Being the Special Collections and Archives Graduate
Assistant, I have many responsibilities to fulfill my job and role in the
Archives. Some days, things go smoothly and other days it’s a juggling act.
Every day it is something different and that’s one of the things I enjoy with
this assistantship.
Some of my primary duties include:
·
Keep Special Collections and Archives open and
operating for the public so that there is not an inconvenience in the event the
Special Collections and Archives Librarian and Archival Assistant is
unavailable.
·
Create arrangements and descriptions of archival
collections.
o
This includes authoring guides and other
reference tools to facilitate the access of archival collections.
- Create and upload metadata into contentDM for digital
collections.
- Miller Reserve Collection –current project
- Assist patrons, including the University and the local
communities, with reference requests regarding materials held by Special
Collections and Archives.
- Examples:
- Visiting Faulkner researchers with the joint
involvement with the Center of Faulkner Studies.
- Regional historians or people interested in
regional history
- Personal researchers interested in subjects
like genealogy, SEMO Athletics, Missouri history, African American
studies etc.
- Assist students with class projects or departmental
requests with knowledge of the collections to expand their research and
provide information.
- Examples:
- History Department projects
- Classes: HP100, HP200, HP420, HP450, HP588,
GH520, etc.
§
Mass Media Department
·
The Arrow
One of my
favorite things when assisting researchers, whether it is for a class project,
material for publication, or general interest, is hearing their inspiration
behind their topic of research. I enjoy listening to their stories, their
descriptions of where the research process has taken them (physically and
intellectually), and even random facts of interest they have come across. In
regards to assisting students, I thoroughly enjoy seeing that “ah ha!” moment
of finding the information they wanted and needed. In all honesty, the whispers
of ‘this is so cool’, ‘wow, I didn't know that!’ while they are looking through
material, yeah that rocks.
Some of my
public outreach and exhibit duties include:
- Create and execute exhibits highlighting specific
collections, history of Southeast Missouri State University campus,
buildings, campus life, regional history, and specific collections housed
in Special Collections and Archives.
- The Wayne and Sandy Cryts Collection “One Man
with Courage: The Wayne Cryts Story”
- 75th Anniversary of Kent Library:
- The Accession Books of Kent Library with Sadie
T. Kent’s personal collection
- Sadie Kent’s book “Patrons Are People Too: How
to Be a Model Librarian”
- Faulkner & Hurston Conference display in the
Rare Book Room
- Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity Papers Collection
- Plan and promote community outreach programs.
- Admin to the Special Collections and Archives
Facebook page
- Twice a week highlighting collections and
events
§
Special announcements in the event of changed scheduled
hours or closures
·
Assist in setting up Sadie’s Place in Kent
Library for Athenaeum Series presentations, guest speakers, lectures, and
special events at Kent Library.
So, one of
my favorite things is definitely creating the exhibits showcases our
collections and special events. This is my creativity outlet (plus my
scrapbooking and design skills get to flex their muscles here). I enjoy
the whole process of background research, going through the collection for
material I want to be showcased, designing a layout sketch, cutting and
mounting printed material, and then ultimately installing the exhibit.
By far the
most fun I have had with exhibit work is developing an exhibit for the grand
opening of the Wayne and Sandy Cryts Family Papers Collection last fall
semester. Not only did we (two of the student workers and me) have to relocate
the exhibit after the reception but we had to install a Ford truck tail gate as
part of the exhibit. So had a glass display case, an old style Ford truck tail gate,
and about 30 minutes of ‘a little more this way’, ‘no your other right’,
‘watch out for the case’, ‘don’t get stuck’, and ‘hang on, we lift on three’
before we finally got it installed…the first time. When the exhibit was
relocated outside the Archives, it typical fashion it was a heck of a lot
easier the second time around but the guys that helped me couldn't resist
getting in the display case… or I should say I couldn't resist photographing
them in the display cases. Plus it turned into a SCA family affair helping
re-install it.
R. Keough,
a former student worker from Fall semester 2014, helping install the tail
gate and listening to my directions of where and how to put items the way I
wanted/designed them
No comments:
Post a Comment