vra2014 collaboration in archives and special collections, shaw
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Presented by Emily Shaw at the Annual Conference of the Visual Resources Association, March 12-15, 2014 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Session #10: Case Studies in Collaboration within Archival and Special Collection Environments MODERATOR: Amanda Grace Sikarskie, Western Michigan University PRESENTERS: • Edward Benoit III, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee • Jim Cunningham, Illinois State University • Emily Shaw, University of Iowa • Amanda Grace Sikarskie, Western Michigan University Each of the presentations in this session tells a story of collaborations between archivists or special collections librarians and content area scholars. While the content of these speakers’ projects differs greatly—from circus-related images to quilt and embroidery programs on public television to the conceptual art of the Fluxus group—each project benefited from a team approach that made use of various skill sets. Both Jim Cunningham and Amanda Sikarskie worked on digitization projects of collections for which metadata (which was collected in the mid-twentieth century) were initially incomplete, outdated, or just plain inaccurate, prompting partnerships between archivists and content experts at outside institutions. Edward Benoit III’s minimal processing project, on the other hand, dealt with a variety of collections and content areas. It ultimately led to a similar outcome, however, solving the problem of minimal metadata by inviting scholars to participate in social tagging of the collections. Finally, Emily Shaw’s work with the digitization of the Fluxus West collection at the University of Iowa tells the story of forging new relationships through interdepartmental collaboration within a large research university. Please join us for this dynamic session that will be of interest to archivists, librarians, and content experts alike.TRANSCRIPT
- 1.Oh, the humanities. Digitizing Fluxus West at the University of Iowa Emily Frieda Shaw Digital Preservation Librarian University of Iowa Libraries [email protected] VRA 32, Session 10: Collaboration within Archival and Special Collections Environments March 14, 2014
2. Fluxus Avant-garde movement, 1950s-1980s Anti-art, anti-commercial, highly experimental aesthetics Fluxus West Est. by Ken Friedman in1966, to represent the work of the Fluxus group and its members in the Western U.S. incl. George Maciunas, Dick Higgins, Joseph Beuys, Christo, George Brecht, Bob Watts Fluxus West at Iowa Transferred from Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla, California [year?] 19 linear feet, 9 oversized boxes 3. English Faculty Member The Studio Digital Research & Publishing Preservation & Conservation Special Collections Incubation 4. English Faculty Member The Studio Digital Research & Publishing Preservation & Conservation Special Collections We have a whole bunch of Fluxus West stuff! Incubation 5. English Faculty Member The Studio Digital Research & Publishing Preservation & Conservation Special Collections Fluxus is awesome, lets do some digital humanities! We have a whole bunch of Fluxus West stuff! Incubation 6. English Faculty Member The Studio Digital Research & Publishing Preservation & Conservation Special Collections Fluxus is awesome, lets do some digital humanities! We have a whole bunch of Fluxus West stuff! Incubation 7. English Faculty Member The Studio Digital Research & Publishing Preservation & Conservation Special Collections Fluxus is awesome, lets do some digital humanities! Did someone say digital humanities? Thats our jam. We have a whole bunch of Fluxus West stuff! Incubation 8. English Faculty Member The Studio Digital Research & Publishing Preservation & Conservation Special Collections Fluxus is awesome, lets do some digital humanities! Did someone say digital humanities? Thats our jam. Sure, well put a digital collection together. 3D? Why not? We have a whole bunch of Fluxus West stuff! Incubation 9. English Faculty Member The Studio Digital Research & Publishing Preservation & Conservation Special Collections Fluxus is awesome, lets do some digital humanities! Did someone say digital humanities? Thats our jam. Ooh, digitizing Fluxus! That will be fun. Also, preservation. Sure, well put a digital collection together. 3D? Why not? We have a whole bunch of Fluxus West stuff! Incubation 10. English Faculty Member The Studio Digital Research & Publishing Preservation & Conservation Special Collections Incubation 11. English Faculty Member The Studio Digital Research & Publishing Preservation & Conservation Special Collections Execution 12. Variations 1-5 by Gustave Cerutti, 1972 13. Found Art Boyd Envelope sent by Donald Boyd 2007 14. Sock of the Month (first edition) by Ken Friedman, 1970 15. Yoko Onos hair from a Hair Cutting Event 16. 3D scanning set up Photography set up 17. Flux Year Box 2, George Maciunas, 1968 18. Fur-covered dish. Unknown artist. 1959-1981? 19. New Flux Year, George Maciunas, 1965 20. Metal Bells; artist unknown, 1968-1970 21. A few lessons learned so far Unconventional collections (like experimental Fluxus art) will break the mold of well-oiled Special Collections digitization workflows. Innovation requires experimentation, and not all experiments work out. Have fun with cool collections, but be careful not to over-use them. Clearly articulate project goals, roles and procedures, but give these all room to grow and change. 22. Thanks to everyone who has worked on this project so far, including Dr. Stephen Voyce, Hannah Scates-Kettler, Matthew Butler, Candida Pagan, Audrey Altman and Nikki Dudley. Emily Frieda Shaw Digital Preservation Librarian University of Iowa Libraries [email protected]