Overview

Readings:
Each week you will be assigned a text from the reader, as well as a prompt geared towards developing your collection.

Part of each class will be dedicated to reviewing and discussing the reading.

Collection Development:
Some weeks we will check in and discuss the ongoing development of your collection, other weeks class time will be dedicated to case studies and other activities. This section is a guide for what you can be doing each week to develop your collection, even on weeks when we may not be spending time in class reviewing it.

End Goal: you will eventually be proposing a new archival collection (lets say for LACA).

Examples of a new archival collection might be:

  • An artist book collection from people living and working on farm co-ops
  • Travel logs by artists who have a walking practices
  • Paint sticks for mixing paint by one artist
  • A single artist’s archival collection

Weeks 1-4 are dedicated to planning your collection.
​​Weeks 4-8 are dedicated to building your collection.

For Week 1 | Gathering

Read Jose Muñoz, Notes on Queer Evidence, pg 1-15

For Week 2 | What Are Archives

For 4/22
Read:
Archives Principles and Practices: What are archives? Laura A. Miller, pg 11-12
and Organizing Archival Records: Who created the collection, pg 13-14

Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9RBUqkNwQ0&t=126s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVCzuTvVcjo

Collection Development:
Option A:
Come up with a concept for an archival collection at LACA (1-2 sentences in your Kirby box)

Option B:
Select yourself as the contributing artist (1-2 sentences in your Kirby box)

Propose several materials that would be in this collection.
For example: books, articles, video, audio, oral histories, photographs, posters, online media, newsletters, cookbooks, handbooks, curriculums, trainings, toolkits, campaign materials, art ephemera, studio ephemera, trash, biographical material, music, administrative paperwork, news clippings, leases, receipts, etc.

For Week 3 | Selection

for 4/29
Read:
Archives Principles and Practices Chapter 6: Appraising and Acquiring Archives: Appraisal for Acquisition Laura A. Miller pg 117-127 (p. 16-21 in ANS reader)

Organizing Archival Records Chapter 5: Beyond Arrangement and Description by David W. Carmicheal, pg 67-69 (p. 22-23 in ANS reader)

Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHHkTiu4Pno
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXDU9um19HM

Collection Development:

  • Upload several iPhone images of materials you identify for the collection.
    (remember to re-size images… recommended size 800-1000px wide, 150dpi)

  • Who might this collection be for? To do what? (1-2 sentences in Kirby box)

  • Identify and be able to defend/discuss in class an item that sits on the margins of this collection

For Week 4 | Acquisition

for 5/6
Read:
Organizing Archival Records by David W. Carmicheal: Chapter 2, Accessions pg 14-19

Texas Special Collections: Accession forms (3)
LACA Deed of Gift Form (front and back)

Collection Development:

  • In your Kirby box write, what might you need while developing this collection? A map, Smoke breaks, Coffee, Drugs, Time to hook up, Money, Gas money? Whose money etc.
  • Write (1-2 sentences) about how you will document/collect?
  • What will be your collection scope? (create / define the container and its limits)
    Example: Icelandic born noise records but they are only in English and the artists are all living in Florida.

For Week 5 | Going Digital

for 5/13
Read:
UMass Amherst Libraries Guidelines for Digitization pg 35-40 in reader

Collection Development:

  • Draw instructions for a helpful accessioning flow (example: info graphic, icons, arrows, manual) Typically, an archivist would have an accessioning guide/sheet. What might be a visual guide instead?
  • Bring objects to scan, including anything that might be challenging to document

For Week 6 | Processing

Collection Development:

  • Continue working on your collection
  • consider how you want to structure / organize your Kirby box

For Week 7 | Access

for 6/3
Read:
Organizing Archival Records, Steps of Organization: pg 48-51(pp. 57-59 in reader)

Collection Development:

  • Add the map / diagram of your collection to your Kirby box.
  • Create a label or decoration plan for the exterior of the physical archival box your collection would go into.
    Ask yourself:
  • How does this graphic reinforce my ideas?
  • Draw the researchers I want into the collection?
  • Impact the collection?

Add this graphic / label / decoration plan to your Kirby box

For Week 8 | For Who?