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Lama Newsletter LOUISIANA ARCHIVES & MANUSCRIPTS ASSOCIATION LAMA NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE SPRING/SUMMER 2011 Ernest J. Gaines Center Opened at UL-Lafayette they (his works) will be in my home state," said Gaines. The Gaines Center provides a space for scholars and students to work with Gaines‟ papers and manuscripts. The center also anticipates the donation of extensive papers, manuscripts and tape -recorded interviews of Gaines schol- ars, according to Dr. Marcia Gaudet, the center‟s director. She is also the Dr. Doris Meriwether/BORSF Profes- sor of English and Research Fellow of the Center for Cultural and Eco- Tourism. “We imagine this center as a place for both national and international re- searchers. We also see this as a place for our students and students within the community. We want this to be a Ernest J. Gaines and his wife, Dianne, with (starting left) Dean of Liberal Arts Dr. David Barry, UL- Lafayette President Dr. Joseph Savoie and Dean of University Libraries Dr. Charles Triche. Photo place where students can come to visit. courtesy of UL-Lafayette Communications and Marketing Office. This is the only place in the world which will have this collection,” said The site of the only complete collec- center. The collection includes pub- Gaudet. tion of Ernest Gaines scholarship in the lished and unpublished manuscripts, She noted that the center will coordi- world is now open at the University of drafts and notes; selected personal and nate other activities related to research Louisiana at Lafayette‟s Dupré Library. business correspondence; first editions and scholarship on the work of Gaines. The Ernest J. Gaines Center houses the of published works of the author; mis- The first of these activities will be an author‟s manuscripts, his papers and cellaneous papers; awards, honors and Ernest J. Gaines Scholars Conference translations of his works. Gaines and his memorabilia. at UL-Lafayette, bringing in major wife, Dianne, donated the collection to “We take great pride in housing this the university. He is Writer-in- collection. Other universities have (CONTINUED on Page 3) Residence Emeritus at UL Lafayette and surely courted Ernest Gaines over the is best known for The Autobiography of decades as his fame has grown. But he IN THIS ISSUE: Miss Jane Pittman and A Lesson Before Dy- has remained steadfast in his loyalty to ing. the University of Louisiana at Lafa- Connecting To Collections Survey, 2 The university has promised to main- yette,” said UL Lafayette President LAMA and ATC Updates, 3 & 5 tain and preserve the collection in per- Joseph Savoie. Institutional News, 4-7 petuity, to make the collection available “Lafayette is not very far from where 2010 LAMA Meeting Photos and to scholars and to present programming I grew up and it‟s nearby the places Minutes, 8-9 about the author‟s work through the that I write about. I am honored that PAGE 2 LAMA NEWSLETTER LA LAMPP Connecting to Collections Grant Interim Report Louisiana Libraries, Ar- La Raconteur (newsletter of Le LAMA Newsletter, South- (1) that statewide institutional chives, and Museums Preser- Comité des Archives). western Archivist, and Le directories need to be updat- vation Project (LA LAMPP) The advisory council mem- Comité des Archives newslet- ed to provide accurate infor- received its Connecting to bers and Lyrasis consultant ter, La Raconteur, came out mation, (2) that smaller insti- Collections award on March reviewed other state surveys in the fall issues of those pub- tutions need help simply to 29, 2010, for the grant period and drafted, reviewed, and lications. complete a basic quantitative beginning June 1, 2010, and revised a preservation plan- Initial response was slug- survey of their holdings and ending May 31, 2011. Part- ning survey for Louisiana cul- gish, and council members (3) that preliminary work- ners in the project are Louisi- tural heritage institutions. sent reminders and, in some shops on surveying-taking ana Archives and Manuscripts Much discussion centered cases, made direct contact would facilitate the process. Association (LAMA), Le around the need to make the with survey takers. As a re- Frequent reminders and per- Comité des Archives, Louisi- survey as thorough as possible sult, survey response rate sonal mentoring have pro- ana Association of Museums and simultaneously as unin- increased in the last week of duced improved results. (LAM), and LYRASIS Biblio- timidating as possible. the survey period. With the The survey-taking process graphic Services. The Project Director, Part- uptick in response, the Pro- has proved illuminating to The Project Direc- several of the institu- tor, Partnership Lead- tions which have com- er, Lyrasis consultant, pleted it even though and nine advisory they had conducted council members, statistical reviews of representing all geo- their holdings in the graphic regions of the past. In one case, an state and all partner archival institution dis- organizations, began covered that its actual work immediately holdings had more than upon receipt of the award nership Leader, and Lyrasis ject Director, Partnership tripled since its last survey. notification. consultant held a face-to-face Leader, consultant and advi- Others have reported posi- The first meeting of all par- meeting in mid-August to sory council agreed that the tively the value of the exer- ticipants occurred on June discuss feedback on the sur- deadline should and could be cise to them in terms of be- 14, 2010, by conference call. vey draft and plans for pro- extended until mid-January coming better acquainted Grant activities have proceed- ceeding with the survey. without jeopardizing the with their collections. ed according to schedule. Phase II began with a second overall schedule. Three hun- Through mentoring, mem- During Phase 1, June 1 conference call with all part- dred fifty-nine (359) institu- bers of the advisory council through September 1, the ners on September 10. tions were contacted. have realized the necessity for advisory council sent out me- An alpha test of the online While the advisory council stronger, more constant lead- dia releases. survey was conducted by ad- members continue working ership among libraries, ar- Outlets included the Associ- visory council members dur- with institutions on survey chives, and museums in Loui- ated Press-New Orleans, LA, ing the last week in Septem- completion, work has begun siana. Shreveport Times, Coushatta ber, and the survey was on site selection and work- Although the advisory coun- Citizen, Coushatta, LA, launched on October 4 with a shop development for the cil and consultant found it KTAL, KTBS, and KSLA submission deadline of De- workshop series “Surveying necessary to extend the data news, Shreveport and Ark-La cember 15. Your Own Institution.” Sur- gathering period, the overall -Tex, Red River Radio- Advisory council members vey results will be analyzed schedule for completion of Shreveport and Alexandria, divided statewide institutions beginning in late January. The the grant remains on track. LA, Minden (LA) Press Herald, into mentoring groups, and workshops will be held closer The additional information Bossier Press-Tribune, Shreveport each council member contact- to April 1 to allow for infor- gathered will more than justi- Sun, Sabine Index, Louisiana ed institutions in his/her mation from the web survey fy the slight internal adjust- Archives and Manuscripts group to urge completion of to be included. ments to the schedule of com- Association (LAMA) Newslet- the survey and offer assistance The survey-taking process pletion. ter, Southwestern Archivist, and as needed. Articles in the has underscored three points: -Laura McLemore SPRING/SUMMER 2011 PAGE 3 ATC Reports on Participant Evaluations The Archival Training Collaborative workshop, whether the topic is digital Trainees have responded to evalua- (ATC) has conducted dozens of work- preservation or maintaining a stable tion questions with overwhelmingly shops throughout Louisiana, Alabama, environment for physical materials, the positive feedback. Participants say that and Mississippi, offering instruction to trainer distributes evaluation forms to they enjoy the workshops, want to several hundred trainees in archival each attendee. These evaluations are come back for more, and appreciate methods and best practices. The pro- the effort the trainers and the ATC ject has been very well-received and goes through to provide quality con- with the ongoing support of LAMA, tent at an inexpensive price during the successes of the past three years are tough economic times. Attendees ap- expected to continue and grow. preciate organized, thoughtful trainers Relying on trained trainers (those who provide hands-on training exercis- professionals who have been through es. Trainees also appreciate the in- Dr. Elizabeth Dow‟s „Train the Train- structor-led presentations and comput- er‟ program) to prepare topic-specific er-based activities that most trainers workshops, the ATC is able to provide, while most do request facilitate the education and more hands-on experiential growth of the archival profession time during the workshops – a in Louisiana through ongoing profes- challenge for trainers working sional mentoring relationships that designed to elicit both quantitative and with more esoteric topics like preser- begin at these one day workshops. qualitative information that can later be vation of digital media, for example. The administrative apparatus of the analyzed. They have produced data that Nevertheless, one trainee wrote that ATC is currently managed by Dr. Eliz- gives program administrators an overall they “learned about theory and prac- abeth Dow and her graduate assistant, impression of where the training is most tice, and I have a good grasp of what I Felicia Thomas, in concert with a nine successful, where it needs improve- need to do next. Even though I had no member tri-state board. After the ment, and how the trainees hope to records management experience be- IMLS-funded grant phases out, the implement their new training at their fore! Very thorough!” This sort of activities of the ATC will continue home repository.
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