By Scott Reeves, Archivist, Crumley Archives

The Salzburger collection, an accession of 160 books which once belonged to the German speaking immigrant community who came to of Ebenezer, Georgia in 1733, consistently rewards us with new surprises as we continue our cataloging and research work on it. One particularly interesting piece in the collection was a certificate that had been placed in protective plastic sheeting. We knew by the top-center placement in large bold fractur of the name of the community’s first pastor, Johann Martin Boltzius, along with the central placement of King George II of England, that this was a document of some significance.

Dr. Russell Kleckley, the translator of The Letters of Johann Martin Boltzius and keynote speaker for the Archives’ Reformation Reception, has been kind enough to advise us in our research efforts. He recently translated the document; it proved to be a farewell greeting from the faculty and students of the school connected to the Francke Foundation in the pietist center of Halle from whence Boltzius had accepted the call to lead the displaced emigrants from Salzburg. According to the conservationist who recently evaluated key volumes from the collection, the farewell document had initially been “tipped in” (specially bound in front of the title page) to the front of the book The Soul’s Treasures by Christian Scriver, which was evidently given as a departing gift to Boltzius.

More intriguing still, Dr. Kleckley wrote to an archivist colleague in Halle, Jürgen Gröschl, and included an image of the document. Mr. Gröschl expressed genuine interest in the collection, noting that he had already heard of our cataloguing efforts. Furthermore, he offered help in identifying rare titles. Of the Boltzius farewell document he stated:

The farewell greetings for Boltzius are really a surprising discovery, and we have not known of their existence so far, i.e. we do not possess another copy of this document. As it was printed, one could assume that the students of Boltzius’ class received a copy, but there is no copy in our archives. Many of these students are in our database as they became teachers or inspectors in the schools of the orphanage themselves and/or pastors in their own communities later.

I think the book by Scriver was a normally printed copy. Usually such books were sold unbound. In this case, the students added their print sheet with the greetings and had them bound together with the book by a professional bookbinder.

Mr. Gröschl has not been the only scholar to express interest in the collection; the work on the Salzburger collection has created some excitement in a broader scholarly circle, and we have been blessed with assistance not only from Dr. Kleckley but also of Dr. Scott Hendrix, professor emeritus of Reformation history and Princeton as well as Dr. Patrick Scott, former director of rare books at USC. In fact, Dr. Scott has invested a great deal of time and effort in assisting with the publication of a printed version of the collection’s bibliographic catalogue, The Salzburger Collection, which is now available for purchase with proceeds benefitting the work of the Archives. Sandy Leach of Lineberger Library and Shannon Smith our head archivist presented at a gathering of the SC Library Association (SCLA) about the process of transferring the collection from the library to the archives back in November, and an accompanying article is set for publication in the next edition of the SCLA journal. We have hopes that as our work continues the Boltzius farewell greeting will not be the last “surprising discovery.”

By Laura Litwer, Digital Initiatives Archivist, South Carolina Political Collections, University of South Carolina Libraries

President Jones-King recently asked me to write a blog post about my experience with Society of American Archivists’ Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) Curriculum and Certificate Program and thoughts on its benefits to archivists. I found the DAS program very useful, and I think that taking the courses can be very worthwhile for archivists who work with or need to understand born-digital materials, regardless of whether or not they earn the certificate.

I took DAS courses to improve my ability to work with born-digital materials received in collections in personal papers and to earn the DAS Certificate. When I took my first DAS course in March 2014, I was employed in a term position at Texas A&M University-Commerce to process a single hybrid collection, and had only theoretical knowledge of how to work with born-digital records. By the time I earned the certificate in August 2016, I was employed in a tenure-track faculty position at the University of South Carolina, had substantial responsibilities related to my repository’s digital program, and was using the knowledge I gained in the DAS courses and elsewhere to better do my job.

To fulfill the certificate requirements, I took seven DAS courses in 24 months, tested out of an additional two courses, and passed a comprehensive exam. Instruction for four of the classes was delivered in person; the other three were webinars. I was very fortunate that my current and former employers allowed me to select the classes I thought would be most useful and reimbursed me for most of the expenses I incurred in pursuit of the certificate. I am grateful for their generous support, without which I could not have taken full advantage of the DAS program.

Taking DAS courses increased my professional competence and confidence by helping me apply archival theory more effectively to the policy and procedure components of working with born-digital materials, increasing my awareness of good professional practices, and exposing me to useful tools and resources. The courses’ practical slant and consistently high-quality content and instruction contributed to their usefulness. In-person classes have the additional benefit of allowing attendees to network and learn how each other’s institutions are addressing common electronic records issues.

I found the in-person classes the most useful, both because of their content and the method in which they were delivered. However, waiting for relevant, in-person courses to be offered in my region extended the amount of time it took to complete the program. All of the in-person classes I took were between 3-1/2 and 5-1/2 hours away from my institution by car. Since all of the DAS in-person classes are a full day, this made at least one overnight stay with family or at a hotel necessary for each trip. To be sure, I could have completed the certificate requirements sooner and at less expense by taking more webinars and more conveniently located classes that didn’t meet my needs as well. However, I would probably not have learned most of the things that have most benefitted my work if I had done that, and my participation in the program would have been of less value to my employers and me.

Of the seven courses I completed, only one was not useful. It was a Foundational webinar that covered information I already knew. As a result, I chose to save time and money by testing out of two of the other Foundational courses required for the certificate. I don’t say this to knock these sorts of courses. To the contrary, I think taking Foundational courses that provide broad overviews of ways to think about and work with digital records are an ideal starting point for people who are interested in the DAS curriculum but concerned that the courses would be too advanced for them. I also do not mean to imply that all of the Foundational courses are of the same nature. A session of the Foundational class Arrangement and Description of Electronic Records:  Part I taught by Seth Shaw was one of the most useful classes I have taken.

While the classes were beneficial because of their content and networking opportunities, the DAS Certificate itself is helpful as a way of conveying that I have relevant, up-to-date training to donors and colleagues. It also provides my employer with proof of my commitment to professional development.

Although the costs associated with pursuit of the DAS curriculum are not cheap, even with a SAA member discount, I have found them reasonable in light of the benefits offered by completing the courses and the certificate. I suspect that many of the 300+ people who have earned the DAS certificate since 2013 feel similarly.

By Rebecca Denne, Special Projects Archivist, South Carolina Political Collections, University of South Carolina

“Outreach.” Regularly tossed around at departmental meetings and conferences, how can we put this buzzword into action? We know we have interesting collections, and we know where the fun stuff is stashed. Presenting our records in accessible and meaningful ways is at the foundation of our roles as archivists and at the heart of a strong outreach program.

As the new Special Projects Archivist for South Carolina Political Collections at USC, I divide my attention between curating exhibits, processing complex collections, and developing our outreach. When I started at SCPC three months ago I was blown away by the size, variety, and richness of our collections. Imagine you’re a USC student beginning your research and faced with 130+ collections. Where would you start?

USC’s library, like many academic libraries, subscribes to SpringShare’s content management system LibGuides. LibGuides are essential tools for supporting instruction, research, and technology integration at our university’s library. Librarians use them to organize subject-specific resources which, for many students, could be the primary gateway to discovering all relevant resources the library subscribes to and collects on a topic.

At SCPC, we’re creating LibGuides for popular subjects and to supplement some of our exhibits in an effort to better reach our users. The LibGuides offer new ways for users to engage with our records, and we think they can be a great research springboard. We currently have ten guides, and we’re working on another focused on how to use SCPC and archives in general.

Suppose a student wants to do their capstone project on some aspect of immigration. Our "Immigration in South Carolina" guide could set them on a number of investigative paths. Had they considered refugees and orphans of the Vietnam War? What about Jewish migration during World War II? Often, the unique ways in which our collections intersect and relate to one another isn’t immediately apparent from the finding aids. By curating these LibGuides, we hope to spark new and exciting research ideas for our users.

Overall, we’ve found that there are a number of benefits to using the platform:

• Flex it. LibGuides’ flexible format allows us to bring both library and archival resources together under a single subject. This helps users to more easily understand special collections as part of the library system at large and promotes the discovery of archival material. If a professor provides us some basic information about their course topic, we can even develop a LibGuide just for their class.
  
  
• All about those stats. On the backend, LibGuides provides valuable usage reports. We can see how many people have viewed the guide as well as how often the links within the guides (assets) have been accessed. Our ten guides have only been up for two months, and we’ve already had over 250 hits! We could use these statistics to make more informed decisions when prioritizing digitization projects or planning exhibits based on our users’ interests.

Stats from our Desegregation in South Carolina Schools LibGuide show the guide was viewed 57 times between August 22 and September 27, 2017.

• Getting social. We can include links to our Facebook, Twitter, and blog, giving students even more opportunities to connect and stay up to date.
  
  
• Show us the formats. We can provide text, include polls, link to finding aids, direct to the library’s catalog, and embed photographs from an easy-to-use platform.

Please feel free to check out our LibGuides!

If any of our topics spark your interest, feel free to get in touch. We’d be happy to assist you in your research.

By Katie Gray, Archivist, Charleston County Public Library

October 7, 2017. High noon. An important professional decision lay before me. I brought to bear my years of experience, knowledge, professional detachment, and discernment. It was a difficult task, but in consultation with the head of our IT department, as well as an Imperial scout and a Rebel princess, a decision was made…

First prize at the Star Wars Reads Day costume competition went to the cutest Jawa this side of Tatooine.

Photos courtesy of Charleston County Public Library.

Clearly, judging costume contests is not a typical task for an archivist. It certainly isn’t covered in Hunter’s Developing and Maintaining Practical Archives. And you‘d be hard pressed to find Star Wars mentioned at all in the professional archival literature. However, this is a task I undertake every fall, and one that I look forward to with delight.

One of the many advantages of working as an archivist in a public library is the opportunity to reach beyond prescribed archival duties and connect with the community on a personal (and oftentimes fun) level. Over the years, I have worked at senior fairs and community gatherings, at Pride festivals and Friends of the Library book sales. I helped stage a fake rare books heist for a Sherlock Holmes mystery lock-in and taught teens about papermaking and bookbinding during summer book camp. Participating in these events has allowed me to bring a little bit of archives and history into everyday library events, which works well, because, in Charleston, no matter where you are or what the occasion, people are always happy to talk about history.

On the surface, it may seem difficult to justify the use of archival staff time for programming and outreach not specifically dedicated to archives and special collections. Of course, an archivist in a public library must still undertake those duties that are the bedrock of the archival profession: arrangement and description, reference and research, cataloging and conservation, and everything in between. As is the case in so many archival institutions, staffing is limited, and responsibilities are numerous. However, the time spent contributing to programs outside the archives can be a good investment for the professional development of the department and the staff. 

In practical terms, participating in collaborative public library programming affords the archivist the opportunity to expand the archives’ outreach to groups that normally would not be archives users and at numbers not often seen at archival events. (1900 people at Star Wars Reads Day alone!) It is an excellent way to build internal, institutional interest in the archives and advocate for its importance to the institution, the users, and the community. It also encourages the creation of robust, collaborative relationships with library colleagues. When I first started working in the archive over 10 years ago, I frequently heard, from both staff and patrons, “We have an archive?” “What do you do back there?” or even “Do you collect fines?” (when we were still called Special Collections). Now, thanks to concerted outreach efforts by the archives staff and the historian, staff and patrons know who we are and what we can do for the community.

I take seriously my duty to preserve and make accessible the historical materials that document the public history of the city and county of Charleston. However, I am also cognizant that the work that I do is in support of the overall mission of my institution: to connect our diverse community to information, foster lifelong learning, and enrich lives. I gladly fulfill my dual role as archivist and public librarian. Every connection I make is an opportunity to both educate the community and to cultivate new archives users. After all, you never know who may grow up to be the next great historian or archivist.

Photos courtesy of Charleston County Public Library.

By April Akins, University Archivist, Lander University

Each summer, Lander University’s incoming freshman class attend one of several orientation sessions. During the sessions, they are given time to explore the history of Lander through an experience with the Lander University Archives. Over the years, with the increase in freshman enrollment finding ways to make this experience exciting and meaningful has become challenging. This summer there were over 750 students to embark on a walk down memory lane. In order to give the students an opportunity to see the archival materials as well as gain knowledge of Lander’s 145-year history, I created the “Lander through the Decades” museum exhibit with the help of a student worker, Janie Sullivan, senior Lander University History Major. 

Many students come to Lander having never experienced a museum before so in an effort to provide a learning experience for the students, materials were arranged into mini museum exhibits and placed behind glass on tables within our large group study room. Each mini exhibit was arranged to include several decades sharing highlights of Lander’s history through artifacts and manuscripts. A timeline was displayed to give students further details of events that occurred during the time of the materials. Setting up the museum in this format allowed not only the incoming freshman to view the materials but faculty, staff, and community members were also given an opportunity to see the materials. This was a great way to make the Lander community aware of the archives. 

One lesson learned from this project is the need to provide more direction to the orientation leaders that guide the students through the museum. The communication that was shared with the leaders was not clear enough. There seemed to be confusion in how to view the materials. In the past, materials had been placed on tables and display cases out in the open allowing students to touch and browse the materials in a more hands on approach. With preservation in mind, the experience was moved behind glass and set up as a museum to not only provide the “museum experience” for students but to show the importance of preserving the materials. The glass barrier (and locked door) provided safety and security of the archival materials. 

One idea for a spin off from this project that was received from a faculty member is to create a virtual museum exhibit with these same materials. The suggestion included having a mass communication and/or a computer science student work to create a digital replication of the exhibit that could be included in our freshman experience course’s online materials. This would also allow us to place the museum on our archives website to provide another avenue to access our materials. 

A mascot costume and commencement invitations make up part of the Lander Through the Decades exhibit on display at the Lander University Archives in the Larry Jackson Library.