Long time no post
I know, I know - I've been MIA since before the holidays. There's a snow/sleet/freezing rain storm building up outside so it's a good day to get back to blogging.
Well, the county's looking for somebody to catalog their local history collection in the county historian's office - what a rabbit warren! Four rooms on the 3rd floor of the old Post Office - must be hotter than blazes in the summer - with books, spiral notebooks, slide collections, pamphlets everywhere. They've got an old card catalog but everything's filed by title, no cross references, no subject headings. I don't think they realize that a lot of these titles are already cataloged in the state library colllection. They have one computer (with MS Office 2000), a couple of ancient microfilm readers and, presumably, a typewriter for the volunteer secretary. The ladies working there (all part time - no benefits, no vacation time, just trade-off time) know where things are, sort of, but it's an appalling-looking office.
They need a whole other space than where they've been stuck - one large room for all the papers and books, a processing room for donations, updating records, etc., and a breakroom for staff. I have no idea if the photos are kept in lignin envelopes, though I doubt it. Archival preservation doesn't seem to be the norm. It's certainly not climate-controlled, pamphlets slouch on shelves propped up between hardcovers. And she mentioned there are things stored in the basement as well! They could use a scanner, a second computer with cataloging software, lignin envelopes and boxes.... Sigh. Where to start? I wonder if they ever apply for grant monies? The county certainly isn't putting any money into the place.
Well, the county's looking for somebody to catalog their local history collection in the county historian's office - what a rabbit warren! Four rooms on the 3rd floor of the old Post Office - must be hotter than blazes in the summer - with books, spiral notebooks, slide collections, pamphlets everywhere. They've got an old card catalog but everything's filed by title, no cross references, no subject headings. I don't think they realize that a lot of these titles are already cataloged in the state library colllection. They have one computer (with MS Office 2000), a couple of ancient microfilm readers and, presumably, a typewriter for the volunteer secretary. The ladies working there (all part time - no benefits, no vacation time, just trade-off time) know where things are, sort of, but it's an appalling-looking office.
They need a whole other space than where they've been stuck - one large room for all the papers and books, a processing room for donations, updating records, etc., and a breakroom for staff. I have no idea if the photos are kept in lignin envelopes, though I doubt it. Archival preservation doesn't seem to be the norm. It's certainly not climate-controlled, pamphlets slouch on shelves propped up between hardcovers. And she mentioned there are things stored in the basement as well! They could use a scanner, a second computer with cataloging software, lignin envelopes and boxes.... Sigh. Where to start? I wonder if they ever apply for grant monies? The county certainly isn't putting any money into the place.
posted by Blue Norther at 8:07 AM
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