Above image: University of Arizona Photograph Collection, Faculty--1891-1910. University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections.

When I was an undergraduate student here, I was unacquainted with Special Collections. These days, I wish I had a professor who integrated archival materials into the curriculum. As an intern, I've now observed an instruction session. Christine Walsh's eSociety class on Digital Storytelling visited for a document analysis exercise that Lisa facilitated. The items related to Louise Foucar Marshall, who is known for being an early professor here, creating the Marshall Foundation, and possibly murdering her husband. Photos, police reports, publications, and other materials were arranged chronologically around the room. In small groups, students extracted details which would contribute to an overarching story. As each group described what they learned, Lisa asked about the who, what, when, where and why. She also had them consider how the creator of the document may have shaped the information. At the end students tried to tell the full story. It was a fun and engaging exercise which demonstrated the impact of the creator, the arrangement of documents, and the interpreter or researcher.

Down in the collections areas, I've started the sorting phase of processing the George Chambers Papers. Last week we reviewed my proposed organization, which includes series like Tucson Newspapers Inc. and subseries like correspondence. This proposal serves as a skeleton for the physical grouping of items, and I can finesse my subseries as I go along. It is within my purview to decide how the contents within a series or subseries are arranged (e.g. alphabetically or chronologically). During sorting, I'm also keeping an eye out for potential dispersals, such as duplicates, and transfers. To my advantage, there is some physical and intellectual control in this collection. Many items falling under a series are found together rather than being completely out-of-control.