unhiding philadelphia's archival collections

UnhidingPhiladelphia'sArchivalCollec5onsUniversityofPennsylvania–MacNeilCenter

February2,2011

HollyMengel,ProjectManagerCourtneySmerz,ProjectArchivist

WhatisPACSCL?

PhiladelphiaAreaConsor5umofSpecialCollec5onsLibraries

–  Coopera5vegroupofspecialcollec5onslibrarieswithsharedgoalsfortheircollec5ons

–  Foundedin1985with16memberlibraries

–  Today,PACSCLiscomposedof35memberlibraries•  4,000,000rarebooks•  260,000linearfeetofmanuscriptsandarchivalmaterials•  9,000,000photographs,maps,architecturaldrawings,andworksofartonpaper•  BUT,PACSCLitself,doesnotowncollec5ons

–  Longhistoryofconsor5alwork

www.pacscl.org

HiddenCollec5onsProject

•  PACSCLdevelopedandadministered

•  FundedbyCouncilonLibraryandInforma5onResources’(CLIR)CatalogingHiddenSpecialCollec5onsandArchivesini5a5ve

www.clir.org/hiddencollec5ons/

•  Processandmakeaccessibleforresearchapproximately200hiddencollec*onsofmanuscriptsandarchives

•  23par5cipa5ngPACSCLrepositories

•  27month‐longproject

Whatarehiddencollec5ons?

•  Hiddencollec5ons:

–  Unprocessedorunder‐processedcollec5ons

–  NOTresearchready

–  NOTadver5sedtotheresearchingpublic

–  1000sofhiddencollec5onsinPhiladelphia

WhyaretheyNOTresearchready?

•  Notphysicallyorintellectuallyaccessible

•  Havebeenontheshelfforalong5me

– Repositorystaffdoesknowwhat’sinthem

Theproblemwithhiddencollec5ons

• Managingarchivalcollec5onsis5meconsuming

•  BACKLOGofworktobedone

•  BUT‐Ifnooneknowsitsthere,andnooneusesit,whykeepit?

HowPACSCLisdealingwithHiddenCollec*ons

•  Follow‐uptoPACSCLsurveyproject,2006‐2008

•  Processing/makingaccessible200hiddencollec*ons

•  Processing:•  Theactofarranginganarchival

collec5on,•  Providingarchivalqualityhousing,

and•  Describingthecollec5on,orwri5nga

findingaid

•  Findingaid:acatalogofthecollec5on,whichcommunicatestoarchivistsandresearcherswhatisinthecollec5onandhowtoaccessthematerialsquicklyandeasily

Experimenta5on,archivallyspeaking

•  Using“MPLP”– Processingatalessintensiverate– Collec5onsrangefromthe17thtothe21stcenturies

•  Usestudentlabor

•  UsetheArchivists’Toolkitdatabase

•  CreateamodeltoeliminateprocessingBACKLOGs

…Makingcollec5onsresearchready…

Beforearchivalprocessing AVerarchivalprocessing

…Andeasiertofind

•  Createdacentralonlinefindingaidsite–  DevelopedbytheUniversityofPennsylvaniaLibraries–  Findingaidsfromall23repositoriesinoneplace– Weareaddingnewfindingaidsallthe5me– WeareNOTdigi5zingcollec5ons

findingaids.pacscl.org

•  Relatedcollec5onsalloverPhiladelphia

–  i.e.theWisterfamily,women’shistory,hor5culturalcollec5ons,etc.

•  Collec5onsandinforma5oninunexpectedplaces–  WordWarIIphotosattheAcademyofNaturalSciences

Searchingcapabili5es

•  Searchacrossrepositories

•  Keywordsearching

•  Facetedsearching– Selectasmanyorasfewfacetcategoriesasyoulike

Oneyearin…

90unhiddencollec5onsin18repositories:

AcademyofNaturalSciencesBrynMawrCollegeChesterCountyHistoricalSocietyCollegeofPhysiciansofPhiladelphiaDrexelUniversityDrexelUniversityCollegeofMedicineFreeLibraryofPhiladelphiaHaverfordCollegeHistoricalSocietyofPennsylvaniaIndependenceSeaportMuseumLibraryCompanyofPhiladelphiaLutheranSeminaryatPhiladelphiaPresbyterianHistoricalSocietyUniversityofDelawareTempleUniversityWagnerFreeIns5tuteofScience

Upcomingprocessingwork

•  Another60collec5onstogo

TempleUniversity–SpecialCollec5ons

HistoricalSocietyofPennsylvania

PresbyterianHistoricalSocietyPhiladelphiaMuseumofArt

UniversityofDelaware

Na5onalArchivesRosenbachMuseumandLibrary

Thisisjustthe5poftheiceberg

Whatareweprocessing?

Justaboutanything!AllwithaHIGHresearchvalue

clir.pacscl.org

•  TheAmericanRevolu5on•  TheArts:FineArts,Music,Performing

Arts,andWri5ng•  BusinessandCommerce•  ColonialHistory•  Educa5on•  FamilyHistoriesandGenealogy•  HistoryofPhiladelphiaCultural

Ins5tu5ons•  Law,Poli5csandGovernment•  Mari5meHistory•  Medicine•  MilitaryHistory•  RaceandEthnicHistory•  Religion•  Science•  TravelandTourism•  Women’sHistory•  Wri5ng,PublishingandBookselling

Collec5onsbyTopic

clir.pacscl.org

Pre‐1850sStrengths

•  AmericanRevolu5on

•  Colonialhistory• Medicine

•  Quakerfamilies

• Women’shistory

DillwynandEmlenfamilycorrespondence,1770‐1818

AttheLibraryCompanyofPhiladelphia

PierreEugeneDuSimi5èrepapers,1492‐1784

AttheLibraryCompanyofPhiladelphia

SarahWistarRhoadsfamilypapers

AtHaverfordCollege

ThomasLeiperandfamilybusinessrecords,1771‐1947

AttheLibraryCompanyofPhiladelphia

MinimalProcessing

•  Designedforlate20thcenturyrecords…–  Sosmallerrepresenta5onofpre‐1850material

•  ExtensiveholdingsNOTnecessarilyrepresented:–  ChesterCountyHistoricalSociety–  CollegeofPhysiciansofPhiladelphia–  FreeLibraryofPhiladelphia–  GermanSocietyofPennsylvania–  HaverfordCollege–  HistoricalSocietyofPennsylvania–  IndependenceSeaportMuseum–  LibraryCompanyofPhiladelphia–  LutheranTheologicalSeminaryatPhiladelphia–  PresbyterianHistoricalSociety–  RosenbachMuseumandLibrary–  UniversityofDelaware–  UniversityofPennsylvania–  WagnerFreeIns5tuteofScience

HistoryofMedicalEduca5on

FromtheLoganfamilypapersattheLibraryCompanyofPhiladelphia

FromtheRushfamilypapersattheLibraryCompanyofPhiladelphia

Women’sHistory

FromtheElizabethGraemeFergussonpapersatLibrarycompanyofPhiladelphia FromtheLoganfamilypapers

atLibrarycompanyofPhiladelphia

Howtofindus……andthecollec5ons

clir.pacscl.org

findingaids.pacscl.org‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

www.pacsclsurvey.org/

www.pacscl.org

www.clir.org/hiddencollec5ons/