{"id":1913,"date":"2018-12-14T20:40:36","date_gmt":"2018-12-14T20:40:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/library\/?p=1913"},"modified":"2020-05-15T19:43:06","modified_gmt":"2020-05-15T19:43:06","slug":"intern-in-the-archives-processing-eva-andersons-baltimore-dance-theater-collection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/library\/2018\/12\/14\/intern-in-the-archives-processing-eva-andersons-baltimore-dance-theater-collection\/","title":{"rendered":"Intern in the Archives: Processing Eva Anderson\u2019s Baltimore Dance Theater Collection"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the second blog post in a two part series about processing the Eva Anderson\u2019s Baltimore Dance Theater Collection!<\/a><\/p>\n

If you’d like to read the first blog post in this two part series, please click here!<\/a><\/p>\n

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Deyane Moses, Intern at the Special Collections & Archives looking at photographs in the Eva Anderson’s Baltimore Dance Theater Collection. (photo by Laura Bell)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Whether it\u2019s when we teach primary source instruction sessions in classes, when we plan outreach community programs, or when we host internships, volunteer experiences, and student workers\u2019 projects, the Special Collections & Archives can facilitate a variety of different learning experiences. Partnering with students in their learning during college and graduate school is one of the most fulfilling parts of working in the Archives.<\/p>\n

Internships are a chance for students to make the archive their classroom for a time. Interns, student workers, and volunteers have contributed to a variety of projects over the years here, including working with the collections database and processing archival collections<\/a>. Teaching others about the work we do in archives and helping them use our collections for their projects is truly a fun part of any archivist\u2019s job, and often both intern and archivist learn something new!<\/p>\n

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Deyane Moses, Intern at the Special Collections & Archives. (Photo by Laura Bell)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Over the past few months, Deyane Moses<\/a>, a student at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), has been an intern working on an exciting project at the Special Collections & Archives. Deyane is a senior photography major with a curatorial studies concentration at MICA who has goals of working in a museum setting someday. She came to the archives at the beginning of the fall 2018 semester hoping to learn more about collections management and building archival exhibits.Her goal for her internship with the Special Collections and Archives was to gain experience working with an archival collection and then plan an exhibit using it. The internship quickly centered on the Eva Anderson\u2019s Baltimore Dance Theater Collection<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This particular collection focuses on a well-known member of the arts community in Baltimore. Eva Anderson (b. 1933 \u2013 d. 2017) was the director of the Baltimore Dance Theater for over 30 years. She taught countless students, choreographed and planned numerous performances, and had a lasting impact in Baltimore and Maryland. The archival collection provides a window into the history of dance and the arts in Baltimore.<\/p>\n

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Image of Eva Anderson from the Eva Anderson’s Baltimore Dance Theater Collection, UB Special Collections & Archives<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When the collection was accessioned and arrived at the archive in 2017, it consisted of 15 boxes and one oversize portfolio. Nine full boxes contained audiovisual materials, and several boxes housed documents including correspondence, clippings, photographs, scrapbooks, and other records. The oversize folder was full of wonderful (but difficult to access) posters and performance advertisements! The materials were in good condition and contained a multitude of information about Eva Anderson\u2019s work with the Baltimore Dance Theater during her thirty-plus years as its director; but, the collection was not very easy to search through. There was also a limited amount of information available in the early version of the online finding aid, which meant researchers did not yet have access to an inventory of materials in the collection or other details about it. But, processing a collection can make it completely accessible to researchers!<\/p>\n

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A box of AV materials from the Eva Anderson’s Baltimore Dance Theater Collection before they were organized (photo by Deyane Moses)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first part of Deyane\u2019s project focused on learning about one aspect of collections management: processing archival collections. As the processing archivist here in the Special Collections & Archives, I was excited to have an intern interested in learning and working on a collection. After some \u2018Archives 101\u2019 training, Deyane enthusiastically jumped into the project.<\/p>\n

In previous internships, Deyane had gained some experience working with archival materials, but this was her first time learning about processing collections.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had done some cataloging where I input large amounts of data about artifacts into a spreadsheet. However, I never processed a collection to this extent [before],\u201d Deyane explained.<\/p>\n

Deyane carefully inventoried and rehoused each DVD, U-matic tape, audio cassette, VHS tape, open reel recording, and document folder in the collection. She also documented preservation issues and other valuable notes that the archive will be able to use to manage the collection. During this step, I also enlisted Deyane\u2019s help as we organized and housed the many photographs and scrapbook materials in the collection to ensure that they would be preserved for future researchers. Deyane was both interested and eager to learn how to carefully store photographs and other delicate materials for preservation while also making sure they could be easily accessed by archives patrons.<\/p>\n

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Working with photographs from the Eva Anderson’s Baltimore Dance Theater Collection (photo by Deyane Moses)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This turned out to be Deyane\u2019s favorite part of processing the collection. She really enjoyed handling, rehousing, and viewing the audiovisual and photographic material.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe proper handling and housing of artifacts is very important to ensuring the collection\u2019s longevity,\u201d Deyane said. \u201cIt was also nice to finally meet<\/em>\u00a0Eva through the audiovisual materials.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Deyane, processing has taught her more about the work of archivists and the effort that goes into making a collection available for research. She explained that during visits to different archives, reference archivists helped her locate and find information by pulling relevant materials from the stacks for her. She didn\u2019t have to \u2018dig\u2019 to find the information or collections she needed. By processing a collection, Deyane got to see how the physical and intellectual organization of a collection works. She enjoyed learning about all of the steps that go into the back-end of making a collection accessible.<\/p>\n

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Inventorying AV materials from the collection (photo by Deyane Moses)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe most interesting thing I learned while processing was the way in which archivist organize collections,\u201d Deyane explained. An archivist has to \u201cthink about the collection as a whole rather than just dates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deyane also saw that archivists can\u2019t be researchers. \u201cThey organize the collection, but don\u2019t interpret the material,\u201d Deyane explained. That\u2019s the researcher\u2019s job. (But, don\u2019t get me wrong, archivists all often want to delve in and read every single page in a collection, but I restrain myself!)<\/p>\n

After Deyane finished the detailed inventory and we completed preservation tasks for the collection, I was be able to finish the arrangement and description (organization) of the collection and write an online finding aid. Deyane\u2019s work was a valuable first step in processing the collection!\u00a0 As I finished up, she was able to begin part two of her internship: planning an exhibit focused on Eva Anderson and the Baltimore Dance Theater.<\/p>\n

For the remainder of her internship, which continues this spring in 2019, Deyane will work with Archives Technician Angela Rodgers-Koukoui to plan and curate a physical exhibit featuring Eva Anderson and the Baltimore Dance Theater. Deyane will also work on a digital version of the exhibit.<\/p>\n

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Organizing the photographs and scrapbook materials into archival folders (photo by Deyane Moses)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Deyane, learning about archival processing has been a valuable step toward creating the exhibit.<\/p>\n

\u201cProcessing the collection has made it easier for me to find artifacts and information for the exhibit. It\u2019s amazing what a thank you letter or arts application can tell you about an organization or person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deyane\u2019s internship is focused on creating access to an archival collection. By processing the materials and by creating exhibits, Deyane is making it possible for people to learn about and utilize the materials in the collection. As a result, researchers and community members will have many opportunities to learn about the history of Eva Anderson and her work with the Baltimore Dance Theater in the region.<\/p>\n

If you would like to view and\/or use the\u00a0Eva Anderson\u2019s Baltimore Dance Theater Collection<\/a>\u00a0for yourself, please contact the\u00a0Special Collections & Archives<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0set up an appointment<\/a>!<\/p>\n

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Working with photographs in the Eva Anderson’s Baltimore Dance Theater Collection at the UB Special Collection & Archives (photo by Deyane Moses)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the second blog post in a two part series about processing the Eva Anderson\u2019s Baltimore Dance Theater Collection! If you’d like to read the first blog post in this two part series, please click here! Whether it\u2019s when Continue reading Intern in the Archives: Processing Eva Anderson\u2019s Baltimore Dance Theater Collection<\/span>→<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1237,"featured_media":1961,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[275,62,5,6,75,131,281,280,130,301,89,60,261,63,148,61,50,42,211,291,156,371,392,55,37,45,3,35,460,58],"tags":[561,563,564,562,546],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1913"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1237"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1913"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1913\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2968,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1913\/revisions\/2968"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}