The Loupe, by Megan Friedel The loupe is a thing of simple, beautiful functionality. Want to see what the street sign says in that photo of the 1964 Alaska earthquake in Anchorage? Use a loupe. Need to see the detail in a 35mm color slide? Use a loupe. Can’t decipher…
The Microspatula, by Jason Sylvestre There are a number of things that I find cringe-worthy as an archivist: legal sized documents, scotch tape, paperclips, rusty staples, and unruly masses of paper. Although my favorite archival tool can’t address all of these, it does handle my most hated enemy, rusty staples,…
The Pencil, by Mariecris Gatlabayan When I was in elementary school, my friend and I would sit by the long jump sandpit and write and draw. We would write letters, notes, our thoughts, doodle, come up with secret codes for our diary, and, most importantly, write with pens of different…
Inspired by a posting from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art earlier this month, we decided to share some of our favorite archives tools with you! First up, Arlene. My Flip HD videocam, by Arlene Arlene’s personalized Flip HD videocam I know this may be surprising to include in a…
In celebration of Archives Month in October, you are invited to an Open House and Film Screening hosted by UAA Archives & Special Collections and the Alaska Moving Image Preservation Association (AMIPA). WHEN & WHERE: Thursday, October 13th, 2011 Third floor of the UAA/APU Consortium Library (click here to see…
Every so often we’ll find something in a collection that really resonates with us and the work we do. For me (Arlene), this week, that was a letter. The letter was pasted into an album of photographs kept by A. G. Maddren. A. G. Maddren was a geologist with the…
UAA Archives & Special Collections invites you to register for a free all-day workshop on “Preserving & Identifying Photographs”! WHEN: Saturday October 22nd, 10:30am-4pm WHERE: UAA/APU Consortium Library, 3rd floor, Room 307 WHAT: Do you have hundreds of family photographs and negatives stored at home in shoe-boxes in your closet?…
Anchorage was almost the home of the Winter Olympics. Twice. Our fair city was the U.S. Olympic Committee’s choice as a the host site for both the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who you ask), both times the International Olympic Committee chose another location: Albertville,…
In 1862, the British Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures, and Trades sponsored an international exposition in London. Exhibitors brought wares from 36 countries, and a publishing house chose 300 of the items in the exhibit to publish via tinted lithographs. Which they did, in a 3-volume set with…
Call for Participation: Be a Co-Curator! Archives & Special Collections Eye of the Beholder 4: One Image, Many Perspectives October 3, 2011-? THE EXHIBIT: Archives & Special Collections is mounting an exhibit to demonstrate how a single item: this image in particular, could be used/interpreted/described in a variety of ways…
