Another in our reports on our activities here in Archives for the 2014-2015 academic year. [For the first one, on the Alaska’s Digital Archives, see here.]
One of the things that takes up a lot of our time is getting a handle on incoming collections, or sometimes even backlog collections that have been here for a time, so we can make them accessible to researchers. This is often referred to as “processing” and what comprises that work can vary. At the very least, it involved the creation of a collection description that goes up on our website to let people know those materials are here. The collection descriptions can be fairly brief or they can be pretty in-depth depending on how complicated the collection is, how much time we have, and how much information we have about the contents. Often processing includes moving the collection to archival boxes and in the case of photographs, making sure they’re enclosed in archival quality photograph sleeves. You might even see some overlap in our collections processed list (below) with the list of collections from which we added materials to the Alaska’s Digital Archives in the blog entry linked above, but we don’t count the Digital Archives work under our “processing” umbrella right now.
Mostly our collection description right now is relatively brief: we’re spending a lot of time trying to make as much of our holdings available as we can. So we’re doing more collective description (maybe box lists instead of folder lists) for larger collections and evaluating possible further description for later. Once we catch up on our backlog–and it is disappearing rapidly!–we’ll be able to go back into those collection evaluations and prioritize further description for those collections mostly based on what we’re seeing in research subject trends, but also collection complexity, and condition issues.
In AY2014-15, we wrote initial collection descriptions for 48 collections, 19 of which were new collections or additions to collections this year. Additionally, we created listings for 22 ephemera collections, which tend to be things like relatively unique or obscure printed materials, such as organizational newsletters, events programs, and so forth. Lists of both are below. That accounts for about 167 cubic feet of hard-copy archival collections, 60.3 GBs of born digital archival collections, and about 1.5 cubic feet of ephemera collections. To give you a visual of what the 167 cubic feet of collections means, here’s a long shot down one of our vault aisles.
Archives vault shelving row
Each one of those bays (7 shelves high, 3 boxes per shelf) holds 21 cubic foot boxes (the white and brown ones that can hold legal files in one direction and letter files in the other.) That’s nearly 8 of those bays of records which we processed this year and that are now available to you as researchers plus, of course, the born digital content which isn’t so easily pictured!
A full list of the collections processed is below, but if you don’t want to go through that, here’s some highlights of the list. We received quite a few collections and additions to collections from local organizations this year. We act as the archives to many local organizations: it’s one of those win-win situations that allows the organization to have a safe and secure place to house their permanent records with research value without having to hire staff to care for or provide access to those records, and it allows us to make a greater range of archival records available to researchers. Organizations whose records have been made available this year include the Older Persons Action Group, the Wildflower Garden Club, Rage City Rollergirls, Alaska Botanical Garden, Northern Forum, and Fairview Community Council. Collections from individuals include military service personnel (from WWII to more recent), Alaskan politicians, engineers, surveyors, writers, photographers, pipeline employees, and so on and so on. The list of archival collections below is linked to the guides to those collections if you’re interested in seeing more about the types of records (or what a collection guide might look like).
Archival collections
APU student handbook; 1992. APU-0018. 0.01 cubic feet.
APU adjunct faculty handbook; undated. APU-0019. 0.01 cubic feet.
Older Persons Action Group records; 1963-2006. HMC-0193. 35.4 cubic feet. Added 13.0 cubic feet.
Eleventh Air Force Association records; 1942-2001. HMC-0558. 1.6 cubic feet. 0.8 cubic feet added.
Alice Wran papers; 1909-1963. HMC-0617. 0.8 cubic feet. Added 0.6 cubic feet.
Susan Ruddy papers; 1911-1988. HMC-0710. 0.7 cubic feet.
Fran Ulmer papers; circa 1970-2011. HMC-1077. 25 cubic feet. 13 cubic feet added.
Wildflower Garden Club records; 1973-2010. HMC-1078. 3.8 cubic feet.
Alaska Nurse Practitioner Association records; circa 1976-2014. HMC-1091 1.0 cubic feet. Added 0.01 cubic feet.
John Cerutti slides; 1964. HMC-1164. 0.02 cubic feet.
Alaska Rural Rehabilitation Corporation records; 1935-1949. HMC-1174. 23.75 cubic feet.
Elizabeth and Paul Ulrich family slides; 1949-1952. HMC-1175. 0.2 cubic feet.
Barb Manz papers; 1970-1976. HMC-1179. 0.2 cubic feet.
Walter Parker papers; circa 1940-2014. HMC-1180. 47 cubic feet.
Alaska Newspapers Inc. records; HMC-1182. 15 cubic feet.
Eby, Shelland, and Stark tourist papers; 1939-1940. HMC-1183. 0.2 cubic feet.
Earle D. Jewell papers; HMC-1184. 0.2 cubic feet.
Jack O’Malley papers, HMC-1185. 18.0 cubic feet
Raising the SS Princess Kathleen papers; 1952-1974. HMC-1187. 0.01 cubic feet.
Janice S. Davis papers; HMC-1188. 0.5 cubic feet.
McDonell and Mullooly papers; 1912-1984. HMC-1190. 0.2 cubic feet.
Fred Whitehead papers; 1948-2014. HMC-1191. 0.01 cubic feet.
Elmer Smith letters; 1898-1899. HMC-1192. 0.01 cubic feet.
Rage City Rollergirls records; 2009-2015. HMC-1193. 1.0 cubic foot and 45.3 GB.
Alaska Botanical Garden records; 1991-2014. HMC-1195. 2.8 cubic feet and 15 GB.
Raymond Burgess survey records; 1976-1992. HMC-1197. 0.1 cubic feet
Northern Forum photographs; circa 1992-2003. HMC-1196. 1 cubic foot.
Fairview Community Council records; 2008-2014. HMC-1198. 0.5 cubic feet.
Anchorage Woman’s Club records; 1915-1992. HMC-1200. 14.9 cubic feet.
Eric Wohlforth papers; 1964-2014. HMC-1201. 1.7 cubic feet.
Albert Weir photographs; circa 1942-1945. HMC-1203. 0.01 cubic feet.
Pipeline employee photograph album; circa 1970-1975. HMC-1202-AHS. 0.5 cubic feet.
James H. Sample photographs; undated, 1945. HMC-1204. 0.01 cubic feet.
Harry Bailey papers; 1943-1983. HMC-1205. 0.01 cubic feet.
Lester H. Best photographs; undated, 1944. HMC-1206. 0.2 cubic feet.
Hal Beery photographs; undated, 1942. HMC-1207. 0.01 cubic feet.
UAA. Theatre and Dance Department photographs; undated. UAA-0101. 1.2 cubic feet.
UAA. Theatre and Dance Department posters; 1970-2012. UAA-0105. 2.0 cubic feet.
UAA. Theatre and Dance Department programs; undated, 1982-1990. UAA-0106. 0.01 cubic feet.
UAA. KRUA records; 1991-1996. UAA-0107. 0.2 cubic feet.
UAA. Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Engagement, and Academic Support records; 1994-2004. UAA-0108. 0.45 cubic feet.
UAA. Community and Technical College. Dean’s Office records. UAA-0110. 1.4 cubic feet.
ACC planning publications; 1977-1988. UAA-0111. 0.4 cubic feet.
ACC Commencement programs; 1987. UAA-0112. 0.01 cubic feet.
ACC adjunct faculty handbook; 1984-1985. UAA-0113. 0.01 cubic feet.
UAA. Chancellor’s Transition Management Team meeting records; 1987. UAA-0114. 0.4 cubic feet.
ACC accreditation publications; 1972, 1979. UAA-0115. 0.2 cubic feet.
ACC computing service program records; 1985-1986. UAA-0116. 0.02 cubic feet.
Ephemera collections
Alaska Master Gardener’s newsletters; 1998-2012. EPH-0186. 0.4 cubic feet.
Alaska Orchid Society newsletters; 2000-2012. EPH-0187. 0.4 cubic feet.
Alaska Native Plant Society newsletters; 1997-2013. EPH-0188. 0.4 cubic feet.
Alaska Rose Society newsletters; 1995-2007. EPH-0189. 0.2 cubic feet.
Alaska Rock Garden Society records; 1997-2004. EPH-0190. 0.01 cubic feet.
Alaska State Federation of Garden Clubs newsletters; 1999-2002. EPH-0191. 0.01 cubic feet.
Valley Garden Club newsletters; 2000-2001. EPH-0192. 0.01 cubic feet.
Kodiak Garden Club newsletters; 2000. EPH-0193. 0.01 cubic feet.
Alaska Pioneer Fruit Growers newsletters; 2000-2006. EPH-0194. 0.01 cubic feet.
Homer Garden Club newsletters; 2000. EPH-0195. 0.01 cubic feet.
2015 Governor’s Inaugural Ceremony memorabilia; 2015. EPH-0213. 0.01 cubic feet.
The Adak Daily Sun; 1951 July-August. EPH-0214. 0.01 cubic feet.
The Fletcher Library Bulletin; 1951 August. EPH-0215. 0.01 cubic feet.
The Funstonier: USS Frederick Funston newsletter; 1951 August 9. EPH-0216. 0.01 cubic feet.
Will-i-waw Whisper: Drake Puget Sound newsletter; 1949 March 19. EPH-0217. 0.01 cubic feet.
Williwaws: Kodiak Naval Air Station newsletters; 1940-1943. EPH-0218. 0.02 cubic feet.
The Williwaws: Kodiak Naval Operating Base newsletter; 1943 March-May. EPH-0219. 0.01 cubic feet.
Shemya WWII Veterans Association The Shemya Mailbag newsletter; 1987-1994. EPH-0242. 0.01 cubic feet.
Aleutian Island Veterans Friendship Reunion Information and Correspondence Exchange newsletters; 1993-2000. EPH-0243. 0.01 cubic feet.
Wings Over Alaska: Alaskan Aviation History News; 1995, 1997. EPH-0244. 0.01 cubic feet.
Patwing Four Airdales newsletter; 1993-1996. EPH-0246. 0.01 cubic feet.
The Pink Elephant 21st, 36th, 404th Bomb Squadron Newsletter; 1991. EPH-0247