Archives – Page 2 – SJSU SAASC

Archive of the Week: Mojave Desert Archives

by SAASC Team

The Wild West is full of myth and legends but beyond the dust tumbleweeds, there’s a rich history.

The Mojave Desert Archives are housed within the Dennis G. Casebier Library in Goffs, California. Dedicated to preserving and sharing the pioneering spirit of the West, the archives is considered to be “the largest single collection of archival materials covering the American history of the Mojave Desert.” The more than 115,000 artifacts including oral histories, newspaper clippings, historical photographs, and more, are housed in a re-imaged version of Goffs Depot. This historical building aims to represent what was built by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. While in-person visits are possible, a virtual tour is also accessible 24/7.

Among other items, the archives also participates in maintaining a map of community organizations that help to celebrate the history of the Desert West.

Archive of the Week: Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s…

by SAASC Team

Many librarians start their path towards librarianship as a child. Books are an exciting form of media that suddenly open a new world as soon as a child learns to read. An homage to the children’s literature of the past that helped to spark the creativity and love of learning for millions of children is the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature.

Housed at the University of Florida, the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature includes more than 115,000 items from the 1600s to the present day.

From books to manuscripts, original artwork, and other ephemera.

Some interesting finds include traditional Hans Christian Anderson editions as well as some comparative versions of Alice in Wonderland.

While the Baldwin Library is mainly a physical repository, it established an online presence in 2021. Titles are able to be read online as many are presumed to be a part of the public domain due to age.

Archive of the Week: State Fair Ephemera

by SAASC Team

In these last few weeks of Winter, it’s hard not to think about the warmer fun times in Summer and Fall. For many in rural areas across the country, that means the state fair! The North Carolina State Fair was founded in 1853 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

Today, you can find a digitized collection of items from the North Carolina State Fair as a part of the robust online archives from North Carolina Digital Collections . Included within the State Fair Ephemera collection are programs, photographs, premium lists and more dating back to the fair’s history. Previously known as the Blue Ribbon Memories Project, this digital archive is now maintained by the State Library of North Carolina.

Some fun finds include photos from President Truman’s 1948 visit:

And even a State Fair medal believed to have been awarded in 1853:

*All photos courtesy of the State Fair Ephemera Collection at North Carolina Digital Collections.

Advocacy for Archives

by SAASC Team

This post is written by guest writer, Emily Mizokami

It was all-hands-on-deck at the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) last month. All the archivists, the city historian and curator were heading over to city hall and asked me, their student assistant, to tag along. I was surprised when I was told that all city departments were reporting to the city council that day to plead their case for why they should continue receiving their portion of the city’s budgetary pie. Sacramento is $50 million in the hole and the cuts to this year’s budget have to come from somewhere.

Whether MLIS students go on to work at archives for a city, county, university or museum, at some point they will be part of a team that develops or executes a strategic plan for their institution’s survival. Coincidentally, the SAASC recently hosted Dr. Jessica Bushey , in its “Ask an Archivist” series, who discussed the importance of advocating for archives. Bushey, a San Jose State University professor and former archivist at two museums, stressed that most boards, councils, and donors do not know what archivists do:

“I think if there is, you know, one discipline that seems to be oddly misunderstood, it is definitely the discipline of archives,” said Bushey. “I know a lot of archivists who really prefer the quiet work of archives and while I love that, if you’re the only archivist . . .you’re the only one there to make that plea and to try and get people interested in what you’re doing and then fund you, it’s all about getting funding right?”

And funding is exactly what every Sacramento City department was vying for in those packed chambers last month. CSH is under the umbrella of Conventions and Cultural Services and this division’s economy manager, Megan Van Voorhis, made the center’s impassioned plea to the council. She spoke with knowledge and passion as she described what CSH does for the city.

“(CSH) helps us understand why we are here; how we got here,” said Van Voorhis. She detailed the center’s housing of 30,000 artifacts dating back to 1849, outreach programs such as the yearly Archives Crawl, and programs with the city’s school children.

“People look to museums and historic sites . . . they’re the ones that have the highest levels of trust,” Van Voorhis continued.

The council and spectators appeared to be moved as Van Voorhis received two rounds of applause.

City councilmember Karina Talamentes who visited CSH previously commented, “It’s incredible! It’s like Disneyland for anyone that’s into history.”

Vice mayor Caity Maple, who happily anticipates the CSH curator’s frequent rotation of artwork at city hall, added, “I’ve read letters (at CSH) from the city manager in the 1920s . . .and I learned from them. . .because if we don’t know our history, we are doomed to repeat it.”

Not all archives will be lucky enough to have the backing of a staff and well-spoken economy manager who appreciates their institution. That is where a background in marketing, public speaking, or advertising will be beneficial and perhaps the key to securing funding for the ever-elusive archives at which an MLIS student may work, according to Bushey.

Bushey emphasized, “The more that you can talk about the archives and archival work and have it linked to the mission and the goals of the larger organization, the more successful you will be.”

Emily Mizokami is in her first year as an MLIS student at San Jose State University and works part time at the Center for Sacramento History. She is looking forward to a career in archives and hopes to make advancements in the areas of global warming preparedness and cultural reparations.

Read more “Advocacy for Archives” →

Archive of the Week: The Dance Archive

by SAASC Team

Founded in 1972 with the express purpose of providing a comprehensive dance resource center, The Dance Archive is part of the special collections offerings at the University of Denver library. It is home to thousands of artifacts relating to the history of dance in the Western world from Colorado and beyond.

Within the collections are a wide variety of dance-related materials from introductory square dancing sets to photographs of modern dance pioneer Ruth St. Denis.

The Dance Archive can be visited in-person on the campus of the University of Denver. Or, online, via the large Digital Collections database through the University of Denver’s Special Collection’s site.

Photos Courtesy of The Dance Archive.

Category: <span>Archives</span>