Teachers Use Digital Media Repository to Help Students Learn about U.S. Civil War

The Ball State University Libraries welcomes opportunities to collaborate with faculty on using technology to enhance the classroom experience and to provide tools for knowledge building.

Recently, three teachers from Burris Laboratory School used the digital resources available in the Digital Media Repository as part of their classes on the U.S. Civil War. Burris Social Studies teacher Sandra Cantu and Assistant Professor of English Ronald Bullock brought 38 eighth-grade students to the University Libraries to learn about the resources available in Digital Repository of U.S. Civil War Resources for East Central Indiana and see actual Civil War documents in the collections of the Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

In addition, Social Studies teacher Karen Avery used the University Libraries’ digital collection of Civil War-era letters and documents in her class.

“I found the quality of information on the website unbelievable and easy to search and to project in the classroom,” said Ms. Avery. “The students were able to view primary source accounts of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination with the touch of a computer key, making U.S. History come to life in the classroom. As an educator I can’t wait to explore other key people and events displayed on the site, and share this great source with the students.”

During the students’ visit, James A. Bradley, Head of Metadata and Digital Initiatives, showed a sampling of images, videos, documents, and other materials in the Digital Media Repository. “Using the Civil War letters and images of Burris School, I showed them how to use the DMR as a research tool,” he said. “We learned how to access it, how to use it and how to search it.”

Archives & Special Collections supervisor, Jane Gastineau, shared actual letters written by soldiers from east central Indiana who served in the U.S. Army. The students were very interested in patriotic decorations and messages imprinted on envelopes and stationary. Some worked hard at trying to read the handwriting. “The students were able to compare the actual documents with the digital versions,” said Jane. “They saw letters discussing Lincoln’s assassination and describing battles and marches.”

Development of the Digital Repository of U. S. Civil War Resources for East Central Indiana is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), administered by the Indiana State Library. Ball State University Libraries received an LSTA grant to develop these digital resources. The project allows for collaboration between and provides access to Civil War materials in the BSU Libraries, Muncie Public Library, Delaware County Historical Society, Henry County Historical Society, and the U.S. Vice Presidential Museum at the Dan Quayle Center.

Project coordinator John Straw said that the purpose of the digital collection is to provide access to digital versions of unique U.S. Civil War materials from East Central Indiana for teaching, learning, and research by elementary, high school, college/university students and faculty, and the public. Users are able to remotely access, examine, and study letters, diaries, photographs, and other Civil War documentation that have been previously available only onsite.

Examples of the materials located at http://libx.bsu.edu/LSTA/LSTACivWar.html include:
• G.W.H. Kemper Collection (1859-1919) of letters between Kemper and his wife
Cassady-Nelson Family Collection (1759-1961) including a diary and an inspirational pamphlet written especially for soldiers entitled “A Rainy Day in Camp,” and Civil War letters of D.W. Nelson
• A summons to investigate the treatment of Northern prisoners held in Southern prison camps
• The diary and letters of Absalom Shroyer from the Delaware County Historical Society
• Several family files from the Henry County Historical Society with letters written by soldiers who were serving in the war

For more information on the collections or how you can use them for learning and teaching, contact John Straw at JStraw@bsu.edu or call (765) 285-5078.

This article was published in The Library Insider May 2006, pg. 6.

Reaching Students Through Archives and Manuscripts

A continuing goal for personnel in the Ball State University Libraries’ Archives and Special Collections Research Center is to increase awareness and use of its unique resources among Ball State’s students. We strive to reach as many students as possible through the following ways:

• Articles and publications
• Development of digital resources
• E-Mail
• Group presentations
• Individual consultations
• Instructional sessions
• Online and in-house exhibits
• Web pages

For the academic year 2005-2006 that has just ended, monthly use statistics for the Archives showed an overall increase of nearly 12% in combined reference, research, and directional questions compared to the same period in 2004-2005. Student use of the Archives was 72% of our total use. Of the total number of student users, undergraduates accounted for 78% and graduate students made up the remaining 22%.

The number of instruction sessions for classes in the Archives Center increased by almost 23% compared to last year. A large number of the students attending the instruction sessions returned to the Archives to conduct research and use materials for papers, speeches, and other class projects.

A few examples of classes using the Archives and Special Collections Research Center this year include:
Architectural classes: Design 201; Introduction to Social and Cultural Issues in Design 253; Preservation and Documentation of Historic Buildings 426; Architecture History 495; Directed Research 573; and Research Methods 652
Educational Foundations: History of Education 641
English classes: Fundamentals of English Composition101; English Composition 104; Experimental Topics 299; Creative Nonfiction Writing 306; Poetry Writing 408; Research in English Studies 601; Seminar in Literature 650
History classes: Laboratory Course in American History 320; Public History 420; Seminar in Historical Research 613
Graphic Design 180
Honors Colloquium 390, with 16 meetings in Archives

Technology is playing a vital role in helping the Archives and Special Collections Research Center to reach out to increase access and use. Development of digital resources from the Archives in the Digital Media Repository, http://libx.bsu.edu, is an exciting and innovative avenue for providing access to photographs, audio and video files, rare documents, and other primary sources for students to use anywhere, anytime.

Archives personnel are always looking for opportunities to reach students and increase their use of archives and manuscript resources for their academic success. We welcome ideas from students, faculty, and everyone. The unique resources accessible in the Archives and online can provide new dimensions for student learning, research, and academic productivity.

For information, contact John B. Straw, Director, Archives & Special Collections Research Center, at JStraw@bsu.edu or (765) 285-8032.

This article was published in The Library Insider May 2006, pg. 4.

Ball State University Libraries’ Archives and Special Collections Blog & RSS Feed Available

The Archives and Special Collections Research Center is pleased to announce the creation of a blog and RSS feed to provide users the latest news and announcements regarding the Archive’s collections, services and programs. Users can access the blog and RSS feed from the Libraries’ RSS page at www.bsu.edu/library/rss/ or directly from http://bsuarchives.blogspot.com/.

The blog will feature updated listings of newly acquired and processed materials, links to new finding aids and exhibits, information and examples of digital collections recently added to the Digital Media Repository, and additional information such as monthly reports regarding the ongoing activities and projects of the Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

For more information on using blogs, see the article “Getting Started with the University Libraries’ RSS Feeds” also in this issue of the Library Insider. Additional questions or comments regarding the Archive’s blog can be sent to Daniel Hartwig at DWHartwig@bsu.edu or by phone at (765) 285-8723.

This article was published in The Library Insider May 2006, pg. 7.

Ball State University Libraries’ Music Listening Center Posts a New Web Page for ARIA International Summer Academy

Music students from all over the country will come to the Ball State University campus June 19 to July 15 for an intensive month of study and performance for advanced instrumentalists between the ages of 15 and 32.

The Aria Academy features 31 instructors/performers from major orchestras and faculty from Ball State and other universities. The event is organized by Mihai Tetel, Associate Professor of Cello at BSU.

Aria participants know that Bracken Library’s Music Listening Center is the place to visit to check out books, recordings, scores, and periodicals. View www.bsu.edu/library/collections/musiccoll/aria – a webpage that has been designed especially for Aria students and faculty.

“We plan to promote the new page to students and faculty both before their arrival for Aria and during their visit,” said University Libraries’ music librarian Keith Cochran. “We are hoping it will generate a lot of interest in our music collection and make Aria 2006 an even better experience for these dedicated musicians.”

Aria students like to visit the Music Listening Center to browse the collection. The web page facilitates finding resources by listing call number ranges for scores for specific instruments and ensembles. Keith added that searching for music in an online environment poses special challenges and that the web site will provide help in searching the online catalogue, CardCat, for both scores and recordings in the University Libraries’ collection of more than 15,000 compact discs.

This article was published in The Library Insider May 2006, pg. 5.

Architecture Image Collection Celebrates One Year Anniversary

On May 17, the Digital Media Repository’s Architecture Image Collection at Ball State University Libraries officially turns one year old. The image collection is very popular and heavily used by faculty and students of the College of Architecture and Planning (CAP).

The Architecture Image Collection digitally preserves the existing 35mm slide collection in a digital format as part of the Digital Media Repository, a project sponsored by the University Libraries. The digital images may be browsed, searched, and displayed online. The collection also houses newly purchased digital images, as well as photographs taken by CAP students and faculty during their annual PolyArk World Tours.

Far exceeding its original projected growth, the online collection currently houses more than 22,500 images. Processing collection resources to make them digitally accessible requires services from personnel in several departments, including Original Cataloging, Bibliographic Control, Physical Processing, Library Information Technology Services, the CAP Visual Resources Center, and from the Metadata and Digital Initiatives unit. To learn more, visit www.bsu.edu/library/article/0,,36819--,00.html

This article was published in The Library Insider May 2006, pg. 5.

Architecture Image Collection Celebrates One Year Anniversary

On May 17, the Digital Media Repository’s Architecture Image Collection at Ball State University Libraries officially turns one year old. The image collection is very popular and heavily used by faculty and students of the College of Architecture and Planning (CAP).

The Architecture Image Collection digitally preserves the existing 35mm slide collection in a digital format as part of the Digital Media Repository, a project sponsored by the University Libraries. The digital images may be browsed, searched, and displayed online. The collection also houses newly purchased digital images, as well as photographs taken by CAP students and faculty during their annual PolyArk World Tours.

Far exceeding its original projected growth, the online collection currently houses more than 22,500 images. Processing collection resources to make them digitally accessible requires services from personnel in several departments, including Original Cataloging, Bibliographic Control, Physical Processing, Library Information Technology Services, the CAP Visual Resources Center, and from the Metadata and Digital Initiatives unit. To learn more, visit www.bsu.edu/library/article/0,,36819--,00.html

This article was published in The Library Insider May 2006, pg. 5.

Customizing Students’ Experience

Librarians and paraprofessional personnel at the Ball State University Libraries recognize that today’s library customers are accustomed to service and convenience. They want it. They expect it. They demand it.
An example of how the University Libraries seeks to customize each student’s educational experience for learning and research is in our offering expanded service hours. Longer hours allow students flexibility in designing his/her individual study program based on personal needs, such as working on-campus or off.
Peter John, a senior who is majoring in Piano Performance, takes advantage of the Music Listening Center’s expanded hours by utilizing the listening carrels. In addition to using the sound resources to study, Peter also searches the Educational Resources Center’s catalogs for visual resources. By coupling his listening research with viewing a Stravinsky ballet, for example, Peter enhances both his understanding and appreciation for informational materials.
Sherrell Robinson is a Telecommunications senior. She does not own her own computer, so being able to check out a laptop from the Educational Resources Center allows Sherrell the flexibility to study wherever she feels most comfortable in Bracken Library. Most nights, she reserves one of our many group study rooms with a friend. According to Sherrell, studying collaboratively allows the two of them to “focus and get our work done.”
Having his own laptop did not help Bryan Williamson recently to complete a project on time; however, Bracken’s resources did! Bryan is an interior design major in the College of Applied Sciences and Technology. While working, he lost the project on his computer and had to begin completely over. Having REVIT software available on Bracken’s public PC stations allowed him to work since the department lab was closed. He printed the final project on the large plotter in the Geospatial Center and Map Collection unit.
The University Libraries delivers a wide-range of quality services conveniently to our students and faculty, helping them to meet their learning and research needs, allowing the University Libraries to be a strategic part of their success plan for achievement.
For information, contact Kathleen E. Pickens, Library Night Supervisor, KEPickens@bsu.edu

This article was published in The Library Insider May 2006, pg. 1.

Minority Voices in Middletown Oral History Collections

Oral histories provide an added dimension to the historical record that cannot always be found in written documents. Additionally, these personal narratives often provide historical evidence in the complete absence of any written record.

The Archives and Special Collections Research Center holds several oral history collections as part of the Middletown Studies Collection and the Stoeckel Archives of Local History. While all these audio interviews (and a few video interviews) illuminate the lives of Indiana citizens, several provide research material on populations that were neglected in the seminal studies conducted and published by sociologists Robert and Helen Lynd in the 1920s using Muncie as “Middletown,” a representative American community.

Five oral history collections provide insight into the lives of the African-American and Jewish communities in Muncie/Middletown.

- The Black Muncie History Project conducted in the 1970s by Hurley Goodall and Ball State professor J. Paul Mitchell includes 38 interviews with African-Americans in Muncie from 1971 to 1978.
- The Black Middletown Project done by researchers from the University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University as part of the Middletown III project contains 54 interviews.
- The Other Side of Middletown collaborative ethnography project on Muncie’s African-American community conducted by Ball State professor Eric Lassiter and his students as part of a class through the Virginia Ball Center for Creative Inquiry resulted in 78 interviews.
- The Middletown Jewish Oral History Project I done in 1978-79 by Ball State professors C. Warren Vander Hill and Dwight Hoover, under the sponsorship of Mr. Martin Schwartz, has 21 interviews with Jewish residents who had lived in Muncie in the 1920s and 1930s.
- The Middletown Jewish Oral History Project II, a follow-up to the 1978-79 project also sponsored by Mr. Martin Schwartz, includes 24 interviews conducted by C. Warren Vander Hill with members of the Muncie Temple Beth El congregation.

In addition to African-Americans and Jewish residents, another group of Muncie citizens underrepresented in the original Middletown studies was the members of Catholic congregations. Collaboration between the Ball State University Libraries, the Center for Middletown Studies, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, St. Lawrence Catholic Church, and St. Mary Catholic Church will produce a collection of interviews to add to Archives and Special Collections. Trained volunteers from each of the churches will conduct the interviews. Three Emeriti faculty (Nancy Turner, James MacDougall, John Weakland) from Ball State who attend the respective churches will coordinate the volunteers and the interview process. Dr. Michael Doyle, Associate Professor of History and Director of the Public History Internship Program, will conduct a workshop on “Oral History Methods” to train the volunteers.

Digital Voices
Digital technology makes it possible for the “voices of history” to be heard throughout the world without users having to visit an archives to listen to them on often deteriorating media such as cassette and reel-to-reel tapes.

The University Libraries are applying for a Library Services Technology Act digitization grant to purchase equipment and hire project personnel to digitize the “minority voices” from the Middletown oral history collections described above. The grant application also includes funds for conducting the Catholic churches’ oral histories.

To augment the “voices” that will be able to be heard from the digitized audio tapes, transcriptions will be provided for researchers. The digital collections will be included in the Digital Media Repository where they will be searchable and usable for teaching, learning, and research.

By being able to listen to these digital voices of the past anywhere, anytime, the students, faculty, and researchers at Ball State University and beyond will have a rich new source for study.

For information, contact John B. Straw, Director, Archives & Special Collections Research Center, at JStraw@bsu.edu or (765) 285-8032.

This article was published in The Library Insider April 2006, pg. 8.

Civil War Material in Digital Media Repository

Letters, diaries, photographs, and other items from the U. S. Civil War are now available 24/7 for learning, teaching, and research through Ball State’s Digital Media Repository, a project of the University Libraries. You can visit the Repository of U. S. Civil War Materials from East Central Indiana at http://libx.bsu.edu

Funded by a Library Technology Services Act (LSATA) grant, the University Libraries partnered with the Delaware County Historical Society, Henry County Historical Society, Muncie Public Library, and the Dan Quayle Center and U. S. Vice Presidential Museum to digitize and provide Web access to Civil War items from their collections along with materials from the Archives and Special Collections Research Center of the University Libraries. Researchers can view digital images of the original documents and read transcriptions. More Civil War materials will be added to the collections in the near future.

For information, contact John B. Straw, Director, Archives & Special Collections Research Center, JStraw@bsu.edu or (765) 285-5078.

This article was printed in The Library Insider, April 2006, page 3.
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