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Manuscript Repositories Newsletter
Summer 2004
From the Chair
Slate of 2004 Candidates Announced
Huntington/BYU Mormon Manuscript Cataloging Project
Leadership and Next Newsletter Deadline
From the Chair: Bean Town or Bust
By Pam Hackbart-Dean, Georgia State University
It's hard to believe it has been a year since we were "spotlighting archives"
in LA, and now we're gearing up for Boston! I always look forward to congregating
with the members of the Manuscript Repository Section. This is a chance to meet
old friends and make new ones, to rejoice in recent successes and commiserate
about continuing challenges. Our meeting is a wonderful opportunity to get to
know your colleagues in order to build a network and support group for ideas
and advice.
For those new to the job or those who want to polish up on their skills, SAA
continues to offer the "unplugged" seminars. This year you can attend
sessions that address copyright, archival management, literary manuscripts,
electronic records, ownership issues, tips on strengthening SAA session proposals,
and how to get the most out of SAA.
You will also find five sessions in this year's program endorsed by our Steering
Committee:
Thursday, August 5 (1:45-3:15) The Impact of the USA PATRIOT Act on Archives
and Archivists. The USA PATRIOT Act allows federal authorities secretly
to access patron records of libraries, archives, and repositories. The Act's
impact on users, donors, and others concerned about privacy and surveillance,
as well as archival administration, could be massive. An archivist, a librarian,
and a legal expert will consider the relevance and effect of the USA PATRIOT
Act, examine what related professionals have done, and consider what future
course the archival profession should follow.
Friday, August 6 (11:00-12:30) History Versus Heritage: When Archives Challenge
Popular Beliefs. When new evidence within archival materials challenges
popularly held beliefs, controversy can result. As stewards of the evidence,
archivists find themselves at the crossroads of history and heritage. Two speakers
will discuss material offering a different spin on Davy Crocket's death at the
Alamo and a different look at the Great Schism in Methodism. The last speaker
will examine history and heritage and why controversies such as these do matter
in a larger cultural context.
Friday, August 6 (12:30-2:00) The Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good: Re-thinking
the Problem of Backlogs. Almost every archives faces the never-ending problem
of backlogs of unprocessed and under-processed materials. The presenters will
describe the initiatives that address the backlog problem by reporting on a
survey methodology used to set processing priorities and develop processing
plans; a strategy used to determine appropriate levels of arrangement and description
for backlogged collections; and the Association of Research Libraries' "Exposing
Hidden Collections" initiative, a profession-wise effort to develop new
approaches to reducing backlogs.
Friday, August 6 (4:00-5:30) Archives Unplugged: Literary Manuscripts.
Literary manuscripts have long been treated as the "second-class citizen"
of the archival community. But repositories of all types house literary collections.
Through lectures, discussion, and case studies, this session will cover a variety
of topics, including acquisition and appraisal; reference and access; copyright
and intellectual property; privacy and ethical issues; processing and cataloging;
and other issues unique to the administration of literary collections.
Saturday, August 7 (10:00-11:30 a.m.) Crafting a New Approach to Scrapbooks.
Scrapbooks may be the terror of archival conservators, but the contents are
often the delight of researchers. This session will examine the place of scrapbooks
within archival collections, their special preservation concerns, and their
unique value to researchers. Participating speakers will include an archivist,
a conservator, and the co-author of a forthcoming book about scrapbooks. The
popular scrapbooking trend will also be discussed, with its implications for
curation, future donation, and research.
I hope that all Manuscript Repositories Section members will attend this year's
business meeting on Thursday, August 5 from 10:00 am to noon. The Steering Committee
is very pleased to offer an informative and useful presentation on collecting
the history of an endangered industry. With textile mills closing in increasing
numbers, it is imperative that archives work together and with other kinds of
institutions to preserve the heritage of this important American industry. Clare
Sheridan from the American Textile History Museum, and Gray Fitzsimons from
Lowell National Historical Park will discuss the current and potential research
in the field of textile history, the challenges of collecting in this area and
the need for collaborative efforts.
Our Past Chair, Susan Potts McDonald, and the Nominating Committee, Thomas
Hyry, Theresa Salazar and Steve Sturgeon, have worked diligently to provide
you with a wonderful slate of candidates for Vice-Chair and Steering Committee.
Your only dilemma will be choosing among the excellent nominees. Please take
the time now to review the candidate biographies that are included in this newsletter
and come to our meeting ready to cast your ballot.
I look forward to seeing you at SAA!
Slate Of 2004 Candidates Announced
Submitted by the Nominating and Elections Committee
Vice-Chair/Chair Elect (choose one)
Amy Cooper Cary
Education: MS, Information with Archives and Records Management concentration,
University of Michigan, 1999. MA, Comparative Literature with Translation concentration,
State University of New York at Binghamton, 1988. BA, French and English, University
of Michigan, 1985.
Professional Experience: Special Collections Librarian, University of
Iowa, 2001-present. Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, University
of South Dakota, 1999-2001. Archives Assistant, University of Michigan, May-November,
1999.
SAA Activities: Awards Committee-Philip M. Hamer-Elizabeth Hamer Kegan
Award subcommittee, 2003-present. American Archivist Editorial Board, 2003-present.
Manuscript and Repositories Section, Steering Committee, 2002-2004. Women Archivists
Roundtable (WAR), Co-Chair, August, 2000-2002, Steering Committee, August 2002-2003.
Activities in Other Archival Organizations: Midwest Archives Conference:
Program Committee Co-Chair, Fall 2004 meeting, Nominating Committee, 2003-2004,
Archival Issues Editorial Board, May 2002-present, Program Committee member,
Spring 2002 meeting. American Library Association RBMS Committee on the Interlibrary
Loan of Rare and Unique Materials, 2002-present. South Dakota State Historical
Records Advisory Board (SHRAB), 2000-2001.
Cynthia Ghering
Education: MA in Information: Archives and Records Management, University
of Michigan, April 1999; BA in English, Minors: History, Practical Writing,
Western Michigan University, April 1991.
Professional Experience: Head, Manuscripts and Audiovisuals, Ohio Historical
Society, 2000-present. Collection Access Coordinator, Ohio Historical Society,
1999-2000. Simmons Intern, Henry Ford Museum, 1997-1999.
SAA Activities: Manuscript Repositories Section, Steering Committee,
2001-2003.
Activities in Other Archival Organizations: Society of Ohio Archivists,
Public Information Committee, 1999-2003.
Steering Committee [Choose two]
Beth Bilderback
Education: MA in Public History (Archives Management,) University of
South Carolina, 1993; BA in American Studies, Salem College, 1984.
Professional Experience: Assistant Manuscripts Librarian, South Caroliniana
Library, University of South Carolina, 1993-present. Archivist, South Carolina
Folk Life Program, McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, 1992-1993.
Curator, Moravian Museums and Tours, Bethlehem, Pa., 1986-1989. Museum Consultant,
Moravian Historical Society, Nazareth, Pa., 1984-1989.
SAA Activities: Visual Materials Section, Liaison with Architectural
Records Roundtable, 1997-present.
Activities in Other Archival Organizations: South Carolina Archival
Association: Treasurer, 1999-2001; Chair, Membership Committee, 1999; Steering
Committee, 1999.
Maria R. Estorino
Education: MS in Library Science with a concentration in Archival Management,
Simmons College, 2000; MA in History and certificate in Public History, Northeastern
University, 1998; BA in History, Loyola University, 1995.
Professional Experience: Archivist and Digital Resources Librarian,
Cuban Heritage Collection, University of Miami Libraries, 2003-present. Project
Director, CHC Digital, Cuban Heritage Collection, University of Miami Libraries,
2001-2003. Museum Consultant, San Carlos Institute (Key West), 2000-2001. Library
Assistant, Massachusetts Historical Society, 2000. Archives Assistant, Northeastern
University Archives and Special Collections Department, 1997, 1999-2000.
SAA Activities: Member since 2001 (Manuscript Repositories Section and
Visual Materials Section).
Activities in Other Archival Organizations: Society of Florida Archivists:
Treasurer, 2001-present. Florida State Historical Records Advisory Board: Board
Member, 2002-present. Rare Books and Manuscripts Section, Association of College
and Research Libraries: Member, 2003-present. Midwest Archives Conference: Member,
2004-present.
Lynn Eaton (formerly Lynn Eaton Pritcher)
Education: MLS, with concentration in Archives, University of North Carolina-Chapel
Hill, 1997; MS in College Student Personnel Services, Miami University, 1988;
BA in English, James Madison University, 1986.
Professional Experience: Technical Services Archivist, Hartman Center
for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History, Rare Book, Manuscript &
Special Collections Library (RBMSCL), Duke University, 2000-present. Project
Director, The Archives of Outdoor Advertising, RBMSCL, Duke University, 2000-2003.
Project Manager, Emergence of Advertising in America (digital project), RBMSCL,
Duke University, 1998-2000. Project Manager, Ad*Access (digital project), RBMSCL,
Duke University, 1997-1998.
SAA Activities: Standards Committee, 2002-2005.
Activities in Other Archival Organizations: Society of North Carolina
Archivists: Education Committee, 2003-present; Member-at-Large, Executive Committee,
1999-2000; Program Committee Member, 1997-1999.
Tara Laver
Education: MLS, Louisiana State University, 1996; B.A. in History and
Mass Communications, Louisiana State University, 1994.
Professional Experience: Assistant Curator for Manuscripts, Louisiana
and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, Louisiana State University Libraries,
2000-present. Archivist, Delta State University Archives, Delta State University,
1997-2000. General Librarian, Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections,
Special Collections, Hill Memorial Library, Louisiana State University, 1997.
SAA Activities: SAA Description Section, At-large Representative, Steering
Committee, August 2001-2004. Key Contact for Membership for Louisiana, 2003-present.
Key Contact for Membership for Mississippi, 1999-2000.
Activities in Other Archival Organizations: Society of Southwest Archivists:
Local Arrangements Committee, 2005 Annual Meeting (Baton Rouge) 2003; Scholarship
Committee, 2003-; Newsletter Editor and Publications Committee Chair, February
2001-July 2003; Local Arrangements Committee, 2003 annual meeting (New Orleans).
Southern Archivists' Conference Planning Committee, 2000, 2004. Louisiana Archives
and Manuscripts Association: President, 2003-present; Vice-President/President
Elect, 2002; Local Arrangements, 2001, 2003; Executive Board, 2000-2002.
Fernanda Perrone
Education: M.L.S. Rutgers University (1995); D. Phil. History Oxford
University (1991); M.A. History McGill University (1987) B.A. History and English
Literature McGill University (1984).
Professional Experience: Archivist (Manuscripts Department) and Head,
Exhibitions Program, Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University,
2001- present; Project Archivist, Rutgers University, 1995-2000.
SAA Activities: Co-Chair, Women's Collections Roundtable, 1993-1997;
Meeting Navigator; Presenter and Session Chair.
Activities in Other Archival Organizations: Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives
Conference: Chair, Finding Aids Committee, 2003-2004; Local Arrangements Committee,
Spring 2000; Member, Education Committee, 2002-present; Workshop Coordinator,
Fall 2003.
Jill Severn
Education: M.A. in History, University of Georgia, 1996; Certificate
of Graduate Study in Museum Management, University of South Carolina, 1994;
B.A., history, Mount Holyoke College, 1988.
Professional Experience: Access and Outreach Archivist, Richard B. Russell
Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia, 2001-present.
Processing Archivist, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and
Studies, University of Georgia, 2000-2001. Assistant Processing Archivist, Richard
B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia,
1997-2000. Project Curator, McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina,
1993-1994.
SAA Activities: Congressional Papers Roundtable Steering Committee 2000-2002;
Congressional Papers Roundtable Preservation Taskforce 2001-2003.
Activities in Other Archival Organizations: Society of Georgia Archivists:
Chair, Membership Committee, 2000; Secretary, 2001-2002. National Forum on Archives
and Continuing Education (NFACE), Recorder, 2000.
Huntington/BYU Mormon Manuscript Cataloging Project
By Peter J. Blodgett, Huntington Library
Among its extensive resources documenting the history of the North American
West, the Huntington Library possesses perhaps the finest collection of Mormon
manuscripts and imprints outside of Utah. Of particular significance is the
Mormon File, a synthetic arrangement of manuscripts containing hundreds of microfilms,
bound photostats and typescripts as well as original holographs. These documents
run the gamut from individual letters and brief life histories to lengthy diaries,
journals and autobiographies spanning decades. Assembled in large part nearly
sixty years ago under the auspices of successive grants from the Rockefeller
Foundation, the Mormon File took shape as part of a larger project to record
the history of the American Southwest. Taken as a whole, the Huntington's Mormon
Americana now encompasses nearly every phase of the history of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the era of the founder, Joseph Smith,
through its migration to Utah's Great Salt Lake Valley to its efforts to colonize
the Intermountain West.
Since the 1950s, succeeding generations of historians studying the Mormon experience
have made extensive use of the Huntington's resources. The Mormon File, for
instance, with its rich reservoir of documents, has offered detailed insights
into all aspects of daily life in the Mormon commonwealth from the perspectives
of men and women, immigrants and old-stock Americans, farmers and town dwellers,
recent converts and second-generation believers. Unfortunately, the sheer bulk
of the Mormon File and the pace at which its contents were acquired in the late
1940s and early 1950s significantly hampered the Huntington's efforts to provide
consistent in-depth cataloging and thus hindered the most efficient use of these
documents. Recent developments, however, have begun to address these problems.
Discussions during 2002-2003 between the Huntington and Brigham Young University
led to an agreement to establish a collaborative cataloging project because
of the importance of the Huntington's collections to the study of Mormon history.
Between July 2003 and February 2004, a grant from BYU's Religious Education
program supported a special cataloging position at the Huntington. Under the
supervision of Peter Blodgett, the Huntington's Curator of Western Americana,
project cataloger Mitch Toda undertook single-item processing of a core group
of Mormon File items to produce standardized descriptions and subject indexing
of each piece. Nearly sixty records for individual manuscripts or small groups
of items have been added to the RLIN database and will be downloaded into the
Huntington's INNOPAC online catalog. Completion of this project has dramatically
enhanced access to a notable portion of the Huntington's Mormon manuscripts,
not only for scholars of the Mormon experience but also for students of the
trans-Mississippi West in the nineteenth century as well. With such important
groundwork laid for the future, we look forward to pursuing further opportunities
to bring the rest of the Mormon File's contents up to the same standards.
Manuscript Repositories Section
News items, articles, letters to the editor, and comments are welcome.
Next Newsletter deadline: October 1, 2004
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