Ardra Whitney: Week 2 @ The HistoryMakers

The highlight of my week was the 2012 IMLS Summer Immersion Program’s scheduled field trip to the Carter G. Woodson Regional Library (pictured at right).  On Tuesday, June 12^th, fellows received an introduction to the Woodson Library, as well as an overview of the library’s Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Following her introduction and overview, Beverly Cook, Director of Archives and Processing, led fellows on a group tour of the Woodson Library’s preservation lab and archival processing and storage facilities. She also provided us with a fun tutorial on how to access and utilize “Find it” – the Chicago Public Library’s digital access portal. Additionally, fellows completed an archives “scavenger hunt” exercise, which required us to use online findings aids to locate specific collection materials. Ms. Cook‘s tour and conference room presentations were very informative:  I learned about Society for American Archivists’ (SAA) emergency preparedness workshops; stewardship in the archival profession; and the Illinois Collections Preservation Network (ICPN).  Ms. Cook also spoke about the collection development efforts of Vivian G. Harsh (the Chicago Public Library system’s first black librarian). Harsh worked diligently to have books depicting negative and derogatory images of African American s removed from the library. She believed that by replacing these books with ones that more richly documented the history of blacks in America, African American patrons would have a better and more positive library experience.

On Thursday, June 14^th, I attended an archives seminar with Cecilia Salvatore, Ph.D. and Associate Professor of Library and InformationScience at Dominican College. The topic of the seminar was archival cataloging using Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). Fellows discussed general usage of LCSHs, as well as their use in The HistoryMakers EAD/EAC-CPF finding aids. We also completed a simple but insightful practice exercise that required us to use two different indexing methods: derived and free. In addition, the seminar provided fellows with the opportunity to address major challenges we’ve experienced in processing collections for The HistoryMakers Digital Archives.

This week I completed an interview evaluation for journalist, radio host and television news correspondent, Michele Norris (MediaMaker). I also began evaluating an interview for educator, politician and South Carolina native, Crain Woods (EducationMaker). Norris tells such wonderful stories in her interview; I enjoyed listening to her describe Minnesota winters, Birmingham summers and her father’s flower garden.  It was difficult to pick only a few web clips to accompany her interview because she had so many lush and terrifically detailed stories. Likewise, Woods’ remembrances of the sights, smells, and sounds he experienced growing up in Due West, South Carolina, were also beautiful to listen to.

Also, this week Dan Johnson, Digital Archivist, taught fellows how to transform interview evaluations in FileMaker Pro into XML documents in order to create EAD/EAC-CPF finding aids. I look forward to publishing my first finding aid for the Alvin Little oral history interview soon.

In preparation for my upcoming special collections processing project, I watched The HistoryMakers’ DVD of "An Evening with B.B. King,” hosted by producer and songwriter, Isaac Hayes. During the hour long program, I learned that King’s real name is Riley B. King—and that the “B.B.” in his stage name stands for Blues Boy.  I also learned the startling but humorous story behind the name of his famous guitar, Lucille. In addition to blues guitarist and vocalist, B.B. King, I have been assigned to process special collections for the multiple Grammy award winning music producer, composer and arranger, Quincy Jones; and politician, diplomat and activist, Andrew Young.

On Wednesday, June 13^th, I met with Dan Johnson and Julieanna Richardson, Founder/Executive Director, to discuss my progress with the fellowship.  During the meeting, she discussed the importance of creating a narrative flow when writing evaluation summaries that captured the essence of an interview–without reading like a transcript. When our conversation turned to my interest in the visual arts, she recommended I call and speak with South Carolina painter and printmaker, Jonathan Green (ArtsMaker).  When I called the Jonathan Green Studio in Daniel Island, South Carolina, I spoke with Richard Weedman, Studio Director. Mr. Weedman was very gracious and invited me to stop by the studio, once I started my residency with Avery Research Center.

At the African American history lecture with Christopher Reed on Wednesday, discussion focused on topics, such as blacks and the 18th century Revolutionary War; blacks in the North;  and slave labor in American agriculture. One thing that Dr. Reed said regarding blacks and the American Revolution , which resonated with me was that  “black soldiers served on both sides during the Revolutionary War as a safeguard for their interests”—namely freedom. I think the same was true for black soldiers who fought on both sides during the Civil War.

Speaking of emancipation, this upcoming Tuesday, June 19^th, is Juneteenth–also known as Freedom or Emancipation Day. The term is a combination of the words "June" and "nineteenth". Recognized as a state holiday in forty-one U.S. states, including Illinois; Juneteenth commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Galveston, Texas in 1865.

Ardra Whitney
IMLS Fellow
Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture