Archival Science Commons^™

Visions: Art Outside The Box At The Ohr-O'Keefe Museum Of Art In Biloxi, Mississippi, Callie Wiygul, Barbara Johnson Ross

The Primary Source

The Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi, Mississippi, is the preeminent repository for the works of visionary Biloxi-born pottery master George E. Ohr (1857-1918). During his youth, Ohr was an apprentice to potter Joseph Fortune Meyer for approximately one year in New Orleans. It was during this time that he began to hone his artistic skills and to learn the mechanics of the pottery trade. After his apprenticeship, he traveled to potteries in sixteen states and numerous World's Fairs to learn about techniques and glazes. He came back from his travels and assisted Meyer once again in New Orleans at …

A Past Honored: Preserving The History Of The Chinese In The Mississippi Delta, Emily Jones

The Primary Source

Over 130 years ago the Mississippi Delta was a stop along a sojourner's path. Those few months or years expected to spend in the region turned into decades and generations of roots being planted and families raised. Lives were lived, dreams were built and experiences were remembered. Yet time can also dash away a century of existence in a blink of an eye. What remains when people of different nationalities and ethnic backgrounds interact are traces of the blending of those cultures. For the Chinese in the Mississippi Delta, their presence may not be as strong as it once was …

Lgbt Literature And The Twentieth Century: Collection Highlights From The Mccain Library And Archives, The University Of Southern Mississippi, Peggy Price

The Primary Source

Scholars interested in the publishing history of gay and lesbian literature will find key resources available at the McCain Library & Archives at the University of Southern Mississippi. As Curator of Special Collections, I did not set out to create a collection of LGBT materials, but as I worked with items from writers and others with Mississippi connections I noticed a fair amount of books and periodicals related to gay and lesbian topics on our shelves. Curators always hope for multifaceted research potential with the resources we obtain for our libraries, and I was pleased to discover the emerging opportunities …

Diverse Collections In The Mississippi University For Women Archives, Derek Webb

The Primary Source

In the history of higher education in America, Mississippi University for Women (MUW) occupies a peculiar, though rarely acknowledged, position. The University's history provides uniquely fertile ground for studies of diverse groups and their interactions in institutions of higher education, but the lack of a functioning archives has long impeded such study. It was a pioneer in women's colleges, intended to serve the educational needs of all economic classes, teaching Latin and penmanship alongside dressmaking and stenography. It also offers the distinctive perspective of a college explicitly founded for white women that underwent integration in the 1960s, which is still …

Entire Issue Volume 31, Number 2

The Primary Source

Complete issue of Vol. 31, No. 2 of The Primary Source.

Guarding The Map Room: Understanding Theft And Increasing Security In Archives, Brian Shetler

The Primary Source

In 1963, after decades of increased thefts and security failures in libraries and archives nationwide, the American Library Association published a report on the protection of libraries and their resources. Though a long time coming, the highly anticipated report “failed to give much attention to the actual concerns regarding theft.” Librarians, archivists, and others in the field were left to fend for themselves.

Finally, in 1987, the Security Committee of the ACRL RBMS (Association of College and Research Libraries—Rare Book and Manuscripts Section) began collecting information on all reported thefts within libraries, archives, museums, and special collections. The report, which …

Shipwrecks, Hospital Wards, And Landscape Architecture: On The Unexpected Utility Of Maps In Archival Collections, Jeffrey Mifflin

The Primary Source

An obsessive cartographer in Reif Larsen’s novel, The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, describes a 25-year project of attempting to compile and catalogue maps of all kinds to arrive at “a totally comprehensive understanding of the history, geology, archaeology, botany, and zoology of the land.” Mr. Benefideo realizes that the task is too much for one person or even one generation and hopes that a new generation of cartographers will pick up where he left off. “A map does not just chart,” he suggests, “it unlocks and formulates meaning; it forms bridges between here and there, between disparate ideas that …

Map And Geographical Imagery In Editorial Cartoons, Linda K. Ginn

The Primary Source

Editorial cartoons are a form of social commentary combining text and imagery. Small in size, they must be worded succinctly and have recognizable images. By their nature, use, and placement – traditionally on the opinion and editorial page of a newspaper – editorial or political cartoons have a point to make, an agenda to press. Whether that message is subtle or blatant, editorial cartoons are designed to comment on and make people think about events and issues of local, regional, national, or global significance.

This study examined map and geographical imagery in selected editorial cartoons. The purpose was to identify …

Editor's Note - On The Map: The Function, Use, And Preservation Of Maps In Archives, Mona K. Vance

The Primary Source

Editor's introduction for The Primary Source, Vol. 31, No. 2.

Entire Issue Volume 31, Number 1

The Primary Source

Complete issue of Vol. 31, No. 1 of The Primary Source.

Hidden Collections At The Georgia Tech Archives, Jody Lloyd Thompson

The Primary Source

At the Georgia Tech Archives, the collections are typically located on shelves grouped by similar physical formats, such as manuscripts and records, photographs, architectural drawings, and books. The discovery of manuscript materials in the book section was very puzzling and concerning. The archivists had to determine how many other collections would be in the same situation and what other rare Georgia Tech materials would surface. With a small staff (3 archivists at the time, 1 library assistant, and two staff in records management) and 13,000 linear feet of holdings, these just added to the challenges.

Collection Level Records For Hidden Collections: Our Responsibility To Users, Cassandra A. Schmitt

The Primary Source

There is no shortage of literature discussing processing backlogs in United States repositories and the need for a shift in approach. With many institutions currently facing decreased support and funding it becomes essential for collection management practices to be as efficient and productive as possible.

This article will highlight the experiences of Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) at the University of Oregon Libraries in uncovering hidden collections by utilizing collection level records and supporting this work with a grant by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). Over the past several years we have undertaken a major effort …

Archives, Their Reception, And The Nature Of Archival Reading, Robert Barnet Riter

The Primary Source

This paper offers an introductory discussion on how archives contain and disseminate information, considered within the context of what is hidden and revealed during the process of creating archival collections. Here, the view is put forth that archival collections can be conceptualized as works, and acts of archival access and use, as acts of reading. The archivist, in evaluating and making accessible archival collections, helps to determine what archival information will remain hidden, and what will be revealed, within a body of records, and how the user will read the archival work.

Archives can be described as assemblages. As objects, …

Putting Private Papers On Deposit: A Case Study, Jeffrey Mifflin

The Primary Source

As the part-time Archivist and Curator of the Massachusetts General Hospital, I am occasionally free to moonlight as a consultant for other organizations in need of advice about what to do with their historical records. For several years I have served as Consulting Archivist for the Wakefield Charitable Trust, an educational foundation that administers the buildings, grounds, and fortune bequeathed by Mary M. B. Wakefield, the heiress of a venerable Brahmin family. Mrs. Wakefield lived on a twenty-one-acre estate (now known as the Wakefield Estate and Arboretum) in a semi-rural part of Milton, a Boston suburb. In younger years she …

The Case Of A Scrapbook Collection That Tripled In Size: The Benefits And Unforeseen Consequences Of Digitizing A Hidden Collection, Keith Phelan Gorman, Kathelene Mccarty Smith, Hermann Trojanowski

The Primary Source

Responding to the Association of Research Libraries’ call for Special Collection librarians to make their “hidden collections” more visible, the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) surveyed its “hidden collections” as it prepared for a move of its holdings to a new location and set processing, preservation, and digitization priorities. Recognizing the growing research interest in documents that reveal the cultural and social life of students and faculty, the department identified a poorly housed and partially cataloged scrapbook collection for a digitization project. While seeking to impose intellectual control …

Editor's Note - Hidden Potential: Revealing The Hidden Collection In Your Archives, Mona K. Vance

The Primary Source

Editor's introduction to The Primary Source, Vol. 31, No. 1.

Entire Issue Volume 30

The Primary Source

Complete issue of Vol. 30 of The Primary Source.

Social Media Outreach: How The Ernest J. Gaines Center Explores New Platforms, Derek T. Mosley

The Primary Source

The Ernest J. Gaines Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette) is an international center for scholarship on Ernest Gaines and his work. The center honors the work of UL Lafayette’s Writer-in-Residence Emeritus and provides a space for scholars and students to work with the Gaines papers and manuscripts. Born in 1933 on a plantation near New Roads, Louisiana, Gaines based his award-winning novels on the African American experience in the rural South. His works include The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and A Lesson Before Dying, both later produced as award-winning films. Having a great research …

A Tale Of Two Blogs: Lessons Learned Establishing The Top Shelf And La Cocina Histórica At The University Of Texas At San Antonio, Sean Heyliger, Juli Mcloone, Nikki Lynn Thomas

The Primary Source

When establishing a blog, Special Collections departments face a variety of decisions that will affect the future shape of the blog and its readership. The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Libraries Special Collections is in the unusual position of publishing two blogs with distinct audiences and content: a general department blog, The Top Shelf, and a collection-specific blog, La Cocina Histórica. This article examines various strategies employed by both of these blogs in the areas of content, targeted audience, management and authorship responsibility, media exposure, and platform-choice and how those strategies affect blog readership.

Using Social Media And Web 2.0 Tools In An African-American Repository, Aaisha Haykal

The Primary Source

The College of Charleston's Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture in Charleston, South Carolina is an archival repository, museum, and center for public programming dedicated to collecting, preserving, and making public the history of African-Americans in Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry. Currently, the social media strategy consists of maintaining a blog called “Not Just in February” and a Facebook page, but we are investigating other mediums. These platforms were chosen by the administration to promote the programs and archival collections at the institution. The effort to create an indelible Web presence is imperative if the institution …