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RAO NEWS
SAA's Reference, Access and Outreach Section Newsletter
March 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 May 30, 2002 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,
italicize, or highlight text.
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY OF AMERICAN ARCHIVISTS, 2002
RAO Section of SAA
TIME: 8 A.M.
DATE: AUGUST 23, 2002
PLACE: BIRMINGHAM, AL
Program
- Business Meeting - Officers Reports-Officers
- Steering Committee Reports - Susan McElrath, Smithsonian
- Survey on Archival Instruction Programs -Diane Kaplan, Anne Salter ( results
available at end of meeting).
- First Presentation - Archival Instruction Programs -Diane Kaplan, Yale
University; Martin Oliff - Troy State University
- Keynote speaker - Debbie Pendleton, Assistant Director for Public Services,
Alabama Department of Archives and History
- Second Presentation - Documenting Minority Communities - Katherine Burger
Johnson, University of Louisville; Amy Leigh, Bingham Center for Women's
History and Culture, Duke University
Anne A. Salter, Chair
RAO Section of SAA
In this issue we welcome a new contributor to the newsletter, Coralina Daly
who is assuming the responsibility for the Outreach portion of the newsletter.
Coralina is the Collections Archivist at Iowa State University. She received
her M.L.S. with a concentration in archival studies at the University of Maryland
in May 2000. She received her B.A. in history and government from Franklin
and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in May 1998. She is interested
in user studies and how archivists can better encourage the use of primary
sources at an earlier age. She is a co-author of "A Vision of Academic Archives
Collecting Strategies: The Age of the Electronic Document," Collection Management
(January 2002).
Sharon Pullen
Edited by
Ellen Swain
New State History Database Launches January 24, 2002
World Wide Web - Imagine being able to look at and find nearly 15,000 historic
images of people, places and events on the web. Imagine a fast, fascinating
electronic resource for anyone looking to make any Connecticut connection:
life-long, multi-generational residents; recent arrivals; and, people of any
age, culture or ethnic background. Connecticut History Online, a collaborative
project of the Connecticut Historical Society, the Thomas J. Dodd Research
Center at the University of Connecticut and Mystic Seaport, will officially
launch Thursday, January 24.
Connecticut History Online is the first such IMLS-funded, State history World
Wide Website and, as such, is the largest, most extensive electronic resource
of its kind. Begun in 1999, this two-and-one-half year effort involved over
50 individuals working in all phases of development.
Funded by a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library
Services (IMLS) - an independent Federal agency that fosters leadership, innovation
and a lifetime of learning by supporting the nation's museums and libraries
- Connecticut History Online is a virtual gateway to the exciting past of our
nation and state. This vast gallery - one of the biggest online databases of
historic images - ranges in date from the beginning of the 19th century through
the mid-20th century. Through CHO, researchers of all ages - from school children
engaged in class assignments, to arm-chair historians, to scholars seeking
primary source information - can now use the World Wide Web to access these
images that illuminate the past.
"IMLS wants to find new ways for museums and libraries to collaborate and
extend themselves as learning institutions. We want to work toward broadening
this collaborative approach toward life long learning. Connecticut History
Online is right there. I have been enormously impressed. This is a very thoughtfully
constructed and progressive project," stated Beverly Sheppard, Deputy Director
of IMLS.
Journeys for Teachers and Students
Based on conversations with teachers who were using the pilot site of Connecticut
History Online, project coordinators developed a series of photo essays, called
Journeys, which explore and document specific themes in Connecticut history. "Teachers
recognized that CHO was a bountiful source of visual information that could
be used in the classroom; however, many were struggling with how exactly to
use the photographs and drawings," explained Patricia Wiedemann, a teacher
in the Hamden Public Schools, and a member of the Teacher Advisory team of
CHO. "We decided to include written descriptive information about certain subject
areas that we called Journeys. This way, teachers and other users of the site
can begin to discover the wealth of information available in Connecticut
History Online and make decisions on how the site can be useful to their particular
interests."
One such Journey takes a close look at the textile industry in Connecticut
and features a written history along with images from the database. This Journey
begins with drawings from the 1850s of mill towns and information on early
silk production accompanied by a photograph of the oldest silk mill in the
country. The adventure continues with a choice of several categories that explore,
in detail, the textile industry: Diversity of Textiles; Child Labor; Immigrant
Workers; Housing for Factory Workers; and, Stages of Textile Processing.
Other Journeys explore diversity and ethnic origins; women in the workplace;
maritime trades; rural life, natural disasters, Connecticut's wartime contributions
from the Civil War through World War II, and much more. The photo essays, written
by staff from the three partner institutions and interns, also include helpful
Guideposts so the researcher can better locate images and information within
the database as well as suggestions for further reading.
Connecticut schoolteachers also helped develop a classroom component for Connecticut
History Online. This extensive sub site provides basic information, lessons,
activities, and other resources to help teachers and students use Connecticut
History Online as a tool for discovery and understanding. Teachers may then
access the site for three different lesson plans, which suggest appropriate
grade levels and provide time requirements, homework ideas, and student assignment
work packets. Teachers are also provided with printable information particular
to the assignment, specific lesson plans and key questions that can be asked
of students to encourage critical thinking.
Search Functions
Connecticut History Online offers a wide range of search functions. A powerful
search engine facilitates searches by keyword, subject, personal name, place
name and much more. Broad searches turn up incredible numbers of hits -literally
thousands of images of Hartford and hundreds of other images. Refined searches
allow users to zero in on specific subjects: covered bridges or New Haven oyster
dealers or Chinese students in Connecticut during the 1870s.
Another impressive search tool is a powerful Geolocator. The GeoLocator, developed
by the University of Connecticut Libraries' Map and Geographic Information
Center, provides an easy way to zoom to a specific part of the state, a specific
town, or even a specific street. It's even possible to find all the images
along a specific river, or of a specific hill. The Geolocator allows the user
to click on a large map of Connecticut and zoom to a town or street to locate
a particular image. The ability to find nearby sites goes beyond the options
offered by more traditional searches and provides a more comprehensive way
of looking at the state.
The official launch of Connecticut History Online took place in the Konover
Auditorium at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center at the University of Connecticut
from 4 - 6 p.m., January 24. The program included a keynote address by Robert
Martin, Director for the Institute of Museum and Library Services and a panel
discussion on the role and value of Connecticut History Online as a resource
for teaching and research as well as a demonstration of the site's many special
features and an opportunity for hands-on exploration, followed by a reception.
For more information and directions, visit www.cthistoryonline.org.
Connecticut History Online was designed by Literae Interactive, the multimedia
division of Marinpro LLC, Mystic, Connecticut. Literae specializes in website
development and interactive exhibits for museums and educational organizations.
For more information, visit www.literae.com.
Edited by
Carolina Daly
Getting Students Involved
Like many other "lone arrangers" at small liberal arts colleges, I came into
a collection that spanned nearly two centuries and had never been exposed to
a professional archivist. It was not until 1999 that the Archivist position
at Albion College was created through an endowment made by alumna Marilyn Crandell
Schleg. With the position, she endowed an annual lectureship to bring visiting
archivists, preservationists, curators and historians to the College campus.
When I began my employment in July of 2000, I was faced with the need to not
only arrange, describe and preserve the backlog of materials, but to instantly
promote it, organizing the Schleg Memorial Lectureship for October of that
same year.
As each member of the library staff was already stretched to the limits with
work in their own areas, I could not expect them to assist with administrative
duties while I focused on getting the collection in order. Our library already
used student workers in daily operations, and I saw these students as my best
hope of developing a steady workforce.
I began interviewing students, explaining to them the tediousness of certain
tasks, the level of trust in working with unique materials, and the opportunity
to learn as few other jobs on campus could offer. I looked for reliable, trustworthy
students with an interest in history; good writing skills and attention to
detail; computer aptitude; and the ability to work independently.
I will admit, it frightened me the first time I gave a student with no training
a collection to process from start to finish. But after I explained the methods
and illustrated relevant examples, she took instant ownership of the project,
delving into the materials and making the information her own.
My student staff has grown from three to ten within a year, and they are doing
phenomenal work. They now inventory and process collections, generate finding
aids, reorganize poorly indexed collections, provide basic reference assistance,
perform mending for books in the library collection, and create phase boxes
and pamphlet binders for rare materials. This allows me to accomplish the administrative
and library duties that constitute the majority of my role within a small library
staff, from planning rotating exhibits and acting as library liaison to four
academic departments to creating and managing a campus-wide records management
program.
My staff has had an unexpected effect on outreach to the College community
as well. Friends of staff members have come to the Archives to research primary
source materials they now know are available. My staff has used knowledge acquired
in their work to improve the quality of class discussions and to inform their
professors of relevant materials available in the Archives. In addition, fellow
members of student organizations have expressed interest in the Archives assisting
them with preserving their historical collections.
Use of the Archives has increased 76% since January of 2000, and I believe
the hard work and connections of my student staff are part of the equation.
Do not underestimate student abilities and dedication to a job where he/she
is treated as a competent colleague rather than as just another student worker.
Jennifer Thomas
Marilyn Crandell Schleg Archivist and Special Collections Librarian
United Methodist Church West Michigan Conference Archivist
Edited 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!
CARRIE BOHMAN, Reference Archivist, Wisconsin Veterans Museum Archives and
Research Center
I recently joined the Wisconsin Veterans Museum staff as their Reference Archivist.
I started on December 3, 2001. In my new capacity as Reference Archivist for
the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Archives and Research Center, I am working to
increase our reference service and outreach.
I am particularly interested in having teachers and students utilize our primary
source documents in their curriculum and research projects. This participation
also involves working with the National History Day event in Wisconsin on April
27, 2002 and attending the Wisconsin Council on Social Studies Conference in
March of 2002. I will also be conducting workshops for local genealogical societies
highlighting the use of military records in research. Along with the aforementioned,
I am working on a Wisconsin Veterans Memorial database that will be searchable
on the web.
The Wisconsin Veterans Museum Archives and Research Center is also very pleased
to be receiving the National Guard collection(s) previously located at the
National Guard Museum at Volk Field in Camp Douglas, Wisconsin. This transfer
of archival collections includes an extensive collection highlighting the Army
National Guard and the Air National Guard. There is also a wonderful photo
collection that augments the paper records.
HISTORICAL RECORDS FORUM: Documenting Under-documented Populations & Communities
The Fifth Annual Community Forum on Historical Records, Documenting Under-documented
Populations & Communities, will meet on Friday, June 7, 2002 at Bridgewater
State College, Bridgewater. Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin
and the Massachusetts Historical Records Advisory Board are co-sponsors of
the forum.
Documenting Under-documented Populations & Communities will build upon
the strategies, activities, and accomplishments of the previous forums: Advocating
Massachusetts History, Building Alliances, Documenting Our Heritage and Telling
Our Stories. The forum will present a program to foster a dialogue among scholars,
archivists, historians, genealogists, librarians, educators and citizens to
promote the adequate identification, preservation and access to Massachusetts'
unique heritage, concentrating on populations and communities that are currently
under-documented and under-represented.
The plenary speaker is Thomas O'Connor, Professor of History Emeritus, at
Boston College; author of The Hub: Boston Past and Present; The Boston Irish:
A Political History; Civil War Boston: Home Front and Battlefield; Boston Catholics:
A History of the Church and Its People; and South Boston, My Home Town: The
History of an Ethnic Neighborhood. Dr. O'Connor will speak on his experience
and research methodology as a scholar of immigrant and community history, with
attention to future historians and the availability of historical documentation
for research.
Forum session topics will cover methodology and research, federal and state
records, education and teaching, churches and religious communities, exhibits
and programs, documentation projects, preservation issues, and cultural awareness.
Participants at the forum will be from Arab, Gypsy, Armenian, Cape Verdean,
Portuguese, Brazilian, Chinese, Southeast Asian, Latino, African American,
Somalian, Native American, Swedish, and Lithuanian communities.
We look forward to seeing you at the Fifth Annual Community Forum on Historical
Records, Documenting Under-documented Populations & Communities. For more
information please visit the MHRAB homepage at http://www.state.ma.us/sec/arc/arcaac/aacintro.htm or
contact Bill Milhomme, at 617-727-2816 william.milhomme@sec.state.ma.us
SMSU LIBRARIES Commemorate Ozarks African-American Heritage
Southwest Missouri State University recently commemorated the region's African-American
heritage through exhibits and events in the newly expanded Meyer Library and
Information Center. At the center of the celebration was the release of the
Langston Hughes' postage stamp. Hughes was a native of nearby Joplin, Missouri,
who went on to be one of the most important American writers of the 20th century.
His innovative poetry combined jazz, blues, and the black vernacular with the
traditions of poetry in English.
To honor Hughes' inclusion in U.S. Postal Service's Black Heritage series,
the library offered a pictorial cancellation on February 4, 2002. Visitors
from throughout the region were on hand as students recited from the works
of Langston Hughes and members of the campus Gospel Choir performed. In addition,
library staff developed an exhibit on Hughes' life and work, as well as a bibliography
on related materials.
Tied to this event, the library mounted its first major exhibit in the newly
opened addition. African-Americans in the Ozarks offers students, staff and
visitors an opportunity to view over 200 photographs and objects from the Katherine
G. Lederer Ozarks African-American History Collection. Over a twenty-year period
Dr. Lederer, SMSU Professor of English, has developed an extensive collection
related to the region's ethnic heritage. Recently donated to the library, this
collection includes approximately 7,500 documents, over 2,600 of which are
photographs.
Visit http://library.smsu.edu/ to learn
more about the SMSU Libraries.
STATE ARCHIVES OF GEORGIA
New Building News: The construction of the new building for the State Archives
of Georgia is proceeding on schedule. Information on both the move and the
new building can be found at HTTP://WWW.GEORGIAARCHIVES.ORG/.
Web Site News: New on the web site of the State Archives are online descriptive
inventories of state records. Each descriptive inventory includes information
about which agency created the series, the date span of the records, what information
is found in the records, a list of folder titles in the series (in most cases),
and related information. Begin your search at http://www.sos.state.ga.us/archives/index/sa.htm and
select "Online Descriptive Inventories."
TULANE UNIVERSITY'S SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DIVISION
. . . has created a small online exhibit promoting its Science Fiction and
Fantasy Collection. The collection was recently completely reorganized by Kenneth
Owen, and now is a useable and valuable research resource. The small online
exhibit highlights half a dozen selections representing different strengths
of the selection. Visitors can also hear the "Space Cadet March" from the "Tom
Corbett, Space Cadet" television series. This is only the third small online
exhibit the department has created, and so it would appreciate feedback on
how to make its online exhibits more effective. The URL is http://specialcollections.tulane.edu/SciFi/scifi_5.html
by
Jim Cross
- April 1, 2002
- is the deadline to apply for the 16th Western Archives Institute to be
held July 14-26, 2002 at the University of Redland, Redlands, CA. Contact:
WAI, 1020 O St., Sacramento, CA. 95814, Tel: 916-653-7715, or ArchviesWeb@ss.ca.gov.
- April 16-19, 2002
- "The 12th Conference on Computers, Freedom and Privacy" will be held in
San Francisco, CA. It will include sessions on public records and privacy,
and copyright. For details see http://www.cfp2002.org/
- April 18-20, 2002
- "MARAC Spring Meeting" will be held in Towson, MD. Access track sessions
include how researcher interest can affect access to records, how EAD will
affect the future of archival description, and the new trend in reference-the
use of web-based virtual reference systems. Workshops include "First Class
Exhibits on a Fourth Class Budget: Producing Professional Displays with Limited
Resources" and "Strategies for Managing Archives and Records on Web Sites." For
information contact Mary Mannix at mm0028@mail.pratt.lib.md.us or
Dana Bell-Russell at dbell@loc.gov. Or go to the MARAC Website
at: http://www.lib.umd.edu/MARAC/.
- April 25, 2002
- "Copyright: The Archivist and the Law" is a SAA education workshop offered
by the Northwest Archivists at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR.
For details see www.archivists.org/prof-education. Or, call 312-922-0140;
Fax: 312-347-1452; or email to info@archivists.org.
- April 18-20, 2002
- "Society of California Archivists 31st Annual General Meeting" in San Diego,
at the Mission Valley Marriott. Sessions topics include copyright and intellectual
property rights in the digital age, reference services, and collaborative
projects where two or more institutions worked together to produce a guide,
web site, or some other end product for the public. For more information
about the meeting, contact: Richard Crawford, San Diego Public Library, (619)
236-5807 or go to the SCA website at http://www.calarchivists.org/.
- April 30, 2002
- "Remote Reference: The New Landscape" is being offered by NELINET. Contact
NELINET, 153 Cordaville Road, Suite 200, Southborough, MA 01772; Tel: 800-NELINET;
Fax: 508-460-9455.
- May 2-4, 2002
- "Midwest Archives Conference Spring Meeting" in Minneapolis/St. Paul at
the Radisson Metrodome. Sessions topics include educating with primary documents,
access to digital sound archives, ways to allow online researchers to experience
archives interactively, and user studies. For details see http://www.uwec.edu/muirha/mac2002/registration.htm
- May 20-25, 2002
- "Archival Exploration and Innovation" is the theme of the Association of
Canadian Archivists 2002 Annual Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.
It will include a session on information-seeking behavior by archival researchers.
See http://archivists.ca/conferen/index.htm
- May 22-23, 2002
- "Collaborative Adventures in Archival Endeavors" is the theme of the New
England Archivists Meeting to be held in Newport, Rhode Island, at the Newport
Marriott. It will include a session concerning collaborative efforts to reach
researchers using online databases. For more information, see http://www.lib.umb.edu/newengarch/meetings/index.html
- May 30-31, 2002
- "Off the Wall, Online: Putting Collections Online" will be offered at the
Museum of Our National Heritage, in Lexington, MA. It includes new evaluation
data to help define the online audience and determine what sorts of programs
are most effective in engaging this audience. For registration information,
contact Ginny Hughes at ghughes@nedcc.org or see NEDCC's Website at http://www.nedcc.org/.
- June 3-14, 2002
- "Modern Archives Institute" This class surveys basic archival functions,
including reference service and outreach. Cost: $645. 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 http://web.library.uiuc.edu/ahx/rao/www.nara.gov/arch/profdev/mai.html
- June 7, 2002
- "Documenting Underdocumented Populations and Communities" is the theme
of the Fifth Annual Community Forum on Historical Records to be held in Bridgewater
State College in Bridgewater, MA. It includes the sessions "Education & Outreach:
Using Records of Underdocumented Communitites" and "Exhibits & Programs:
Thinking Beyond the Written Word" For information see: http://www.state.ma.us/sec/arc/arcaac/aacintro.htm or
contact Bill Milhomme at Tel: 617-727-2816 x 257 or email: william.milhomme@sec.state.ma.us.
- June 8-14, 2002
- "Making Playful Interfaces for Serious Web Content" is a Grindstone Island
Summer Seminar in Cultural Informatics. The goals of the workshop are to
to expose participants to the current research findings in the area of cognitive
science, interface design and social psychology relevant for the design of
interactive media, and to demonstrate a series of non-traditional interface
solutions, ranging from voice and gesture interaction to controlling the
application with the user's mind. See http://www.archimuse.com/grindstone/2002program/Grindstone0207.08-14.html
- June 11-15, 2002
- "The International Association for Social Science Information Service and
Technology [IASSIST] 28th Annual Conference" will be held at the University
of Connecticut under the co-sponsorship of the Roper Center for Public Opinion
Research and the Thomas J. Dodd Center. The Conference will focus on access
to qualitative and quantitative data through the Internet, and collaborative
efforts to provide such access. See http://ropercenter.uconn.edu/iassist2002/
- June 13-19, 2002
- "American Library Association Meeting" in Atlanta, GA. Pre-conference offerings
include a "Mini Course for Librarians Serving Genealogists" and the AASL
workshop "Out of the Closet and into the Classroom: Developing and Using
School Archives." For more information, see http://www.ala.org/.
- June 24-July 3, 2002
- "Primarily Teaching: A Summer Workshop for Educators on using historical
documents in the classroom" is being presented by NARA staff at NARA's Archives
II facility in College Park, MD. For details see: http://www.nara.gov/education/professional/priteach.html
- July 1, 2002
- is the NEH's Division of Preservation and Access Deadline for grants that
support projects to preserve and make available resources for humanities
research, education, and public programming. For details see http://www.neh.gov/pdf/guidelines/preservation.pdf or
Tel: 202-606-8570; or email to: HENPRES@GWU_VM.GWU.EDU
- July 8-12, 2002
- "Web Site Information Architecture: Planning and Designing Information
Collections" is a Grindstone Island Summer Seminar in Cultural Informatics.
This workshop will focus on analyzing Web site structure, design principles
for the computer screen, and the team required to create and sustain a successful
Web site. It will introduce basic concepts of information architecture for
planning and building public Web sites. For more information, see http://www.archimuse.com/grindstone/2002program/Grindstone0207.08-12.html
- July 14-26, 2002
- "Western Archives Institute" will be held at the University of Redlands,
Redlands, CA. It includes training on reference and access. Contact WAI,
1020 0 St., Sacramento, CA 95814, Tel: 916-653-7715; Or email: ArchivesWeb@ss.ca.gov.
- August 19-25, 2002
- "Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting" in Birmingham, Alabama
at the Sheraton Hotel. Contact: Society of American Archivists, 600 S. Federal,
Suite 504, Chicago IL 60605 phone: 312-922-0140, fax: 312-922-1452, info@archivists.org, http://www.archivists.org/.
by
Jessica Lacher-Feldman
Television News Archive
Vanderbilt University
http://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/
Since September 11, 2001, television news has played an even greater role
in the lives of Americans. The television news has helped us to begin to understand
the terrorist attacks and the subsequent war in Afghanistan. It seemed appropriate,
in light of these events, to feature the important work of the Television News
Archive.
The Television News Archive, housed at Vanderbilt University in Nashville,
Tennessee is the world's most extensive and complete archive of American television
news. Founded in 1968, the Television News Archive has consistently recorded,
indexed, and preserved network television news for research, review, and study.
It is through the efforts of the Television News Archive that complete videotapes
of television news programs were saved. This continually growing collection
holds over 30,000 individual network evening news broadcasts, as well as over
9,000 hours of special news-related programming, including presidential press
conferences, political campaign coverage. Also included are coverage of such
international events as the Watergate hearings, the hostage crisis in Iran,
and the Persian Gulf War. The site also features an extensive archive of news
related to the September 11 attacks, including television coverage from ABC,
CBS, NBC, and CNN on an hour-by-hour basis starting with the morning of September
11.
There are searchable databases for "evening news", "special reports", and "specialized
collections", which lead to abstracts.
The archive does loan materials to researchers worldwide, and duplication
of broadcasts are available for a fee. The site itself is useful in gaining
an understanding of what specific events made national news on a day by day
basis for the past thirty-four years. The work of the Television News Archive
is both important and impressive.
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