LIS 648 – Archival PracticumCharles W. Capps, Jr. Archive and Museum

Delta State University

Presented by: Phillip Carterphillip.m.carter@eagles.usm.eduUniversity of Southern MississippiApril 25, 2014

Charles W. Capps, Jr. Archive and Museum

The majority of my archival practicum took place at the Charles W. Capps, Jr. Archive and Museum on the campus of Delta State University.

Delta State University Archivist: Emily Erwin Jones

Emily Jones is the archivist for Delta State University where she has also served as Associate Professor since 2010. She was named Mississippi Council Educator of the year in 2006 and also received the Delta State University Foundation Faculty Price for Excellence in Service award in 2007. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History from Delta State University in 1999 and her Master of Arts in Public/Applied History from the University of West Georgia in 2001.

My major project: Digitizing the Carr Collection Letters

My workspaceMy workspace in the archive included a PC, an HP 7400c scanner, and the box of letters from the Carr collection.

Because of work time constraints, I worked primarily on the weekends and utilized a desk of one of the graduate assistants.

The Carr Collection• The Carr collection consists predominantly of letters written

during the Civil War. • The collection was donated to the library by Andrew Carr of

Clarksdale, MS.• A large portion of the collection are the letters of James L.

Barnes of Clarksdale writing to his wife Bonie during the Civil War. He informs her of the quality of life, the health of other friends and acquaintances, and the despair that comes over him during the course of his duty.

• Other letters are typically between family members and include poems and doodles.

• The letters give a great deal of perspective on life in the Mississippi Delta during the Civil War.

Other projects completed:Format change for DSU Basketball photos

Another project I assisted with included changing the format of scanned photos from Delta State Women’s Basketball games to be better presented on the internet and in social media.

Other projects completed:Book Talk Lecture SeriesIn order to understand the public aspect of archival work, Emily suggested that I work with the Book Talk Lecture Series.

Book Talk Lecture Series• Cooperative series hosted by the Carnegie Public Library of

Clarksdale and the Coahoma County Higher Education Center. • The Coahoma County Higher Education Center is a partnership

campus supported by Coahoma County Community College and Delta State University

• Speakers for this series included: Caroline Kennedy, James Meredith, Natasha Trethewey, Carolyn Haines, Wright Thompson, Tom Franklin, Curtis Wilkie, and Nikki Giovanni (among others).

Cutrer Mansion in ClarkdsdaleA majority of the lectures for the series took place at the historic Cutrer Mansion, also known as Belvoir, in Clarksdale. The building is part of the campus of the Coahoma County Higher Education Center. It was once the home of Clarksdale’s most influential lawyer and the daughter of the founder of the town (and inspiration for Blanche DuBois in Tennessee William’s A Streetcar Named Desire).

Photos from the series:

Other project completed:Carnegie Public Library Centennial Celebration

Finally, as part of my practicum, I assisted with the preparation and execution of the Carnegie Public Library Centennial Celebration.Duties I performed:• Collection and transcription of documents pertaining to the

original communications between Clarksdale and the Carnegie Corporation.

• Research into the accolades and achievements of the library in its 100 year history.

• Providing audio engineering support for the celebrations during Clarksdale’s annual Juke Joint Festival.

Photos from the celebration:

Lessons I learned:• Many of the lessons I learned about archiving came not from

the actual work but from the conversations that I had with Emily about the various projects she had been apart of, the people who had generously donated entire collections, and the impact her archive has had on the community around her.

• Beyond that, I was able to develop a strong grasp of the outreach of archives, the importance of organization and the best methods for organizing, and the process of digitizing and creating metadata for collections. This opportunity has been one of the more rewarding experiences of my post-graduate career.

Thank you for your attention.

Any questions?