Last week, I completed processing all of the Memphis projects boxes. These projects are now divided into nine sections: Combined or Other Memphis projects, Lauderdale Church of Christ, McNeil job, Metropolitan Baptist Church, Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, New Bloomfield Baptist Church, Riverside/Riverview Christian Church, Rock of Ages C.M.E. Church, and Universal Life Insurance Company. The projects encompass eleven boxes, two of which are oversized. Due to a migraine headache on Thursday, I was not able to finish going back through all of the boxes to add dates and finalize the arrangement. Therefore, this section will not be finished until this week. It is likely that they will encompass fewer than eleven boxes once I merge them together since a couple of the boxes are not completely full. I have sixteen more boxes and approximately twenty sets of blueprints remaining to be processed for this collection.
Challenges
The most recent challenge is determining how to include the projects that are referenced on only a few documents. For instance, there are only about seven documents for the “McNeil job” so it seems unnecessary to divide those few documents into numerous folders. Fortunately, they are all receipts and thus will be filed under “Vendors” within its own project series. Another option would be to add a subsubseries to “Combined or Other Memphis projects” that would include all smaller jobs or jobs with very limited documentation. Yet another option would be to have a subseries under the Projects series for all small jobs where each job has its own folder. As I go back through the folders to add dates, make minor adjustments to the arrangement, and finalize that portion of the finding aid, I will make the final determination as to how to record these minimally-documented projects.
Blueprints
Last Wednesday, volunteer Evelyn Jones spent her morning helping me to flatten, dust, and record the metadata from a number of blueprints. The process was extremely slow due to the very fragile nature of the documents. While it is heartbreaking to see the condition of such interesting blueprints, at least there will be some level of access as we record the title, location, architect, date, and a few notes of each set of blueprints. I originally estimated that it would take only a few days to process these blueprints, but after working with them on Wednesday and finding them so very fragile, it will probably take another couple of days so that the process is not rushed so as to prevent serious damage.
Challenges
Fragility remains the primary challenge when working with these blueprints. Unrolling them, flattening them, and cleaning them can all cause further damage so we have to work very slowly and carefully to reduce any damage. Once they are unrolled, cleaned, information recorded, and flattened, then Mr. Michael Powell will build a box to fit them where they lie so as to reduce further damage. I would suggest that once the blueprints are boxed, they not be accessed again. Ideally, digitizing them would be the best method to promote future access so that they are not disturbed further. Hopefully, the metadata we are recording for the finding aid will be able to answer most research questions so that further access will at least be limited.
Interesting Finds
The most interesting finds last week were blueprints from the 1920s. There are blueprints for the Sunday School Publishing Board [now the Morris Memorial Building] and the residence of T.B. Boyd both dated 1923 in Nashville, Tennessee. Many of the blueprints are undated, but they appear to be from the same time period considering they are on similar onion skin paper and the name of Moses McKissack or McKissack & McKissack are listed similarly. However, they will be listed as “undated” since no dates can be verified absolutely.
Until next time…
Amanda J. Carter
Franklin
Library, Fisk University
IMLS
HistoryMakers Fellow 2012-2013
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