Blog/Reflections
When War Threatens Artifacts: 02/19/2023
It has been nearly a year since the conflict in Ukraine escalated. An internet personality I follow, who travels and presents educational content on countries around the world, posted a video today about a recent trip he took to Ukraine amidst the ongoing war. Something that stood out to me especially, was that as he was walking through the streets of Lviv with a local guide, was that many of the sculptures and other outdoor artwork were completely wrapped up. In this article written by Emily Burack, she outlines how Ukranians have been doing this in order to try to preserve some of their most precious artifacts in the case that there is an attack nearby. I am familiar with and understand how disaster planning policies can help in the protection and mitigation of damage to objects, particularly in an archive, but I can only imagine what it would be like to make these preparations for large artifacts outdoors that cannot be moved. We have lost countless historical structures due to war and it is an incredible shame.
In addition to bundled statues, the video also depicted protective measures made to the buildings themselves, with many older buildings with windows boarded and sandbags and other heavy objects pressed into windows, doorways and other spaces. The efforts made here to help protect these objects is noteworthy, however, and was also humbling to see. Hopefully these measures will never see through their intended purpose, but it is a grim reminder that as a caretaker of information, especially that which is historically significant, is a task which requires perseverance and resolve.
A wrapped statue near the city council in Lviv.
Daniel Leal. Getty Images.
Retrieved from: https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/this-photograph-shows-a-wrapped-statue-near-the-city-news-photo-1646756332.jpg?resize=980:*
Volunteer Prep: 02/15/2023
Today, I received confirmation on two new volunteers at work, so I spent a good portion of the day preparing for their arrival. I have been working on formulating a set of data content standards so that if and when someone is also working with our database, data will be more consistent. Especially today, but frequently when I am at work, I am reminded of issues from my Information Organization course. I am hoping that I will be able to have our new volunteers use our database, however, it is important that they are aware of standards that they should adhere to. I recall in my course, I was at first a bit skeptical that something as small as a space, period or other bit of punctuation could really affect data retrieval, but I have learned firsthand just how big of a deal it can be to try to find something when the shelf name in our database is entered both as, for example "64 D" and "64D"! Thanks to the global update function, everything is much more uniformly standardized, so as long as everyone is aware of our standards, we should have much better success in retrieving information. This is the part of my job that I probably shouldn't enjoy as much as I do, since this is likely what most people would find boring or tedious, but I get an incredible sense of satisfaction in it! I am also pleased with the arrangement for my new volunteer space (pictured below). The trays have inventory sheets, newly printed thanks to our inventory management upgrade. Each sheet contains the list of objects for a given area, with a minimal amount of metadata for each. A volunteer can take the sheet and mark down which objects they find and then return the completed sheet to the bottom tray. Additionally, there is a log book to track hours which also has instructions for cleaning and conducting an inventory, as well as some gloves and masks.
Volunteer Shelf.
Photo by the author, 2023.
Database Software Upgrade and Data Content Standards: 02/08/2023
I received my long-anticipated upgrade for PastPerfect in the mail. With the help of our IT department, I was able to begin using the upgrade and it is going to completely revolutionize everything about the process of cataloging! I have become well-acquainted with this software from self-education and practice, and I am pleased with how far I have come in my understanding. I also was able to include the inventory management upgrade in our install, and it allows the user to conduct mass updates of metadata all at once, which I have been using to implement some of my new data content standards. Now with a good way of changing records on a massive scale, I had good reason to re-address some data content standards I have been working on. As a part of this, I began conducting additional research on standards beyond what has been covered in my coursework, for good measure, and also to see if I could find additional materials that would be more specifically applicable to my situation. I found an interesting excerpt from the Museum International journal on the UNESCO Digital Library by Robert G. Chenhall and Peter Homolos regarding data standards for museums. Originally published in 1978, it is interesting and also somewhat empathy-inducing to see that even over four decades ago, museums were still struggling with documenting and standardizing collections. Considering the sheer amount of metadata that can be accounted for now, especially in digital databases, it is a humbling reminder that many of the tasks we can rely on computers for now, at one time were much more manual.
Preservation and Access: 02/01/2023
Preservation is heavily related to access. As noted in the Fisher essay, digital preservation encompasses not only the digitization of materials that are not born-digital such as physical letters or books, but also measures taken to increase the lifespan of information in digital formats (Fisher, 2016). Information that is lost due to decay can no longer be accessed, therefore, preserving it for the future is providing access. It could be argued that in the short term, for physical materials especially, it may be possible to provide access without preservation, but the two concepts are so heavily connected it would be difficult to separate them completely.
As we move more toward emphasizing digital access and digital preservation, we may be able to provide access and good methods of preservation simultaneously. There are many barriers to success, however. I tend to agree with Fisher in that the reluctance of institutions to invest in and try new methods of digital preservation is not helpful in finding solutions to preserving born-digital information (2016). Their example regarding the use of microfilm is shocking, considering that while microfilm is reliably stable, it still is a physical media that is difficult to provide access to when compared to digital formats (Fisher, 2016). Lack of funding as well as physical and human resources are hurdles that make it difficult to try new methods, but the potential benefit is well worth fighting for. That also isn’t to say that new methods of preserving analog materials aren’t worth trying either.
While digitizing materials is excellent for providing access, there is definitely value in preserving the physical object for its evidential value as well. Among the many special features of handmade paper and books outlined by Belanger, such as watermarks and deckles, there are valuable traits that a physical book can communicate best by viewing the object in person (1977). Additionally, as made evident in the Gibbons article, the material an object is constructed from can provide valuable information about its context as well (2017). Without having access to the Gospel of Luke in physical form, it would not have been possible to determine that the pages were made from the skin of different animals as well as the implications for this fact (Gibbons, 2017). Still, preservation practices must be in place in order to ensure that an object such as this can be accessed nearly ten centuries after its creation.
References
Belanger, T. (1977). Descriptive bibliography. In J. Peters (Ed.), Book Collecting: A Modern Guide (pp. 97-115). R. R. Bowker.
Fisher, K. (2016). Barriers to digital preservation in special collections departments. Preservation, Digital Technology & Culture 45(4), 180–185. https://doi.org/10.1515/pdtc-2016-0027
Gibbons, A. (2017, July 25). Goats, bookworms, a monk's kiss: Biologists reveal the hidden history of ancient gospels. Science. https://www.science.org/content/article/goats-bookworms-monk-s-kiss-biologists-reveal-hidden-history-ancient-gospels
"A biologist gathers ancient DNA from bookworm holes in the Gospel of Luke, seeking details on the beetles that made the holes, and clues to where the book was made."
John Cairns. Retrieved from: https://www.science.org/content/article/goats-bookworms-monk-s-kiss-biologists-reveal-hidden-history-ancient-gospels
Practicum Day 1: 01/26/2023
Today was the first day of my practicum for the last semester of my degree. I was fortunate enough to be able to intern with the Dallas Municipal Archive, which I am hoping will help expand my familiarity with the Dallas area and help enrich my knowledge and understanding at the park. The archive is housed in Dallas City Hall on the lower levels, right in the heart of downtown Dallas and close to my work. Having grown up in the suburbs of Oklahoma City, it is quite a contrast to be somewhere so busy and metropolitan. I spent the day getting getting acquainted with the collections at the archive which are predominantly related to city functions such as sanitation, water and more. The archive shares the same space as the records center, which deals with more active records. At many points in the day, individuals come to access more active records, which was the case today as well. Since many departments like the Dallas Police Department store records here, it is not unusual for detectives to come to view records related to a case they are working on. I was able to do a bit of processing today as well, as I rehoused some new arrivals from the Dallas Zoo. I had never seen architectural drawings before, but seeing physically drawn copies was interesting.
Dallas City Hall.
Photo by the author, 2023.
Self-Censorship in Libraries: 11/27/2023
As part of our readings for my course in Information Resources Development, we discussed the concept of self-censorship and its role in libraries. When I began my course-work, my opinion on censorship was more positive, however by this point I have changed my views significantly. If the mission of a library is to serve its community, it may be easy to just choose not to purchase a book for a collection, and if questioned it would be plausible to place blame on “limited budgets, lack of interest or demand, inadequate shelf space, or lack of relevance to curriculum” (Moellendick, 2009). Librarians must be ready to constantly defend their decisions, and the community they serve has a great deal of power over them, so choosing not to include certain materials is likely not even malicious, but a method of self-preservation. The line between censorship and selection is certainly very fine and depending on the institution it may be even more difficult to tell. Academic libraries are likely to be very selective about what sources are included as being trustworthy and children’s libraries are almost certainly not going to include any material with extremely violent subject matter. I think this is important to consider when selecting materials for a special library, but I would not call it censorship. I think most of the responsibility and stress lies on public libraries since they usually serve a much wider demographic.
Censorship should be very minimal in libraries if implemented at all. The complete exclusion of many problematic materials is what I find issue with more specifically, but I do think that including warnings or additional doors to access are good ways to help users, like children, not to stumble into content they may find explicit or disturbing. “Lord Rodenberry claimed that ‘reading would destroy independent thinking’”, but I would argue that providing uncensored access fosters it (Moellendick, 2009).
I think a lot of this can and is being solved in our education system. From my own experiences, I was not taught to truly challenge the status quo until I entered higher education. If I had not gone to school beyond my K-12, I might never have started to question information like I do now. I did, and sometimes still do, trust book authors as an authority, but really anyone can write a book. We should be teaching our children, early on, to always question why things are the way they are. Sometimes there is a good reason, and sometimes there is not. I would argue that a good deal of the issues around censorship in libraries can be addressed by teaching our children critical thinking. There is an option to fall back on parents or guardians to help control what materials children have access to, however, not all parents are going to make the right choices for their children and some of their decisions I would argue can be actively harmful.
Libraries have a responsibility to uphold the ALA’s concept of intellectual freedom. As asserted in their Intellectual Freedom and Censorship Q & A, “[i]ntellectual freedom is the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction” (ALA, 2007). Libraries, especially public libraries, are the last bastion for all people to educate and better themselves. Denying access to any materials is harmful. This is reaffirmed by the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights as well—Article I in particular states that “[m]aterials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation” (ALA, 2019).
I was interested to see how self-censorship applies to materials like graphic novels especially. In a 2020, article authors Moeller and Becnel found that there was variation in how many librarians, especially in public schools, were addressing them (Moeller & Becnel, 2020). In one case, a librarian simply placed the section close to their circulation desk and would verbally confirm with students if they were comfortable with materials included in their selection, where another stated that no restrictions were in place, yet had labels to indicate certain items that could only be checked out by students in 5th grade and above (Moeller & Becnel, 2020). I was interested in this, as many libraries are just starting to really collect graphic novels, and through my own experiences in recently rereading some of my favorite series that I read as a kid, some of the content is much more disturbing than I remember. What really shocked me was that some of the material I read with disturbing material was actually marketed to a young audience as well. One series had some on-page and also implied assault, yet there were clear indications in the comic that some readers were as young as eleven years old. In these kinds of cases, I think having some sort of physical label on the cover indicating that there is triggering material inside would be valuable, but I would still not advocate for its complete omission, citing the ALA’s attitudes toward intellectual freedom of the public. I think this also illustrates that something like a scholastic catalogue can’t always be completely taken at face value either, since its possible these titles were included in a children’s book selection at the time they were new.
References
Moellendick, C. (2009). Libraries, censors, and self-censorship. PNLA Quarterly, 73(4), 68-76.
Moeller, R., & Becnel, K. (2020). They're so stinkin' popular, how could you say no?" Graphic novel collection development and school librarian self-censorship”. Library Quarterly, 90(4), 515-529.
American Library Association. (2007). Intellectual freedom and censorship Q & A. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/censorship/faq
American Library Association. (2019). Library Bill of Rights. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill
Retrieved from: https://ilovelibraries.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/bannedbooks2-1200-1024x572.jpg
Historic House Museums and the Campbell House: 10/29/2022
I was fortunate enough to be able to see my favorite band on vacation in St. Louis, and while I was there, I had plenty of time to explore the city. The first thing I do any time that I'm out of town and have time to spare, is look online for any nearby museums, libraries or other fun and educational spots. Luckily my travel companions were also up for a museum excursion, where in the past, I have certainly ventured off on my own, like the time I spent a day at the Art Institute of Chicago! One of the most interesting looking options, and where we ended up going, was the Campbell House. The museum consists of, and is housed in a historic house in downtown St. Louis. Built in 1851, the house (as well as the lot next to it, which was also purchased by the family) has been kept nearly identical to the way it was originally displayed when it was occupied. Since it was around Halloween, they had a display with a coffin that was very timely! I was thoroughly impressed with how pristine and organized the museum was. We were led on a tour by a very friendly and informed guide and throughout the walk through the house, I couldn't help but make comparisons to my work, since we also have many house museums. While I did not view the archive in person, I was able to find information on their archive on their website, which has an impressive amount of records and photos. The museum has also managed to incorporate handicap-accessibility through an elevator without compromising the structure itself, which was impressive. It's rare to have such a large and pristine collection of documents and artifacts that have not been removed to other locations, and the whole experience that it provides feels very authentic. It has given me another push to visit the Winchester house in California which I imagine is similar to this museum, but I'm still incredibly curious to see how they differ.
Campbell House Museum.
Retrieved from https://a.travel-assets.com/findyours-php/viewfinder/images/res70/478000/478481-Saint-Louis.jpg
Bigger than Budweiser: 08/18/2022
Today I was reminded why it's important to get involved in everything you can! I was fortunate enough to attend an academic presentation by Dr. Todd Barnett on Adolphus Busch, founder of Budweiser. The panel was held at the park; see below for a chalk advertisement (I drew the right side!). In my efforts to learn more about the city of Dallas in general, this was certainly one of the more informative experiences I've had. While I have driven by the Adolphus hotel and read about it in passing, I didn't have much knowledge about its history. I knew that it had some connection to Budweiser, but what I didn't know was just how involved Busch was in Dallas outside of brewing. He is also at least partly responsible for funding for refrigeration technology as well as bottling. History is often more complicated than it seems.
Chalkboard Display.
Photo by the author, 2022.
A Bit More PastPerfect: 06/07/22
While I have been able to practice using PastPerfect over the last several weeks, I was able to really get involved with using it today. I decided today to order a copy of the instructional software from the company's official website and I'm hoping I can complete their training soon. My copy of the American Association for State and Local History's Nomenclature 4.0 came in and while I'm not sure I will get much immediate use out of it, it should prove to be a good on-hand resource for the future if I ever am in a position to add or alter records in PastPerfect especially. I was given access to an older training guide for the software which I read through front to back. I was also tasked with trying to find a way to overcome an error in the software that happens every time it is opened. A general search through the software manual and website yielded few results, however I determined that it could be due to the fact the software needed an update in order to be at the most current version. I discovered that calling the company to ask for technical assistance would cost money, so instead, I perused online for whatever information I could find. Finally, it seemed the best course of action was to manually update through the software itself, which should only be done after backing up the entire database and re-indexing it. This was pretty daunting, knowing that potentially if anything went wrong, every record in the database could be lost. Wisely, the manual suggests backing up records in several external locations, one of which should be kept away from the physical location of the museum or building housing the collection. Thankfully the collection had been backed up several times already so it was safe to attempt the update. Attempt was as far as I was able to get unfortunately before the software decided to become uncooperative once again. This week I'll be doing more digging to see if I can't figure out what the issue is so it can be resolved. I suspect everyone in the profession deals with these kinds of issues, so maybe I'm just getting an early taste.
Nomenclature 4.0.
Academic Conference: 06/04/22
Today was my first experience presenting at an academic conference. I'm very happy to finally have that under my belt. I find it difficult to put myself out there sometimes, as I feel that my work is never quite good enough, but I'm glad that I pushed myself to do this. I presented work that I had done as a part of my previous master's degree to a larger crowd than I had anticipated. I have been attending this conference, Fandom and Neomedia Studies (FANS), for several years but was not sure that I was ready to present anything yet. There was good audience feedback and participation, especially at the end, with plenty of questions I was happy to answer. There were no major technical malfunctions either, so overall I think it was a big success. I was told that I am very vibrant when presenting, and I am happy to hear so because I do genuinely enjoy presenting on topics that I love. I know that many professional organizations like the ALA provide opportunities to share research and I hope that at some point in my career I'll be able to do something like this much more often.
FANS Association Logo.
Retrieved from http://fansconference.org/dRuZ33A/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/FANS-Logo-Transparent.png
Playing with PastPerfect: 05/10/22
Today at the museum during my volunteer hours, I got to try out using PastPerfect for the first time. While I've had a little experience as a former graduate student in art history working within an archive, the database I was using was not quite so complex. At first I just focused on familiarizing myself with the program itself and navigating through it. I was thoroughly impressed with just how detailed and in-depth it records can be. I read through some of the user manual and practiced finding records and familiarizing myself with the collection by browsing for an object in the database and going to see if I could find it where it is housed. I also did the reverse where I located an accession number on an object and looked it up in the database. The amount of information PastPerfect can store in a record is incredible. I can understand immediately why it seems to be the first choice for museums, galleries and cultural heritage institutions. While I think I would be able to use the program at a very basic level without a background in library or information science, I can tell already that what I have learned has helped me better understand exactly how the program works. It seems very timely that I am completing INFO 5200 in which we are creating a database. Reading through the PastPerfect manual I knew exactly what was meant by terms like "name authority". I know that authority files may or may not be integrated into a database, but PastPerfect has all authority files integrated and to an incredible degree. It utilizes the American Association for State and Local History's Nomenclature 4.0 for Museums, a standard museum resource for cataloging, and everything is built in! I was so impressed by that fact, it was the only thing I could think about. Clearly in order to get the most benefit from this software, there is a learning curve, but I'm hoping I can get much more comfortable with it.
PastPerfect Logo.
Retrieved from: https://museumsoftware.com/images/largePPlogo.png
Volunteer-work Time: 04/19/22
I have found over time that one of my biggest weaknesses throughout my career is a lack of hands-on experience. I've been looking for opportunities nearby for some time now, especially ones within a museum or archival setting and I recently reached out to officials at a location in downtown Dallas. Today was my first day volunteering for them, at the Dallas Heritage Village, which is a really incredible site. A park and museum simultaneously, the location cares for a handful of historic Texas buildings including houses and several other structures which make up a mock main street. I toured the facility and walked through the buildings while being given a brief overview of their individual histories. Each building is furnished with a historic interpretation. There is an interpretation of a Dentist and Doctor's office, a school and several family homes. I was delighted to see the animals they house which include two donkeys, quite a few chickens and some stray cats! Additionally, they have a blacksmith on site that teaches classes as well as cooking nights and other education events. I was really impressed by the wide variety of professionals and their specialty areas. As someone who believes very strongly in inter-disciplinary education, I found the way that all of these areas of the park work together to be really compelling. I'm looking forward to the coming weeks and hoping that I can stay on for a long time. I'm trying to find any and every way I can help and hopefully I'll be a good hand while I'm here.
Old City Park.
Priscilla Killion Photography and the Dallas Morning News. Retrieved from: https://www.tshaonline.org/images/handbook/entries/OO/old-city-park.jpg
Databases! 04/02/22
It's at this point that the work I've been doing for my database in my INFO 5200 course is starting to challenge me a bit more! My hypothetical collection for this project is on a collection of language books for learning German. I've been learning German recently and as a relatively new learner (learning mostly through auditory resources like podcasts), I was struggling to find books that met my strict criteria. I wanted something with a work-book section that not only addressed vocabulary and grammar, but history and culture as well. While I've used books for other languages that had all of these aspects, I could not find a single one that suited me for German. It was this frustration that led me to choose this type of collection for this project. The first portions of the project were somewhat easier, as I was able to envision an ideal database for locating the perfect book. If I was only looking for a small travel dictionary or an in-depth book on the pronunciation of umlauts, I knew this database could locate either or with precision. That was until I started using Libib. Up until this point I felt comfortable with my plan, but now the more work I do the more holes I seem to find in my database. I know that when we review our database and do an analysis on it, I will have plenty to critique. At least now I have a much better idea of how I would do this again from the start.
An entry from my Libib database. Photo by the author.
Semester Wrap-up: 12/13/21
My first semester of courses are over and I survived with a 4.0. It's time to celebrate! The idea of returning to graduate studies was daunting, especially so soon after having completed my MA in Art History. Judging from the course-work I've done this semester, I think I can say that this profession would suit me well, however. I wasn't sure pursuing a PhD in Art History was right for me, at least at the time. Being able to work in archives as a researcher was really enlightening. I hadn't even realized that it was a line of work beforehand. I especially enjoyed my course on Rare Books this semester and I really do hope that I'll get to work with a collection in the future.
Special Collections Excursion: 09/28/21
For my course on Rare Books this semester, we were to go to a special collections or archive setting to find and review an object. Today, after making prior arrangements with the special collections department, I went to the Eugene McDermott Library at the University of Texas at Dallas to view a book referred to as the Herbarium Latinum. Dated 1499, the herbarium details a number of different plants with text in Latin. Each entry has an illustration to accompany it. While I have visited archives and handled precious artefacts, I have never touched an object this old. It's nice being able to identify and understand how the book is physically put together. While I wouldn't know enough at this point to be able to tell exactly what it is made of, I could certainly see that there are places where different materials were added later to patch corners or holes. Some of these repairs look incredibly old as well which makes handling it even more special knowing that it passed through so many hands to get to where it's safely housed today. The experience reminded me of seeing The British Library archives except this time I was allowed to touch the books and I still can't quite get over how that feels!
Herbarium Latinum, 1499. Photo by the Author, 2021.