October Special Events at the DRT Library are a Hit!

Library visitors during Founders Day.

Those who have visited the DRT Library know that during regular weekday business hours it is a non-browsing library, open to researchers only. However, during two Saturdays this October, the Library hosted Open Houses and invited visitors to peruse highlights from the archival collections that were on display.

Volunteer Kay Garsnett staffed the library's table during Founder's Day and let everyone know about the Open House.

The first Open House was held in conjunction with the Alamo’s living history program, Fall at the Alamo, on October 10. The second was held on October 24 as part of San Antonio Founders Day; as one of the fifty historical and cultural exhibitors at the celebration, the library also staffed a booth on the Alamo grounds. This was the first year the library was open with exhibits during Fall at the Alamo; it was also the first year the library participated in Founders Day, which in the past was held at other locations in San Antonio. These events coincided with American Archives Month, which promotes the significance of archives.

More than 2,000 people visited the library during the two October events.

One of the exhibits being prepared for Fall at the Alamo.

The exhibits at both Open Houses showcased outstanding examples of different types of materials in the collections, including maps, photographs, letters, newspapers, government records, books, artifacts, and items of popular culture. During both events, visitors were able to see one of the library’s two copies of the Texas Declaration on Independence; a letter written by Alamo defender Daniel Cloud; examples of redback currency printed by the government of the Texas Republic; a copy of the Telegraph and Texas Register from March 1838; and a cased ambrotype of Alamo survivor Anglina Dickinson. The remaining items on display, however, were different for each Open House. Since the focus of Fall at the Alamo was daily life in Texas during the Republic period, the library’s exhibit for that event focused on materials from approximately 1836 to 1846. By comparison, visitors who came to the library during Founders Day saw items dating from 1579 to 1932; they were especially interested in seeing a petticoat that belonged to Susanna Dickinson and using a stereoscope from the early twentieth century.

These two Boy Scouts weren't the only visitors who enjoyed viewing three-dimensional images through the library's stereoscopes; kids, and even adults, were fascinated with them, too.

Visitors examining "Genl. Austin's Map of Texas with Parts of Adjoining States," published by Henry Schenck Tanner in 1840.

Library visitors examining the various archival materials on display during Founders Day.

American Archives Month: Events at the DRT Library

During the month of October, the DRT Library will be holding two Open Houses in conjunction with special programs being held on the Alamo grounds:

Fall at the Alamo

Saturday, October 10, 2009

10:00 am – 4:30 pm

San Antonio Founders Day

Saturday, October 24, 2009

11:30 am – 4:30 pm

Special items from the library’s 450 archival collections will be on display, including:

• An original copy of the Texas Declaration of Independence, one of about thirteen known to still exist.

• A map of Texas drawn by Stephen F. Austin in the 1820s.

• A letter written by Alamo defender Daniel Cloud while en route to San Antonio.

• A cased photograph of Angelina Dickinson, Alamo survivor.

Researchers will not be able to access library materials during these events. Patrons interested in conducting research at the library should return during regular business hours or contact library staff at drtl@drtl.org.

We look forward to seeing you at the library!

American Archives Month: You Are a User of Archives…And You May Not Even Know It!

Sponsored by the Society of American Archivists and the Council of State Archivists, American Archives Month is held in October to celebrate the importance of archives as institutions that preserve and shape individual memory and the collective memory of communities.

Last year during Archives Month, we posted a blog entry describing what archives are, what archivists do, and why archives are important. This year the focus of Archives Month is the impact of archives. Archivists can collect statistics about the numbers of people who physically visit their repositories and use their collections or who receive information from or about the archives via email, telephone, or websites. Additionally, beyond these patrons are people who utilize archives indirectly because they benefit from the dissemination of historical information based on research conducted in archives. As archivist Paul Conway wrote in 1986, “users of archives are…all beneficiaries of historical information. By this definition, it is unlikely there are many non-users of archives.”

Put another way, when asking who benefits from archives, the answer is “YOU”! This is true even if you’ve never set foot in an archives. Every day you rely on the ability of organizations to preserve accurate records and make them accessible and depend on the work of researchers who study these records and share their findings. Simultaneously, you encounter ways in which past events – big and small, from the distant past and the very recent past – are studied as a way of making sense of the present. Consider the following scenarios in which archives play a vital, if not sometimes unrecognized, role:

• You contact your alma mater to request a duplicate copy of your high school or college transcript.

• You watch a documentary that includes historic images or video footage.

• You watch a historical movie in which crew members consulted historians or archival sources in order to accurately (although not perfectly!) recreate life in the past.

• You read a book – a work of non-fiction in any subject or even a work of non-fiction – in which the author used historical documents or cites other scholars who have studied historical records.

• You read a newspaper article or watch a news program that cites government or business reports, includes statistics showing change over time, shows images or footage of events in the past, or features an expert discussing the history behind a current situation.

• You consult past contracts, reports, policy statements, correspondence (including email), project documents, financial information, or other files at your place of employment in order to perform daily business transactions, comply with legislative and regulatory requirements, protect the interests of the organization and its stakeholders, and conduct research and development of new products or services.

• You watch or listen to a sporting event that contains a “today in history” feature, cites players’ statistics over a period of time, or includes historic images or footage of an important athlete or event.

• You contact your bank or other lending institution to confirm your account balances.

Moreover, chances are that you are an archivist for your own records. This is the case if you manage personal and/or family records such as birth certificates; school transcripts, report cards, or diplomas; pay stubs and other employment records; deeds; mortgages; insurance records; and financial documents such as tax records and bank statements. You may also be an archivist who preserves your family’s history by saving ancestors’ letters and other records as well as historic photographs or home movies. Professional archivists do the came kind of work, although they bring knowledge, skills, values, and training to the endeavor of preserving extensive collections of records for the indefinite future and making them accessible to researchers.

References:

Paul Conway, “Facts and Frameworks: An Approach to Studying the Users of Archives,” American Archivist 49 (Fall 1986): 396.

October is American Archives Month

Sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, the Council of State Archivists, and Lockheed Martin, American Archives Month promotes the importance of records of enduring history value in order to enhance public recognition for the people and programs that are responsible for maintaining our communities’ vital historical records.

What are archives?

In the course of daily life, individuals and families, organizations (e.g. schools, universities and colleges, businesses, churches), and governments create and keep information about their activities. Once these records become non-current, a portion are judged to possess enduring historical value; the records within this portion, and the places in which they are kept, are called ‘archives.’ Many records in archives are textual; these materials include correspondence, newspapers, diaries, maps, scientific data, and financial and legal documents. However, archives are much more than “old papers”! They also include photographs and artifacts as well as video and sound recordings. Increasingly, archives must also manage and preserve electronic records such as e-mails.

What do archivists do?

Archivists are professionals who assess, collect, organize, preserve, and help patrons identify and use historically significant collections of unique materials.

Why are archives important?

In his 2008 presidential address, outgoing Society of American Archivists president Mark A. Greene asserted that “archivists are professionals who shoulder the power of defining and providing access to the primary sources of history, primary sources that protect rights, educate students, inform the public, and support a primal human desire to understand our past.” By preserving and providing access to primary sources, archives also document the breadth of individual human experiences and protect collective memory. Additionally, archival records of local, state, and federal governments and public and private institutions are essential in making these organizations accountable and their actions transparent.

While historians and genealogists are the most obvious users of archival resources, archival collections can be significant for any person whose project requires a historical perspective or dimension. Archivist Bruce Dearstyne provided these examples in his article “What is the Use of Archives?” (American Archivist, Winter 1987):

Businesses, governments, and other institutions need archival records for retrospective policy analysis and to provide continuity in administration. Government records document the responsibilities of government and the rights of its citizens. They are often essential in legal matters – to document agreements, substantiate claims, and prove contentions. Engineers use old plans, maps, sketches, reports, and specifications for information on the location, age, and physical characteristics of the infrastructure … Environmental researchers use historical records to study land use patterns, water use, and other environmental issues. Medical researchers use patient files and other records to understand genetic and familial diseases and to trace the impact of epidemics (81).

For more information about archives, see the article “What is an Archives?”

(Information in this blog post came from the Society of American Archivists American Archives Month public relations kit.)

Did You Know?

…that, established in 1934, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) collects, preserves, and provides access to documents created by the federal government? The National Archives system encompasses the main building in Washington D.C. and a second storage facility in College Park, Maryland, as well as fourteen regional archives, seventeen federal records centers, and twelve presidential libraries located across the country.

…that NARA deals with a staggering quantity of records, as evidenced by these statistics reported by Archivist Allen Weinstein in his 2007 “State of the Archives” speech and his address at the Society of American Archivists 2007 annual meeting:

• As of November 2007, NARA faced a backlog of “three billion pages of unprocessed records, including many that must be reviewed for declassification.”
• In fiscal year 2007, NARA archivists processed more than 450 million pages of records; they also reviewed and released 1.3 million pages of formerly classified records “over which the archives has declassification authority.”
• Government agencies are producing increasing amounts of records that must be handed over to the National Archives. For example, while President Reagan’s administration produced almost 44 million textual pages, President Clinton’s administration created 78 million textual pages and an additional 20 million e-mails. If the Clinton e-mails were printed, they “would surpass the number of textual pages of Presidential records generated by President George H.W. Bush’s administration.”

…that NARA and its partners are developing an Electronic Records Archives (ERA) that will preserve almost all types of electronic documents, no matter the specific software or hardware used to create them?