NEWSLETTER 11/30/05
Hello all…the month of November has flown by with project work moving at lightening speed. I am going to try to encapsulate some of the activity and the results.
MEATADATA and CONTROLLED VOCABULARY
Before we could even begin to think about scanning the first item, metadata fields and corresponding controlled vocabulary lists used to document each item had to be developed. Even with the input of all, this was a major challenge of the semester. I had the opportunity to meet individually with Kathy Wisser, NC ECHO Metadata Coordinator. She spent three days in Cullowhee to conduct a workshop on Encoded Archival Description. I attended with other Hunter faculty and staff. The project employed a combination of Dublin Core fields with added local categories, specific to the project. At the end, we wound up dropping Chenhall Nomenclature in favor of using Library of Congress Subject Headings for all types of items. The controlled vocabulary lists were difficult and I am sure we’ll have others names and items to add as we move through the project, but we have a good start and have developed a procedure to add to the lists if needed. Once drafted, the metadata fields were input into a template using our database software, Content DM.
EQUIPMENT and SOFTWARE
The equipment, with the exception of the camera, has all come in and the Library Systems dept. unpacked it all, loaded it with appropriate software, and re-packed it so that our Heritage Partners would have the experience of setting it up themselves. We ordered and received four sets, each containing a computer and scanner. We are using Content DM as our database software and Adobe Photoshop as our scanning/image manipulation software. We’ve procured licenses for these as well. After the setup, the software was tested and then customized for our project.
PARTNER TRAINING
To say we put our Year I Heritage Partners through training is not exactly accurate for some of them—especially our own George Frizzel—have a wealth of scanning experience. Still, it was helpful to go through the process with everyone and to see what was confusing and what was clear. Next year, our Heritage Partners will not have had a long association with the project, so we’ll need to be able to bring them up speed with this training module well developed.
We’ve developed a training manual to cover all the steps—metadata, scanning, storing, and inputting data—and have posted them to the Library Insider website. I’ll have a few copies of these at the meeting, but if you’d like to, you can see them at: http://library.wcu.edu/libraryinsider/craftrevivalgrant/index.htm
The Training Manual drew from NC ECHOs website and incorporated as many of the grant “rules” as possible.
SITE VISITS
I was able to get around to all partners to discuss the metadata fields, controlled vocabularies, and storyboard. The next phase of the project will focus on developing the story and making sure that image selection complements the text. This next phase will depend more on one-on-one discussions than group meetings, as we’ll address specific questions arising from specific histories. We will, however, be bringing the text to the entire Advisory Group in the early draft stages.
STORYBOARD and WEB PROTOTYPE
At the last Advisory Group meeting, the outline of the storyboard was presented to the group. Subsequent site visits refined this outline somewhat. That done, we were able to move on to sketching out the project website prototype. The earlier brochure site will be incorporated the into the new site and made accessible from an About the Project link. Suggestions on site components were gathered from an entire year’s worth of meetings and incorporated into the site schema. While all of this was going on, the University began the process of hiring an outside firm to develop a new overall web presence for WCU. We are hopeful that these outside consultants may be able to lend their expertise to our project in late spring.
NEW PARTNERS
I visited with potential partners in Cherokee and have extended formal invitations to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and Qualla Arts and Craft Mutual to work with us next year as Heritage Partners. The two organizations will nicely complement the project as the MCI has a wealth of historic material and QAC brings us up-to-date with more contemporary issues, the legacy of the Revival so to speak.
NEW ADVISORS
I am happy to announce that Susan Leveille, owner of Dillsboro’s Riverwood Shops and a working craftsman herself, will be joining our board. Susan comes highly recommended by many of you and she brings with her a personal knowledge of the revival through family ties. Susan’s great aunt was none other than Lucy Morgan of the Penland School of Crafts.
NEW STAFF
We have hired a graduate student from the Public History program who will be working on the project next semester. Her name is Christian Dwight. Christian has had experience working with the Mountain Heritage Center this semester, and we are pleased to have her.
STATUS REPORT
A status report outlining our progress on the grant was submitted to Penny Hornsby at the State Library. Rather than writing up something new, Ms. Hornsby was gracious enough to accept our newsletters as a measure of our progress. (Thanks David, this has been a good suggestion.)
NOT QUITE NEWS
A final note, I’ve been able to attend a number of Mountain Heritage Center programs that have helped integrate the project work—or at least my thinking—into the region. Of particular interest was a program on Cultural Sensitivity in Native American Collection Management. Other programs—on interpretation and oral histories—were equally enlightening. I presented a program to my former Friends of the Library group in Virginia on Using Archival Resources in Public History Projects. As an example, I talked about our own Craft Revival Project.
NEXT MTG
Our final meeting for the semester is next week, December 7th at 10 am. Hope to see you there.
Anna Fariello
Visiting Assoc Professor and Project Leader
Craft Revival Project, Hunter Library
Western Carolina University
fariello@email.wcu.edu
Hunter Library | Library Insider | Last updated: 12/9/05 Melissa Young