better to group them into several …

Introducing Fortenbaugh Intern Abby, Abby M. Rolland

Blogging the Library

Hi I’m Abby – the last of three Fortenbaugh Interns to post! I am a senior with a History major and Political Science and Anthropology minors and I hail from Kokomo, Indiana. I am so excited to be working in Special Collections – I love working with history first-hand! Here’s a brief write-up of what I have completed so far in my time on the 4th Floor. [excerpt]

Introducing Fortenbaugh Intern Melanie, Melanie L. Fernandes

Blogging the Library

My name is Melanie and I am a Fortenbaugh Intern in Special Collections. This is my third week in Special Collections, and I have to say I am loving the experience! I have been giving the task of cataloging the Potuchek Papers. I personally find college history to be very interesting, so I am having a great time going through these papers and examining how past courses were taught. There are also many materials having to do with college committees, and I am getting to see how these different organizations helped make Gettysburg College what it is today. [excerpt …

Images Of The Surreal: Contrived Photographs Of Native American Indians In Archives And Suggested Best Practices, Zachary R. Jones

Journal of Western Archives

This essay explores the complex history of contrived photographs of Native American Indians created by non-Native photographers around the turn of the twentieth century. Based on research and surveys this essay overviews issues associated with contrived photographs, colonial narratives of history, and offers perspectives and survey feedback on practices that could improve archival description of controversial historical photographs of American Indians found in archives around the world.

Natives In The Nation's Archives: The Southwest Oregon Research Project, David G. Lewis

Journal of Western Archives

The Southwest Oregon Research Project, initiated by members of the Coquille Indian tribe broke ground in Oregon for archival collections. Tribal scholars, working to restore and support their tribal nations collected documents and learned skills of archival research and organization. The last phase of the project returned collections to regional tribes in a community process of potlatch. The project theory reversed the trend of the late 19th and early 20th centuries of collecting information from tribes with little or no reciprocity. Tribes today are using the information to write histories, restore cultural identities and support tribal sovereignty.

"The Right To Know": Decolonizing Native American Archives, Jennifer R. O'Neal

Journal of Western Archives

This work examines the historic and current policies regarding Native American archives, detailing the broader historic landscape of information services for tribal communities, the initiative to develop tribal archives in Indian Country, and the activism surrounding the proper care and management of Native American archive collections at non-Native repositories. Utilizing Vine Deloria's "Right to Know" call to action, the paper analyzes major activities and achievements of the national indigenous archives movement with a specific focus on archival activists and tribal communities in the American West who were at the forefront of a grassroots movement to establish and develop tribal archives, …

Native American Archives Special Issue: Dedication, Jennifer O'Neal, David G. Lewis

Journal of Western Archives

This is a dedication for the special issue on Native American archives.

A Grape Idea: Competitive Collaboration Is A Win-Win For Regional Archives, Rachael Cristine Woody, Melissa Salrin

Faculty & Staff Publications

In the summer of 2014, Linfield College and Whitman College archivists Rachael Woody and Melissa Salrin teamed up to document the history of the Walla Walla wine industry. While collaboration in the archives isn’t new, Woody and Salrin offer their perspective on the benefits of such partnerships even when the institutions wish to acquire the same materials and work with the same donors. The authors argue this project can serve as a blueprint for other repositories that wish to document community history and/or work collaboratively with a competing institution. Woody and Salrin outline the respective histories of their institutions and …

Treasure Hunt Without A Map: Archival Research At The University Of Pennsylvania, Meghan Strong

English and Creative Writing Independent Study Projects

Under the supervision of Meredith Goldsmith in the English Department, I spent this semester developing archival research projects for lower level students in the humanities. My project corresponded with the aims of the Council for Undergraduate Research, which works to develop undergraduate research skills throughout the disciplines. The Kislak Center is a nearby resource that has the potential to provide students with opportunities to develop crucial research skills while discovering little pieces of history that are hidden away in the archives. The final exercises presented here focus on the subjects of Walt Whitman, Marian Anderson, and Michel de Montaigne.

Applying Archival Science To Digital Curation: Advocacy For The Archivist’S Role In Implementing And Managing Trusted Digital Repositories, Sammie L. Morris

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Archivists have led digital preservation efforts for as long as there have been digital records, as a natural extension of archival responsibilities to collect, preserve, and provide ongoing access to unique information of enduring value. Increasingly, librarians and information professionals are also focusing attention and resources on these initiatives. Examples include data curation, establishment of institutional repositories, and providing virtual work spaces for researchers to collaborate and archive their scholarly output.

Information professionals are relying upon standards such as ISO 16363 for certification of trustworthy digital repositories, to facilitate successful digital preservation and access. Unfortunately, archivists are sometimes forgotten in …

The Archives, Robert Bogorff

Brochures, Pamphlets, and Reports of the NSU Alvin Sherman Library

Pamphlet on the University Archives at Nova Southeastern University located in the Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center.

Xquery For Archivists: Understanding Ead Finding Aids As Data, Gregory Wiedeman

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

XML has long been an important tool for archivists. The addition of XQuery provides a simple and easy-to-learn tool to extract, transform, and manipulate the large amounts of XML data that archival repositories have committed resources to develop and maintain – particularly EAD finding aids. XQuery allows archivists to make use of that data. Furthermore, using XQuery to query EAD finding aids, rather than merely reformat them with XSLT, forces archivists to look at finding aids as data. This will provide better knowledge of how EAD may be used and further understanding of how finding aids may be better encoded. …

Everything You Need To Know About Grants: Beginning, Middle And End, Katie Richardson, Melissa Nykanen, Gregory L. Williams, Holly Rose Larson Mcgee, Jamie Henricks

Pepperdine University Libraries

“Everything You Need to Know about Grants: Beginning, Middle and End” was a 90-minute session presented at the Society of California Archivists Annual General Meeting in Berkeley, CA, on April 13, 2013. As a part of the archival community, many of us know that grants are an excellent way to reduce backlogs or accomplish projects we don't have the resources to tackle. However, what many of us may not know is how much work goes into successfully implementing and completing a grant. The purpose of this session was to assemble a group of individuals who have been involved in various …

Spanning Boundaries To Identify Archival Literacy Competencies, Sharon A. Weiner, Sammie L. Morris, Lawrence J. Mykytiuk

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This paper is a report of a collaborative research project that identified the competencies undergraduate history majors should have related to finding and using archival materials. The boundary-spanning collaboration involved archivists, librarians, and history faculty.

Historians have long relied upon archives as essential source material, and recent studies confirmed the continued significance of archives to research in this field. However, there is no detailed listing of the archival research competencies that college history students should attain. Without a clearly defined list upon which history faculty, archivists, and library liaisons to history departments agree, teaching about archives research is difficult and …

Review: Archive-It, Jillian M. Slater

Marian Library Faculty Publications

A review of the web-archiving technology Archive-It.

Review Of "Conceptualizing 21st-Century Archives", Ryan K. Lee

Journal of Western Archives

Book review of Conceptualizing 21st-Century Archives.

Controlling Goods Or Promoting The Public Good: Choices For Special Collections In The Marketplace, Michelle Light

Library Faculty Presentations

Examines how Special Collections in the United States require permissions for publishing and assess permissions fees for commercial use of reproductions from their holdings. Advocates a review and change of policy and practice based on copyright law, ethics, and mission. .