Hello there, my name is Josephine Collins and I'm Library Information Science major at the University of North Texas! This past academic year, I've completed internships at the Austin Central Library and the Texas Archive of the Moving Image. This year, I'll be working with Invisible Histories.
I will be working on their Deep South Queer Collections Survey for my practicum requirement. My position will involve: - Researching existing LGBTQ collections in Alabama.
- Researching collection names, existing finding aids, and item descriptions for LGBTQ southern materials in libraries, archives, and institutions in the Deep South.
- Performing outreach by contacting repositories about their Queer content.
- Writing content for their blog. "Invisible Histories locates, collects, researches, and creates community-based, educational programming around LGBTQ history in the Deep South. Invisible Histories believes archiving is resistance to oppression and history leads to liberation. In our work, we center joy and community while never erasing the painful and complicated experiences of our folks. We WILL save our stories, one box at a time."
What: Invisible Histories -- Deep South Survey Intern
As an intern with Invisible Histories, I'll be working on their Deep South Survey project. This project will allow me to get in contact with archives across the state of Alabama. I will be searching for Queer history, proudly displayed or utterly obscured, to ensure its preservation.
Click here for more information about Invisible Histories
Who: My Supervisor
My supervisor for this internship is Margaret Lawson (they/them). They were one of the people who initially interviewed me for this project, and I'm excited to learn from them!
When & Where: Bi-Weekly Meetings and My Work Schedule
Twice a month, I meet with Lawson and my fellow interns for updates on our current tasks. This meeting is held over Zoom as the internship is completely virtual.
Since the internship is virtual, I've set my own times to work on my given tasks. Mondays and Tuesdays from 10AM - 3PM are when I get the majority of my work done, with other times throughout the week as need-be.
Going into this internship, I expected to learn more about research and archival institutions over all. I wanted to learn something other than cataloging and customer service—something to round out my previous internship experience. After working with Invisible Histories for a semester, I can confidently say that my research and reference abilities are polished. Additionally, I have a better understanding of archives, the collections they value, and how to dig through them more efficiently.
That being said, I often felt a bit lost. I had a hard time figuring out what to prioritize, and I found that I did too much research in some areas and too little in others. I eventually found a steady routine, but a more clear outline from the beginning would've saved me a lot of time. Additionally, we were introduced to outreach emails later than I would've liked. I felt as though I was playing catch up near the end, trying to send out emails on archives I wanted to reach out to weeks ago.
Despite the minor difficulties, I thoroughly enjoyed familiarizing myself with archived Queer history. Southern Queer history is often painful, and it's important that we also recognize the wonderful things about Southern Queerness. From a professional standpoint, I became overly familiar with the terms used to identify Queer people. More outdated archives used homosexual, or sexual minorities. Others had Queer, LGBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQ+, and GLBT listed as different subjects in the same repository. It's a guessing game really, and one must try a variety of terms to get the results they need.
I also really appreciated getting another chance at publication. I published a journal article during my undergrad, and didn't know if I'd get another opportunity before graduation. The article I wrote for Invisible Histories is dedicated to my love of archives and their value to minorities. I emphasized that although archives are historically institutions of white supremacy, a well-managed modern archive does the opposite. Invisible Histories helps archives achieve that goal of modern representation, and I'm glad I was a part of it.
I will bring this experience with me as I begin my career. After graduation, I plan on relocating to Georgia—one of the Southern states that Invisible Histories operates in. While I have my eyes set on multiple repositories near Atlanta, I've considered working for IH again. Even in an unofficial capacity, contributing to IH would not only contribute to my career-building, but also bring me closer to my own history. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience, and I hope my logs expressed that same joy!
I know that's a lot of dates, and I can't lie that I've been behind on my logs. That being said, I've been doing my work completing my spreadsheet, reporting on meetings, finishing my article, and preparing for the end of my internship. Once this log is completed, and once I write my final summary, my time with Invisible Histories will come to an end. During those three days, I worked 5 hours each. This puts me at 125.1 hours in total.
On the 19th I spent time confirming that I was indeed done with my spreadsheet. I looked through every archival database in Alabama I had access to, and looked through dozens of Google pages to find even the smallest thread. Once I was confident that I found everything, I stopped my search and reported the completion during the next meeting.
On the 25th, I focused on adding the information I received from the various emails I sent out. Not all of them came back with new additions, but it's good to reach out and let institutions know about Invisible Histories. I also started inputting more Queer student organizations from the remaining Alabama universities. I had been collecting them whenever I came across them but with recent DEI bans I think it's important to include as much as possible.
On the 26th, I finalized my search for Queer student organizations. I also spent time preparing for our next meeting on the 2nd. That meeting was our last, and I relayed the same information I wrote here. Lawson also gave us a teaser for our upcoming intern spotlights:
It's crazy that I'm finally done with my work with Invisible Histories. I'll be posting my summary soon of course, and here's the breakdown of my hours as well.
Today I worked from 11AM to 4:30PM. I mainly worked on outreach emails and publication research. Lawson was able to point me in the right direction for the latter, and I would like to showcase one of the magazines I found quirky.
The Out on the Town Magazine (2010s) is a "GLBT magazine for the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, the Nashville market in Tennessee, and the Springfield/Joplin markets in Missouri." (source). This publication was included in Invisible Histories' "Extra Extra, Queer All About It" presentation alongside other Queer magazines.
Covers for this magazine range wildly from eye-catching guests:
Out on the Town Magazine: Volume 2, Issue 6
To strangely intriguing:
Out on the Town Magazine: Volume 2, Issue 2
These magazines are a product of their time. The ones I showed here are from their online Issuu profile that has issues from 2010 to 2012.
In addition to uncovering this, I was able to send out five more outreach emails. My message to Jacksonville State University came a few hours later. They were able to direct me to "JSU Pride: First Openly Gay Professor Shares His Story"---an article on Freddy Clements. I came across this article during my search through the JSU archives, but I had not known about his work specifically. Not only did he design costumes for the university, but he made outfits for a local ball he attended. I plan on adding more information about him to the spreadsheet tomorrow.
Lastly, my meeting with Lawson and the rest of the team went smoothly. I confessed that I was running out of content to research, and thankfully that means I'm nearing the end of my project. Our last meeting will be on the 2nd of December. By then, I should have this spreadsheet complete and my final blog draft complete.
Today I worked from 11AM to 4PM. I started by writing more of my article and later moved onto more research. I managed to get a lot done with my article, and I can see myself finishing it by the end of the week.
My introduction remains the same, but the body of my essay has gone through major changes. I had originally thought my initial experience learning about archives during my undergrad would play a larger role. Additionally, I figured I could throw in a segment about my grandfather's oral history interview. However, I found these bits unsubstantial to warrant their own in-depth analysis. Furthermore, said analysis would steer the article in too many directions.
My article now focuses on the "good and the bad" of archives. Why I think they're interesting, and why they could be better. I framed this argument around critical race theory. What people don't often realize is that the act of revolutionizing archives (making them for diverse essentially) is exactly what CRT is about. It's about introducing marginalized experiences and giving them an equal platform with which to speak. For this essay, I used this quote from Gary Nash as he spoke at the Lawrence E. Brewster Lecture:
In the context of arguments today over multicultural education, it is important to realize how unicultural the profession was until after World War II. Before then, history writing was the province of white gentlemen. Though certainly varied in their historical interests, political proclivities, and methodological approaches, historians partook deeply of the scientific racism of their day, had little interest in women's role in history, and were largely indifferent to labor history. (Nash 1996)
Additionally, I referenced the recent news of the National Archives censoring US history for the sake of the political right. These two sentiments when placed side by side explain that this has been an issue, and continues to be an issue. My article then explores the ways in which archivists are changing this narrative. At this point, I will bring in Invisible Histories and their role in correcting the harmful effects of poor archivism.
After figuring out this direction, I found a good stopping point and started researching. My goal was to find more historical societies to search through, although I doubt the ones I found have Queer content we could use. I did get a response back from the Birmingham Museum of Art, however, and I plan to response tomorrow during work hours.
This log was especially long, as you can see I'm excited about this paper. Until next week!!
Today I worked from 10AM to 3PM. I spend half of the time working through potential leads, and the rest drafting my article. I didn't find a whole lot today, so hopefully I'm more successful tomorrow.
I spent most of my research time sorting through the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives. Despite being based in California, this repository has a few collections with Alabama content. Not a lot, but enough to fill out a decent number of cells in my spreadsheet.
Additionally, I sent an email to the Birmingham Museum of Art to find out if they have any Queer content in their archives. So far, I've identified an exhibit (although they refer to it as a collection) containing art from multiple Queer artists. The exhibit was showcased back in 2023, and so I inquired about any other Queer centered content they have behind the scenes.
I've also identified a new problem: institutions are blocking my messages because my email is foreign. This makes sense for Universities with institution-specific emails, and yet I find it strange that these emails didn't go through. What's the point of having a public facing archive if you can't contact them about it? Helpfully I can get some answers from Lawson during our last meeting.
As for my draft of my article, it's very rough. I only got about a page's worth of content. It's all just brain vomit for now, but I can see it becoming something legible soon. Here's the first paragraph I wrote:
The rest of the draft is full of random ramblings, but this at the very least conveys some sense of direction. Until tomorrow!
Yesterday I worked from 10AM to 4PM. I also attended a 30-minute meeting with my supervisor and my team. The meeting itself was rather routine, but I did receive deadlines for the blog post I plan on writing for Invisible Histories.
The initial draft of my article is due on the 18th. Since the minimum word count is only 500, I am confident I can complete the draft on time. Additionally, the final draft is due on the 2nd of December. I already have an outline and citations for the article, but my main concern is brevity---500 words aren't enough for my piece, and I don't want to overwhelm them with a lengthy article.
During my work day, I focused on locating the libraries within the Birmingham Public Library System and identifying various historical societies within Alabama. Through this research, I identified the Alabama Folklife Association, the Tuscaloosa Genealogical Society, Project Say Something, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the Birmingham Black Radio Museum, the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum, and a handful of county archives/museums.
It's unlikely that these will have any notable Queer history in their collections. That being said, the goal of Invisible Histories is to uncover that history. I cannot say for certain what they may or may not have in their repositories, and so I decided to include them in the contact list regardless.
Lastly, I searched through the Samford University Special Collection and University Archives and found five Queer publications. The following is one of the publications that I found particularly interesting:
Alabama grandson: a black, gay minister's passage out of hiding by Cedrick D. Bridgeforth (Samford University Special Collections, 2021)
Needless to say, yesterday's work was fruitful and I'm excited to pick up where I left off!
Showcase: Alabama Department of Archives & History
Log for 10/29/24
On Tuesday, I worked from 10AM to 4PM. I mainly focused on searching through finding aids using AlabamaMosaic's search engine. I cannot recommend this website enough for researchers in Alabama, it has helped me find a lot of interesting collections!
While using this website, I found a rather large collection of photographs and videos that document Queer and minority activism. The Christiane Robinson photograph and video collection has well over 2,000 items that effectively record various sociopolitical demonstrations. Here's a brief review of this incredible resource:
The Christiane Robinson photograph and video collection
This collection focuses on the work of Christian Robinson, "a freelance translator and self-taught photographer with a special interest in documentary photography and photojournalism." This collection was first published in 2021 and has content ranging from early-2015 to mid-2020. Here is the list of events represented by Robinson's photography:
Same-Sex Marriage at Montgomery County Probate (February 9, 2015)
Same-Sex Marriage at Mobile County Probate (February 12, 2015)
Sanctity of Marriage Rally and Counter-Protest (February 21, 2015)
"I Support Biblical Marriage" Rally and Counter-Protest (March 22, 2015)
Safe Zone for All Peace Walk (April 11, 2015)
Alabama for Marriage Rally (June 6, 2015)
Keith Ingram and Albert Pigg at Houston County Probate (June 29, 2015)
Rally for Keith Ingram and Albert Pigg (June 30, 2015)
Equality Wiregrass Rally and March (July 13, 2015)
Storming the State House (September 16, 2015)
Safe Zone for All Peace Walk (September 26, 2015)
Montgomery Pride United Convention (October 17, 2015)
Safe Zone for All Peace Walk (September 10, 2016)
Ambrosia Starling at AUM (September 27, 2016)
Moral Movement Alabama Rally (February 7, 2017)
Doug Jones Rally (October 3, 2017)
ADAH Visit (February 15, 2018)
March for Our Lives (March 24, 2018)
Pride on the Plains Parade (June 1, 2018)
Pride on the Plains Festival (June 2, 2018)
Magic City Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence 10th Anniversary (August 4, 2018)
Women's March (January 26, 2019)
Vigil for Victims of Hate and Violence (February 16, 2019)
March for Reproductive Freedom (May 19, 2019)
Pride on the Plains Parade (May 31, 2019)
Transgender Visibility March on Montgomery (September 28, 2019)
Justice for George Floyd Solidarity Protest (June 6, 2020)
Having frequented Queer protests, Robinson provides an insightful view into modern Queer activism in Alabama. Her pictures not only capture the brightly colored and strongly worded signs, but the love and community shared by those in the crowd:
Participants at the Transgender Visibility March on Montgomery in front of the Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama. (2019)
L. D. Sykes giving flowers to a newlywed couple at the Montgomery County courthouse annex on South Lawrence Street in Montgomery, Alabama, on the day the county began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. (2015)
Archived Queer history is often marked by pain and mistreatment by our society. In my experience, finding homophobic articles from the 80s is easier than finding pieces of Queer joy from that same period. As time improves acceptance, and as archives learn to handle diverse history, evidence of our lives turns toward the positive. This collection is evidence of a great social change from both outside and within the archive sphere.
For more content from the Christiane Robinson photograph and video collection, click HERE!
Participant in the first Pride on the Plains Parade at Courthouse Square in downtown Opelika, Alabama. (2018)
I've been putting in extra time to make up for the 18-hour deficit I'm currently in. I'm technically working more hours than need be for my credits, but I don't want to skimp out regardless. My hour-debt is now down to 16.5.
Monday I worked from 10AM to 4:40PM. I began by sending out three outreach emails and continued searching through more finding aids. Apologies for the late blog, my week has been hectic!
During my last meeting with my team, Lawson gave us an email template we can use to contact archivist directly. I selected three institutions from my spreadsheet that had few Queer collections in their catalog, or had difficult search engines that buried content. The following is the email template:
So far, I've received one reply from Alabama State University. They acknowledged my own research attempt and promised to continue searching for more Queer content on my behalf:
After sending these emails, I started searching through the AlabamaMosaic. Their search engine combined archival materials from multiple university and government collections. It helped me get through a lot of collections in a shorter time frame, and I continued using it during my next shift.
Next log will be about one of the collections I found during this search. Also, I'm looking forward to hearing back from the universities I emailed. I'll be sure to send more out next week!
Today I worked from 10AM to 3PM. My focus today revolved around the archives at the University of South Alabama, Athens State University, Troy University, and Jacksonville State University. JSU's "The Chanticleer" student publication appeared in every search I performed. The following discussion covers the interesting finds I've collected today:
The Chanticleer
"The Chanticleer, the Jacksonville State University student newspaper, is published weekly. The newspaper began publication in 1934, under the name of The Teacola, which changed soon afterward to The Collegian. The newspaper changed to its current name and tabloid-sized format in 1967. The Library has digitized all issues of the newspaper dating back to 1934."
Although not a notably Queer paper, this publication nonetheless collects student attitudes toward Queerness on and off campus. Some entries are simple complaints:
The Chanticleer | Vol 19, Issue 33 (1977)
I read through another article complaining about how heterosexual relationships in dorms were prohibited, but the homosexual ones weren't being policed. This student paper definitely feeds into the student's homophobia. Here, one of the instructors quotes the Christian bible as a moral reference against Queers:
The Chanticleer | Vol 33, Issue 5 (1985)
"They are the problem."
Much of archival work is dealing with opinions of the past. I fully acknowledge that attitudes such as these were commonplace, and I also recognize that this history contributes to Queer subjugation today. Looking back at these moments is important to see our progress and fuel future activism.
Despite the blatant homophobia, some articles merely express intrigue. The following clip discusses lesbian women and how their experiences differ from gay men. Their wording isn't politically correct by today's standards, but the article makes observations instead of making us another villain:
The Chanticleer | Vol 9, Issue 11 (1976)
This piece starts by stating its purpose: "to increase awareness of changing and alternate lifestyles on campus and in the U.S." It also provides researchers with more avenues to search through (see the highlighted section). Generally speaking, it's an honest opinion about the differing effects of homophobia, with pieces of historical organizations worth studying.
The last newspaper clip I have for this showcase is rather lengthy, but it's again another example of straight curiosity. There is a growing tolerance, and even acceptance, within this article. It's particularly interesting to see terms such as "coming out of the closet" or references to Queer organizations used here---all of this is gold to a Queer researcher:
The Chanticleer | Vol 9, Issue 10 (1976)
With articles dating back to the 1930s, JSU's The Chanticleer collection provides amazing insight into the past and present attitudes of the student population. To explore more of their newspaper, visit the collection HERE!
Today I worked from 10AM to 2PM and spent an hour in a team meeting. The first half of my work is coming to a close, and soon I'll be able to focus solely on the research aspect of my internship.
During our interview meeting, Lawson told me that I didn't need to find and log every single library in the state. They were mostly looking for major library systems that have larger collections. My last log detailed the branches I completed last. I'm safe to shift my focus to research.
During the meeting today, we went over the usual: progress sharing, troubleshooting, and our next steps. Our next steps included a scripted email that I can send to repositories. This way I can reach out to the institutions I'm researching to request more information. With some of the archives I've been looking through recently, I'd love to leave some of the work to the archivists as well. The following is a screenshot from today's meeting agenda:
Lastly, Lawson confirmed the team's plans regarding our blog post. I reaffirmed my decision to submit a piece, and I gave them my topic: Why Archives?
I'm frequently met with questions about my degree plan, specifically what the role of an archivist is. As someone who's known about archives for as long as I've known about libraries, it was surprising to learn that this isn't common knowledge. In my essay, I want to explore my personal passion for archives and why more people should know about them.
This week I'll be moving my shifts to Wednesday and Friday. Work has been exhausting these past two weeks, and midterm assignments are due soon. To ensure I have a proper balance of all aspects of my life, I decided to switch my timeslots around.
Additionally, my Supervisor Interview Assignment will be posted later today. This assignment will replace last Tuesday's (10/08/2024) missing log, and will come with more updates from Margaret about my progress!
Unfortunately, I'll have to push this week's work to next week. I'm currently writing up Wednesday's archival spotlight, and I don't think I have time for much else. These are all of the assignments I've been working on this week:
Needless to say, I have a lot on my plate. I'll be working 18 hours next week instead of the usual 10. By then these assignments will be turned in and I'll have fewer shifts outside of my internship. Thank you for your patience!
On the 9th of October, 2024, I interviewed my supervisor Margaret Lawson about Invisible Histories (IH), their role in the organization, and ways in which I could improve my own career. As an aspiring archivist, my interview questions revolved around what makes IH different from the traditional archive. Additionally, I was interested in Lawson's specific path given their prominent position in the organization. The following contains the questions and (paraphrased) answers from our session:
Describe your position within invisible histories (your daily responsibilities, your work in archives, etc.). Do you have positions at other institutions? If so, what are they?
"My job title is: Director of Programming and Outreach. I've held this position for a year and before that, I was just an Assistant Director."
Lawson worked in public education before they began working with Invisible Histories. There, they gained skills through teaching and programming events for the Tuscaloosa City School District. As the Director of Programming and Outreach at IH, a lot of what they do on the daily "is helping to create [IH] public programs that take our collections that we've helped curate throughout Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, and think of creative ways to make those accessible to folks."
As we will see throughout this interview, IH places a heavy emphasis on access in these Southern states. Lawson has direct experience in creating exhibits for the IH website and physically traveling to retrieve Queer collections when necessary: "We just drove up to the Mississippi Delta...and we did an Exploring the Queer South, like, talk and zine making workshop with students at Delta State. And that was really fun because I really love teaching books."
Lawson's work helps Queer Southerners understand that the archival world is indeed for them and that their stories do matter. They make direct contact through their programs and is dedicated to making Queer people feel seen within recorded history.
What brought you into archives (i.e. your career path thus far)? Have you held any previous positions that helped you achieve your current position?
"I'm all for a non-traditional path."
Originally coming from the public education system, Lawson began their career at Invisible Histories with a Master's in History and a Master's in Secondary Education. During their career as an educator, they were focused on uplifting hidden voices, and inspiring their students to be historians: "When I started public school, teaching was geared towards addressing silences in the archive."
So although Lawson didn't begin in information centers, their goals and personal morals were already aligned with the position they currently hold. Since entering the information sphere myself, I've heard plenty of similar stories---people coming into archives from different backgrounds uniting under common values.
Could you describe the scope of the Invisible Histories team? How many archivists/researchers do you have?
"We're a very small team, so we only have three folks on the whole project."
Hearing that three people are responsible for keeping IH running was definitely a shock! Alongside Lawson, IH has one lead archivist and one admin (who handles the accounting, grant-writing, and similar tasks). These three share work with one another based on their given skills---it's a tight-knit and personal workplace.
Lawson and their team work well together because of their varying experiences and their common connections: "Also, we all have like our own, you know, identities and our own relationship to the Queer community." Together they're able to cover four states' worth of Queer history, whether that occurs through their website or their physical office in Birmingham, Alabama.
How does IH recover lost or hidden Queer history? Walk me through the process, an example would be appreciated.
"The majority of our work is working one-on-one with archival donors, kind of walking them through the process at the archive, talking to them about their history, and helping them, you know, preserve the history that they have."
To answer this question, Lawson gave plenty of examples. Whether that be driving to Mississippi to pick up photo albums from a Queer donor, encouraging locals to donate to their regional libraries/archives, or educating people about the importance of artifact preservation.
With recent changes to Diversity Equity and Inclusion in University campuses, Invisible Histories has been especially busy recovering Queer content before it's thrown away. "Some of it is like: the DEI office is still operating but they're having to rename it to like Welcome Center or something like that." Other times, it's DEI offices getting shut down entirely, "physically removing DEI related materials from the building, taking art off the wall, throwing out books."
Lawson makes it clear that this isn't a new phenomenon in Queer history. Queer history has frequently been ignored, mislabeled, or undervalued by those who've traditionally recorded it. When explaining my own experiences trying to find Queer content in archival finding aids, they gave me some important insight into the mindset of these institutions:
"Sometimes I think fear is more harmful than what actually could happen, you know, to the collections. But people are just fearful that if these collections are available publicly or easily searchable, that the collections themselves will be targeted for removal."
Generally speaking, IH acts as a medium between Queer donors and the information institutions responsible for preserving their history. They come in to rescue discarded content and work with information centers to ensure they're making their Queer content as accessible as possible.
What differentiates Invisible Histories from other online archives? Does your archival process differ from traditional archives beyond its digital nature?
"We want people to have access to this history, to see themselves represented. We would rather someone touch a t-shirt a thousand times until it disintegrates then for it to be in its safe, little archival box and [have] nobody ever see it."
One of Lawson's main complaints about traditional archives the disconnect between them and the communities they exist in. Whether it be undervaluing minority content, refusing to contact potential donors directly, or the general environment that prioritizes preservation over use, traditional archives tend to be "elitist and inaccessible and also just, like, police surveillance-y."
When reaching out to libraries and archives that house Queer collections, Invisible Histories emphasizes their goal of accessibility---IH wants Queer people to learn about their history on their terms, not those of the institutions. Most information centers weren't designed with diverse history in mind, and IH strives to fill some of those gaps through their unique organization model.
Do you have any suggestions for me and my career? (I can walk you through what I’ve been doing so far!)
"I tell people all the time: my job does not define me. I have values and identities that exist outside of this job."
I was recently turned down from a promising archival internship, and I've come to the conclusion that I need to start smaller. Although I prefer archives over public libraries, I understand that its a necessary step in my career. I told Lawson about that missed opportunity, the work I've done in other organizations, and what my next steps may be before asking them for advice.
Lawson encouraged me to keep my eyes on my goal, and to reach out to those who share my values. After mentioning my plans to move to Georgia after graduation, they recommended that I connect with Georgia Dusk, "an intergenerational counter-narrative to the mainstream depiction of Georgia politics and the southern liberation movement." Further more, they encouraged me to reconnect with IH given their many connections in the state of Georgia. Above all, Lawson wanted me to share my passion with others!
Conclusion
My interview with Margaret Lawson was incredibly insightful. Non-profits navigate the difficult sphere of social justice, and Invisible Histories is doing incredible work connecting Queer people to their history. Archives can be incredibly diverse if the goals of said archive are aligned in such a way. These are the types of archives I want to work in---I want to help the members of my community find themselves in archives and libraries.
I'm inspired to seek out archives that aren't run my the state. As much as I love the Austin History Center, the "elitist and inaccessible" environment is something I would like to change. I plan on taking Lawson's career advise by finding people whose stories need telling, and by finding alternative organizations I can work with to preserve diverse history!
This week I'll be moving my shifts to Wednesday and Friday. Work has been exhausting these past two weeks, and midterm assignments are due soon. To ensure I have a proper balance of all aspects of my life, I decided to switch my timeslots around.
Additionally, my Supervisor Interview Assignment will be posted later today. This assignment will replace last Tuesday's (10/08/2024) missing log, and will come with more updates from Margaret about my progress!
Today I worked from 10AM to 3PM entering new libraries into my spreadsheet. My team was going to meet at 4PM, but the call was canceled a few hours before. It's been a while since my last check-in (I was unable to attend the last one) so my supervisor Margaret decided to have a one-on-one with me sometime this week.
While going through the libraries of Alabama, I saved the branch systems for later. It was difficult to keep track of them in my old document, but now with the new Parent Institution column, I can easily group them together. Today I logged the Cullman County Public Library System, the Carl Elliot Regional Library System, and the Baldwin County Library Cooperative.
It's important that I list each individual library and not just the parent institution. Surprisingly, finding the information for these libraries proved easier than searching for independent ones---often all of their information could be accessed through the same website. Because of today's focus on library systems, I cataloged 41 libraries in total.
The following is the part of my spreadsheet centered around the Baldwin County Libraries. I was able to get a lot of contact information from these, and I believe this data will be especially helpful for future researchers:
I made great progress today! I'll be sure to include the details of my meeting with my supervisor after the session concludes. Until next time!
Today I worked from 10AM to 1PM and from 8PM to 10PM. I had to break it up to fit a couple meetings with my clients (I do Rover on the side). As planned, I was able to finish transferring all of the information I gathered onto the new document.
This does not mean my data-entry work is over, but know I can switch between that work and research work more easily. From now on, Mondays will focus on inputting information about Alabama libraries. Tuesdays will be dedicated to sifting through archive collections for Queer content. Expect to see more showcases!
The following picture is from my spreadsheet:
Although the image is blurry, you can see that I've made it to the hundredth cell. I'm glad that I went through this sheet again. I had planned to do so before the new spreadsheet, but this forced me to look deeper. I found a couple of mistakes I made and contact information that I hadn't found originally. Because the new sheet asks for more information about the libraries and archives, the mistakes I made in the original document would be difficult to repeat. I will nonetheless remain vigilant, and double-check my work before moving on to another institution.
I'm excited to start this new schedule. I was going with the flow for a while, and I feel more concrete in my tasks. Until next time!
Today I worked from 10AM to 3PM on the data entry I've been neglecting. Finding Queer collections has been fun, but I need to make sure that other aspects of my work are getting completed as well.
During my initial search for library/archive information, I used Library Technology Guides to help my search. After all, Google Maps will only show you so many libraries at a time, and I need every one from the entire state of Alabama! The following is from their directory of Alabama libraries:
The information on this website isn't always current, but it often has more than the individual library websites I've encountered. I plan on using this for the rest of my library-collecting. (Maybe I should also send this to my peer; everyone learns best when we're sharing information.) As always, I'm impressed by information professionals and their ability to compile large amounts of information into accessible formats.
That's all I have for today. I am close to finishing this initial task, so hopefully I can take another break from data entry soon. Until next time!
