1. Sylvie Dakota Huhn Historical Collections & Archives, Oregon Health & Science University
On Display: Curating a Student Exhibit with OHSU Historical
Collections & Archives
References
Conclusion
For a graduate student studying information science and
archives, the opportunity to curate an exhibit at OHSU
can provide valuable experience in research and writing,
the care and handling of archival materials, curatorial
prep and installation, and a chance to learn about a
thread within the history of medicine while also learning
about themselves.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Meg Langford, Public Services
Coordinator, and Maija Anderson, Director of Curatorial
Services, for collaboration and editing.
Research
This exhibit examines the development of orthodontics
and oral surgery in the United States, specifically the
corrective practices for Class I, Class II and Class III
skeletal malocclusions. Skeletal malocclusions occur
when the mandible (lower jaw) and maxilla (upper jaw) do
not align when closed. In addition, the exhibit highlights
the psychosocial stigma patients faced in regards to
beauty standards and descriptions within early medical
literature.
Background research and writing on early orthodontia
and skeletal malocclusions provide a historical basis for
selecting materials for the exhibit and for creating an
informational pamphlet.
Introduction
OHSU Historical Collections & Archives periodically hosts
a student-curated exhibit at the OHSU Library. The most
recent student exhibit, highlighted in this presentation, is
Lines of Disharmony: Skeletal Malocclusions and
Aesthetics in the Development of American Orthodontic
Practice.
Selection and Installation
To more fully represent the diversity of HC&A’s
collections, a combination of artifacts, images and textural
documents are selected for the exhibit. Items are
searched using Archivist's Toolkit (for artifacts and
slides), as well as the main library catalog (for rare
books). Each item is paged and its details entered into an
exhibit materials tracking spreadsheet. The exhibit
consists of four themes spread between four museum-
quality cases in the entrance of the OHSU Library.
Pamphlet
The second piece to the physical exhibit, and the product
of the research conducted before installation, is the
pamphlet. For Lines of Disharmony, the pamphlet
consists of eight pages (including the front and back
cover). Four example pages are shown below:
Copies of the pamphlets are placed on a table near the
library entrance alongside the HC&A department
brochures, and on the edge of each of the four display
cases. Not only are they used to promote the exhibit, but
the pamphlets provide historical background information
to the subject. Additional images that could not fit in the
exhibit can be featured with the text.
The pamphlets are written by the student with editing by
both the Public Services Coordinator and the Director of
Curatorial Services. Along with research and writing,
students are also given a chance to design the exhibit
poster and pamphlet while receiving constructive input by
the HC&A department.
On the left and below
– views from Case #3
which shows prints
and artifacts related
to Class III
malocclusions and
corrective surgery.
Item labels are
propped and
mounted on foam
core.
To the right, Case
#4 displaying the
rare book and prints
of scanned images
from other texts.
Case #4 addresses
the stigma of beauty
standards during
the early years of
orthodontic practice
Below, Case #2
shows the prints
and artifacts
illustrating Class I
and Class II
malocclusions.
To give viewers an
example of one of
the textual sources,
a rare book is
included in the
exhibit. Given it’s
fragile state, the
book is placed on
an acrylic book
cradle and held
open with
polyethylene book
straps to keep the
pages down
without obscuring
the text.
Angle, E. (1900). Treatment of malocclusion of the teeth and fractures of the
maxillæ: Angle's system. (6th ed). Philidelphia: The S.S. White Dental
Manufacturing Company.
Cadogan, J., & Bennun, I. (2010). Face value: An exploration of the
psychological impact of orthognathic surgery. British Journal of Oral and
Maxillofacial Surgery, (49), 376-380. doi:10.1016/j.bjoms.2010.07.006
Kingsley, N. (1880). Oral deformities as a branch of mechanical surgery.
NewYork: D. Appleton and Company.
Monson, L. (2013). Bilateral sagittal split osteotomy. Seminars in Plastic Surgery,
27(3), 145-148. doi:10.1055/s-0033-1357111
Moos, K. (2000, April). Origins of Orthognathic Surgery. Lecture presented
at the Lindsay Society for the History of Dentistry in the National
Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, UK.
Oregon Health & Science University Historical Collections & Archives. (2016).
Exhibits. Retrieved from
http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/education/library/about/collections/historical-
collections-archives/exhibits/
Case #1 shows the
introduction to
malocclusions using
prints and artifacts
illustrating facial
measurement and
tooth and jaw
alignment.
Items are
transported from the
stacks to the library
in archival boxes
and tissue paper.
The museum cases
are unlocked and
propped open while
the items are
arranged to evenly
fill the spaces.
The exhibit
poster is
displayed at
the entrance
of the library.