Community Archives

SEMINAR IN ARCHIVAL ENTERPRISE

COMMUNITY ARCHIVES LIS 389C.3 (43650)
Spring, 1999 prepared by
Dr. David B. Gracy II

OFFICE SZB 562L
OFFICE HOURS: Tu: 1:30-3:00; Wed: 1:30-3:00; By appointment
CONTACTS: 471-3892 / gracy@ischool.utexas.edu
TEXTS:

Richard J. Cox, Documenting Localities (1996)
Faye Phillips, Local History Collections in Libraries (1995)
David E. Kyvig and Myron A. Marty, Nearby History (1982)

COURSE OBJECTIVES

1. To explore the role and function of a community archives. For this course, the term "community archives" is defined broadly as more than an administrative archives for the city government. Instead, consider it as a history/heritage/current documentation center for a community similar to the Austin History Center.

2. To prepare students to develop and maintain a community archives:

By stimulating creative thinking about the process and functions of archival administration in a local setting, and
By improving abilities to research an issue and present thoughts in writing.

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS, WEIGHTS, AND DIRECTIONS

1. (20% - Due Feb 16) To begin laying a foundation in community archives, one needs an acquaintance with the literature of both archival enterprise and other fields, especially sociology, as they relate to work in a community environment. Prepare an annotated bibliography of no fewer than 10, nor more than 20, entries on the concept of community archives (from the archival/records management literature) and on the concept of community (from the literature of sociology and other fields). You should begin with, but are not restricted to, the items on the course reading list. You may use items from the reserve list, but not course texts. Each entry (1) should be headed in the bibliographic style presented in "Directions for Preparing Better Papers" and (2) should consist of a paragraph outlining the content of the work and describing the (principal) conclusions developed in the piece.

2. (20% - Due Mar 2) To become familiar both with the sorts of topics commonly found in a community environment and with the archival sources relevant to those topics, each student will select a topic from the list below and pursue the sources appropriate and available for documenting that topic. Prepare a paper, 5-7 pages of text in length (notes and bibliography are in addition), describing the documentation available on a topic in Austin history. One-third of the paper should present a narrative of the fruits of the research on the topic (that is, report what you learned about the topic), but the focus of the paper is to be on the wide range of documentation consulted and its value for the topic.

Topics include:

American National Bank,
St. Mary's Catholic Church
Barton Springs
Colorado River Dams
Stephen F. Austin Hotel
Cisco's Bakery
Central Presbyterian Church
St. David's Episcopal Church
Scholz Garten
Austin Woman's Club Scarbrough's store
Austin Police Dept.
Alamo Hotel
T. H. Williams store
Driskill Hotel
Gracy Title Company
Austin National Bank
Bremond Block
Night Hawk Restaurants
Wednesday Morning Music Club
Calcasieu Lumber Company
The Pease Mansion
Austin Fire Dept.
American History Club
Anderson High School
Hyde Park
Tipps Iron and Steel Company KTBC Radio and TV

3. (20% - Due Mar 30) With knowledge of literature of archival enterprise and of community, and with experience in documenting a community topic, you are well positioned to study a community archives to see how effectively it is, or is not, serving its community. Prepare a paper 7-10 pages of text in length, discussing a community archives. The paper should treat, but is not restricted to, the following topics both [1] over time (considering how they have changed or not changed in the face of changes in the community) and [2] in the present:

mission and goals of the repository,
relation to city government (does the repository have formal responsibility for records management and/or the archives of city government, and if so, how has this influenced the focus and work of the repository),
factors in the community that have influenced the growth, nature, and direction of the repository,
how the repository works to document the community,
how the repository works to serve the community,
sorts of files established by the repository in addition to the core archival holdings (as a newspaper clipping file on individuals)
the nature of the clientele,
the physical situation,
in what ways and to what ends the repository markets itself.

Each student will study a different community archives. Students may select a community archives from, but are not restricted to, the following list. Selection of a repository from the list below must be acknowledged by the instructor; selection of a repository not on the list must be cleared with the instructor.

Historical societies

*Atlanta, GA
Cincinnati, OH
Chicago, IL
San Diego, CA
*Thomas County, GA

In Public Libraries

*Texas, Dallas Collection
*Houston Metropolitan Research Center
*Birmingham, AL
*Rosenberg (Galveston, TX)
*Irving, TX
Washington, D. C.
Columbus, OH
San Francisco, CA
Minneapolis, MN
Ft. Worth, TX
Seattle, WA
Charlotte, NC

Independent operations

*Historic New Orleans Collection
*Crosby County Pioneer Memorial (Crosbyton, TX)

In universities

*Corpus Christi State (Corpus Christi)
Case Western Reserve (Cleveland)
University of Washington (Seattle)

City Archives

Cleveland Municipal Archives
Municipal Archives of New York City

In a state archives

*Sam Houston Regional Depository (Liberty, TX)

4. (30% - Due Apl 30) The goal of the class is to develop a concept for a full-service archival program for, but within the realm of possibilities of the resources available to, the communities of Lakeway west of Austin and Diboll in East Texas. The concept is to be presented in a paper of at least 20 pages of text. The paper should include at least three parts: (1) a review of the history and development of the repository to date, (2) an account of the situation as it exists at present, and (3) a plan for development of the community archives from this point forward. Each paper should deal at a minimum with the same sorts of questions deal with in assignment #3. Each paper will be produced by a group of students. Since the papers will be discussed in the class during the final class session, and representatives of the repositories should be present to participate in the discussion, each group should prepare an oral presentation in addition to the written report. 5. (10%) Participation in weekly class discussions. 6. Late papers will be penalized one-third letter grade per late day. 7. Attention to detail and preciseness are assets in archival administration. Therefore, the instructor will pay close attention to grammatical correctness and neatness (including spacing and typographical errors) of papers. Pay attention to the directions and hints in the "Directions for Preparing Better Papers." PROOF YOUR WORK before turning it in.

Reading List

This reading list focuses narrowly on the topic of community archives. Consult the reading list from the "Archives and Manuscripts" course for a wide selection of works on archival enterprise, especially on the topics of appraisal/documentation, marketing, and public service.

AA-American Archivist DS/631/A43

Ar-Archivaria CD/3620/A73

AI-Archival Issues CD/3054/M53

History News E/172/A533

Local Historian DA 20 A44

MA-Midwestern Archivist CD/3054/M53

Provenance CD/921/P768

Texas Libraries Z/671/T46

GENERAL

Arden, Sylvia, "The San Diego Historical Society Research Archives," California History, 61 (Sum 1982), 140-145

Burnette, O. Lawrence, Beneath the Footnote: a guide to the use and preservation of American historical sources, (1969) CD 3021 B93 PCL

California History: The Magazine of the California Historical Society (Spring, 1966) issue on Archives in California F 856 C24 V.75 1996/97 PCL

Report of the Summerlee Commission on Texas History (1992) CD/3531/S85/1992/CAH

CONCEPT OF "COMMUNITY"

Bender, Thomas, Community and Social Change in America (1978), chs. 1-2 HN/57/B455

Edwards, Allan D., and Dorothy G. Jones, Community and Community Development (1976), Ch. 1 HM/131/E26

Effrat, Marcia Pelly, ed., The Community: Approaches and Applications (1974), Ch. 1 HM/131/E33

LOCAL HISTORY

Kammen, Carol, On Doing Local History: Reflections on What Local Historians Do, Why, and What It Means (1974) E/180/K28/1986

Felt, Thomas E., Researching, Writing, and Publishing Local History (1976) D/13/S82

McClain, Shirla R., and Ambrose Clegg, Jr., "Words, Records, and Beyond: Studying About Local Ethnic Groups Through Primary Sources," Social Education, 41 (May 1977), 382-388 375.305/S013

Miller, Shirley, "Local History: Why, What and How," in The Vertical File and Its Satellites (1979), 131-150 Z/69M55/1979

New York State Education Department, The Challenge of Local History (1967) 907/LL7/86C

Parker, Donald Dean, Local History: How to Gather It, Write It, and Publish It (1979) E/175.7/P3/1944 PCL/CAH

"Social History and Archival Practice," AA, 44 (April 1981), 113-124

Ware, Caroline F., "The Value of Local History," in The Cultural Approach to History (1940) 907/W22C/UGL

Ward, W. Peter, "Family papers and the New Social History," Archivaria, 14 (Sum 1982), 63-73

DOCUMENTATION OF A COMMUNITY

In the community

Carleton, Don E., "McCarthyism Was More than McCarthy": Documenting the Red Scare at the State and Local Level," Midwestern Archivist, XII (1987), 13-20

Cox, Richard J., "The Reappraisal of Municipal Records in the United States," Public Historian, 3 (Winter, 1981), 49-63.

"Documenting Modern Cities: The Philadelphia Model," Public Historian, 5 (Spring 1983),

Fordham, Monroe, "Black Perspective: Establishing Local History Collections," History News, 37, No. 2(Feb 1982), 8-9

Gaffield, Chad M., "The Crisis in Urban Documentation: 'The Shame of the Cities' Revisited," Urban History Review, 13 (June 1984), 1-7.

Greene, Mark A., "Store Wars: Some Thoughts on the Strategy and Tactics of Documenting Small Businesses," Midwestern Archivist, XVI (1991), 95-104

Miller, Frederic M., ed., Documenting Urban Society (Special issue), Drexel Library Quarterly, 13 (October 1977)

Sheehy, Carolyn A., "Chicago Dance Collection: A Case in Pointe," AA, 53 (Sum 1990), 432-441

Documentation Strategy

Cox, Richard J., "A Documentation Strategy Case Study: Western New York," AA, 52 (Spg 1989), 192-200

Hackman, Larry, and Joan Warnow-Blewett, "The Documentation Strategy Process: A Model and a Case Study," AA, 50 (Win 1987), 12-47

Krenek, Thomas H., "Documenting A Mexican-American Community: The Houston Example," AA, 48 (Sum 1985), 272-288

Samuels, Helen Willa, "Improving Our Disposition: Documentation Strategy," Ar, 33 (Win 91-92), 125-140

ORAL HISTORY

Allen, Barbara, and Lynwood Montell, From Memory to History: Using Oral Sources in Local Historical Research (1981) D/16/A38

Baum, Willa K., "Building Community Identity Through Oral History: A new Role for the Local Librarian," California Librarian, 31 (October 1970), 271-284

_____, Oral History for the Local Historical Society (1987) D/16.14/B37/1987

Charlton, Thomas, Oral History for Texans (1985) F/386/C47 PCL/CAH

Jolly, Brad, Videotaping Local History (1982) D/16.18/J64/1982

Lake, Gretchen L., "Project Jukebox: An Innovative Way to Access and Preserve Oral History Records," Provenance, (1991), 24-41

Miller, David S., "Oral History: Provenance and Intellectual Access," Provenance, XII (1994), 131-150

Morrissey, Charles T., "Beyond Oral Evidence: Speaking (Con)strictly About Oral History," Archival Issues, 17, No. 2 (1992), 89-94

GENEALOGY

Greenwood, Val D., The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy (1990) CS/47/G73/1990 REF

Kyvig, David E., "Family History: New Opportunities for Archivists," AA, 38 (Oct 1975), 509-520

Linder, Bill R., How to Trace Your Family History Texas State Library Genealogy Collection

Szucs, Loretto D., and Sandra H. Leubking, eds., The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy (1992) CS/49/S65/1997 REF

LOCAL GOVERNMENT RECORDS

Dearstyne, Bruce W., The Management of Local Government Records: A Guide for Local Officials (1988)

Jones, H. G., Local Government Records: An Introduction to Their Management, Preservation and Use (1980) CD/3024/J66/PCL

Walch, Timothy, comp., Our Family, Our Town: Essays on Family and Local History Sources in the National Archives (1987) Z 1250 O95 1987

Warner, Sam Bass, "The Shame of the Cities: Public Records of the Metropolis," Midwestern Archivist, 2 (1977), 27-34

MARKETING THE COMMUNITY ARCHIVES

Ericson, Timothy L., "Presence, Perspective, and Potential: A Conceptual Framework for Local Outreach," Midwestern Archivist, 6 (1982), 146-162

Jacobs, Sally J., "How and When We Make the News: Local Newspaper Coverage of Archives in Two Wisconsin Cities," Archival Issues, 22, No. 1 (1997), 45-60

Nelms, W., "Practicing Librarian: Using Local History and Genealogy to Build Library Support," Library Journal, 104 (March 15, 1979), 686-687

NATURE AND ORGANIZATION OF CONTENTS OF A COMMUNITY ARCHIVES

Elzy, Martin, "LBJ Library: Local History Resources Found Nowhere Else," History News, 35, No. 2 (Feb 1980), 9-11

McCord, Norman, "Photographs as Historical Evidence," The Local Historian, 13, no. 1 (February 1978), 23-36

Vargas, Mark A., "Do We Need Authority Control? Investigations at the Milwaukee Urban Archives," Archival Issues, 19, No. 1 (1994), 45-52

ARCHIVAL PROGRAMS FOR COMMUNITIES

Carleton, Don E., "A Cooperative Urban Archives Program: The Houston Metropolitan Research Center," Midwestern Archivist, 6 (1982), 177-195

Cox, Richard J., and Anne S.K. Turkos, "Establishing Public Library Archives," Journal of Library History, 21 (Summer 1986), 574-584

Developing Local History Programs in Community Libraries (1989) Z 688 L8 C66 1989

Euper, Sister Jo Ann, "Starting a Religious Congregation Archives: Administrative Formulas for Better or Worse," Midwestern Archivist, V (1980), 21-28

Hart, Katherine, "Administering the Local History Collection," Texas Libraries, 29 (Fall 1967), 187-202 Z/671/T46

Heinrich, Dorothy L., "Establishing an Ethnic Collection in a Small Institution," Midwestern Archivist, II (1977), 41-48

Morrison, William J., "Creating a Local Records and Community Archival Center: The Case of the University of Louisville," Public Historian, 1, #4 (Sum 1979), 23-28

Ratner, Jane Faux, "Local History Collections: The Practical Problems," Library Journal, 101 (Nov. 1, 1976), 2231-2235

Syllabus

1. Jan 19 Nature of the course
Introduction to Community Archives

2. Jan 26 Discussion of concepts of "community" and "archives," and of project sites
Read: Cox, Ch. 1; Kyvig, Ch. 2;
Review: Bender, Edwards, and Effrat items on reserve list; and notes from "Archives and Manuscripts" course

3. Feb 2 Local history: what it is and where to look for it
Read: Kyvig, Chs. 1,3,4,5,7,8,12

4. Feb 9 Documentation of a community
Read: Cox, Ch. 2,3,4; Phillips, Ch. 3

5. Feb 16 Tour Austin History Center
Assignment #1 due

6. Feb 23 Oral history
Read: Kyvig, Ch. 6

7. Mar 2 Genealogy
Assignment #2 due

8. Mar 9 Local government records
Review: Jones, Local Government Records

Spring Break

9. Mar 23 Public service in a community archives
Read: Phillips, Ch. 6

10. Mar 30 History, purposes, uses of community archives/local studies collections
Assignment #3 due

11. Apl 6 Marketing the community archives
Read: Phillips, Ch. 7; Kotler, chs. 2,3,4,5

12. Apl 13 Nature and organization of contents of a community archives
Read: Phillips, Ch. 3

13. Apl 20 Archival programs for communities

14. Apl 27 Research

Apl 30 Assignment #4 due

15. May 4 Presentation and discussion of the Projects

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