Beyond the Reading Room

Are we as archivists and special collections keeping or burying memories? I once heard a joke about archivists that went something like this: Archaeologist dig up pieces of history that have been buried so that people will know about it, but archivists take historical materials that are brought to them and bury them in their stacks so that no one can ever find it again. I didn't think the joke was very funny when I heard it. In fact, I still don't. I do think it points to one of our short-comings as a profession. We are not very good at promoting ourselves. Even in the midst of this grand effort to digitize our collections, in many cases, the collections are still hidden--buried deep within our web pages or behind huge databases of metadata. No one wants to click through page after page on a website to find the information they need. They aren't interested in cumbersome searching in a database either. They prefer to just "Google it."

We are still struggling to take our collections beyond the reading room. Our profession's latest effort to promote ourselves--"I Found It in the Archives"--implies that the materials were lost. These items weren't lost--they were locked behind closed doors because they are rare, unique, or have enduring value. We knew exactly where they were. I know that the campaign was highlighting the excitement of the researcher who finds that piece of information, the treasure, that had been eluding them. I have seen that excitement first-hand. I guess I just want this excitement to be looked at as the norm--a commonplace event that occurs every day in Special Collections.

There always have been a few that stand out in their efforts to promote their collections. The following video from Special Collections at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas highlighting a collection of menus is a fine example of Special Collections Librarians using new media to take materials locked in the stacks beyond the reading room.



Special Collections Librarians and Archivists are bound to tradition. I have worked in Appalachia for many years and understand the importance of tradition and of keeping it. As a native of Appalachia, I also understand that tradition is not set in stone or preserved under glass. Tradition is ever evolving. I also know that you cannot become a prisoner of it. Special Collections Librarians and Archivists have more opportunities now than ever before to share the treasures in their collections with those outside of the reading room, if we can escape our own objections--"But, we have always done it THIS way!" I do want to share one word of caution from Wendell Berry, a great thinker. He said that "if going back makes sense" then going back is going forward. Sometimes, you have to be able to admit that maybe this wasn't a good idea after all.

The Allure of Screens

I often find myself wondering why all these Web 2.0 applications must have names like Jing, Skype, Twitter, or Flickr. What is it about this technology that makes everything seem so incomplete and so intangible? It is all so alluring. You can see and talk to your friends around the world using Skype--for free. Share your photographs with your friends and the rest of the world on Flickr. Stream insignificant comments about almost anything to your friends on Facebook and spend endless hours playing games like Farmville or Frontierville. Turn whatever you create on your computer screen into a video--they call it screencasting--and share it with your colleagues using Jing. It is addictive. It seems so fleeting. Still, the possibilities are intriguing. Can imaginative librarians and archivists learn to use this technology in ways that will matter?

Archivists and special collections librarians spend careers building collections of enduring value and depth that will support research on the subjects that are the focus of their collection. So, how do we adapt to this world of screens? I have used Facebook to publicize a collection with great success. I found that, once created, the Archives Facebook page took on a life of its own. With over 600 "friends" or "people who like it," this community of users began to take ownership of the page. I also found that it took quite a bit of time to "nurture" the page by adding new pictures or videos and to answer questions posted.

Screencasting could be a wonderful instructional tool for podcasts on a web page. They could also be useful for sharing information with colleagues that are not in the office next door. In trying to create a screen cast, I discovered that it is more difficult than it appears. Yes, the different software I tried was easy to use and the directions simple to follow. The problem, I found, was that it captures every wrong move and every time that you stop to think. Those pauses seem small when you are creating it, but they seem to never end when you are watching the finished screencast. How many times do you have to practice it to get it right before you record it? It makes me thankful for editing. Thinking back to all those times that I have spent on the phone trying to talk someone through all the clicks to find the information that they want on a web page, I would have been grateful for a way to show them.

Skype also offers all sorts of possibilities for communicating with researchers or with colleagues without the expense of international phone calls. If you were working on a project together, it could be a wonderful way to exchange files and view each others' computer screen. On a personal level, it is a wonderful way for international students to communicate with friends and family while they are so far apart. I have even seen a musical duo practice together, write songs, and perfect musical arrangements over Skype with one person in Norway and the other in Tennessee. The possibilities are limited only by imagination.

Yet, with all these possibilities, I am still bothered that we are becoming a society lost in screens and separated from the real world. What are we missing around us as we spend hours communicating through screens and other digital devices? Are we losing our connections with the community or place in which we live and the people that surround us in a three dimensional world. Are we losing our sense of place? I hope not.