I also finished typing up my collection Inventory, which is basically a box list entailing series, subseries, and file names with coverage dates. Though this step may not always be entirely necessary, I added brief scope notes to give researchers a better idea of how contents within each series and subseries are arranged and why. Some of my groupings may have been confusing for lack of explanation, such as subseries divisions within the "Subject Files" series. For example, I organized materials according to project/geographic area; subseries include Nigerian Baptist Training Union, Nigeria Mission, and Benin Mission, which represent the three primary projects pursued by the Claxons during their time abroad. All other subject files fall under a General subseries.
Following the completion of my Inventory, I typed up a Collection Description--the bulk of which amounts to the Biographical History and Scope & Content Note on standard finding aids--and submitted it to Craig for review. He suggested a few changes that we subsequently discussed; I definitely think that talking his suggestions through helps to solidify the rational behind what constitutes ideal format and content. I am still getting accustomed to just how much description is necessary and where to draw the line between doing the research and enabling others' research. I also continue to fight my long-time battle to strike a balance between my natural writing style (rambling, overly wordy, heavy with parenthetical references, asides, and tangents) and a more appropriate succinct, "just the facts" sort of style which will be more easily accessible by browsing researchers. This blog is a great alternative place to vent the natural tendencies of my rambling written verbosity!
After Craig's review and some edits, my Inventory and Collection Description were sent off to the cataloging department, where they will hopefully be approved perhaps after some minor adjustments, after which they may be printed and added to the bring manuscript guides stored in the Lilly's reading room, encoded, compiled into a catalog record, and launched to the world beyond on both the Lilly's search database and the present Indiana University Finding Aid site--an amalgamous database by which users can search and access finding aids describing archival collections from such IU repositories as the Lilly Library, University Archives, Liberian Collections, Center for the Study of History and Memory, etc. (If this discussion feels like deja vu to you as it does to me, my apologies. I believe I may have already discussed this in a previous post. I must be quite excited about it.)
My own responsibilities with Claxon mss. II still include generating content for the catalog record which will launch in IUCat, the University's online library catalog. I spent my final few minutes on Thursday trying to do just that. I took a cataloging course in the fall 2010 semester, however we concentrated on monograph record generation. This experience assisting in catalog record creation for an archival collection should be an excellent stepping stone in transitioning from the monographic way of thinking to what I will likely be doing in a professional setting as an archivist. I can still use some practice in terms of subject term selection and creation, so I am looking forward to spending some more time on this next week. The concept of a collection level catalog record for an archival finding aid should be further clarified when I sit in for an EAD crash course session with the Lilly's EAD creator Matt in the coming weeks (I leave Matt's surname out, as he is not a staff member listed on the Lilly's website and may not want his name circulating around in the blogosphere without his knowledge). Matt, a veritable encoding machine, is a December SLIS grad who concentrated on digital libraries and metadata. Though I dabble in EAD myself, I'm sure that working with someone more experienced will help smooth out some overlying questions and hangups that I have about the whole process. Really, I think it's just a matter of practice. My most significant point of confusion is that surrounding the first few elements--
This week I also met with Cherry to discuss my progress, any particular interests I hope to explore this semester, any problems I've encountered, and my next processing project. Cherry has contacted several individuals who will work to introduce me to related aspects of archival work, including EAD generation, archival reference, and preservation. I look forward to learning more and branching out from strict processing! As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, I will be working with Matt on EAD; I will also work with David K. Frasier (Reference Librarian at the Lilly) in pursuit of basic reference training, and I will go out to the ALF (Auxiliary Library Facility) to receive a preservation/paper conservation tutorial courtesy of Paper Conservator Doug Sanders. Additionally, I will begin processing a third collection--the Mystery Writers of America mss.--a ca. 25 box collection which is currently minimally processed. More on this collection in the future! All in all, my internship is turning into a great experience from which I am learning quite a bit. I am continually happy to go in to work each day, and I leave with a spring in my step each afternoon. I can only hope this will continue once I am out in the "real world" as a paid professional (fingers crossed that I do in fact land myself a position as a paid professional in the relatively near future; one can unfortunately still never be certain in this economy).
Photos of Claxon mss. II and commentary on two privacy articles to come later today!
Best,
Amy
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