How to assess the value of your archives
Our March 2021 workshop featured Erik Moore, University of Minnesota archivist and co-director of the University Digital Conservancy. He talked about the kinds of things that archives value and will accept as donations. He particularly focused on the workings of the University Archives, but also offered tips on other archives.
University Archives accepts small items related to University history and personal collections documenting a person’s research or professional career. Among the things accepted are biographical material, correspondence, lectures, teaching materials, committee records, personal and professional diaries, research files, and photographs related to University history.
The Archives are particularly interested in things that document student life at the University, such as photographs, scrapbooks, homecoming buttons, programs for sporting events, and other mementos. There is much more available about faculty and administrators than about students.
Archives are future facing
Moore emphasized that archives are future facing. Archives are not created just to collect old things, but rather to serve as a stepping-off point to create new information. For example, a photograph of a landscape or settlement might initially be of interest for understanding a time and place but might be used later to document the effects of climate change.
Besides the University, there are many different places such as local museums and historical societies that might have an interest in your materials. One good place to start looking is the Society of American Archivists.
Adjust your expectations
One should be aware that once donated, materials might be used in a variety of ways, chosen by the archives. For example, a campaign button or pennant might be combined with other donations in a display. Also, if books or papers are digitized, they may be destroyed in the process (e.g., a book’s spine and cover might be removed). The archivist will determine whether something is of more value held intact or taken apart.
You should also adjust your expectations about the donation, Moore said. Archivists often aren’t interested in personal collections that don’t reflect someone’s own experience or times, e.g., they might be interested in your grandfather’s diary, but not his 3,000-volume collection of books. You should also not expect large tax deductions for your donations.
If you are keeping things that you want to preserve, you should store them so they are in good condition. Keep them in clean boxes and off the floor in a clean, dry place, and periodically check them for signs of mildew or other deterioration.
—Ron Matross, chair, Workshop Committee
Treasure or trash? How do you assess historical value?
Tue, March 16 2021, 11am
Erik Moore
Head archivist
University of Minnesota Archives
Event to be held via Zoom.
How do you assess the historical value of what you’ve stored away and decide what to do about it?
Are you getting ready to downsize? Unsure what to do with all the files from your office? Planning to spring clean during the pandemic?
There are many reasons why you might need to go through filing cabinets or boxes you packed a decade or more ago. And, while this activity may bring a sense of joy, nostalgia, or dread, these materials might well be of value to others, including those who are charged with preserving the past.
Your grandmother’s diary, your grandfather’s commemorative medal, or some of your own work papers might shed light on a particular time and place.
Making sense of legacies
Our March Living Well Workshop will focus on how and why archives decide what they accept. Our presenter, Erik Moore, is the head archivist for the University of Minnesota Archives and spends his time in the basements, storerooms, offices, and homes of the faculty, staff, and administrators who call upon him to make sense of their legacies.
Moore is also co-director of the University Digital Conservancy, the U of M’s institutional repository of scholarly works, research data, and institutional digital records. He has advanced degrees in library and information sciences and historical studies.
Please register for this Zoom webinar to be held on Tuesday, March 16, at 11 a.m.
—Ron Matross, chair, Workshop Committee
Upcoming Events
Silk Parachute, an anthology of essays and the 40th of 44 published books by author John McPhee, will be the topic of discussion when UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club meets via Zoom from 2 to 3:30 p.m. CDT on April 26.
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6. Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.
You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year.
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.