Next semester looks promising so far.
The Archives will be participating in the UT Tyler 40th Anniversary celebration (a semester long event), which should bring considerable publicity and attention to our work and the people who made the university possible.
The Webb society has a terrific group of members who are eager to dive into some nitty gritty work, which brings the possibility of exciting projects (some of the ideas tossed around: helping the Smith County Historical Society index original texts and newspapers; collecting oral histories of prominent community members; documenting forgotten and neglected cemetaries, in conjunction with the genealogical society).
Dr. Newsom, faculty sponsor of the Frank R. Smyrl chapter of the Webb Society (and a truly inspiring professor, mentor, and historian), has arranged an internship for the Spring 2011 semester with the Old Mill Pond Museum (through the City of Lindale). About six students (including myself) are enrolled.
I have also been asked to speak at a statewide conference in Austin next January (the STEM 2011 Bridging Research & Practice conference) on ways to integrate specific technologies in history classrooms. At this point, I expect to present demos on Livescribe technology and the Prezi tool. I have attempted to raise interest in this topic on my own campus all semester (we seem to lack the infrastructure, motivation, or personnel to host a conference at this point in time). Fortunately for me, Texas STEM Centers have been looking for a way to collaborate with educators and professionals in English/Language Arts, History, and the Social Sciences.
My ultimate hope is that, as an ambassador for UT Tyler, I can generate interest on my own campus - and beyond. I would really love to see a cross-departmental effort (including our own STEM center, the history/political science department, the education department, and our resident geographers, anthropologists, and archaeologists). With the success of recent Project Based Learning initiatives among the history departments of local public schools (and with the growing interest in "History 2.0", if you'll pardon my meme), I think we could expect broad participation from the community.
A really ambitious project might incorporate local non-profit groups including the Genealogical Society (which has already embraced collaborative digitization efforts), local museums, and historical conservation groups.
In the meantime, however... I've got to finish what's on my plate right now.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Semester Wrap-up
Of all the semesters I've attended university, this has been the most recent - by that I mean I am sure glad to see the end of it.
Bureaucratic frustrations and tedious coursework aside, the semester has been great for my career advancement.
Although the Williamson collection has not gone live yet, it is completed and documented in Archivists Toolkit. I had a fantastic opportunity to give a brief presentation on Mr. Williamson's legislative legacy to the Smith County Historical Society, which was well recieved.
I had a chance to learn a smidge about museum work through the Tim Anthony Jackson collection of political memorabilia (namely, through sorting and storing campaign pins dating back to President McKinley).
My current project is the Sarah McClendon collection, a moderately hectic bundle of papers reflecting the personal life and professional career of a traiblazing female journalist (born in Tyler, Texas) whose Beltway career spanned eight presidents. The collection contains research, personal correspondence, interview notes (although her handwriting is virtually indecipherable), transcriptions of interviews and testimonies, reports from government and private sector agencies, and myriad articles (at all stages of the editing process). Her papers are a treasure trove of information.
The first candidate for the archivist's position arrives on campus next week; I am eager to settle back into a regular directed routine, but the prospect of change in the workplace is always an uncomfortable one for me. I don't know what kind of skills, methodology, or personality Ms. Joyce's replacement will bring to UT Tyler.
Beyond the archives, I have pursued deepening involvement in the Smith County Historical Society and the campus branch of the Webb Historical Society. Two weeks ago I recieved my official invitation to the historical honor society, Phi Alpha Theta. Last month I was inducted into the Alpha Chi honor society (a cross-disciplinary academic honor society).
Bureaucratic frustrations and tedious coursework aside, the semester has been great for my career advancement.
Although the Williamson collection has not gone live yet, it is completed and documented in Archivists Toolkit. I had a fantastic opportunity to give a brief presentation on Mr. Williamson's legislative legacy to the Smith County Historical Society, which was well recieved.
I had a chance to learn a smidge about museum work through the Tim Anthony Jackson collection of political memorabilia (namely, through sorting and storing campaign pins dating back to President McKinley).
My current project is the Sarah McClendon collection, a moderately hectic bundle of papers reflecting the personal life and professional career of a traiblazing female journalist (born in Tyler, Texas) whose Beltway career spanned eight presidents. The collection contains research, personal correspondence, interview notes (although her handwriting is virtually indecipherable), transcriptions of interviews and testimonies, reports from government and private sector agencies, and myriad articles (at all stages of the editing process). Her papers are a treasure trove of information.
The first candidate for the archivist's position arrives on campus next week; I am eager to settle back into a regular directed routine, but the prospect of change in the workplace is always an uncomfortable one for me. I don't know what kind of skills, methodology, or personality Ms. Joyce's replacement will bring to UT Tyler.
Beyond the archives, I have pursued deepening involvement in the Smith County Historical Society and the campus branch of the Webb Historical Society. Two weeks ago I recieved my official invitation to the historical honor society, Phi Alpha Theta. Last month I was inducted into the Alpha Chi honor society (a cross-disciplinary academic honor society).
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