Unhiding Philadelphia's Archival Collections
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Presented to the University of Pennsylvania's McNeil Center for Early American Studies to make fellows aware of newly available archival collections in their fields of study
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Unhiding Philadelphia's Archival Collections
- 1. Unhiding Philadelphia's Archival Collec5ons University of Pennsylvania – MacNeil Center February 2, 2011 Holly Mengel, Project Manager Courtney Smerz, Project Archivist
- 2. What is PACSCL? Philadelphia Area Consor5um of Special Collec5ons Libraries – Coopera5ve group of special collec5ons libraries with shared goals for their collec5ons – 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 collec5ons – Long history of consor5al work www.pacscl.org
- 3. Hidden Collec5ons Project • PACSCL developed and administered • Funded by Council on Library and Informa5on Resources’ (CLIR) Cataloging Hidden Special Collec5ons and Archives ini5a5ve www.clir.org/hiddencollec5ons/ • Process and make accessible for research approximately 200 hidden collec*ons of manuscripts and archives • 23 par5cipa5ng PACSCL repositories • 27 month‐long project
- 4. What are hidden collec5ons? • Hidden collec5ons: – Unprocessed or under‐processed collec5ons – NOT research ready – NOT adver5sed to the researching public – 1000s of hidden collec5ons in Philadelphia
- 5. Why are they NOT research ready? • Not physically or intellectually accessible • Have been on the shelf for a long 5me – Repository staff does know what’s in them
- 6. The problem with hidden collec5ons • Managing archival collec5ons is 5me 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 collec5on, • Providing archival quality housing, and • Describing the collec5on, or wri5ng a finding aid • Finding aid: a catalog of the collec5on, which communicates to archivists and researchers what is in the collec5on and how to access the materials quickly and easily
- 8. Experimenta5on, archivally speaking • Using “MPLP” – Processing at a less intensive rate – Collec5ons 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 collec5ons research ready… Before archival processing AVer 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 5me – We are NOT digi5zing collec5ons findingaids.pacscl.org • Related collec5ons all over Philadelphia – i.e. the Wister family, women’s history, hor5cultural collec5ons, etc. • Collec5ons and informa5on in unexpected places – Word War II photos at the Academy of Natural Sciences
- 12. Searching capabili5es • Search across repositories • Keyword searching • Faceted searching – Select as many or as few facet categories as you like
- 14. Upcoming processing work • Another 60 collec5ons to go Temple University – Special Collec5ons Historical Society of Pennsylvania Presbyterian Historical Society Philadelphia Museum of Art University of Delaware Na5onal Archives Rosenbach Museum and Library This is just the 5p of the iceberg
- 15. What are we processing? • The American Revolu5on • The Arts: Fine Arts, Music, Performing Arts, and Wri5ng • Business and Commerce • Colonial History • Educa5on • Family Histories and Genealogy Just about anything! • History of Philadelphia Cultural All with a HIGH research value Ins5tu5ons • Law, Poli5cs and Government • Mari5me History clir.pacscl.org • Medicine • Military History • Race and Ethnic History • Religion • Science • Travel and Tourism • Women’s History • Wri5ng, Publishing and Bookselling
- 16. Collec5ons by Topic clir.pacscl.org Pre‐1850s Strengths • American Revolu5on • Colonial history • Medicine • Quaker families • Women’s history
- 17. Dillwyn and Emlen family correspondence, 1770‐1818 At the Library Company of Philadelphia
- 18. Pierre Eugene Du Simi5ère papers, 1492‐1784 At the Library Company of Philadelphia
- 19. Sarah Wistar Rhoads family papers At Haverford College
- 20. Thomas Leiper and family business records, 1771‐1947 At the Library Company of Philadelphia
- 21. Minimal Processing • Designed for late 20th century records… – So smaller representa5on of pre‐1850 material • Extensive holdings NOT necessarily represented: – Chester County Historical Society – College of Physicians of Philadelphia – Free Library of Philadelphia – German Society of Pennsylvania – Haverford College – Historical Society of Pennsylvania – Independence Seaport Museum – Library Company of Philadelphia – Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia – Presbyterian Historical Society – Rosenbach Museum and Library – University of Delaware – University of Pennsylvania – Wagner Free Ins5tute of Science
- 22. History of Medical Educa5on From the Logan family papers at the Library Company of Philadelphia From the Rush family papers at the Library Company of Philadelphia
- 23. Women’s History From the Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson papers at Library company of Philadelphia From the Logan family papers at Library company of Philadelphia
- 24. How to find us… …and the collec5ons clir.pacscl.org findingaids.pacscl.org ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ www.pacsclsurvey.org/ www.pacscl.org www.clir.org/hiddencollec5ons/