Week 4: Doing A Bit More Than Digitization

This week, I did a full 8-hours and was able to achieve quite a bit.  I realized that my project has evolved a little bit.  Yes, I'm still photographing artifacts, creating metadata, and posting them online.  However, many of these boxes have not been examined since their accession in 1989.  After processing the first 6-7 boxes of frequently accessed items, I began to see the more unknown boxes.  Some of the boxes didn't even look as if they had been open in 20 years.  I found myself in a much more professional position.  I had to begin making judgment calls and really flex what I've learned in some of my classes and workshops.


First, a box was uncovered that had another box inside of it.  It was full of mold and brittle paper.  The inventory finding aid stated that it was just a box full of paper rolls.  Upon further discovery, I realized that they were not just paper rolls, but old player piano music rolls.  Songs like "Take Me Out To The Ballgame," "Turkey In The Straw," and "Alice Blue Gown" were in fantastic condition.  The boxes were not, however, and many of them needed to be discarded.  This is unfortunate, as the boxes were really interesting.  They were engraved with the manufacture name, like Ampico, and could have been really beautiful if preserved properly the first time around.  The box seemed to have been stored in very humid conditions (prior to the OSU stacks) or had suffered a flood.  Once dried, it looked like somebody simply placed the old box inside of a new box.


After finding this box, I knew that I could save at least the rolls, if not the cases.  After photographing them, I began to wrap each one in plastic archival-quality sleeves.  I stacked them in a case and surrounded them with thick cardboard (to keep from the weight of the ones on top smashing the ones on bottom).  Some of the cases were able to be saved, and I included them in the plastic.


Here is a photo of the discarded moldy box and piano roll cases and some photos showing how I rehoused the items: (click to make larger in a new window)









Besides the preservation work I did, I also had to make some judgment calls regarding the content of the boxes themselves.  Some of the items in the "Miscellaneous" boxes did not fit within the scope of the collection, nor did it really have any relevance to the entire project.  Some things were discarded and I had to make some decisions in regards to what needed to be kept, what should be questioned in keeping, and what could just be discarded.


This week, I also reached our 20-item goal.  We are a week ahead of schedule!  I'm very happy with this.  I hope that I can finish more items than initially thought over the course of the project.  The collection should be opened for public viewing soon.


All-in-all, this week made me realize that my project really is giving me the opportunity to not only gain new knowledge and experience, but also to help me put my previously learned knowledge to work.  I realize that I'm doing a bit more than just digitization and just an internship project.  It's quite satisfying!



In: 8 a.m.
Lunch: 11:45-12:30
Out: 4:45 p.m.
On-site hours completed today: 8
On-site hours completed total: 26.25
On-site hours left: 73.75