Graduation Day!

This Friday was graduation! It was a great day. We are finally finished and officially hold our master's degree! Now all of us will scatter to our new jobs and new adventures.

Last Week: Internship Wrap-Up

Tomorrow is my last day at the IU Archive and I have to say it is hard to believe how fast the semester has gone. I have spent my time processing collections, reading about archival reference service, creating finding aids, and learning all sorts of new things about IU and archival practices.

My last collection, The Paper of Walter Nugent, will not be finished by tomorrow, but I have created a write up about what I have to done to the collection so the next intern can hit the ground running.

Only a few more weeks of school remain and I will be a graduate and moving to Chicago to start my new job. The skills I have learned at my internship will greatly aid in my success at my new job.

I have had a wonderful and educational time at my internship and I want to thank Professor Phil Bantin, Dina Kellams, Carrie Schwier, Kate Cruikshank, and Brad Cook for all their help and guidance.

Argonne National Laboratory

This week brought fantastic news. After graduation I will be working as an archivist at the Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago! There was an initial mix up about the position, but I learned on Friday that the position was mine. I am absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to build an archive from the ground up. This is not a permanent position, but a project dedicated to the setup of an archive dedicated to the emergency preparedness procedures developed by Argonne. I think it will be a fantastic experience and a real opportunity use the skills I have learned at SLIS and at my internship.

http://www.anl.gov/

New Collection: Walter Nugent

So this past week I wrapped up the folklore archives assignment and helped with IU Board of Trustees collection. I spent some time updating the EAD finding aid and foldering new materials that fill gaps in the collection.

The new collection I have been tasked with is quite large. Professor Bantin asked that I start working on the papers of IU alum, Walter Nugent.

Walter Nugent is an acclaimed historian who taught at IU for twenty years. He was a professor of History, the Dean of College of Arts and Sciences, and headed the Overseas Studies Department during his time at IU. Professor Nugent has written several books focusing on social-demographic history. His collection should be very interesting and though my time at the Archive is almost over, I hope to at least have a processing plan for the next intern.

Chapter 6: Determining Access Policies

The goal of an access policy is to protect the records from harm, prevent some information from being disclosed prematurely, and strive to make as much information as possible available to users. An access policy mediates among the competing demands of privacy, confidentiality, public right to know, and equality of access.

Archival Responsibilities Regarding Access

• Understand laws and regulations relevant to information found in records in the repository, especially federal and state laws governing privacy, confidentiality, freedom of information, and regulations regarding security classifications.
• Advise donors and creators about access issues
• Negotiate clear and responsible agreements with donors and agencies
• Know where sensitive information is likely to be found in the collection
• Identify information that cannot be released immediately for public use
• Develop appropriate restrictions for sensitive materials
• Administer restrictions fairly
• Inform users about restricted materials
• Strive to open as much material as possible
• Define policy about access decisions
• Promote equal access wherever possible

It is important that archivists understand some the laws regulating record use. The Freedom of Information Acts (FIOA) were created to ensure that records of government activities are open to all. The statute states that any person has the right to know anything about the operations of the federal government. Exceptions to FIOA include personal privacy and national security. FIOA allows users to request records from the government and the government must respond within a certain time frame.

Another law archivists should be aware of is The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). This law allows students or parents of minor students the right to examine or challenge educational records and prohibits the release of personal information without the permission of the student or parent. FERPA is something all archivist should be familiar with, but especially those working in college or university campuses.

A good access policy should contain: identify the users to be served by the repository, state the type of records held within the repository, state the restrictions on the collections and identify the laws or donor restrictions associated, describe reference services, disclose fees, describe physical access and conditions of user, explain how to use the information, and specify if materials can be loaned.

Access policies are the cornerstones of sound reference service and users should be made aware of the access policy. Archivists strive to provide equal service to all researchers, but the reality is that some records come with restrictions. A good access policy will help clarify these restrictions and allow users to see that a consistent method of service is being applied to all users.

Notes

My finding aid for the Richard M. Dorson Papers, 1940-1980 is up!

http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/findingaids/view?doc.view=entire_text&docId=InU-Ar-VAB8852

Fun Fact about the Wells Library:

We have the largest library collection for folklore and ethnomusicology anywhere in the world!

For this reason, it was selected to be the first “collection of distinction” to be digitized as part of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) agreement with Google. Under this agreement Google has digitized the entire Folklore Collection, which means that the contents of the entire collection will be searchable online by anyone. Only books in the public domain will be readable online, however.

For more about the folklore collection, visit our web page at http://www.libraries.iub.edu/index.php?pageId=329.

Details about the Collection of Distinction may be found here:http://www.libraries.iub.edu/index.php?pageId=8104

What We Could Be Losing

Chapter 5: The Reference Process

This chapter focuses on the human dimension of providing reference services in archives.

It may seem like as more finding aids and records become available online that there will be less of a need for reference services, but as information sources become more abundant people will need even more assistance to locate and evaluate these sources.

Intellectual Dimensions of Reference Services

• Initial Interview

· Query abstraction

· Query resolution

· Search strategy

• Continuing Interaction

• Exit Interview

The initial interview is the interchange between the archivist and the user. This is the opportunity for the archivist to elicit information about the research project and to guide the user to the appropriate sources. During the interview it is crucial for the archivist to ask good questions (query abstraction) about the specifics of the user's needs and goals. Good questions will lead to a better understanding of the user's needs, which will help the archivist provide the best possible solution and materials.

Query resolution is the process of the archivist and the user analyzing the problem in terms of the sources available. It is vital that the reference archivist be well versed in the sources available at their repository. Once the problem has been analyzed with an eye towards available sources, it is time to formulate a search strategy.

A search strategy is a plan for resolving the problem using the sources available. The archivist will help the user identify sources that are highly relevant, others as possibly useful, and some that may be of marginal interest. A well formed search strategy can only be developed if the archivist is aware of the current holdings of the repository, the formats available, the location of the records (some may be housed offsite), and the finding aids available.

The second full stage of the archivist/user interaction is the continuing interaction. As a user works through archival materials they frequently discover new aspects of their topic, discover new names, and become aware of additional sources. It is important for the archivist to support the user during this discovery period by providing additional information about holdings or directing them to reference files to aid in the research of a new name or topic. It is important that the user see the archivist as a vital link to the repository and that questions are always welcomed. A user must feel that the records and the expertise of the staff is being made available to them.

The exit interview is the last stage of the archivist/user interaction. Though it is seldom taken advantage of, the exit interview can function as a means of evaluation of the repository's services. The archivist can discover if the services available are helpful and useful, if the user has any suggestions about services, or even preservation is needed on certain items of a record collection. The exit interview can also service as an opportunity for the archivist to gather more information about existing collections. Perhaps the user can shed light on some person not well described in the collection or identify people in a photograph. The exit interview, though often overlooked, can enhance a repository in many ways.

This three stage process is not limited to physical archivist/user interactions. Off-site interaction should also follow this process. Today users are also taking advantage of the repository via phone, mail, email, and interactive features on the repository's website. It is crucial that archivists treat these users with the same care and respect as those physical visitors to the repository.

Overall, despite expanding technologies, the archivist will always be the mediator between the collection and the user. An archivist must always remember that a repository exists for users and that those users depend on archivists to provide them with the necessary materials from that repository.

Fight For Freedom, Inc.

Today Dina had me searching through Herman B Wells' correspondence files for some information a researcher had requested. As per usual, some interesting items were discovered that had nothing to do with the initial request. I found some documents asking for President Wells' participation in Fight For Freedom. I found a great write up about the Fight For Freedom from the Princeton University Mudd Manuscript Library. They currently house 38 linear feet relating the to Fight For Freedom movement.

"Fight for Freedom, Inc. (FFF), a national citizen’s organization established in April 1941, was a leading proponent of full American participation in World War II. Believing that the war was a threat to American freedom and security, FFF boldly and vehemently championed the interventionist cause, advocating that all necessary measures must be taken to insure the defeat of Adolf Hitler and the German Army. In addition, FFF worked to preserve fundamental American freedoms at home. An offshoot of the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies, FFF was supported by average citizens, as well as prominent educators, labor leaders, authors and playwrights, clergy, stage and screen actors, newspaper men, and politicians. Acting as a clearinghouse for information related to American intervention in World War II, FFF monitored the activities of the leading isolationist organization, the America First Committee, and many of its key individuals such as Charles A. Lindbergh, Burton Wheeler, and Gerald Nye. From its headquarters in New York City, FFF spread its message through an extensive network of state and local branches, as well as through heavy reliance on local newspaper editors supportive of the interventionist cause. Pearl Harbor effectively ended the isolationist-interventionist debate, and by early 1942 FFF had disbanded."

Here are the materials the Fight for Freedom movement sent President Wells.

The letter included a membership card, a propaganda poster, and a petition to post on campus to encourage students to join. I could find no response from IU indicating their support. Still an interesting pre-WWII piece of history.

Check out the Princeton University Mudd Manuscripts Library finding aid for their holdings of Fight For Freedom, Inc. materials, click here!

Grave Monuments

As I was arranging the haphazard folklore collections, I came across a very interesting collection. Pauline Montgomery donated her 1600 piece photo collection of Indiana grave monuments to the Folklore Department in 1983. This is a meticulously documented photograph collection of grave monuments across southern Indiana. The records she kept are quiet astounding. I know this collection will be something that genealogists will just love!

So as I was rehousing the photographs, I came across a most peculiar grave monument. It is a basic headstone, but just behind it is some sort of playhouse or dollhouse that stands as a monument to the deceased. I cannot make out the writing on the headstone so this could be for a child, but still an unusual sight to see in a graveyard. Ms. Montgomery even took a photograph of the inside of this house, which is fully furnished with curtains, tables, and dolls. Now, I'm no expert on grave monuments, but this is the first I've ever heard of constructing a fully furnished playhouse as a monument to the deceased. The interesting things you come across at the Archive!

Martha Lipton

Today I fielded a reference question regarding Martha Lipton. She was a famed mezzo soprano who sang at the Met and other great opera houses of the world. In 1960 she came to the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Lipton instructed young singers at IU until the early 1980s, which is when she retired.

She was a quite a famous opera singer for her day and was trained at Juilliard. It is amazing to think that she came to IU to instruct. How incredible to think that here in Indiana one could receive voice instruction from a world class opera singer! It just goes to show the level of extraordinary talent at the IU School of Music.

SAA-SC Conference

This Saturday was the SAA-SC "Change and Continuity". I have to say it was quite the success! We had presenters from 8 different institutions and attendees from all across the country. The SAA-SC Conference Committee did an excellent job of putting the conference together (thanks everyone!).

The presentations were, I thought, extremely interesting. Presenters talked about on the job experiences, the LOC and Smithsonian Flickr projects, digitization, and the preservation of culture in archives. There was a great variety of topics and all were incredibly relevant to our profession. The conference also included a behind-the-scenes tour of the Lilly Library and a presentation/workshop by Professor Philip Bantin. This was SAA's first conference with this group of officers and members and I think it was a great success. Hope SAA continues to host this conference!

Side note: I also presented at this conference. My topic was DSpace. I didn't do as well as I hoped. My presentation ran long and you could certainly tell from the wobbles in my voice that I was nervous. As glad as I'm that it is over, I'm glad I did it. Perhaps I'll get better with more practice.

Congrats to my fellow presenters who all did a great job!!

Photo courtesy of Bethany Fiechter

Read her blog here!

Week 8 Wrap Up

Week 8 was spent working on finding aids for the folklore collection. I finished two finding aids and submitted both for review. The finding aids I completed were for the Folklore Student Association and the Folklore Administrative Records. I hope that both only require minor edits, but I will find out as soon as I receive feedback from Professor Bantin.

For next week, I hope to finish the remaining two finding aids for the folklore collection. The Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife 1987 record series and the Pauline Montgomery: Grave Monuments manuscript series will be my focus. I think both of these collections are quite interesting and hopefully researchers will agree.

I'm excited to learn what my next project will be!

Chapter 4: Providing Intellectual Access to Archives

The arrangement and description of archives aids in the ability of the reference archivist to provide access to users and allows for the discovery of collections housed in the archive.

Archivists follow the principles of provenance and original order in organizing and arranging records. These principles are grounded in the contextual information that made the records usable as they were created.

Provenance links records to the functions that created them. Provenance is retains for the very important reason of ensuring that the evidence in the records is authentic.

Description is another important process that aids in intellectual access. Description functions as the information that guides users to records and helps user understand those records. To provide better access for users repositories create guides and finding aids that describe collections and records series’. These finding aids can be produced in a myriad of methods. EAD is becoming the most popular as it allows for the archive to mount their finding aids on the Internet, which allows for even greater discovery and use. Finding aids can be just paper publications that are as simple as a repository directory or as detailed as an EAD finding aid.

Archivists use a variety of finding aids, which continue to evolve as new technologies are developed, to provide intellectual access to users about the holdings and collections of an archive. Reference archivists provide a crucial link between these finding aids and the users seeking information. It is always important to remember that description and finding aids are not created just for those working within the archive, rather they are meant to aid users in finding the information they are seeking. It is easy to lose sight of the end user while arranging and describing a collection, but a user's needs must always be considered. Reference archivists take the end product of archivists and enable users to find those collections and gather the information needed.

EAD

Today my task was to help encode a lengthy finding aid using EAD. I was excited to finally do some encoded and brush up on my EAD skills. I spent the day finishing up this finding aid that will be needed by a class that is coming into the archive later this week. Several interns pitched in to get this huge finding aid finished in time. Most of this collection is described down to the item level, as this collection will be scanned for easier use and access. Hopefully I'll get to spend some more time doing encoding during the course of my internship.

Week 7 Wrap Up

So I finally got the folklore archives (at least the portions given to me) in a working order. At the end I have 3 new record series and 1 new manuscript series. Two boxes of student papers were also organized and inventoried. Homeless and/or lost files found homes and a sense of relevance. The tough part was discarding some materials. I know that they did not belong in the archive, but it is still difficult to toss items. I hope that making the decision to not keep materials gets easier as my internship progresses, because at the moment it still feels like a failure to not find a proper home for those items.

Next week I will be spending time creating finding aids for these 4 new series and awaiting my next assignment. I hope I get to answer some reference questions, as that is one of my favorite tasks. Here is a list of the new record series' created this week:

Folklore Student Association

Folklore Department Administrative Records

The Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife 1987

Pauline Montgomery: Grave Monuments (manuscript series)

Also, the Dorson collection was cataloged this week and the finding aid is being encoded in EAD. Hopefully the collection and finding aid will be available for research very soon.

Box of Audio Visual

I'm still sorting out various boxes of folklore materials. Today's task was to tackle the big box of audio visual materials. This box has more than 50 audio cassettes, 20 VHS tapes, and one Umatic tape (which I've only seen in text books).

For the most part these materials are pretty well described, but what is missing consistently are dates. I know that everyone does not approach research materials the way an archivist does, but as a researcher wouldn't you need to know when these recordings happened? It's one of those strange quandaries about how people conduct research. I would think that even if one intended only to use research for one paper or presentation, that dates would still be important. Alas, archivists do not rule the world and, per usual, we are left to piece together the picture with the surrounding context.

Dance Cards: Not Just a Turn of Phrase

So earlier this week when I came into the Archive, I saw Brad handling a very old and tattered scrapbook. It turns out the scrapbook belonged to a prominent athlete at IU who happened to be from my hometown of Rochester, Indiana. Brad was looking for photos for an exhibit, but he let me peek over his shoulder to view the contents of the scrapbook.

I learned something very interesting while flipping through this early 20th century scrapbook. Dance cards were an actual thing used to record whom one danced with at dances and even what dances they performed. Now I've heard the turn of phrase, dance card, but never really thought it was an actual item. It turns out they were immensely popular in the Victorian era and even came in some rich and elaborate designs. Some were just paper books with pencils attached while others where encased in silver and could be worn as a necklace. Again, something interesting to learn everyday at the Archive.

These photos are of the dance cards found in the scrapbook with their pencils still attached.

Chapter 3: Identifying Uses and Users of Archives

Here is the breakdown for chapter three of Providing Reference Services for Archives and Manuscripts by Mary Jo Pugh.

Uses of Archives

• Primary Uses of Records
• Secondary Uses of Records

- Informational Value

- Evidential Value

- Intrinsic Value

Understanding the users of archives

First, let's address some of the vocabulary presented.

The primary value of records is the value of a record created for its original purpose, such fiscal accountability

Secondary value is the value of a record beyond its original purpose. There are three types of secondary value; informational, evidential, and intrinsic.

Informational value describes the value of the information that records contain about people, events, objects, and places.

Evidential value refers to the value of the evidence that records provide about their creators and their activities.

Intrinsic value describes the value that records have as artifacts, tangible to links to our past and heritage.

Understanding the User

Staff Members of an Organization

Corporate or organizational archives are preserved so that the institution can understand its history and have sources of current and past policies. Archives help solve problems and prevent problems from becoming reoccurring events. These archives document infrastructure, legal issues, marketing, public relations, development, administration, and institutional memory.

Staff members of an institution using an archive usually require extensive reference help and are usually seeking an answer to a specific question or solution to a specific problem. It is critical that a reference archivist be aware of the contents of these collections and understand how to gain access to these records.

Scholars

Though it assumed that scholars are the largest population of users in archives, they actually make up a small percentage of the total user population.

To assist scholars reference archivists need to undersand that nature of scholarly inquiry, research methodologies, and the use of archives in all disciplines. Reference archivists should understand that scholars come to an archive to usually survey a large body of materials. Scholars also often enter an archive seeking an individual item or collection that might be cited in another scholarly work, so it is important the archivists understand how to retrieve these sources from the information cited.

Students

Not all academic research is conducted by experienced scholars. Students make up a large population of users, especially at university and manuscript archives. Students are an important population of user for archives. It is crucial for reference archivists to communicate the value of archives to these young scholars. The more people an archive can reach, the more important archives will be seen in our society.

A reference archivist must also be prepared to handle a variety student inquiries. Students working on a graduate dissertation or an undergraduate paper will approach the reference archivist for assistance. Patience is key in dealing with students who might not have a developed research strategy. Explaining the sources of archival materials to students might also be necessary to those inexperienced with archival research.

Genealogists

Genealogy is a very popular hobby in America and as a result, has increased the use of archives. Genealogists are seeking information about family members. Reference archivists will have an excellent opportunity to educated genealogists about archives. Again, it is important to deploy patience when dealing with this user who might not be experienced in researching archival materials. It is important to archivists to become familiar with resources that genealogists are likely to use, as those will be commonly requested. Perhaps an archive should microfilm a heavily used collection or allow some materials to be housed in the reading rooms due to frequent use.

While it is important to understand the different types of users that an archive might experience, it must always be remembered that all of these users are information seekers.

It is vital for archivists to understand the collections they house and the resources available for information retrieval. Not all information needed is in the form of a physical document. Perhaps the archive has an extensive web posting of Executive Board minutes. A user might not need the original document to obtain the information they are seeking. Finding aids can also confirm whether the information needed is even contained with the archive itself.

Overall, a reference archivist must be prepared to handle queries from experienced and unexperienced users. A thorough knowledge of the holdings and retrieval resources is needed to best serve the user populations. It is important to be aware of resources that have a high usage rate for certain user populations. It should never be forgotten that an archive exists to serve these information seekers.

Tossing is Tough

I'm no advocate of Jenkinsonian methods and I know that archives cannot and should not keep everything. There is no conceivable way for an archive to keep everything even if they sought to do so. Nicholson Baker has an unrealistic mission for archives. See, all of this I know. All that aside though, it is really tough to toss things.

While going through the folklore archives I have accumulated a pile of materials that just don't belong in our archive for any conceivable reason. There is nothing unique about these materials and there is no recognizable tie to Indiana University or its faculty. Basically, these materials are just publications that a professor probably accumulated in their office. I really did try to find a home for these guys, but in the end they just need to be tossed. Discarding materials is so much harder in practice than in theory!

Homeless No More

Today I found homes for some lost files in the folklore collection. It really is a hodge-podge of faculty research, publications, and administrative files for the Folklore Department. The conundrum is how these files wandered so far from their homes to begin with. Well, no matter how it happened, I have started to reunite these files with their proper place. Everyday I'm getting a little bit closer to having the folklore collection in shipshape.

Snow in Bloomington

Everyone seemed to be panicking about the snow, but in the end we only got about 3 inches. Those 3 inches still made everything look beautiful though.

Providing Reference Services for Archives & Manuscripts by Mary Jo Pugh: Chapters 1 & 2

Chapter 1: Looking Forward, Looking Backward

The digital revolution has drastically altered the way reference services are performed. It use to be that researchers could only browse holdings via card catalogs and access to holdings had to happen in person at the physical archive. The digital revolution changed everything.

Personal computers are now ubiquitous. This has created a huge increase of possible materials of all varieties. The rapid growth of the web has created a connectivity never possible before.

So what does this mean for archives? For one, it means better access. Finding aids can now be posted online allowing a user to search holdings before traveling to the physical archive. The Internet has made it possible for a user to search multiple archives' holding without traveling outside of their living room. A user can email questions or chat to an archivist to find the answer to their research questions. And more frequently, entire collections are being posted online allowing for complete access without entering the archive itself.

How does this change reference? It means that more researchers are expecting that materials or at the very least finding aids be posted online. Reference staff will have to use services such as email, chat, collaborative tools, and video interfaces with users. It also means that issues such as copyright are becoming more complex and more public than ever before. For the first time archives will have to consider things like design interfaces and usability of databases.

This rest of this book Mary Jo Pugh will address specific issues and areas of reference in archives.

Chapter 2: Reference Services in Archives

So what exactly are archives? Archives are defined as all records, personal and organizational, of continuing usefulness created by activities of the person or organization, kept so information can be resued by others. Let's breakdown this definition.

A document refers to artifacts which we delegate the task of speaking for us. A document reveals information about a purpose or activity and each kind of document is specialized to communicate a certain kind of job.

A record is a document created or kept in the event of a practical activity. Records provide evidence of the actions performed.

Personal Records are the personal documents of an individual or family. These records are kept because they will be of use and interest to others.

Organizational Records are records created by an organization through the course of conducting business. These records show evidence of activities performed by the organization and are kept for legal, internal, or research purposes.

So now that the term archive is defined, why do we keep archives? Archives are kept because records continue to provide evidence of actions completed. Usually they are kept for administrative use, public accountability and research. Basically records become archives when they have continuing use or purpose. This needs to be noted because not every records is an archive or will become an archive.

History of Archives

Until the French Revolution archives were only used by their administrators, so only government officials had access to government archives. During the French Revolution the public recognized the value of government archives. The new French government declared that its archives were the property of the people, who are the source of sovereignty in a democratic society. Therefore the records of the government must be accessible to the public. Other western nations also adopted this concept of public access to public records.

Modern manuscripts trace their history to medieval monasteries and universities . Before the invention of the printing press usually only one or a few copies of a document or book existed. This tradition of collecting personal papers and the papers of those individuals important to society carried on the twenty-first century.

Reference Services in Archives Provide:

• Information about the repository
• Information about holdings
• Information about records creators
• Educating users about the holding and access to the holdings
• Referrals to other repositories or resources
• Information about laws and ethics regarding the use of information
• Instruction in using records
• Education about the research process
• Physcial access to holdings
• Copies, permissions, and loans from holdings

The rest of this book will focus on the above points and provide advice and information about each area of reference work.

Week 4 Wrap Up

Week 4 was a hodge-podge type of week. I spent the beginning of the week still searching for the answer to one elusive reference question from last week. Unfortunately, I was unable to track down the answer. You can read my previous posts to see more about this question and the fun history of IU item that I also stumbled across.

I also made a few edits to the Dorson Collection finding aid. Professor Bantin only made a few suggestions as to edits, which made me feel good about the work I put into that finding aid. I also made some progress on the messy Folklore archives. I may have found homes for some the items that were just floating around.

I hope to really make some progress on the Folklore archives this coming week. Hopefully, I'll also get to answer some more interesting reference questions!

What You Find Digging Around

So while I was trying to answer this increasingly frustrating reference question, I did stumble upon something very interesting.

In the 1960s renowned poet Alan Ginsberg came to Indiana University. He gave a lecture and read a poem. Those who know of Ginsberg's work know that he was famous for pushing convention aside and directly commenting on the state of society. Well, apparently most people at IU did not know this. Ginsberg created a tremendous stir.

I found literally dozen of articles proclaiming that IU had allowed "obscenity" on campus. The papers called Ginsberg "unwashed" and that he had embarrassed the great institution of IU.

They even started a committee to look into this situation to deem if officials had knowingly exposed IU students to "obscenity".

It is surely a sign of the times, but still a very interesting part of IU history that I might have missed were it not for that tough reference question.

Side note: I have to say that as an English major that focused on the Beats, I am profoundly jealous that I couldn't see Ginsberg speak.

Elusive Answer

I started week 4 still chasing the elusive answer to a reference question I was sent last week. The question, when did the Comparative Literature Program become the Comparative Literature Department, seemed easy enough, but I was wrong. Dina helped me recall about 8 boxes from the ALF in the quest for the answer. She also introduced me to the Board of Trustees Minutes card catalog.

It is increasingly rare these days to run into an actually card catalog. I admit that I haven't used one since I was probably in middle school. Using the card catalog gave me a new appreciation for the process of creating a card catalog. Talk about an exercise in precision and patience bordering on the edge of madness.

Sadly, after all the searching through the boxes and the card catalog, I could not find a definitive answer to the question posed. I really enjoy the process the answering a reference question and find it frustrating when I cannot deliver. Hopefully, I will have better luck with the next question!

Week Three Wrap Up

So at the end of week three, I have started on collection #2 and tackled a slew of questions about Professor Henry Remak. Collection #2, the Folklore Archives, is still in a pretty messy state, but I think I'll make some real progress on it this week. I'm still hoping to do some EAD work on the Dorson collection finding aid. I'm excited to tackle the multimedia aspects of the Folklore collection this week!

Henry H.H. Remak

I spent all of Friday delving into the life Professor Henry H.H. Remak. Professor Bantin forwarded the reference questions about Professor Remak to me to answer. I have to say that this IU professor had a pretty extraordinary life.

Henry Remak was born in 1916 in Germany. He fled Nazi Germany in 1936 and took up residence here in Bloomington. While he hadn't originally planned on becoming a teacher, but he did eventually end up teaching in the Germanic Studies, Comparative Literature and Western European Studies Departments at IU. He was a distinguished scholar and a favorite on campus. Professor Remak died last February at the age of 92 and he still held an office at IU.



It was a great research project to plunge into the life of a distinguished IU professor. I did my undergraduate work at IU but didn't study in any of his departments, so I did not know of his impact and influence. While I enjoy all aspects of the archives internship so far, I think that reference work is becoming my favorite!

Collection #2

So after completing the Dorson collection, though I am still hoping to do the EAD encoding for the finding aid, Professor Bantin has assigned me to sort out the rest of the folklore archives as my next collection. I have to say that this part of the collection is in pretty rough shape.














Piles of files, publications, slides, and photos have just been sitting without any real organization. It will be my task to sort this material and either place the material with an existing collection that it was separated from or create a new collection depending on the content.

The great thing about this collection is the amount of research I get to do to find the rightful place for these materials. I'm excited about the amount of photos, slides, and audio recordings found so far.


I'm really looking forward to working with this collection, especially the multi-media aspects. This collection will definitely sharpen my archival research and arranging skills.

Review. Edit. Approve?

Today I finished the text version of the Dorson collection finding aid. I've submitted my finding aid for review and I'm eager to receive some feedback. I do hope that my abstract, biography note, and scope and content note are up to par. Hopefully, I will be able to make the edits and move on to the EAD portion of the finding aid soon. I'm excited to have a real finding aid in my resume portfolio and I'll post it here too so everyone can see the product of the work I've been writing about here.

Week 2 Wrap Up

This second week was a productive one. I finished the physical arrangement of the Dorson collection. The collection now spans seven cubic feet instead of nine cubic feet. I also started the finding aid. I finished the collection inventory and will start the description next week. The inventory was pretty straight forward, but I hope my description will be adequate for the collection. Hopefully, my prior research and guidance from Professor Bantin will result in a suitable finding aid. I'm excited to complete this collection and move on to the EAD process.

Finding Aid

Today I finished the physical arrangement of the Dorson collection and started on the finding aid. The collection now resides in seven organized boxes, down from the nine earlier. I'm only at the start of the finding aid, so I'm just documenting the inventory of the collection.




While documenting the inventory I came across a very interesting piece that Dr. Dorson wrote in the 1960s. He wrote a piece titled "Murder Ballads" and it documents murder ballads from the US. I have to admit that I did take a moment to read this piece and it made me want to investigate the topic further. The best thing about processing a collection is that you get to explore and learn about all sorts of topics. It feels like a school every day and I love that! If I could I would be a professional student!

Arranging We Go!

My processing plan was approved today! Professor Bantin gave me some suggestions to better my plan and set me off to go arrange the collection. I spent the day moving photocopied newspaper clippings from binders to acid-free folders. These newspaper clippings are part of the Gary Project research files. Dr. Dorson used these clippings, as well as other resources, to write the book The Land of the Millrats. I have to say that the newspaper articles seemed far more interesting when arranged by topic such as Traditional Themes in Conversations and Gary Steel Industry, then when presented in the standard daily format.



After foldering, I took some preservation action on slides that are part of the collection. These slides were removed from their plastic sleeves and placed in an archival box.



Overall, a productive day and I look forward to constructing the finding aid after my arrangement is complete.

The Plan

Today was the start of week two at my internship. I have surveyed the Dorson Collection thoroughly. I spent the afternoon working on a processing plan for the collection which I will present to Professor Bantin tomorrow. Hopefully, he will find my plan suitable and I can begin to physically arrange the collection. I also hope to get at least one article suggestion from Professor Bantin so I can start reading and reporting about the archival profession. I'm really looking forward to creating a finding aid for this collection too!

Also, Crystal created a great new display in the Archives Reading Room today. Stop by and see how Crest toothpaste plays into the history of Indiana University.

Week One Wrap Up

I survived week one! It was actually a great week. I learned that I have, in fact, picked a career path that I really enjoy. I've also learned a great deal about folklore, which wasn't expected.

Next week I hope to present my processing plan and to start arranging the collection. My processing plan is not complete at the moment, but I hope that by the end of the day Monday I will have a clear and comprehensive plan to present. I look forward to creating a finding aid for this collection and testing out my EAD skills. I also plan to start doing some reading on the profession. Professor Bantin's guidance will point me toward useful articles and I will post my summaries and findings on this blog.

I'm excited to start another week and all the new experiences that follow.

Side note: follow the University Archives on Twitter! http://twitter.com/IUBArchives

Indiana Memorial Union of the Past

Today, in addition to processing the Dorson collection, I was asked to answer a reference question the Archive received via email.

"An alumna who says she remembers walking through the IMU and seeing, and being inspired by, a Lincoln quotation inscribed “on a mantle” by some back stairs in the Union. I wandered all around the IMU this morning looking for such an inscription and couldn't find it.

So, does this ring a bell with anyone? And who is the keeper of all such lore around here anyways?"

Carrie dispatched me to the reference file to find the answer. Unfortunately an employee at the IMU, who was also emailed this question, beat me to the answer.

“I will study and get ready and then maybe the chance will come.” –A. Lincoln: this inscription is on the fireplace mantle, on the second floor of the bookstore.

Even though I didn't find the answer, I did learn a bit about the IMU.

Back in the 1960s the IMU had a formal tea room and lounges designated for men only. Interesting, nonetheless.

Day Two

Here is a little photo tour of the Dorson archives.


At the moment the Dorson archives are contained in these eight boxes.








Box 1 of 2 that contain only articles.











Audio cassette tapes that contain interviews of people sharing their folklore with Dr. Dorson.















Slides from 1976 containing the Bicentennial Celebration and Art Auction in Gary, Indiana. These were part of the research used by Dr. Dorson to write the book Land of the Millrats.

At the Beginning: Internship Day One

It begins. Today was Day One of the my internship at the University Archives. The good news is that I love it already and have not made a very expensive mistake attending SLIS.

My charge this semester is to process the Richard Mercer Dorson papers.

Richard Mercer Dorson (1916–1981) was an American folklorist, author, professor, and director of the Folklore Institute at Indiana University. Dorson is considered one of the fathers of American folklore. The terms "urban legend" and "fakelore" were popularized by Dorson. He was an accomplished scholar writing several books and over 200 articles. Dorson also championed the role of the oral tradition in the field of folklore.

So far the material is interesting and I'm looking forward to further exploring the collection.