Prettyman Family collection now fully processed

Hey Y'all! Check out the Prettyman Family collection finding aid!

The Prettymans are a legacy family who have been in attendance at Delaware State University for more than three generations.  In 2011 Noble W. Prettyman donated a collection of records and artifacts saved by his paternal grandmother, Effie Aiken Prettyman (class of 1913), his mother Katherine Deshields Prettyman (class of 1933), and brother, James A. Prettyman (class of 1969). Although the collection has received some processing treatments in the past, I gave it some needed TLC.

The collection is unique by virtue of the fact that items from the 1910s can be compared to the 1960s and beyond. Here one can research a family's shared past and yet see differences in their experiences. The collection can also be distinguished from others at the DSU Archives because it contains a significant number of three-dimensional artifacts. Within the collection are found vintage clothing, promotional buttons, event programs, and photograph albums.

Personally, I am most fascinated by an album of created by Katherine Deshields Prettyman between 1917 and 1930. The majority of photographs within show happy students posing on the campus of the State College for Colored Students. I love the fashions. If it were not for the clothing, I could imagine these people were on the campus today. For me, it is fun to see a picture of two girls standing on the steps of Conrad hall (above) and know that  I can go stand in the same place.

The Prettyman Family collection is available for public research and can be viewed in the William C. Jason Library between 8 and 4 Monday through Friday.  You are always welcome!

The first pages of Katherine DeShields Prettyman's photo album contains notations about the subject matter of the photographs. So often today, historic photographs are not labeled and it's impossible to know who or what is pictured. I'm glad she took time to record these memories.  

Archives Increases Discoverabliity

Hi Friends!

Until recently, the DSU archive suffered a lack of discoverability. The problem stemmed from the absence of any mention of the archives on the University website.  This past spring, however, the university overhauled its entire web presence including the WC Jason library landing page. As a result, the archives now has a place of prominence squarely in the center of the library's page under the heading of "Library Resources." By following the link provided thereunder, patrons are directed to the archive's very own LibGuide:

The Archive's LibGuide page.  From here patrons can access finding aids, look up archival terminology, and seek answers to commonly asked questions.

After this very exciting development, I spent a good portion of the summer working to improve the archive's previously hidden LibGuide.  More specifically, I elected to begin by overhauling the collection descriptions and revamping the linked finding aids. The process is slow-going because the work requires not just redrafting the text within the finding aid itself, but verifying or else correcting the physical arrangement of the collections described.

This is a significant challenge because as time has passed and  the collections grew quickly, the finding aids took a form more similar to an inventory and did not have the requisite scope and content, biography note, colophon and so on.This may sound like a heinous act, but believe me! Just when I thought I'd finished updating a collection, it seemed practically guaranteed that someone would approach the archives with an accession undoubtedly containing more records for the collection at hand.  This happened time and time again with the Board of Trustee records (hence the 1.5 years it took to process it) as you read last month.  You can see how it might be extremely frustrating. By the time I finished, it was time to start all over again!

NEVERTHELESS, I have begun to rectify the situation. Continuing into the new semester, I am striving to update the finding aids.  New and improved finding aids are being regularly added. Swing by the LibGuide often.  If there's a particular collection you want to see updated, let me know! I'll make it a priority.

Board of Trustees Records Now Fully Processed

Good news! I'm happy to announce the completion of one of my most significant projects to date. After a year and half, Board of Trustees records are now available for research!

Only a small number of the plastic bins containing Board
records that were accessioned and transferred to the archives. 

Oh so long ago, the Board records arrived at my office in more then 230 plastic bins and jumbled up with records of other university administrative offices.  I began the daunting process of separating out the records that pertained only to the Board.  Several months elapsed before even this "baby" step was completed. Finally, at the end of one year, I thought that I had finished processing the collection into neatly arranged archival boxes only to realize the infamous fourth floor closet of the Claibourne Smith Administrative Building was devoted almost entirely to Board records. Oh the horror! Imagine my disappointment when dismantling the beautifully arranged boxes to make way for such a significant accrual.Working slowly over time, it took me from January 2017 until now to organize the additional materials, weed out the duplicated items, and fill the gaps in the collection.

It seems my work was completed just in the nick of time! Or maybe it was right on schedule.  Last week I received a reference request from one of the Faculty chairs for Board materials.  Having a well organized collection enabled me to quickly and definitively conduct the requested research.

This morning I completed the final step by uploading the finding aid to the archive's online LibGuide page. I think a finished finding aid is one of the most beautiful and rewarding sights! Take a look and see for yourself: http://desu.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=34342922 

What's next you ask? Well, there are still 68 plastic boxes left to process. And after that there are oodles of records transferred from the Jenkins dorm basement. And after that there are still records in the admin building. And after that...it never ends. Any volunteers? 

University History Through the Lens of a Secretary

Candies circa 1980 anyone? How about stenographer foot pedals or maybe an electronic address book?

We often know from our personal spaces that we put off picking up stuff until a week or more later and often only when it has become out of hand.  In a university setting "putting it off"can mean ignoring the problem area for the next decade. In the meantime, people retire and before we know it, procrastination has caused the task to be totally forgotten - as was the case when we discovered a hidden records room last summer.

This summer I'm working in a records room that wasn't totally abandoned because it continues to be accessed regularly.  However, much like my pile of mail at home, the stuff on the bottom gets ignored.  I have come to learn that this is the making of an archivist's worst nightmare or an early Christmas and sometimes it's both.

The nightmare exists in the fact that just about every university secretary ever has left behind personal artifacts that make this task about cleaning and not preserving. On the other hand, the "forgotten" nature of the room means that rewards await at the bottom of the pile. Intertwined with handwritten secretarial notes and miscellaneous purchase forms are historic admissions brochures, student handbooks, course catalogs, board of trustee minutes, presidential travel logs, and so much more. 

I am discovering a new-found appreciation for the work of secretaries. While they are not traditionally active participants in the university's decision making processes, I am finding that their presence on the fringes makes them possessors of a information-rich documents. Not only this, but the "original order" and organization they imposed on the records makes my job easier.

As I dive into the chaos, it is my hope that new discoveries are ahead.  I hope that the archives will greatly benefit from new materials and the points of view that accompany them.

Photographic Collections Update

Written by Dan DelViscio

Since I began working at Delaware State University, my primary project has been the processing of the Public Relations and Alumni Affairs Photograph Collections. Both collections depict people, places, and events at DSU in a variety of formats including photographs, negatives, slides, and proof sheets. It has been my task to catalog, house, and preserve these records so that researchers may have access to DSU’s visual history.

Both collections were presented to me in half processed states with some of the materials already housed and cataloged in archival boxes and the rest in largely unorganized banker’s boxes. My task was to rehouse the materials in more favorable conditions. This entailed placing them in polyester sleeves (see picture to the left), organizing them into acid free folders, and finally relegating them to acid free archival document boxes.

I also surveyed the existing collection to make sure the folders inside were properly spaced. Unfortunately, the collection needed a great deal of reorganizing and rehousing. Many of the photographs were not placed in protective sleeves and in many of the boxes the folders had slouched to create planar distortion (see example to the right). This phenomenon can result when there are not enough folders in a box to support each other and the contents begin to sag and curl over time.

In addition to rehousing all of the records I updated the existing finding aid for the collection. A finding aid is a tool record custodians create to inform researchers about the contents, provenance, and size of the collection. They tell researchers where the collection came from, what kind of materials are in the collection, and provide an inventory of each box to help researchers locate specific records.

It’s been a long tedious process to organize all these photographs, but through that process I’ve gained a better understanding of DSU’s history and a better insight into the trials and triumphs of the institution.

A 9-Month Update

It is nine months into the grant, which marks the end of the first Archival Fellowship. Much has been accomplished since February! Here are just a few bullet points:

•  The Archives has taken the first steps to getting its collection descriptions online and up to professional standards.
•  Many collections have been described and preserved – including a collection of over 20,000 photographs!
•  Our digitized collection has exploded! You can check out a near-complete run of our collection of The Echo here. Over 100 issues were digitized this month alone. That’s over 1000 pages! Access them anywhere and download them as PDFs. Some are even full-text searchable!

Processed collections, October 2014

The Archives remains committed to making the history of Delaware State University accessible to all interested parties. Going forward, we aim to serve this goal even further by re-evaluating our digitization priorities, incorporating collections into the library catalog, and designing a more interactive guide to the history of the campus. With that, the first Archival Fellow bids DSU adieu!