NASM ArchivesKristin Harley, Cataloging Intern

Master’s of Library and Information Science, St. Catherine University, St. Paul, MN

Career Change

• B.A. English Literature, U of MN, 1990• Background: administrative support; freelance writer, columnist,

and journalist; community newspaper operations; office supervisor; actress; dancer; activist; science forum moderator; and Bohemian!

• M.A., Library and Information Science, St. Catherine University, 2010

Why NASM?

• Lifelong obsession with astronomy and the space program• (Jet) pilot and astronaut heroes• Love of documents and research• Carl Sagan’s fault

Creative Commons

http://campsmoke.fmallen.com/

http://carlsagansdanceparty.files.wordpress.com/

http://scrapetv.com/

Cataloging Intern, NASM Archives

• Supervisor: Patti Williams, Acquisitions Archivist• Acquiring, appraising, processing, preserving,

conserving, and making accessible historical materials (not just documents).

• “Archivists select, preserve, and make available historical and documentary records of enduring value.” – SAA Code of Ethics

• NASM collections belong to the people $$

Archives Moving to Udvar-Hazy Facility

• Most complete collection of historic aviation and space visual imagery

• Over 12,000 cubic feet of documents• Over 1.75 million photographs• 14,000 film and video titles• Reference Room will accommodate 16 researchers

with laptops• Microfilm reader stands• Listening stations • Motion picture viewing room

Creative Commons

Diane Penland

Who Uses Archives?• Thousands of requests each year from: Other museums Visiting scholars Historians Restorers Writers Film producers Modelers Government agencies Students General public

Amazon.com

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Archivists Support NASM

• Behind the scenes work and research “Enola Gay” reassembly: technical manuals and drawings Identification of disassembled specialized parts

• Archivists are not historians, as librarians are not book critics – more akin to Carl Linnaeus (taxonomy) than Charles Darwin (biology)

• Not experts on the subject – experts on how to find and retrieve appropriate info on the subject

Cataloging

• Creating accession (acquisition) records in FileMakerPro – new collections, or to add to existing

• Processing of certain collections (Means, Lindbergh Memorabilia/Stanley King)

• Preservation tasks

Sample Accession Entry

Sample Collection Description

Sample Accession Record

Garber Facility

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Lindbergh Memorabilia

Famous People!Rudyard Kipling to James Means

Charles Doolittle Walcott to James Means

Wear-and-Tear

Preservation Tasks

• Preservation = Conservation: preventative• Mylar sleeves for documents• Mylar photograph and slide sleeves• Removal of rusting staples and paper-clips• Acid-free folders and boxes• Controlled climate• Archives’ four enemies: light, dust, moisture,

and fire