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PACSCL's "Hidden Collections" Processing Project
The PACSCL 'Hidden Collections' project aims to process and make accessible approximately 200 hidden archival collections in Philadelphia, which are currently unprocessed or under-processed and not research-ready. Funded by the Council on Library and Information Resources, the project involves collaboration among 23 member libraries to arrange, describe, and create finding aids for these collections, enhancing their discoverability. After one year, 74 collections have been processed, revealing valuable historical resources related to various fields including arts, history, and science.
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PACSCL's "Hidden Collections" Processing Project
- 1. PACSCL “Hidden Collec0ons” Processing Project Temple University Barnes Club November 18, 2010 Holly Mengel, Project Manager Courtney Smerz, Project Archivist
- 2. What is PACSCL? Philadelphia Area Consor0um of Special Collec0ons Libraries – CooperaEve group of special collecEons libraries with shared goals for their collecEons – Founded in 1985 with 16 member libraries – Today, PACSCL is composed of 35 member libraries • 4,000,000 rare books • 260,000 linear feet of manuscripts and archival materials • 9,000,000 photographs, maps, architectural drawings, and works of art on paper • BUT, PACSCL itself, does not own collecEons – Long history of consorEal work www.pacscl.org
- 3. Hidden Collec0ons Project • PACSCL developed and administered • Funded by Council on Library and InformaEon Resources’ (CLIR) Cataloging Hidden Special CollecEons and Archives iniEaEve www.clir.org/hiddencollec0ons/ • Process and make accessible for research approximately 200 hidden collec*ons of manuscripts and archives • 23 parEcipaEng PACSCL repositories • 27 month‐long project
- 4. What are hidden collec0ons? • Hidden collec0ons: – Unprocessed or under‐processed collecEons – NOT research ready – NOT adverEsed to the researching public – 1000s of hidden collecEons in Philadelphia
- 5. Why are they NOT research ready? • Not physically or intellectually accessible • Have been on the shelf for a long Eme – Repository staff does know what’s in them
- 6. The problem with hidden collec0ons • Managing archival collecEons is Eme consuming • BACK LOG of work to be done • BUT ‐ If no one knows its there, and no one uses it, why keep it?
- 7. How PACSCL is dealing with Hidden Collec*ons • Follow‐up to PACSCL survey project, 2006‐2008 • Processing / making accessible 200 hidden collec*ons • Processing: • The act of arranging an archival collecEon, • Providing archival quality housing, and • Describing the collecEon, or wriEng a finding aid • Finding aid: a catalog of the collecEon, which communicates to archivists and researchers what is in the collecEon and how to access the materials quickly and easily
- 8. Experimenta0on, archivally speaking • Using “MPLP” – Processing at a less intensive rate – CollecEons range from the 17th to the 21st centuries • Use student labor • Use the Archivists’ Toolkit database • Create a model to eliminate processing BACK LOGs
- 9. …Making collec0ons research ready… Before archival processing AXer archival processing
- 10. …And easier to find • Created a central online finding aid site – Developed by the University of Pennsylvania Libraries – Finding aids from all 23 repositories in one place – We are adding new finding aids all the Eme – We are NOT digiEzing collecEons findingaids.pacscl.org • Related collecEons all over Philadelphia – i.e. the Wister family, women’s history, horEcultural collecEons, etc. • CollecEons and informaEon in unexpected places – Word War II photos at the Academy of Natural Sciences
- 12. Searching capabili0es • Search across repositories • Search in a singular repository • Keyword searching • Faceted searching – Select as many or as few facet categories as you like
- 13.
- 14. Upcoming processing work • Another 70 collecEons to go Temple University, Special CollecEons Historical Society of Pennsylvania Presbyterian Historical Society Philadelphia Museum of Art University of Delaware NaEonal Archives Rosenbach Museum and Library This is just the 0p of the iceberg
- 15. What are we processing? • The American RevoluEon • The Arts: Fine Arts, Music, Performing Arts, and WriEng • Business and Commerce • Colonial History • EducaEon • Family Histories and Genealogy Just about anything! • History of Philadelphia Cultural All with a HIGH research value InsEtuEons • Law, PoliEcs and Government • MariEme History clir.pacscl.org • Medicine • Military History • Race and Ethnic History • Religion • Science • Travel and Tourism • Women’s History • WriEng, Publishing and Bookselling
- 16. Favorite finds • American Women’s Hospitals photographs, Drexel University College of Medicine • Lubin Manufacturing Company records, Free Library of Philadelphia • Samuel George Morton papers, Library Company of Philadelphia • Samuel X Radbill papers, College of Physicians of Philadelphia • Vaux family papers, Haverford College • Upcoming… William Penn family papers, Cox TransportaEon collecEon, Pennsylvania Ballet records, Presbyterian missionary papers…
- 17. How to find us… …and the collec0ons clir.pacscl.org findingaids.pacscl.org ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ www.pacsclsurvey.org/ www.pacscl.org www.clir.org/hiddencollec0ons/