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RAO NEWS
SAA's Reference, Access and Outreach Section Newsletter
January 2002 Issue 6
The RAO newsletter provides information to section members and seeks to be
timely and informative in its content. The newsletter is produced three times
per year with deadlines on the first day of December, March and June.
Table of Contents:
RAO NEWSLETTER CONTRIBUTORS
Please submit your brief biographical statements, announcements, and other
news by February 24, 2001 for inclusion in the next issue. To make a submission
contact either the editor or the feature writers. Please submit all materials
in times roman font, size 11. Submit in a Microsoft Word file. Do not underline,
iltalicize, or highlight text.
Dear RAO Members:
SAA 2002 meets in Birmingham, AL. Plans are underway for a great meeting.
I hope everyone can be there. At that meeting, I would like to present the
results of a small survey that all of you are encouraged to take via the SAA
web site. Dian Kaplan, Yale Archives, and I have organized the survey. We hope
to ascertain what RAO members are doing in the way of tutorials and instruction.
Please take time to fill this out
The survey can be found from a link on the SAA
website.
Please follow the instructions when you fill out the survey. We hope all members
will complete this survey. If you have trouble finding the link to the survey
on the SAA WebPage, please contact the RAO Chair, Anne Salter at anne.salter@library.gatech.edu
Thanks again to our newly elected steering committee and Sharon Pullen, our
newsletter editor.
Sincerely,
Anne A. Salter, Chair
RAO Section of SAA
John Sessions Memorial Award
by
George W. Bain
The Duane G. Meyer Library, Southwest Missouri State University, is the 2001
recipient of the John Sessions Memorial Award presented for its Ozark Labor
Union Archives. The plaque, supported by a donation from the AFL-CIO, is given
to recognize a library or library system that has made a significant effort
to work with the labor community and by so doing has brought recognition to
the community through the library of the history and contribution of the labor
movement to the development of the country.
"The Duane G. Meyer Library of the Southwest Missouri State University exists
in an area of relatively weak union activity, low wages and endemic poverty.
Over a period of seventeen years, the Ozark Labor Union Archives (OLUA) has
developed itself as a major repository for labor and working class records
and collections.
It has developed an active outreach component that promotes an understanding
and appreciation of labor history," said Ann Sparanese, chair of the award
committee. "It was this excellent duality, archival collection and an outreach
program, including a student essay contest sponsored by the OLUA and American
Postal Workers Union Local 888, that made the OLUA stand out as the winner."
This article was submitted by George W. Bain, Head of Archives & Special Collections
Ohio University Libraries, the 1991 winner of the Sessions award. It is taken
from http://www.ala.org/rusa/awards/awards_current.html#11b
Reference in the Archives:
A Selected Bibliography of Recent Publications
By
Ellen Swain
Recent publications on the topic of archival reference provide insight into
how our changing technological world is shaping researcher needs, searches,
and expectations. The following list of publications is by no means exhaustive
or evaluative. It does provide a brief look at the types of articles and monographs
recently published in the archival and library literature.
- Kristin E. Martin, "Analysis of Remote Reference Correspondence at a Large
Academic Manuscripts Collection" American Archivist 64 (Spring/Summer 2001).
- Analyzes 595 letter, phone, facsimile, and e-mail correspondence units
sent to the Southern Historical Collection and General and Literary Manuscripts
(SHC) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995 and 1999,
to observe the effects of providing online holdings information and the increased
use of e-mail in reference correspondence. From 1995 to 1999, e-mail became
the preferred method of inquiry, more questions came from casual users researching
for personal reasons, more users took advantage of online holdings information
to shape their reference questions, and the proportion of remote users visiting
in person decreased. Suggests ways for archivists to prepare for new influxes
of remote researchers and methods to improve remote reference service.
- Wendy M. Duff and Catherine A. Johnson, "A Virtual Expression of Need:
An Analysis of E-mail Reference Questions" American Archivist 64 (Spring/Summer
2001).
- Analyzes e-mail reference questions posed to archivists in order to enhance
our understanding of how users of archives seek information. This study analyzed
375 e-mail reference questions submitted to provincial, federal, university,
city and special archives in order to determine, from the users' own words,
how users formulate reference requests to archives. Understanding what elements
the archives' client uses to describe his or her information need enables
the creation of more relevant archival descriptive tools. According to this
analysis, people used proper names, dates, places, subject, form, and occasionally,
events when composing their information request. As archives move toward
a greater presence on the World Wide Web, archivists should design electronic
information systems that account for the information seeking patterns expressed
in e-mail reference requests.
- Helen Tibbo and Lokman I. Meho, "Finding Finding Aids on the World Wide
Web," American Archivist 64 (Spring/Summer 2001).
- Explores how well six popular Web search engines performed in retrieving
specific electronic finding aids mounted on the World Wide Web. A random
sample of on-line finding aids was selected and then searched using AltaVista,
Excite, Fast Search, Google, Hotbot, and Northern Light, employing both word-and
phrase-searching. The most striking finding of this study was the importance
of using phrase searches whenever possible, rather than word searches. Also
of significance was the fact that if a finding aid were to be found using
any search engine, it was generally found in the first ten or twenty items
at most. The study identifies the best performers among the six chosen search
engines. Combinations of search engines often produced much better results
than did the search engines individually, evidence that there may be little
overlap among the top hits provided by individual engines.
- Elizabeth Yakel, "Thinking Inside and Outside the Boxes: Archival Reference
Services at the Turn of the Century" Archivaria 49 (Spring 2000).
- Looks at reference service as a form of knowledge management that assists
organizations and individuals in the knowledge creation and organization
learning processes. Proposes reorienting reference activities from an information
provision or document delivery process to a knowledge creation process through
an examination of 4 contexts in which reference archivist work: reference
services; users; records or primary sources; and reference personnel.
- Frances O'Donnell, "Reference Service in an Academic Archives" The Journal
of Academic Librarianship 26(March 2000).
- Reports results of an analysis of reference questions received at the Archives
of MIT in which they were categorized. Explores the reasons why archival
reference is so time-consuming and notes several differences between archival
and standard library reference services.
- Barbara L. Craig, "Old Myths in New Clothes: Expectations of Archives Users" Archivaria
45 (Spring 1998).
- Discusses public service issues for archives within the new electronic
environment given a clientele increasingly conditioned in particular, by
expectations raised by the Internet. Discusses access to archives material
from remote sites within its historical context and briefly reviews market
promotion surrounding electronic access, suggesting that its messages are
neither totally new nor entirely disinterested. Suggests rethinking archives'
place in an information marketplace contending that the proliferation of
computer and communication technologies provides an unprecedented opportunity
for archives to extend their client base. Emphasizes the technologies needed
to design services catering to many levels of interest and knowledge of users.
- Laura Cohen, ed., Reference Services for Archives and Manuscripts (Binghamton,
NY: Haworth Press, 1997).
- From the creation and dissemination of finding aids for electronic resources
to the implementation of marketing strategies to increase support and strengthen
service, this book shows you how to thrive in the changing world of archival
reference.
- S. L. Malbin, "The Reference Interview in Archival Literature," College
and Research Libraries 58 (January 1997).
- Reviews the two major schools of thought on modern archival reference services:
the importance of subject finding aids (user centered); and traditional forms
of archival retrieval (materials centered). In recent years, each has emphasized
the gains to be achieved by using new technology. However, the literature
seems to be missing a crucial step: the continued, or even increased, importance
of the reference interview in a technological environment. Recommends that
future research should advance reference archivists' knowledge of users'
retrieval problems; and practical implementation should improve the interaction
between reference archivists and researchers and users.
- B. W. Dearstyne, "Archival Reference and Outreach: Toward a New Paradigm," The
Reference Librarian 56 (January 1997).
- Advocates re-examination of the archival functions of reference services
and outreach, relating them more closely to each other. Maintains that archival
records are under utilized and that archivists should address this issue
by proactively reaching out to researchers and encouraging research use.
The increasing creation and use of electronic records occasions even more
attention to archivists' relations with researchers. Notes several areas
where archivists and researchers can and should work together to address
common needs.
- T. J. Hull, "Reference Services for Electronic Records in Archives," The
Reference Librarian 56 (January 1997).
- Recent changes in technology, especially the development of global networks
of computers, have changed the way some archivists view the role of archives,
especially for electronic records. From a reference services perspective,
there is a continuing role for electronic records archives.
- Diane Beattie, "Retrieving the Irretrievable: Providing Access to 'Hidden
Groups' in the Archives," The Reference Librarian 56 (January 1997).
- Examines ways to improve traditional archival descriptive tools in order
to provide access to 'hidden groups' such as African-Americans, women, ethnic
and cultural minorities, aboriginal, poor, and working people. Traditional
provenance based on retrieval tools does not provide adequate access to these
groups and the only way to retrieve information on them is through formalized
subject access systems. Archivists also need to expand their traditional
view of subject access to include function, occupation and type of material
in addition to topic and name.
OUTREACH
edited by
Tanya Zanish-Belcher
Outreach in the Hadassah Archives
By
Susan Woodland
October 18, 2001
Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, Inc. is a membership
organization with chapters throughout the United States. We have a long and
event-filled history going back to our founding in 1912. Members raise money
for health and education projects in Israel, and create programs for the chapters
in the communities in which they live. Programs may range across many issues
of importance to members - women's health, Israel and Zionism, advocacy for
women's issues. The archives maintains the records of the organization, mostly
of the work done in the national office, but some information from and about
specific chapters as well.
During the past year, I have begun doing outreach to chapters and to leadership
groups around the country, to encourage them not only to use the archives but
to contribute material to it. Because most of what we have in the collection
was generated by the national office, much of the work of individual chapters
is not well documented. I have had myself listed with the Hadassah Speakers'
Bureau this past year, which means that I can be asked to speak about the archives
if a chapter or other group is interested in a program about the history of
the organization. The Speakers' Bureau issues periodic lists of upcoming speakers
and their topics, and I have found that leaders from around the country have
noticed my name there, which has given them the idea to have me speak to a
different group, and hopefully the chain will continue.
For example, I spoke this spring to a chapter in North Carolina - a power
point presentation with lots and lots of visuals from the collection - about
Hadassah's history in general as well as a few slides on their own chapter
history. A few members knew some history, having heard bits and pieces before,
but many newer members know very little. Because I was speaking at a fundraising
event, I find that members of all ages respond well when I can give them interesting
history about a project they are raising money for today, a project which actually
has its roots in the 1920's or 1930's. The history lends historic importance
to the current project, and hopefully brings about additional income.
The outcome of my speaking in North Carolina was twofold: the gift to the
archives of some wonderful chapter material from the 1930's, as well as a call
from a national board member on the west coast who saw my name on the list
of speakers and took the time on her next trip to New York to visit the archives
to do research, as well as to ask me to speak to incoming region presidents
at our upcoming mid-winter meetings this January. I look forward to that exposure,
as I will be speaking to the new leadership from around the country, who can
take what I tell them back to their regions. I plan to prepare information
for them to take home on the contents of the archives, as well as the kind
of chapter material I would like to receive from them. We are planning to ask
each woman who attends to bring something with her from her region to give
to the archives.
From time to time the departments in the national office who I work with have
initiated long-term history projects. We have been able to place small articles
in "Hadassah Magazine", sent to each of our 300,000 members, asking for material
and information relating to these projects. Each call we receive that is generated
by these ads is a link to another chapter. I also find that just reading about
the archives puts the idea of 'history' into a member's head, and often someone
will cut out the article and call months later with a reference question.
One area in which I try to be proactive, if only because of the age of the
women I am working with, is to contact the daughters of past leaders to find
out if they have papers and/or photographs from their mothers that document
their work with Hadassah. In the past year I have worked with 3 women who gave
me valuable additions to the archives, and they in turn have used the archives
for their own research projects.
My plan for the coming year is to budget for a brochure about the archives,
to put more information about and from the archives on our website, and to
hold a workshop at our annual convention on how to run a chapter archive. Outreach
often gets put on the back burner but its fruits give you a concrete way to
justify your existence, and the rewards are often surprising.
DIOCESE OF AMARILLO MARKS 75TH ANNIVERSARY
by
Sister Hildegard Varga, OSB
The year 2001 marks the 75th anniversary of the creation of the Roman Catholic
Diocese of Amarillo. Following 14 months of preparation guided by Sister Hildegard
Varga, OSB,Vice-Chancellor / Archivist, the 200 page commemorative history,
The Journey of the Diocese of Amarillo: 75 Years on the Llano Estacado, 1926
-2001, made its debut on Sunday, May 27, 2001, at a celebration marking the
opening of the 75th Anniversary of the Diocese of Amarillo.
Local Catholic historian Mike Harter, building on his previous work, "The
Creation and Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Amarillo, 1917 -1934" (MA
Thesis, West Texas State University, 1975), wrote the main body of the text.
Sister Hildegard compiled a "Chronology" beginning in 1971 which includes parishes,
missions, and (Mass) stations in the territory encompassed by the Diocese of
Amarillo. The book also contains two maps by Mike Harter and 65 pictures selected
mainly from Diocese of Amarillo Archives Photograph Collection.
Each parish or mission currently within the boundaries of the Diocese of Amarillo
was asked to contribute a history of its development. Several parishes had
previously written histories, which only needed updating. For others, this
was an opportunity to locate source material and put their histories in writing.
In the "Introduction" to the history book, Mike Harter writes, Responding
to the mandate of Jesus Christ, Christians quickly fanned out over the known
world around the Mediterranean Basin and into Europe, Africa, India, and the
Far East to tell the Good News of salvation. Once Columbus had discovered the
New World, missionaries took the Gospel everywhere, even to the farthest hinterlands.
West Texas was one of the last of those hinterlands to be settled. In the
old days, they called it the Llano Estacado, a distant, mysterious, and dangerous
wilderness. Europeans, and their descendants, regarded this particular landscape
with a mixture of awe and dread, but eventually they subdued it and have dwelt
in these parts for a little more than a century….
On 1926, the Vatican created the Diocese of Amarillo out of a huge area that
covered the entire Panhandle, the South Plains, and the Permian Basin, as well
as a portion of the Edwards Plateau, stretching to within 60 miles of the Mexican
border.
Since that time, the Diocese of Amarillo has twice diminished in geographic
size, first as the new Diocese of San Angelo (1961) and later, as the new Diocese
of Lubbock (1983) came into being in response to the growth in Catholic population.
[Archivist's Note: The Diocese of Amarillo presently covers the 26 counties
of the Texas Panhandle.]
The diocesan celebration was opened with a Mass in the amphitheater at Palo
Duro Canyon on Sunday, May 27, 2001 to commemorate the expedition of exploration
of the Llano Estacado in the spring of 1541 led by Captain General Francisco
Vasquez de Coronado accompanied by a cadre of Franciscan Friars who served
as chaplain, confessors and spiritual advisors. As explained by Most Rev. Leroy
T. Matthiesen, Bishop Emeritus of Amarillo, The chronicler with that Coronado
expedition recorded that the expedition stopped on Ascension Thursday (May
26, 1541), in a canyon on the eastern side of the Llano Estacado. Archeological
evidence proves fairly conclusively the site was the Tule Canyon east of modern-day
Lubbock There were three Franciscan priests with the expedition, one of whom
was Fray Juan Padilla (who was martyred for his faith the following year).
The chronicler did not record specifically that Mass was celebrated, but since
that Thursday was a special holyday, most probably one of the Franciscan priests
did say Mass.
Prior to the Mass on Ascension Sunday (N.B. The celebration of Ascension Thursday
was transferred to the following Sunday by the Bishops of Texas starting in
the year 2000.), Dr. Felix Almaraz, Ph.D. retraced the Panhandle 's Catholic
roots for the crowd present:
Today we remember their [members of theCoronado Expedition] courage and resolve
to trek through uncharted land, guided only by a compass, the morning and evening
sun, and the stars at night….
The Franciscan missionaries, religious men of strong faith and gentle conduct,
rendered valuable assistance in times of doubt, depression, reversal, and renewal….
We commemorate their courage, commitment, and zeal as sixteenth century missionaries
who attempted to do their duty as God gave them light to see. May their example
serve as a source of inspiration for this generation of Christians who are
assembled here at Palo Duro Canyon.
Dr. Almaraz is a former president of both the Texas Catholic Historical Society
and the Texas State Historical Association. He formerly taught at St. Mary's
University in San Antonio and presently is professor of history at the University
of Texas at San Antonio. He is the author of several books, including the award-winning
Knight Without Armor: Carlos Eduardo Castaneda, 1896 - 1958.
To commemorate the anniversary of the actual day in 1926 that a public announcement
proclaimed that portions of the Diocese of Dallas ant the Archdiocese of San
Antonio would give birth to the new Diocese of Amarillo, a festive Mass was
celebrated at the Amarillo Civic Center Auditorium on August 25, 2001. The
Most Reverend Patrick F. Flores, Archbishop of San Antonio was principal celebrant
with Most Reverend Charles V. Grahmann, Bishop of Dallas as homilist. Most
Reverend John W. Yanta, Bishop of Amarillo, and Most Reverend Leroy T. Matthiesen,
Bishop Emeritus, were the main concelebrants joined by 10 other bishops and
one archbishop.
When the Diocese of Amarillo was formed in 1926, it covered 73,000 square
miles or one-third of the state of Texas. With the creation of the Diocese
of San Angelo in 1961 and the Diocese of Lubbock in 1983, the Diocese of Amarillo
now spans only the 26 counties in the Texas panhandle. At present, there are
35 parishes and 13 missions in the Diocese of Amarillo. These parishes and
missions were highlighted during the entrance procession of the Mass, with
a representative of each carrying a banner especially made for the occasion
by the Capuchin Nuns of the Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady
of Guadalupe in Amarillo. A reception complete with strolling mariachis followed
the Mass.
For further information, contact Sister Hildegard Varga, OSB, Vice-Chancellor/Archivist,
Diocese of Amarillo, P.O. Box 5644, Amarillo, TX 79117-5644, (806) 383 -2243,
Ext.120; E-mail: hvarga@nucentrix.net
RAO Member News
By
Ginny Kilander
Member News is your opportunity to tell us about yourself, your job, and your
interests. Is your facility about to open a great exhibit? Did you just acquire
a collection you would like to publicize? Have you just changed jobs or careers?
Submit your entry to this column and share your Member News! Please submit
your brief biographical statements, announcements and other news to the Member
News editor for inclusion in the next issue. Thanks for all of your contributions!
Julie A. Petersen was promoted to Audiovisual Curator, The Ohio State University
Photo Archives, on August 1, 2001. She is responsible for approximately 2 million
photographs, as well as the film, video, and sound collections documenting
the University in Columbus, Ohio. Julie was formerly Glenn Assistant Archivist
for the John Glenn Archives at The Ohio State University. Julie is an M.L.I.S.
and Archival Administration graduate of Wayne State University in Detroit,
Michigan. She can be reached at 614-292-1767 or petersen.51@osu.edu.
The Curt Teich Postcard Archives, Lake County Discovery Museum in Chicago's
north suburbs has just published the 2001 edition of the Directory of Postcard
Holdings in Public Museums, Archives, and Libraries. The directory gives information
about significant postcard holdings in 90 public institutions in North America.
The cost is $24.50, which includes shipping. Send check, P.O. number or credit
card information to Debra Gust, Curt Teich Postcard Archives, Lake County Discovery
Museum, 27277 Forest Preserve Drive, Wauconda, IL 60084. The Archives has also
recently opened a 3,000 sq. ft. permanent exhibition on the history and significance
of postcards, called Bringing the World Home. For information, call (847)968-3381
or visit www.co.lake.il.us/forest/educate.htm.
CALENDAR
By
Jim Cross
- January 12, 2002
- is the deadline for NEH Division of Public Programs grants ("Projects in
Museums and Historical Organizations, planning/implementation;" "Projects
in Libraries and Archives, planning/implementation;" and "Special Projects").
Contact NEH at: 202-606-8267, publicpgms@neh.fed.us, http://www.neh.fed.us.
- January 18-23, 2002
- the American Library Association will hold its Midwinter meeting in New
Orleans. A Pre-Midwinter Institute of interest will be held on January 18--Digital
Reference: Trends, Techniques, and Changes. Program includes Gatekeepers
Of The Internet: Balancing Access And Control In Electronic Technology s
New Frontier, an address by ALA President John W. Berry.
- January 29 - February 8, 2002
- The Modern Archives Institute, sponsored by the National Archives and Records
Administration, in cooperation with the Library of Congress, will be held
in Washington, D.C. Contact Modern Archives Institute at: Tel: 301-713-7390;
Fax: 301-713-7342; email at: mary.rephlo@nara.gov;
or go to the Website at www.nara.gov/arch/profdev/mai.html For
scholarship information contact Mary Rephlo at 202-501-5385 x 279; Fax: 202-208-1903;
or Email: mary.rephlo@nara.gov.
- March 16, 2002
- is Freedom of Information Day (USA), a national observance in recognition
of the vital role of free information in a free and democratic society. It
is observed on the birth date of James M. Madison, fourth president of the
United States and author of the introduction to the Bill of Rights.
- March 22-23, 2002
- the New England Archivists will hold their spring meeting in Newport, Rhode
Island. The program includes the session "Reaching the Researcher."
- April 15, 2002
- is the deadline to apply for the 16th Western Archives Institute, to be
held July 14-26, 2002 at the University of Redlands, Redlands, California.
Contact: WAI, 1020 O Street, Sacramento CA 95814, 916-653-7715, ArchivesWeb@ss.ca.gov.
- June 17th - 28th, 2002
- The Georgia Archives Institute will be held at the Carter Library, Atlanta,
Georgia. For more information and an application please contact Anne Salter, anne.salter@library.gatech.edu phone/
404-894-9626/fax 404-894-9421.
RAO Committee
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