It has been 9 months since I began working full time here in the archives. Every month, I feel more certain that I made the right decision (even though it has meant a 7 month delay in graduating). My expectations for what I might learn here have certainly been exceeded; I may not be able to participate in or initiate all the projects that I can dream up, but I have been exposed to an enormous spectrum of open source software, library technologies, and collaborative projects. I have also had an opportunity to apply archival theory in processing large raw collections. For an introduction to the world of archives, I really could not have been more fortunate.
Working here has meant limiting my activity in local historical societies; tomorrow, I'll be presenting at the Smith County Historical Society meeting and I applied to present at the Digital Frontiers conference in Denton. I haven't heard back from them yet, so it seems likely that my proposal was not selected.
In any case... I'm going to try to do more with this blog, as I explore Web 2.0 technologies, learn to program, and follow conferences. More to come.
Showing posts with label Smith County Historical Society. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Smith County Historical Society. Show all posts
Monday, July 2, 2012
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Forrays into publishing, and other adventures
With the semester well under way, and most of my midterms behind me, I have an opportunity to catch up.
Amazing things have been happening since the conference.
First and foremost, our local campus chapter of the Walter Prescott Webb Society (a Texas history group for university students, affiliated with TSHA) is experiencing some kind of renaissance. We have somehow managed to attract a plethora of talented and tenacious history students who really want to "do" things. Recent projects we have undertaken include a guest lecture series, volunteer commitments at local history events (a Civil War reenactment and a Pioneer Day), and the design/purchase of club tchotchke (pins, shirts, a banner). We have also discussed hosting student conferences and creating a chapter newsletter.
I am conducting an unofficial campaign to get myself elected "Second Vice-President", a bizarrely named position which includes membership management and community outreach. In addition to handing out calendars of community events each month and soliciting volunteers, I have designed a membership survey through Survey Monkey (AWESOME resource) which has proven exceptionally informative. Elections will be held later in the month.
The internship mentioned previously (at the Parrot Park and Old Mill Pond Museum in Lindale, Texas)is well under way. I have adopted the Blacksmith Shop as my area of interest. I was a blacksmith's apprentice in high school for Shadowhawk Blades out of Winnsboro, Texas. Because our work frequently involved archaic tools and techniques, I gained a life-long appreciation for the topic.
My intern duties at the Old Mill Pond Museum include cataloging, appraising, and describing tools and equipment which date back to the Great Depression (and the turn of the century). Finding the resources to appraise these tools has been a real adventure. I have made it my mission to leave a healthy catalog of sources for the interns who will follow me. We are the inaugural group, so I am compiling everything from scratch. The real danger with the internship is the temptation to spend my entire weekend on the site. It is an astounding collection of historic tools, machines, gadgets, and displays representing Lindale, Texas from 1890-1940.
Check out the museum's Youtube channel here, including live tours and working demonstrations.
The next event worth noting: Our new archivist has arrived. This is a major milestone in the growth of our department, and I am very excited about future projects. The finding aid I created last semester should be published to the website soon. I am still processing the Sarah McClendon papers (about eight archival boxes of material left to go). Once this drudgery is completed, I will create a finding aid for this collection as well. It is a tremendous opportunity for me, and I am learning constantly (even through the drudgery, I will admit).
Last but not least, I have taken on a rather ambitious project. I have volunteered to act as "interim" chair for the Chronicles publication committee of the Smith County Historical Society. The Chronicles have been dormant for over seven years, although the market for backordered issues remains rather robust. We anticipate that a revival of the Chronicles will attract new members and strengthen interest in the activities of the Historical Society.
That being said, my work is really cut out for me on this project. I have limited experience with publishing and editing (fortunately, we have no shortage of volunteer editors, as well as a volunteer to handle layout and design). The bulk of my duties, as I see them now, will consist of coordinating between authors and editors, reaching out to local groups, promoting the Chronicles, and possibly writing grants. At this point, our venture is purely exploratory. We will meet again in about two months; at that time, I hope to have a host of information prepared as well as a "plan of attack".
So. Enough said for tonight (or maybe too much!)
Amazing things have been happening since the conference.
First and foremost, our local campus chapter of the Walter Prescott Webb Society (a Texas history group for university students, affiliated with TSHA) is experiencing some kind of renaissance. We have somehow managed to attract a plethora of talented and tenacious history students who really want to "do" things. Recent projects we have undertaken include a guest lecture series, volunteer commitments at local history events (a Civil War reenactment and a Pioneer Day), and the design/purchase of club tchotchke (pins, shirts, a banner). We have also discussed hosting student conferences and creating a chapter newsletter.
I am conducting an unofficial campaign to get myself elected "Second Vice-President", a bizarrely named position which includes membership management and community outreach. In addition to handing out calendars of community events each month and soliciting volunteers, I have designed a membership survey through Survey Monkey (AWESOME resource) which has proven exceptionally informative. Elections will be held later in the month.
The internship mentioned previously (at the Parrot Park and Old Mill Pond Museum in Lindale, Texas)is well under way. I have adopted the Blacksmith Shop as my area of interest. I was a blacksmith's apprentice in high school for Shadowhawk Blades out of Winnsboro, Texas. Because our work frequently involved archaic tools and techniques, I gained a life-long appreciation for the topic.
My intern duties at the Old Mill Pond Museum include cataloging, appraising, and describing tools and equipment which date back to the Great Depression (and the turn of the century). Finding the resources to appraise these tools has been a real adventure. I have made it my mission to leave a healthy catalog of sources for the interns who will follow me. We are the inaugural group, so I am compiling everything from scratch. The real danger with the internship is the temptation to spend my entire weekend on the site. It is an astounding collection of historic tools, machines, gadgets, and displays representing Lindale, Texas from 1890-1940.
Check out the museum's Youtube channel here, including live tours and working demonstrations.
The next event worth noting: Our new archivist has arrived. This is a major milestone in the growth of our department, and I am very excited about future projects. The finding aid I created last semester should be published to the website soon. I am still processing the Sarah McClendon papers (about eight archival boxes of material left to go). Once this drudgery is completed, I will create a finding aid for this collection as well. It is a tremendous opportunity for me, and I am learning constantly (even through the drudgery, I will admit).
Last but not least, I have taken on a rather ambitious project. I have volunteered to act as "interim" chair for the Chronicles publication committee of the Smith County Historical Society. The Chronicles have been dormant for over seven years, although the market for backordered issues remains rather robust. We anticipate that a revival of the Chronicles will attract new members and strengthen interest in the activities of the Historical Society.
That being said, my work is really cut out for me on this project. I have limited experience with publishing and editing (fortunately, we have no shortage of volunteer editors, as well as a volunteer to handle layout and design). The bulk of my duties, as I see them now, will consist of coordinating between authors and editors, reaching out to local groups, promoting the Chronicles, and possibly writing grants. At this point, our venture is purely exploratory. We will meet again in about two months; at that time, I hope to have a host of information prepared as well as a "plan of attack".
So. Enough said for tonight (or maybe too much!)
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
A look ahead
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.
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.
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