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.  

Listen to the 1977 Gospel Choir

The DSU archives is giving a HUGE shout-out to 302 Stories Inc. for converting a prized LP record to CD!

The James A. Prettyman collection is my go-to source when examining the university's material culture circa 1965 to 1980. Contained within it are college pennants, clothing, pins, various souvenirs and an LP record of the Gospel Choir from 1977.

From my first day at Delaware State University, this Gospel Choir LP frustrated me. The opportunity to hear voices from the past was always right in front of me and yet so far out of reach because of  technological and financial limitations. Aside from a VHS player, I do not have the ability to playback or convert any audiovisual media.

When the archive's 125th anniversary exhibit opened a year ago, I included the record in one of the display cases. I thought that, at the very least, it added color and intrigue, and I noted that visitors enjoyed seeing it. What I didn't expect was that one set of visitors in particular, 302 Stories Inc., a documentary film company, would be able to provide me with access to the audio.

Thanks to Jeanne and Mike who enthusiastically converted the audio, I can now play the music of Take Me There to my heart's content. Stop by the archives any time to listen to the 1977 Gospel Choir! Were you a member of the choir? Let me know! I'd love to hear your stories.

Preservation vs Conservation

Written by Daniel DelViscio

People often use the terms “preservation and “conservation” interchangeably to convey the same meaning.  If you look up these terms in a dictionary you will probably see that one is provided as a synonym of the other. They both fundamentally mean the act of preventing decay.  In the museum and archives community, however, preservation and conservation are two very different processes.

The Smithsonian Institute defines preservation as, “the systematic application of principles that prolong the life of all collections materials—analog and digital”.² Monitoring the conditions in which records are kept in is one of the ways in which archivists can preserve records before they need to be repaired by professional conservators. Conservation, on the other hand, primarily focuses on fixing individual materials that have been damaged over time, by natural disaster, or by accident. And while conservation often focuses on a single item, preservation takes into account the conditions of the entire archive by controlling things like temperature, humidity, and way in which the records are housed. Finally, conservation is typically much more expensive. 

In preservation, first and foremost is the proper handling of archival materials - such as wearing gloves when handling photographs. The second most important practice for archival preservation is the control of the climate within the archives. According to the National Archives to preserve documents and photographic materials conditions need to be maintained at around 65⁰ between 35% and 45% relative humidity.¹ This slows the aging process and keeps mold from forming. No one likes mold.

However, sometimes archivists are confronted by items that warrant restoration. Some institutions like larger universities and museums have internal conservation departments, but most archivists have to outsource to institutions that have the proper laboratories, tools, and trained conservators.

On March 19, 2015 a preservation assessment was conducted by Jessica Keister from the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia, PA. In the assessment, she highlighted this photograph of David Warner. Looking at the photograph we can see why it’s been flagged, and Keister explains that the photograph has been damaged by prolonged red iron staining from a tintype which was housed with the portrait. A photograph like this is an example of an item in need of conservation and not preservation.

But where do you go to get your materials put back together? For institutions in the north-eastern United States, the answer is the conservation department at the Winterthur Museum here in Delaware. Winterthur was established by Henry Algernon du Pont in the early 20^th century to be both a home and a museum and today it houses one of the most prestigious institutions for conservation learning in the country.³ And on November 4th we at the Delaware State University Archives will take a special tour of Winterthur. But you’ll have to read about that in the next blog post.

            1. A. Ernest, Conrad. "Realistic  Environment." National Archives and Records Administration. March 1, 1999. Accessed October 15, 2015. https://www.archives.gov/preservation/environmental-control/realistic-preservation-environment.html.

2. "Preservation." Smithsonian Institution Archives. Accessed October 14, 2015. http://siarchives.si.edu/services/preservation#1.

3. "Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library." Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library. Accessed October 14, 2015. http://www.winterthur.org/?p=515&src=headerfooter.

Get Lost in the Library

My name is Paul Scherry, younger brother of Rejoice Scherry who is DSU’s very own archivist.  Today I was browsing through the shelves of the archival office, (which by the way are open to the public) and I discovered a hidden treasure!  I play this little game, where I go to a shelf and look for the oldest possible book.  I don’t care what the book is about, who wrote it, or what kind of shape it’s in.  The only thing that matters is how old it is. 

Well this time I hit the jackpot.   I found a book dated to the year 1694! To put that in perspective, the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620.  Imagine holding a piece of history that was printed only 74 years later.  Its leather binding is in surprisingly good shape, with an unsurprising amount of “red rot” (dried and crumbling leather).  The pages on the exterior have been heavily browned with age, but when I opened the book, I found the paper to be only slightly yellowed.  Just over three centuries old and this book is in better condition than some books currently sitting openly in DSU’s collection! 

I can honestly tell you that at this point my heart was pounding.  Then I looked at the title which read Hudibras, written by Samuel Butler.  Even though I had no knowledge of this piece of literature, I immediately began to feel as if this artifact, older than the United States themselves, was talking to me.  I looked at the first few blank pages and I found the owners signature!  He or she, signed “J. Green” and dated the year, 1758.  Now I was ecstatic!  Someone in 1758 bothered to signify ownership of this book about two decades prior to the American Revolution.  Little did that person know was that I, a junior in college at Del Sate, would crack open this book three hundred years later and see the personal touch they left behind.  

It gets better.  On page 320, I found something else a reader left behind.  Tucked into the spine of the book was a dried out and flattened four leaf clover.   To think I stumbled upon someone else’s good fortune made my day. 

As I sit here writing out this little highlight, I think this book was sending me a message.  In today’s modern world, we have access to unlimited sources of knowledge.  With the swipe of a phone screen, we can find anything.  But let me ask you this: would you find a signature? Would you find a hidden treasure?  Would you be able to physically hold an artifact made over three hundred years ago?  There are still discoveries like the one I just had yet to be found in libraries.  The next time you have a few minutes to burn in between classes, instead of staring into your cellphone, get lost in the library. You might be surprised by what you find!

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Special Collections: Children’s Museum News

Written by: Emily Cottle

Just a few sample issues of Children’s Museum News.

Though the focus of this blog and our IMLS project is on the university archives and documenting the history of Delaware State University, our special collections do contain some unique items outside of this scope.

One of these items is a run of 55 newsletters dating from 1912-1940 called the Children’s Museum News published by the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences.

These newsletters include information about the museum itself, such as hours, admission, and schedules of events or lectures. There are also articles in each issue on a wide array of topics, but animals are a frequent subject.

A complete inventory of available issues can be found here.

Our complete run is available to use in the archives, so please come visit us if you’d like to see them. More information on our location and hours can be found here.