*Post written by James Wethington, library assistant of the University Archives and Special Collections.
Entrance of the University Archives & Special Collections on the 3rd floor of the David L. Rice Library, 2017.
As titled, the University Archives and Special Collections warmly welcomes back all of our returning and new Screagles to USI. We are located on the third floor of the David L. Rice Library. Some of you may be wondering what an archive is: according to Merriam-Webster, an archive is “a place in which public records or historical materials (such as documents) are preserved” and “a repository or collection especially of information” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). In this department, we have over 1,100 collections in our possession in four areas: communal studies, regional, special, and university. All of our materials is available for viewing upon request via email (archives.rice@usi.edu), calling and setting an appointment (812-228-5046), or by walk-in.
This summer, we have had numerous changes. Our first major change came through our online digital gallery. It is available 24/7 and there are over 35,000 images online. Photographs, historical documents, our collection finding aids, and audio/video are available for viewing. They are exclusively on our website: digitalarchives.usi.edu/digital. In a couple of weeks, a tutorial will be posted on amUSIngArtifacts for how to search on the new layout.
The Center for Communal Studies is located at RL 3022, inside of the University Archives & Special Collections. For help, speak with administrative assistant, Marilyn Thielman, 2017.
This past July, the Center for Communal Studies moved over from the College of Liberal Arts. It is now located inside the University Archives and Special Collections in RL 3022. If you need any information concerning our communal collection, you can email them via communalcenter@usi.edu and speak with the administrative assistant, Marilyn Thielman.
Finally, we have two exciting promotion coming up this fall semester! During the first week of school, there will be a small display on various historical artifacts, books, and documents, from our various collections. Our second promotion will occur the week of October 16th to the 20th, #ArchivesFest. In honor of National Archives Month, we are having a week-long celebration. Each day is themed and have different activities. On top of that, daily prizes are available each day and a grand prize, a $25 gift card to the Campus Store. The only requirement is you must fill out your “passport” with five stamps to enter to win the gift card. For information, please notify us in the “Comments” section of this post or email us at archives.rice@usi.edu.
Mark your calendar! #ArchivesFest starts on October 16th, 2017!
References
Merriam-Webster (n.d.). Archive. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archive
amUSIngArtifacts 