Due: 7/28 by midnight
Total points: 15
Write a 1200-2000 word proposal (2300-word absolute maximum not including title page/references) for one access and use initiative for the the Alice Sardell Papers or another Queens College Special Collections and Archives collection. You are free to be creative in your application of our learning objectives in Unit Four towards this initiative. You can do this project solo or with a partner. No groups larger than two people. If you prefer, you can submit an 8-10 minute video covering your intentions for this project instead. Regardless, you must include a reference list at the end of the paper / video with at least 4 sources.
Your project paper must include the following information:
- Access initiative: describe your initiative.
- Sample considerations: what do you want to do? which collection are you using? what do you need to implement the initiative? how do you want the initiative to work? who are the stakeholders?
- Initiatives can take the form of: exhibits, social media campaigns, digitization, instruction sessions/courses, public programs, walking tours, lectures, workshops, conferences, non-scholarly publications, LibGuides, fellowships, open house events, reading groups, etc. (these are just the first examples to come to mind. you are not restricted to these initiatives.)
- Examples of libraries/archives events and access/use initiatives (you may need to filter/sort): Archivists Round Table, Library of Congress, METRO, NYU, NYPL, BPL/CBH, CUNY, NYC Records and Municipal Archives, Centro Archives, LaGuardia Wagner Archives (scroll for Features and Education Programs), Barnard Events, Teaching, and Collaborations
- please note: this is a proposal. you will not be expected to actually implement the initiative at this time.
- Sample considerations: what do you want to do? which collection are you using? what do you need to implement the initiative? how do you want the initiative to work? who are the stakeholders?
- Initiative analysis: evaluate and analyze your initiative in the contexts of Queens College and the larger professional archives field.
- Sample considerations: why would this work here at QC? what is exciting about this idea? how does this foster access and use of SCA materials? what ideas from the professional literature can be used and expanded upon? what are some challenges or risks?
- you must include some broader analysis of your initiative against the standards, histories, and/or current trends in the archives field. I am not expecting an enormous amount of research (this is a short paper), but you must examine your initiative in local and larger contexts.
- Reflection: in the style of our previous practicum deliverables, think critically about access work itself and your experience doing it for this assignment.
- Sample considerations: what was it like for you to do this kind of work? what are some roadblocks, either ones you encountered or ones you foresee? surprises? unknowns?
