Special Collections The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries Vol. XV III* No. 1 * Spring 2004

Coordinator's Corner
By Ann Hodges

This is the first appearance of a recurring column intended to keep the readers of the Compass Rose informed of happenings in Special Collections. I hope it will provide an insight into what happens behind the public face of Special Collections.

We were pleased to welcome Blanca Smith to the staff on November 20, 2003. Blanca holds the Library Assistant II for Photographs position vacated by Colin Toenjes last spring. Before coming to North Texas, Blanca worked in Interlibrary Loan and in the archives at California State University Northridge. Special Collections is working on filling two other vacancies--the Exhibits Designer position vacated by Pratap Mandapaka and the Librarian/Archivist position left vacant when I became Coordinator on January 1st. We are fortunate to have been able to bring Carolyn Kadri to full-time for the remainder of the academic year; in addition to cataloging maps, as usual, she is now working on other cataloging projects, primarily our uncataloged backlog. We are also delighted that our seasonal volunteer, Pat Buisseret, has returned to us for the spring semester.

Special Collections is hard at work maintaining our customary service to researchers while we explore new ventures and new approaches to old functions. The retirement of Sally Gross left a void we are still working to fill, and it is probably safe to say that all of us have learned to do new things since she left--we've had to! We are pursuing new acquisitions and have had quite some success in achieving them. We have added Juan Antonio de la Peña's 1722 Derrotero de la Expedición en la Provincia de los Texas…, the Lt. Delaney Floyd-Jones Letters (1846-1862), the Lt. Joseph Bennett Plummer Manuscript Copy Letter Book (1849-1853), the Squire Haskins Photography Collection, the Zoe Davis Photograph Collection, the Cirrus Bonneau/Ana Beaulac Photograph Collection, the Kenneth F. Neighbours Papers, the Dr. Emerson Emory Papers, the A. H. Neel Letters, the Wiley Ross Turner Civil War Letters, the Van Zandt Family Papers (photocopies), Franz von Hauslab's 1864 Ueber die Bodengestaltung in Mexiko and deren Einfluss auf Verkehr and Militärischen Angriff und Vertheidigung, a donation of Texas Sesquicentennial materials from Norman Cohen of Dallas, and a selection of materials related to North Texas acquired from Ron Pearson. We continue to acquire new publications, as well, and have been getting better acquainted with the routine functions supporting the acquisition and processing of such materials. We are also analyzing our processes and procedures generally to create greater efficiency where possible.

Special Collections is at work on a digital collaboration with other program areas of the Libraries. Blanca Smith is selecting images from the W. D. Smith Commercial Photography Collection to provide the content for the collaborative project, which will result in online access to the digitized images. The Arlington Historical Society approached us to express interest in a collaborative project and we are in the earliest stages of its planning.

Special Collections staff have participated in library tours and the Libraries' welcome desk, and have served on library committees working on such issues as researcher privacy, electronic theses and dissertations, and the management of the library catalog. Kit Goodwin has been working on an exhibit with staff from the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, Brenda McClurkin continues to address community groups and to serve as a Society of American Archivists membership contact for Texas; she is also the organizing force behind "Time Frames," an Arlington Star-Telegram feature highlighting the holdings of Special Collections. Carolyn Kadri assumed a leadership role in the Maps and Geography Round Table of the American Library Association, Gary Spurr chairs the Libraries' Professional Development Committee and spoke at the University's Founders' Day program in October, Maritza Arrigunaga presented at Culturas Fronterizas, held in Nuevo Laredo in December, and I continue to serve as Membership Chair of the Society of Southwest Archivists and recently was asked to join the Steering Committee of the Description Section of the Society of American Archivists.

Cathy Spitzenberger, Library Assistant II, received an Applause Award from the Libraries for her work assisting photograph researchers while the LAII for Photographs position was vacant. Her high standards and dedication to her work were invaluable in keeping us on an even keel.

All in all, the staff of Special Collections have pulled together to make the transition required by Sally's retirement. We intend to continue to work together to do great things in the future. Please let us know how we can help you.

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Special Collections
The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries
Phone: (817) 272-3393 * Fax: (817) 272-3360 * E-mail: Reference Desk

This page last update on Wednesday, April 14, 2004