Circulation - Spring 2014

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circulat 2

tion cir路cu路la路tion [sur-kyuh-ley-shuh-n], noun 1. Movement to and fro or around something, especially that of fluid in a closed system.

2. The public availability or knowledge of something.

3. The student-run journal of the Information School at the University of Washington.

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MISSION STATEMENT Circulation is the student-run journal of the Information School at the University of Washington. We seek to foster and publish student creative expressions and academic work. We also support student interest in literature, scholarly communication, and publishing through special events and partnerships with organizations within the Information School and beyond.

Staff Co-Editor-in-Chief

Megan Carlin

Co-Editor-in-Chief

Becky Ramsey

Treasurer

Susie Cummings

Social Media Coordinator Rebecca Brothers

Help Wanted* Academic Editor

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Prose Editor

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Poetry Editor

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Art Editor

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Events Coordinator

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* Please contact us if you are interested in any of these positions. We’d love to work with you!

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from the

Editors

As information professionals, our futures will inevitably follow the trajectory of technological development. Our predecessors saw their roles shift as the scrolls of Alexandria gave way to the codex. Innovations in printing sped the dissemination of knowledge with each passing century until a company called Xerox brought photocopying to the masses. The Sojourner, predecessor to this journal, was born out of this development. Later, The Sojourner became the The Silverfish as students once again embraced the future and started a blog.

Launched last year, Circulation takes advantage of the myriad communication venues available today. We publish journals electronically, we keep a blog, we tweet, and we reach out through Facebook. Starting in the 2014-15 school year, we will also be sponsoring events promoting literature and scholarship. With all this change though, our mission remains the same: To serve our fellow students.

As editors, we look at Circulation as a venue for creative expression. We want to continue the tradition of librarians as people who don’t just keep

the literary cannon, but add to it. In the iSchool, what unites and motivates us all is curiosity. We want to showcase information managers who think critically about their processes and want to discuss real change. This is your forum for your ideas and creativity.

In this issue, our contributors cover a lot of ground, from craft beer to digital archiving. The articles, poetry, art, and infographics, situate themselves on the printed page, in the digital realm, and out in the world. The wide range of topics reflects our deeply varied interests.

We are already looking forward to the upcoming academic year and our Fall Issue, which will again be released during the iFair. As you read through this issue, think about how you can contribute to these conversations.

What ideas need expressing? What has this inspired you to create? To those of you who have already contributed: Thank you for your thoughtfulness. To those of you who will contribute in the future: Show us where the next steps lead!

Becky Ramsey

Megan Carlin

Circulation, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Circulation, Co-Editor-in-Chief

MLIS Candidate

MLIS Candidate

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content world

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The Rise of Craft Beer

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River Culture: The Information Behavior of Whitewater Rafting Guides

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Suzzallo & Allen Libraries Infographic

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Research Product Comparison: An Annotated Poem

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A Glimpse into My World

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Creating a Professional Footprint through Volunteering

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ts print

digital

Coffee, Wonderful Coffee

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Hold the Spandex

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My First Love

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iEx Libris

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Limitations

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Augmented Reality Fitness App for Google Glass

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Personal Papers Meet the PC: Digital Archiving for Literary Scholarship

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A Look Back at the Shift to Digital Popular Cultural Collections

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wor 8

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by Isaac Kuek 10

River Culture: The Information Behavior of Whitewater Rafting Guides

by Diane Bohach “It depends.”

guides on the water. One unique information

That was the reply Jay proudly gave to just

feature of raft guides is their ability to react

about any inquiry by a guest in his raft.

quickly to a situation on the water and

He believed that any question asked of him could be answered by these two simple words.

“How deep is the river?” Jay’s response, “It depends.”

communicate efficiently to guests, other guides, office staff, and emergency responders when necessary. Over time, I also became better at dealing with information during

“Do I have to wear a lifejacket?” Jay’s response, “It depends.”

difficult situations.

The information sharing between guides

“Can you tell us a little about the local geology or history?” Jay’s response, “It depends.”

“What happens if we flip?” Jay’s response, “It depends.”

and guests begins on land, with the guides fitting guests for lifejackets and wetsuits.

Guests size up the guides and try to determine what each might be like and which they would

River guides are not known for their

prefer to have. Guides typically don’t initiate

forthrightness or honesty. In fact, what they are

much interaction until they know who is in

best at is telling grand stories and embellishing the

their boat for the day. A safety speech is given

truth, or making up downright lies in order to show

at the put-in prior to getting in the boats in an

their guests a good time, create an image of

effort to avoid injuries and educate the guests

themselves as “river god” (Jonas, 1999), and,

on what to expect. It is during this speech that

ultimately, get a good tip. Throughout the summers

the trip leader, goes into great detail about

from 1993 to 1999, I was part of this tribe. I worked

what to do in case of emergencies such as

at a place called Four Corners Rafting in the small

flipping. Jonas (1999) notes that this is the first

mountain town of Nathrop, Colorado.

opportunity to communicate with guests in a

The analysis of information behavior in this

way that elevates the status of the river guide

paper focuses on raft guides as they work on and off

by constructing and enhancing danger on the

the water. As an introvert, I was always interested

river, how facing such danger is used to

in how well many of my fellow boatmen and women

demonstrate strong character, and use that as a

communicated with guests. As time went by, I

basis for authority. At Four Corners, Toby was

became better and better at storytelling and

always the best safety speech guy. His talks

knowing when and how to use information

lasted about 30 minutes and he had the rapt

effectively to prepare guests for what to expect in

attention of every guest for the full time.

(or out) of the boat, and communicate with fellow

Laughter and hoots were common from the

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guests, and Toby’s outlandish stories always

According to Kuhlthau (1991), the first stage is

pumped up the crowd.

known as initiation, and I had just experienced it. I

The real information ground was the raft.

was confronted both with my own information

Here, the guide initiated conversation and

need and the need to disseminate information to

continued safety talks, like how to paddle. But

my guests so that we could help others.

after the more formal coaching occurred, the

Many people don’t receive information well

artful guide could spin conversation in any

under duress. When guests in my boat who were

direction. Depending on the personality of the

safe and sound saw other people bobbing through

guide, this could be a one-way storytelling

the water with only lifejackets to keep them afloat,

conversation, or a multidirectional sharing of

they froze. No matter how loud I shouted, and no

information. Typically the guide would be the

matter how much immediate danger there was to

facilitator. Some of my favorite topics to discuss

our own safety, they would not hear me or respond

with the guests would be the history of the local

until they were able to shake off the freeze. Events

area, the surrounding peaks, and descriptions

that exceed a person’s experience or current state

of the river and rapids. I occasionally discussed

of knowledge create this effect.

geology at key points along the river, but I had to know my audience.

As the trip is winding down, and on the bus

ISP’s second stage, known as selection, asks what the relevant action to take is. In this situation, we needed to pick the bobbing swimmers out of the

ride back, the guides and guests typically

water and get them safely to shore with the other

continue to engage in information sharing. Back

boats and then assess the situation. I was able to

at the shop, very little information is shared

pick up three of the eight swimmers in the swiftly

between guests and guides after the tip

moving current. This stage exhibits a sense of

(hopefully) has been given.

optimism, and having three people out of harm’s way gave me that sense, even if they were

River guides must constantly be aware of their surroundings, almost hyperaware. After

screaming and crying.

In the third stage called exploration, where a

each rapid, it is the guide’s job to look behind

sense of confusion, frustration, or doubt creeps in,

and make sure the raft following is in good

I was attempting to extend my understanding by

condition. On a cold, rainy, high water day in

exploring what was going on with the big picture.

1997, I was part of a large, ten boat trip. There

After all ten boats

were approximately 60 guests. When I looked

were able to pull over

behind after making it through step number

and all the swimmers

five in the “Staircase,” I saw Big Mike’s raft

were accounted for,

upside down and eight people in the water.

the victims had to be

Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process

assessed for injury. In

the artful guide could spin conversation in any direction

(Pettigrew et al. 2001) identifies six stages in

this situation, all

the information search process, each of which

swimmers were cold

include feelings, thoughts, and actions for the

and becoming

individual searcher in each stage. The ISP ties

hypothermic, but

in quite well with raft guides seeking and

otherwise stable, except for Betty. Betty was an

disseminating information in an emergency

elderly woman who had no pulse and was not

situation because every step of the process

breathing. A firefighter who was a guest in my boat

involves emotions, thoughts, and action.

immediately began CPR along with a doctor from 12

another boat and Curtis, a fellow guide. While this

debrief with all of the guides in order to

was going on, I helped divide warm clothes among

understand what happened and try to make

the other victims who were shivering and

rescue more efficient in the future.

traumatized. The trip leader communicated via radio for an ambulance to meet us at the take-out.

The fourth stage, formulation, brings some

This Information Search Process moved along a continuum of uncertainty and frustration to growing confidence and focus as

clarity to the information seeking process. In this

we identified clear ways to deal with the chaos

stage, we formed an evacuation plan to get Betty

and evacuation. There can be both positive and

and the other guests out of the canyon and back to

negative effects on rescue. Lack of experience

safety. After five minutes of CPR, Betty’s pulse

can lead to a number of mistakes that can complicate rescue efforts.

No matter how loud I shouted...they would not hear me or respond until they were able to shake off the freeze.

The fact that we were all properly trained in swift water rescue helped alleviate many potential frustrations. Luckily, this story ended on a happy note and Betty did survive. Though I doubt she ever went on a raft again.

So why do guides do it? Why do they put themselves in harm’s way? According to

came back, weak, but there nonetheless.

Csikszentmihalyi, “flow” is a mental state in

In the fifth stage, we gained a sense of direction

which people are so involved in an activity that

and confidence by putting the evacuation plan into

nothing else seems to matter. The experience

place and taking action to get everyone out safely,

itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even

especially Betty whose life was in danger. CPR

at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it. As a

continued on the raft all the way out.

river guide, I had the ability to live in the

In the sixth and final stage, called presentation,

moment when I was on the water. No matter

we completed our process by putting Betty on the

what was going on in my life, as soon as I got

ambulance at the take-out. We dealt with other

on the water, I forgot it all and was intimately

guests who still needed attention. Finally, we had a

in touch with my environment.

References Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: Harper & Row. Jonas, Lilian M. (1999). Making and Facing Danger: Constructing Strong Character on the River.

Symbolic Interaction, 22 (3): 247-267.

Kuhlthau, C. C. (June 01, 1991). Inside the Search Process: Information Seeking from the User's Perspective. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 42, 5, 361-71.

Pettigrew, K. E. (1999). The role of community health nurses in providing information and referral to the elderly: A study based on social network theory. Ottawa: National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada.

Pettigrew, K.E., Fidel, R., & Bruce, H. (2001). Conceptual frameworks in information behavior. Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (ARIST), 35, 43–78.

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by Shekhar Sudhir Parkhi 15

Research Product Comparison: An Annotated Poem

by Millie Barriger, Lydia Bello, Senteara Orwig, and Elan Tomlinson In the spirit of creativity, we have presented our findings in verse. This verse is annotated with citations and in depth explanations when we felt that including such elements would stretch the boundaries of acceptable verse. There are differences in poetic style as well, as each group member chose and wrote verse for their choice of product. These different products are color coded for your comprehension, and the author’s voice shines through in each section.

We hope that this makes our analysis clear while allowing for poetic license.

After much exploratory conduct through the literature of library space We’ve gathered together four products to critique and compare (especially for you) with our trusty 570 knowledge base

Black, A. (2011). ‘We don’t do public libraries like we used to’: Attitudes to public library buildings in the UK at the start of the 21st century. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 43 (1), 30-45. doi: 10.1177/0961000610390991 1

They say the public library is going away Milewicz, E. J. (2009). "But is it a library?" the contested meanings and changing culture of the One researcher thinks that the buildings are here to academic library. (Unpublished doctoral say dissertation). Emory University, Georgia.

1 Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/ The question is now: old or new? docview/305092448?accountid=14784 And will be replaced by the internet – boo.

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Her research explores the meaning that the library holds for members of the academic community and how that meaning has shifted with the dawn of the millennial generation and its emphasis on high-tech, high-collaboration spaces. Her research also asks “what role quiet plays in scholarly work and life and in the meaning of the library to the academic community, and considers what shifts in the shape, sound and use of academic libraries portend.” (p.4) 3

A dissertation

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of grand proportions was chosen Long and entertaining though hardly ambrosian Exploring the sound levels of each library space And whether patrons felt noises were too in their face.3

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Nestled in the hot spring haven of Beitou lies the greenest library.

Could the local Beitou population be binary?

Some could love, some could hate this new creation.

For sure they admire this emerald innovation.

Greenest of all the structures in Taiwan!

Tseng’s questionnaire

NCSU Master Plan

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will help it grow on.

A master plan 5

4 Tseng, S. (July 18, 2008). Green library design and evaluation: the Taipei Public Library, Taiwan.

New Library World, 109, 321-336.

was crafted for NCSU To guide the library in what they should do They consulted an architecture firm to prepare for renovation and construction longterm

These are all products that relate to the library expanse And each delves into the research methods used We wish we could present the class with a dance, But we would leave you less informed and, we fear, more confused.

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5 Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle Ltd. (2002). NC State University library master plan. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Author. Retrieved from http:// www.lib.ncsu.edu/sites/default/files/huntlibrary/ documents/masterplan_final.pdf

The four products chosen were united in theme, They all probe at what the library space means, However they all differ greatly in form Some of the researchers more passionate, but none Beitou Branch , Taiwan

lukewarm.

Yes, these products all do relate to library science, We all know a library’s more than the sum of its parts.

Yet when we speak of our degree, no matter our alliance The building is what others will associate us with Along with our learning and smarts.

Public libraries in Britain, one in Taipei Academic libraries in noise and designing away.

All these four products are solid and sound.

And use the methods we learned all ‘round.

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A Glimpse into My

World

by Twanna Hodge I took these pictures during my trip back home. I was born and raised on the island of St. Thomas. I took the photos to give people a glimpse into my world, a world filled with sun, warmth, blue skies, and colorful people.

The top picture is from a ferry heading to St. John Cruz Bay for a day of 'liming' and hanging out with my family . St. John is second smallest island in the U.S. Virgin Islands and where the national park can be found.

The bottom image is taken from Skyline Drive, which is a popular tourist spot. What you see is the capital of St. Thomas, Charlotte Amalie, and what is considered a part of 'town'.

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Creating a Professional Footprint through Volunteering

by Tiffany Coulson Professional development for many MLIS

After being overwhelmed by information about

students naturally occurs in the

integrating Information-Communication

workplace. Some students may find an

Technologies (ICTs) in libraries while on a UW

internship or DFW that provides that work

Exploration Seminar in Denmark (LIS 568), I

experience. However, for others, finding

wrote to a friend at home, lamenting the need for

opportunities to create a professional footprint

library services and the lack of skilled professionals

may be a more difficult process to map.

in our rural Washington school district. As soon as

One of the most practical aspects of MLIS

I was home, I enlisted the help of community

classes are projects which let us apply what

members and two Eagle Scouts to physically

we’re learning in a real-life context. Over the

transform two elementary libraries with puppet

last two years I’ve spent time at a Senior

theaters, book browsing stations, and rain gutter

Citizen’s center researching the information

wall shelves for books so readers could choose

behaviors of baby boomers , (LIS 510), I’ve

books by their covers. I volunteered to start a blog

helped a local principal learn more about

for teachers offering information on digital literacy

opening the school for community use in the evenings , (LIS 550), and I’ve had a paper published on how citizens can participate in the federal regulatory process online. (LIS 526). But what happens when you get really excited about something you have learned, and there is no project for it? I’m afraid I can’t keep it to myself; so I leverage my small town influence and volunteer for my own projects in the community.

Last fall I found a modest digital literacy

One of the most practical aspects of MLIS classes are projects which let us apply what we’re learning in a real-life context.

grant from Washington State Libraries. With the cooperation of the local high school, I was

in the library, and taught an information session on

able to write a grant for collaborative learning

resources to guide their students during library

using my online experience at UW as a

time. (LIS 560)

model. The high school was awarded the

My favorite volunteer project grew out of an

grant, and I have volunteered to gather data

assignment for Beth Patin’s Multi-Cultural Youth

and report on its success. (LIS 570)

Services class (LIS 564). I evaluated one library for 20

multicultural literature involving Latino, Native

in Geneva and another at the Internet

American and biracial children. My findings from

Governance Forum in Istanbul this November

this project revealed that less than 2% of the library

(LIS 584).

collection could be considered authentic

In fact, I have been asked to volunteer as a

multicultural literature in a district that is 95%

virtual panelist in Istanbul on women’s digital

Hispanic. In fact, I learned that some schools had

access issues. World Pulse is a volunteer

purged their collections of bilingual books in an

project I want to continue after graduation. The

effort to follow an “English-only policy” in the

need will continue and I can do it from

district. I located a foundation online called First

anywhere.

Book that provides deep discounts to organizations

I have volunteered to teach online project

that are in need and then received a matching grant

management skills to the high school ASB

from the Disney Corporation. I was able to

during lunch time trainings, (INFX 595) I’ve

purchase over 100 titles for the library, many of

shown teachers how to use primary resources

which I had learned about in class.

from the Library of Congress website, (LIS 520)

Buying books – who wouldn’t want volunteer work

and have volunteered at library conferences.

like that?

The latest conference I attended, I had the

My Capstone project was based on my first attempt to volunteer online (INFX 595). I analyzed

volunteer work...kept me motivated this year

opportunity to present as a lightening talk speaker sharing my experiences of –you

data for a global

guessed it – volunteering! As a second year

women’s

student volunteer, I feel that I have been able to

organization out of

develop my information skills (LIS 580) in ways

Portland called

that would never have been available to me in a

“World Pulse”. I

remote community.

evaluated data from

My volunteer work has really kept me

journal entries

motivated this year. I may not get a grade, and

women send in on

my volunteer work may not put me any closer

digital access,

to needed graduation credits, but I have

digital literacy and digital empowerment. (LIS 500,

definitely been able to create a path that will

560, 570) I read entries from 41 different countries,

lead me toward my professional goals by

and my work will be reported at two global

translating academic knowledge into

information summits, one for the United Nations

professional skills. –

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Coffee, Wonderful Coffee

by Martha Karavitis

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by Erin Vonnahme

Hold the Spandex

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My First Love

by Tracey R. Johnson

I want to compose love like a poem Flowing, as rivers do deep In the heat of passion unrequited, Sighted like pen & paper across a crowded room, True lovers connect at a depth containing fathoms, The oneness is a chasm too deep for protection, Affection in verses & the darkness between, Late night prose that makes the toes curl, Words like tongues silky as pearls, My spirit unfurls to the rhythm the rhyme, Passionate lines that define eternity, The silent throes of ecstasy, Intimate literacy caressing, Confessions on sheets wet with blood & ink, Succinct sentiments & sensuous phrases, Composition consummated, Weighted gazes till the poetry is sated.

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iEx Libris

by Megan Carlin Winner of the iArts & ALISS tote bag design contest.

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Limitations

By Libby Hopfauf

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digi 30

ital 31

Augmented Reality Fitness App for Google Glass iSchool Students Present at CHI 2014 FITNAMO Team: Edward Nguyen, Elton Dias, Tanmay Modak, Liang Huang, and Yang Yu This year at the ACM CHI 2014 conference, a group of MSIM students, Edward Nguyen, Elton Dias, Tanmay Modak, Liang Huang and Yang Yu, represented the University of Washington Information School in the Student Design Competition. Their project, Fitnamo, is a concept fitness application designed for Google Glass.

From the project abstract: Current mobile health apps allow users to track and monitor their fitness statistics and enjoy exercise.

As the next generation of mobile devices arrives, new apps must be developed to improve upon current exercise experiences. We introduce Fitnamo, a mobile health app designed for Google Glass. Fitnamo offers entertaining exercise routines through the use of augmented reality games and uses a

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Personal Papers Meet the PC Digital Archiving for Literary Scholarship

by Kate Emery, Suzanne LeDoux, and Becky Ramsey For almost as long as there have been writers,

Analog records alongside electronic

people have been analyzing writing. For centuries,

records, create an exciting but confusing mix of

literary scholars understand the writing process by

documents. Questions of authenticity take on a

through journals, letters, unpublished works, and

much broader scope with implications far

other ephemera. As modern writers move away

beyond the metaphorical metadata date stamp

from longhand and typewritten transcription and

(Helfrich, 2010). For instance, migrating

embrace digital creation, scholars must adapt.

between Apple and Microsoft operating

While literary scholarship will continue to revolve

systems can change metadata, forcing the

around access to the work that writers leave

archivist to rely on other bibliographical data to

behind, the forms this work takes are evolving.

recreate save dates (Kirschenbaum, 2013). As

Modern archivists’ challenge is to adapt to these

digital special collections grow, learning from

shifts in media while maintaining and upholding

past endeavors become increasingly important.

their professional standards. This paper will explore through case studies the various issues and themes relevant to the ongoing discussion of borndigital archival practices.

John Updike & Salman Rushdie When John Updike, one of the preeminent novelists of the twentieth century, died in

Issues of copyright, storage space, and

2009, he left behind a substantial legacy of

manpower have long faced archival work, and the

work that spanned over four decades. Although

situation is no different in the digital realm. What

much of his work was composed on paper,

is unique, though, is the threat of obsolescence that

Updike incorporated computers into his

haunts digital manuscript collections. As the first

routine: “He writes fiction and poetry in

generation of authors working in electronic media

longhand, prose at a typewriter and final

begins making donations, archivists must learn

revisions at the computer. Once the hard copy

new skills in digital detective work (Carlson, 2004).

appears, the computer files are erased” (De

The large number of false-starts and failed

Bellis, 2000). Evidently, not all the computer

products at the beginning of the personal

files were erased. His collection at Houghton

computing age complicates the archival goal of

Library includes fifty floppy disks in addition to

making papers available for posterity

manuscripts, correspondence, books, and other

(Kirschenbaum, et al., 2009). In the past decades,

traditional formats (Loftus, 2010).

software has come and gone and repositories

His careful ministrations, however, did not

struggle to access and preserve files in obsolete

extend to the digital files now in Harvard’s

formats.

possession. While Updike’s letters, books,

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drawings, and other physical ephemera were

(temporary changes that have no impact on the

exhibited in the summer of 2012, three years

master file) (Cohen, 2010). As a software

after they were acquired, his digital archives

technician on the Emory team put it: “The imprint

remain unprocessed. Leslie Morris, a curator at

of the writer’s personality lies within his

the Houghton Library, explained, "We don't

computer” (Loftus, 2010).

really have any methodology as yet. We just

Both Rushdie and Updike were meticulous self-

store the disks in our climate-controlled stacks,

archivists; Rushdie with computer file names,

and we're hoping for some kind of universal

Updike with paper manuscripts and boxes.

Harvard guidelines" (Cohen, 2010). At the time

Whatever insights Updike’s floppy disks may be

of this writing, there is no indication of when,

able to contribute to literary scholarship remain to

or if, those files will be made available to

be seen, however, as they still sit on a shelf at

researchers; the finding aid in Harvard’s Online

Harvard. Emory’s digital forensics and standard

Archival Search Information System (OASIS) is

archival practices stand as examples to other

“under construction.”

institutions that may be uncertain how to process

Harvard’s strategy, or lack thereof, is in stark contrast to that of Emory University, which acquired the archives of Salman Rushdie in 2006. The Rushdie collection includes traditional manuscript materials such as notebooks, drawings, and photos, but it also includes four Macintosh computers and an external hard drive, 18 gigabytes of data in total

born-digital or hybrid collections.

Harvard’s strategy, or lack thereof, is in stark contrast to that of Emory University

(Loftus, 2010). The archival staff at Emory’s Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (MARBL) enacted a three-part plan: (1) to

Deena Larsen Accessioned by the Maryland Institute for

create a master copy of each disk image, and

Technology in the Humanities (MITH), Deena

then to secure the disk images in a “dark

Larsen’s personal, electronic papers present a new

archive,” while at the same time instituting a

layer of challenge for the archivist. Whereas Updike

method for archivists to obtain copies of the

and Rushdie used electronic tools for traditional,

master files; (2) to develop the policies and

print publications, Larsen’s work is not just born-

infrastructure for archival processing,

digital, but can mostly only be experienced

including the creation of metadata; and (3) to

digitally. She pioneered use of software—

develop tools and interfaces that researchers

particularly HyperCard and StorySpace—in her

would be able to use to access the archived

creative work. As both software and hardware

materials (Farr, 2007). As part of this third

waned and were surpassed by new media, her

task, the archival team built an innovative

writing became endangered. Archival work to

research tool: a facsimile of Rushdie’s Mac

preserve her papers, then, was not just focused on

Performa 5400, including his daily calendar,

allowing scholars to research the writing process,

browser history, a plethora of Mac stickies, and

but making the works themselves available for

early drafts of his novels. Researchers can trace

future audiences. This process involved traditional

what websites the author visited during the

digitizing efforts for print materials as well as the

creative process, review his email

file and metadata conversion.

correspondence, and even edit Rushdie’s work

MITH received the gift of Larsen’s papers 34

because of the close relationship between the

However, the greatest value of Larsen’s

author and the institute’s associate director,

collection lies in the social nature of her files.

Matthew Kirschenbaum (Kirschenbaum, 2013), as

MITH accessioned the collection to document a

well as MITH’s close connection to other digital

movement, not just one person’s work.

preservation initiatives. MITH is neither an archive nor a special library. It is a digital humanities center which focuses on “the theory

Michael Joyce The Harry Ransom Center at the University

and practice of digital humanities, cyberculture,

of Texas at Austin is a humanities research

and new media” (Kirschenbaum, et al., 2009, p.

library whose primary collection emphasis is on

109). Kirschenbaum makes a point in his 2013

the literature and culture of the United States,

Digital Humanities Quarterly article that this

Great Britain, and France. The 2005

model for acquiring archival materials will not and

acquisition of the Michael Joyce papers,

should not supersede traditional archives. He

however, was the first time the Center engaged

does, however, argue for the unique perspective

in a deliberate attempt to arrange and describe

MITH has for making the Larsen papers accessible.

born-digital literary materials (Kirschenbaum,

It understood implicitly that the collection would

et al., 2009). Like Larsen, Michael Joyce is an

serve as a test and learning tool for how to handle

author who pioneered hypertext writing.

similar collections in the future. From the MITH

Because its staff lacked digital manuscript

website: “We believe that such hybrid, transmedia

archiving experience, the Center partnered

works are not anomalous but in fact typical of the

with the School of Information at the

kind of cultural heritage libraries and repositories

University of Texas at Austin to process the

will have to learn to curate and archive in the years

collection (Stollar & Kiehne, 2006). Professor

to come.” Moreover, because of preexisting

Patricia Galloway was allowed to use the Joyce

relationships, Larsen felt comfortable that she

materials for a case study in her class

could be a future influence on the project, which

“Problems in Permanent Retention of

she has done in residencies following the 2007

Electronic Records.” She and three students

acquisition.

undertook a semester-long project to develop a

Ultimately, copyright issues, as with all

strategy for archiving an initial accession of

contemporary authors’ collections, will define the

electronic manuscripts saved on three hundred

ultimate scope and use

and seventy-one floppy disks totaling 211 KB of

of the archive. As part

data. A later acquisition of electronic and

of an early community

paper-based materials was also processed by

of hypertext authors,

archival staff after the completion of the initial

Larsen’s collection

student project. These materials came in the

includes many works by

form of three hard drives containing 8.38 GB of

other writers. This

data and 60 manuscript boxes of paper files

means that any kind of

(Stollar & Kiehne, 2006).

the greatest value of Larsen’s collection lies in the social nature of her files

collection publication

While processing the Michael Joyce

will raise multiple

collection, the students faced issues like file

copyright issues, not

recovery, data migration, preservation,

just Larsen’s own.

arrangement, and description. Some of the

These circumstances will likely put the archive at

most trying challenges were technological.

the forefront of copyright debates in years to come.

Little was known about the format of the

35

collection prior to processing. It turned out

preservation is key. This includes current

that the original storage material was unstable

metadata standards, crosswalks between encoding

and the files had to be moved quickly. In the

standards, available tools, storage systems, file

course of arranging and describing the first

format repositories, national and international

accession of floppy discs, they developed a

research initiatives, user expectations, and

process which could apply to future projects:

published best practice guides. Finally, a thorough

“1. Receive and identify physical media; 2.

understanding of traditional archival theory and

Catalog the physical media; 3. Copy files to

practice is necessary. Despite all the new skills

newer physical media; 4. Perform initial file

required by processers of digital collections,

processing; 5. Create an item-level index of all

traditional archiving standards continue to ground

recovered files; 6. Create and process working

and inform ethical and practical decisions.

copies of all files while retaining the original Conclusion

bitstream copies” (Stollar & Kiehne, 2006).

Technical metadata was collected at each step

As the three case studies above have shown,

during the process to support provenance and

many advances have been made in the area of

authenticity issues (Helfrich, 2010).

digital archiving, but there is still a long way to go

Many new skills were developed by

in the development of protocols and procedures

Ransom Center staff and the Information

when dealing with born-digital materials. Many

School students during the processing of the

digital archiving questions remain unanswered.

Michael Joyce papers. These skills are vital for

How much

other institutions to acquire before processing

information is too

a born-digital collection. First, a thorough

much? Can

grounding in the various operating systems

ownership actually

helps for understanding the environments in

be transferred to the

which digital files were created. Secondly, an

accessioning

knowledge of digital document structures must

repository? How do

be coupled with a proficiency with new tools

we authenticate born-digital files? Where will we

being developed. Developing workflows and

find funding for new tools and training in digital

procedures will address the new structure of

archiving? Many of these questions are just

born-digital collections. Additionally, the

coming to the forefront of archival thought and

ability to monitor current trends in digital

remain, as yet, to be explored.

digital archiving questions remain unanswered

References Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: Harper & Row. Jonas, Lilian M. (1999). Making and Facing Danger: Constructing Strong Character on the River.

Symbolic Interaction, 22 (3): 247-267.

Kuhlthau, C. C. (June 01, 1991). Inside the Search Process: Information Seeking from the User's Perspective. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 42, 5, 361-71.

Pettigrew, K. E. (1999). The role of community health nurses in providing information and referral to the elderly: A study based on social network theory. Ottawa: National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada.

Pettigrew, K.E., Fidel, R., & Bruce, H. (2001). Conceptual frameworks in information behavior. Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (ARIST), 35, 43–78.

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A Look Back at the Shift to Digital Popular Cultural Collections via Collection Development Policy Analysis

by Frank Branch Abstract The year is 2050... An academic librarian investigates the collection development (CD) policies, standards, and practices from the early 21st century regarding born-digital content. This paper reviews a set of selection policies for popular culture, born-digital materials, and new media from the year 2014. In the grand scheme of collection development history, how will the early 21st century measure up?

In the early 21st century, our cultural content

2014 and most were forward-thinking on the

transitioned to the formats entirely created and

need to select primary research materials for

distributed online (born-digital), which are

cultural studies collections. Their overviews

commonplace today in 2050. Librarians

noted that supporting scholarly endeavors in

responsible for the Popular, Media, and American

cultural studies was particularly challenging

Culture collections in academic libraries can learn a

because researchers must access material that

none of these policies mentioned the transition of popular culture to born-digital form

great deal by looking

represented the culture as much as they

at the selection,

accessed material that examined the culture

preservation, and

intellectually. The Brown policy addressed

electronic resources

those concerns briefly by describing the

policies prevalent

collection’s interdisciplinary nature (Brown

back when that shift

University, 2014a) and the need to support “…

began. I will review

both historic and contemporary

the selector-specific

interests…” (Brown University, 2014a). GWU’s

collection

policy went into more detail by specifying areas

development (CD)

of interest such as folk life, literary analysis,

policies from

art, visual culture and history (Killian, 2005).

prominent Popular

Only MSU directly addressed the need for

Culture collections at

primary materials by outlining specific types

Brown University (Brown), Michigan State

and genres such as comic art, popular fiction,

University (MSU), and George Washington

science fiction, almanacs, etiquette manuals,

University (GWU), which were publicly available in

etc… (Berg, 2014). Its policy specified

2014, for their effect on scholarly cultural studies

collection levels for each of these areas of focus

today.

individually.

All but one of these policies were up to date in

37

In retrospect, none of these policies

mentioned the transition of popular culture to

general policy. All of the policies mentioned using

born-digital forms. These policies described

Bowling Green State University’s (BGSU) popular

special collections focused on print without

culture preservation program as a means to meet

mention of the equivalent born-digital material

their community’s future needs. In hindsight, the

rising in popularity in 2014. For example, the

reliance on BGSU to preserve access to materials

explosion of web comics in the early 2000’s

contained in their own collections lead to local

was not specifically mentioned in MSU’s

collection deterioration.

electronic resources selection guidelines

None of these policies addressed the highly

despite its strong focus on printed comic art.

ephemeral nature of the newly emerging popular

This omission was particularly interesting

material created solely online during this time.

because MSU mentioned the lack of selecting

Today much of that material has disappeared due

emerging popular culture, such as comic books,

to shifting technology, changing formats, and lack

during the mid-twentieth century to justify

of emphasis in CD policies during that decade.

immediately enhancing its print collections.

Important early web comics like Girl Genius and

The lack of selection policies for born-digital

XKCD are now hard to find. The uniquely transient

material has led to a similar situation today,

nature of digital artifacts should have been directly

where popular culture collections struggle to

incorporated into policies in the same way MSU

obtain digital material that was readily

recognized preservation concerns about its print

available in the early 21st century.

collection.

Conversely, the potential digital

The rise of popular digital formats should have

preservation of the print collections was only

been of particular concern for libraries with

addressed by MSU. “The very nature of popular

missions emphasizing popular culture. However,

culture printed material raises significant

the example policies did not mention these

preservation issues and problems which must be addressed.” (Berg, 2014) MSU discussed these issues at length in their policy. For example, it pointed out the special needs caused by the use of poor quality acidic paper and each material type’s preservation plan accompanied the corresponding selection criteria.

The subject specific policy at Brown referenced the library’s broader policy on preservation that required material to have “…

The uniquely transient nature of digital artifacts should have been directly incorporated into [collections development] policies

significant provenance, illustrations, bindings, fine printing, and annotations” (Brown

concerns and discussed electronic resources only in

University, 2014b) before it could be preserved.

the form of access to electronic journals or leased

This policy did not mention the unique needs of

databases about cultural studies such as the

mass market materials pointed out in MSU’s

original Project Muse. For example, I would have

policy or define preservation levels for items of

suggested adding the following section to the

popular merit. GWU’s policy provided no

existing electronic resources area of the CD policy

preservation guidance at all in the selector’s or

for MSU’s Nye Popular Culture Collection: 38

Born-Digital Electronic Resources

available for future generations of scholarship.

The advent of a vibrant online media culture

Each of the policies reviewed made an

raises the significance of born-digital material

elegant case for the need to collect popular

created both in and out of the institution. Digitally

culture material such as science fiction,

distributed content contains the same importance

westerns, comic books, and advertising copy in

to the mission of the library as its printed

support of academic interests in cultural

counterparts. However, the ephemeral nature,

studies. However, none of them adequately

copyright issues, and metadata management of this

address the shift in that culture to expressing

type of media needs special attention to insure that

itself digitally. A similar loss of cultural

it can be accessed and preserved for future use by

artifacts occurred in the early 20th century

scholars as primary research material. The library

because of a lack of focus on emerging material

will select born-digital content in the same manner

from the advent of sound recording and motion

it does for similar printed collections in order to

picture technologies. Preventing a similar loss

facilitate this need.

of early digital artifacts required enacting

In addition, the library will employ appropriate

policies that specifically address born-digital

technology and preservation techniques to make

content by libraries with popular culture

sure the born-digital collection continues to be

special collections.

References Berg, P. (2014). Collection Development Policy Statement: Russel B. Nye Popular Culture Collection.

Retrieved May 3, 2014, from http://libguides.lib.msu.edu/print_content.php? pid=90141&sid=670926&mode=g Brown University. (2014a). Collection Development Policy: American Studies. Retrieved May 3, 2014, from http://library.brown.edu/colldev/subjects/subject.php?id=3 Brown University. (2014b). Collection Development Policy: Storage, Preservation and Transfer. Retrieved May 3, 2014, from http://library.brown.edu/colldev/storage.php Killian, D. (2005). Collection Development Statement: American Studies. Retrieved May 3, 2014, from http://library.gwu.edu/sites/default/files/collections/AmerStudies.pdf

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call for submissions

Fall 2014 Submission Guidelines

Theme The fall issue will showcase your summer projects and experiences.

Inspiration Ideas can come from anywhere. Going on an adventure this summer? Practicing a new art?

Working on a presentation for the Research Fair?

Joining Camp Nanowrimo?

We’re interested in it all! We want your travel journals, photography, blog posts, illustrations, and more!

We will also be sending out writing inspiration through social media this summer.

Contact Send submissions to circulationmag@gmail.com.

You can also follow us on Twitter @circulationmag.

Like our Facebook page, UWLiteraryMag. Read our blog at circulationmag.tumblr.com.

Deadline Please have your work in by August 15, 2014.

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