_____________________Kansas City Area Archivists______________________
KCAA --- The Dusty Shelf --- 1999
Eastern Kansas -------------------- Vol. 17, No. 3 -------------------- Western Missouri
The World War One Letters of
Kansas City’s Ned Henschel
The Liberty Memorial Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, has collected hundreds of letters written by World War One participants. These letters, coupled with photographs, photo albums, scrapbooks, manuscripts, and diaries, tell the stories of human experiences at camp and overseas. The wartime experiences of James E. (Ned) Henschel, a Kansas City native, is documented in materials contained in a recent gift to the museum archives from a donor in North Dakota.
Ned Henschel’s family lived at 3236 Euclid in the Hyde Park section of Kansas City. He attended Linwood Elementary and Westport High School. He was a member of Linwood Presbyterian Church. Henschel’s service history and love for adventure is evident in the collection of nearly one hundred letters that he wrote to his family.
Henschel quit the University of Missouri in 1916 to enlist in the National Guard. The United States was conducting a military operation against the Mexican revolutionary, Pancho Villa. Henschel wanted to be in the action. He trained in Laredo, Texas, with Company F, 4th Missouri Infantry. He saw little action, and his unit was mustered out in February 1917.
Henschel visited his old fraternity house at the University of Missouri. He talked his buddy, Coburn Herndon, and several other friends into going to France with him to drive ambulances as volunteers for the American Field Service.
The United States had not yet entered the World War. To raise money for their trip, Henschel and Herndon lectured to the "Kansas City Athenaeum," a ladies group known today as the Kansas City Young Matrons. The Athenaeum agreed to sponsor them and provided for their transportation and some spending money.
In July 1917, Henschel’s friends, along with several Red Cross and YMCA volunteers, boarded the Rochambeau in New York City harbor. Henschel could only stand on the dock and witness the scene. He had only applied for a passport a few days before and was waiting for it to be delivered. It arrived in the nick of time—just minutes before the ship pulled away.
The passport incident was not to be Henschel’s only close call with procedure. Another was yet to come. He had left the country before receiving his discharge from the National Guard. Several months later, Henschel’s border company was called into service. Henschel, by then in France, was posted as a deserter. His father wrote several letters to the military authorities, but to no avail. Mr. Henschel finally asked an influential Kansas City banker friend, Wm. T. Kemper, to pull some strings in Jefferson City. String-pulling worked. Ned Henschel was discharged from the National Guard.
Tell the ladies of the Athenaeum that we have arrived safely—We do not know just what our work will consist of, due to a reported shortage of ambulances . . . Express again . . . our sincere gratitude that they have made it possible for us to be here.
Letter from Henschel to his Mother
Postscript, dated July 2, 1917
Rochambeau
The American Field Service was a volunteer organization composed mainly of American college students. They served the French Army by driving the wounded from the front lines to hospitals. When the Missouri boys arrived in France, however, they were told that it would take two months before the American Field Service had extra ambulances for them to drive. They were also told that the French Army really needed volunteers in the Reserve Mallet. The Reserve Mallet, named after Commandant Richard Mallet of the French Army, was a motor transport service driving food, munitions, or anything else that was needed. Henschel, happy to help and reluctant to wait two months for an ambulance, hauled shells, troops and munitions for the Reserve Mallet.
The American Field Service is defunct after today—may her bones rest in peace! . . . I applied for enlistment—So I am now a member of the regular army of the United States . . .
Letter from Henschel to his Mother
Dated Oct. 1, 1917
France
Nearly six months after the U.S. entered the war, the Reserve Mallet and the American Field Service were absorbed by the American Expeditionary Forces. Members of these services were given the option of enlisting in the U.S. Army. Henschel joined the U.S. Army and went to the Quartermaster Corps, General Headquarters, for officer training. He was transferred to the Motor Section, General Headquarters, as a 2nd Lieutenant in charge of a convoy of trucks carrying ammunition.
All of this material will be eventually sold, so you can see that our work is . . . bringing back into the pockets of Uncle Samuel a little coin . . .
Letter from Henschel to his Mother
Dated June 15, 1919
Coblenz-Neuendorf, Germany
After the armistice, Henschel served with the Army of Occupation in Germany with the Motor Transportation Corps. He was the officer in charge of collecting German War Material for the army near Trier and Coblenz, Germany. After over two years of overseas service in the Great War, Henschel returned home in September of 1919.
Will you let me know of the location of my brothers Ramsey and Harvey and their addresses after they and their units arrive in France? . . . I should like very much to communicate with them if possible.
Letter from Henschel to his Mother
Dated Oct. 13, 1917
France
Ned Henschel (second from right) with other members of Motor Transport Corps in Trier, Germany. Liberty Memorial Museum.
Henschel had two brothers—Ramsey and Harvey--who were also overseas during World War One. Henschel often mentioned them in his letters and inquired about them. Ramsey Henschel was in the 110th Engineers, 35th Division. Harvey Henschel was with Base Hospital 28. Mrs. Henschel hung a service flag on her porch with three blue stars for her three sons overseas with the war.
Material on the World War One service of Ned Henschel’s brothers was donated to the museum archives in 1982 by their sister. At that time, then Liberty Memorial archivist Susan Wilkerson wrote to Ned Henschel’s widow in New York, asking if she would consider donating Ned’s World War material to the archives. After Mrs. Henschel’s death in 1996, her nephew came across Wilkerson’s letter and donated the Ned Henschel collection to the Liberty Memorial Museum Archives.
Lynn M. Ward
Liberty Memorial Museum
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|
June 12th, 6:00 p.m. Italian Gardens 1110 Baltimore, Kansas City, Missouri 816-221-9311 Election of Officers Benefit Auction for the Minority Internship |
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by Alan F. Perry
How’s Your Disaster Plan These Days?
Back in September, NARA’s Central Plains Region presented a Disaster Preparedness and Response workshop. Records officers attached to Federal agencies throughout our region, looking for worthwhile ways to spend those end-of-the-fiscal year training dollars, came to Kansas City, Mo., for our two-day workshop.
Afterwards, our staff felt that we could have been better prepared before instructing other people in how to plan for a disaster. Our own disaster plan, after all, had not been updated for several years. And with our own set of imposed priorities, our own end-of-the-fiscal-year responsibilities, and talk of reorganizing NARA, we did not want to cope with another project, however worthwhile.
On the other hand, we were subjected last summer to a relatively minor plague of roof leaks stemming from re-roofing the building, so we had some handy stories to tell the wide-eyed attendees. The workshop, in any event, came off pretty well, hands-on portion and all.
But the very next week a spectacular roof drain leak affected nearly 400 cubic feet of records in our care. This development brought home to us the importance of keeping disaster planning and supplies up-to-date. (Our intern thanked us for "staging" such an effective training device. It provided her with hands-on experience that she otherwise would never have had.) Sure enough, we coped with the roof leak much more effectively than we could have done without the previous week’s timely review of disaster basics.
Now comes the hard part: doing what we told the workshop attendees they had to do if they expected to be responsible record-keepers. Yes, we’d better update that dusty old disaster plan we last updated . . . how long ago? Key people in the community come and go, telephone numbers change, and people in your shop forget what they’re supposed to do. Where did we stuff those disaster supplies back whenever?
So, regardless of how useful the attendees found our workshop to be, we found it a salutary reminder of how we were in danger of having our disaster plan slip into embarrassing obsolescence as we deal with all the other things that demand our attention. Now we’ve used most of our supplies while coping with those pesky Summer roof leaks and that &$#%&*¢ roof drain deluge that those idiot plumbers on the roof set off that last disaster plan update.
Responsible person that you are, this is probably academic to you. You’ve kept that plan dusted off and updated every year, right? No? I’m shocked! Shocked! Redeem yourself. Get with it before KCAA mounts another disaster planning symposium to get you going. Think how embarrassed you will be if it got out that your disaster plan is as far out of date as mine. And to keep up with the latest word on planning and coping, subscribe to the Disaster Planning and Recovery Alliance listserve. You can find the DPRA at www.dpra.net, or visit
www./eGroups.com/info/help.html.return to INDEX
The Corner Chair
Lynn Ward, Co-Chair
We have had some good quarterly meetings this year. In September we met at the University of Kansas Medical Center Archives. The Kansas City Parks and Recreation Archives hosted our meeting in December. And in March we convened at the central branch of the Johnson County Library.
Many of our members were not able to get away from work to attend these meetings. Our annual banquet, however, will be held on a Saturday evening. It will provide a good opportunity for more of us to meet and mingle in a relaxed setting.
We always have enjoyed good food at our annual dinner. But for the past three years we have also enjoyed a benefit auction. KCAA members bring to the banquet a variety of odds and ends that are silently auctioned off to the highest bidder. The proceeds go towards the minority internship fund. We have been able to significantly increase the fund in this way.
Our committees are working hard on several projects. One will increase teachers’ awareness of the available primary sources. Another current project is the republication of our booklet on preserving family collections. Other KCAA members are thinking about workshops.
We could use your help. If you would like to become involved in a KCAA project, contact Eric Page at the Unity Archives, or myself at the Liberty Memorial Museum.
Communication is important. Use the KCAA listserve for job announcements, questions for which you need advice, and to relate information pertaining to special events or projects. Send news from your repository to the newsletter editor, Stan Ingersol, so that information about your institution is also included in the newsletter.
We have much to offer one another. Let’s stay in touch!
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Ann McFerrin, Kansas City Parks and Recreation Archives, and Lynn Ward, Liberty Memorial Museum Archives, gave a presentation on their archives at the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Flower Lawn and Garden Show on February 6th. The KC Parks and Recreation invited its employees to tell the public about their jobs within Parks and Recreation. Besides talking about their roles as archivists within Parks and Rec. (Liberty Memorial is part of KC Parks and Recreation) Ann and Lynn used this opportunity to provide information to the public on how to take care of photographs, and other historic documents people might have at home. Ann and Lynn gave tips on good environmental and storage conditions. The crowd was enthralled.
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minutes: Minutes of the Fall Quarterly Meeting, September 23, 1998
Shadows from the Past
Preserving Our Fleeting Film Heritage
The November 7th KCAA program featured Doug Moore, Professor of Film History and Film Critic for WDAF Channel 4. Moore discussed film history and preservation to an audience of mostly KCAA members. He shared stories of how he collected the three thousand films he owns. Moore also talked about the hazards of nitrate and other reasons films are being lost. He encouraged the collecting and preservation of home movies. The program included a variety of films:
"The Dixie Madcaps," a rare comedy from 1918 which features two young vaudeville stars, Jane and Catherine Lee, and a large cast of African-American actors. The film contains racial humor and stereotypes reflective of the period.
Film of Kansas City construction scenes from the 1930s, including road construction and the erection of Kansas City Power and Light building.
Home movies of Kansas City scenes from the 1930s, including a fire at a Kansas City, Kansas Armory.
"The March of Time," a promotional motion picture discussing the efforts of the New York Museum of Modern Art’s efforts at film collecting in 1939.
The program offered KCAA members a viewing of some rare and unusual films. We thank Doug Moore for sharing his knowledge and his collection, members of the Steering Committee for their assistance with this program and Ann McFerrin for suggesting the speaker!
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Sharron Uhler, Benet Hill Monastery, Colorado Springs, CO
Carolyn Collings, State of Missouri, Local Records Archivist, e-mail: collings@mail.coin.missouri.edu
Samuel Simoes, Nazarene Archives
Nancy Davis, Center for Army Lessons Learned
Tim Renick, US Combined Arms Research Library
Joan Hilger-Mullen, St. Joseph Health Center Medical Museum
Laura Linebach , Nursing Heritage Foundation
Brenda Day, Baker University, e-mail: DAY@HARVEY.BAKER.EDU
Neal Moore, Springfield, MO
Tom Muth, Topeka, KS
Becky Carlson, Missouri Secretary of State, Local Records, e-mail: rcarlson@mail.sos.state.mo.us
Malisa Anderson, Overland Park, KS
Carolyn Larsen, Weston, MO, e-mail: clarsen@mail.sos.mo.us
Mary Murphy, Jackson County Records
Doug Rollo, Jackson County Records
Also, welcome to new baby, William (Will) Burrus, 5 ½ pounds, born February 27th, to proud parents Jennifer Parker and David Burrus.
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Kansas City Aviation Department
The Kansas City Aviation Department received a grant from the
Missouri Local Records Grant program to process several thousand photographs and slides
documenting the history of the Downtown, Kansas City International, and Richards-Gebaur
airports. The grant project will fund the sorting, identification, indexing, and storage
of the collection.
Charles Lindbergh dedicated Municipal Airport on August 17, 1927, just weeks after his solo flight across the Atlantic. Later that month, National Air Transport (later United Airlines) transported the first commercial passengers. Increased jet travel in the 1960s made Municipal Airport obsolete. When Mid-Continent International Airport (later Kansas City International Airport) opened in 1972, Municipal Airport became a business aviation center. Municipal was renamed Kansas City Downtown Airport in 1977.
Mid-Continent International Airport resulted from a $150 million bond passed in 1966. The city council voted to rename the airport Kansas City International one year later, overriding suggestions that it be named for Harry S. Truman or Dwight Eisenhower.
The land that comprises Richards-Gebaur Airport was originally acquired by the city in 1941 and used as an auxiliary airport called Grandview Airport. Through the decades the airport changed names several times while housing the Aerospace Defense Command, the Air Force Communication Command, the Military Airlift Command, and the Air Force Reserve 442nd Tactical Fighter Wing. In 1985 the City regained excess base property from the Air Force Reserve and named this section Richards-Gebaur Airport. The airport had first been called Richards-Gebaur (Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base) in 1957, when the federal government owned the property.
The Aviation department hired Janice Lee as project archivist in September. She can be reached at: Aviation Dept., 601 Brasilia Ave., P.O. Box 20047, Kansas City, MO 64195, (816) 243-3168.
National Archives—Central Plains Region
The National Archives and Records Administration has added more
digitized samplings of records held by the Central Plains Region in Kansas City, Mo., to
its National Archives Information Locator (NAIL) on-line finding aid. Researchers can now
access four sets of digitized records: the 787 selected photographs from the Region’s
collection of more than 100,000 images (previously reported in these pages); a sampling of
Kansas enemy alien registration case files from the First World War; the correspondence of
the Pine Ridge (So. Dak.) Indian Agency Day School Superintendent, 1910-1916; a series of
records of controversies on the Pine Ridge Reservation, 1867-1907; and Second World War
Fair Employment Practices Commission case files from the Pratt & Whitney plant and the
Army Quartermaster Depot in Kansas City, Mo. Digitized photographs portraying the American
West also will be posted as part of the "Gallery of the Open Frontier"
digitizing project, a joint venture of the University of Nebraska Press and NARA. To
access NAIL, visit the NARA homepage at www.nara.gov.
Over the last year the Central Plains Region has accessioned additions to its holdings of Federal court case files, records of Army Corps of Engineers operations in the Missouri River and Upper Mississippi River valleys, and records of the National Forest Service, Public Buildings Service, and the US Employment and Training Administration.
Looking ahead to commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Korean War, the Region has begun planning a conference, to be held in 2000, on "The Korean War in Modern Memory."
The Region’s Lee’s Summit, Mo., underground records center facility continues to rapidly expand. "The Cave" at Lee’s Summit now holds some 700,000 cubic feet of records from Federal agencies in New York and New Jersey, shipped from the now closed former NARA regional records center in Bayonne, N.J. In addition to the New York and New Jersey accessions, records from Immigration and Naturalization Service facilities throughout the country are being retired to Lee’s Summit, which will now serve as the central Customs Service records center for the entire country.
Among Regional staff dealing largely with archival operations, Tim Rives has joined the staff, (and the KCAA), as has Mary Ellen Burtzloff. Genealogical services stalwarts Clara Rolen and Pat Shackleford have left, and are sorely missed by colleagues and researchers alike. (Submitted by Alan Perry)
Southwest Missouri State University
The Special Collections and Archives Department has posted its new
homepage at: http://library.smsu.edu/Meyer/SpecColl/spcindex.htm The website includes more content and news items regarding various collections,
including the Ozarks Labor Union Archives.
Trina Yeckley was hired as project archivist for the SMSU Ozarks Labor Union Archives Processing Project. Ms. Yeckley was formerly the archives assistant at New York University’s University Archives and served as collections assitant for NYU’s Robert Wagner Labor Archives. The 18-month NHPRC grant project seeks to arrange, describe, and catalog eighteen select collections from the Ozarks Labor Union Archives. Other information about the project and other special collections at Southwest Missouri State University (Springfield) can be found on the department’s website at:
http://library.smsu.edu/Meyer/SpecColl/spcindex.htm. (David E. Richards)University of Kansas Medical Center Archives
Kelly Brown has been selected as the new Rare Books Librarian for
the University of Kansas Medical Center Department of History and Philosophy of
Medicine’s Clendening Library. Kelly received her MLS in 1995 from Emporia State. She
served as a Reference Librarian at Dykes Library from 1992 until her recent move to the
Clendening. Kelly has tremendous technology expertise, and those of you who attended
September’s KCAA meeting at KUMC will remember the demonstration she gave on the
Florence Nightingale Collection internet site that she designed and implemented. Kelly
also teaches a variety of computer courses at KUMC. Kelly’s efforts at the Clendening
Library will focus on enhancing access to the collections through the use of technology.
Specific goals include the addition of all library holdings into the new online catalog
system projected for mid-1999, and the digitization of the library’s substantial
collections of manuscripts, portraits, and ephemera. Additional efforts will focus on the
important task of preserving and maintaining the Clendening Library’s unique
endowment of rare and seminal works in the history of medicine. This will also include a
"brittle books" program.
Harry S. Truman Library
The Truman Library’s motion picture collection has about 400
films (about 330,000 feet of film, running time about 175 hours) taken between 1934 and
1978. Almost all the Library’s films are black and white. Over 90 percent of them are
copyrighted. The collection includes films of Truman giving speeches, participating in
ceremonies, and traveling; newsreels depicting Truman and the events of his presidency;
documentaries, including the 26 part series entitled "Decision: The Conflicts of
Harry S. Truman;" and interviews and program appearances, including Truman’s
appearance on the Jack Benny Show in 1959 and his interviews with Margaret Truman in 1955,
with Edward R. Murrow in 1958, and with David Susskind in 1960. The collection also
includes films of several television appearances by Margaret Truman on such programs as
the Jimmy Durante Show, the James Melton Show, and "What’s My Line." For
information about the motion picture collection, please contact the audiovisual archivist
by telephone at 816-833-1400, ext. 281, by e-mail at Library@Truman.nara.gov, by fax at
816-833-4368, or by writing to the Library at 500 West U.S. Highway 24, Independence,
Missouri 64050.
The 1948 Election Campaign Student Research Files were placed online! Visit the Project Whistlestop web site at http://www.whistlestop.org/ to see the newly mounted files pertaining to Harry S. Truman’s 1948 election campaign. The student research files are composed of pertinent documents from various collections at the Truman Library addressing a series of issues including the decision to drop the atomic bomb, desegregation of the military, and the 1948 campaign, among others. Project Whistlestop has seven of the Library’s student researcher files mounted on its web site, with the 1948 campaign being the most recently added.
Exhibits: "Treasures of the Truman Library" will continue through December 1999. It offers a selection of objects from the library’s permanent collection that provide an overview of the types of materials housed in a Presidential Library. Display objects range from rare state gifts and national treasures to simple hand crafted objects sent to President Truman from ordinary people. The Truman Chryslers Through September 30, 1999. In November 1940 Harry Truman purchased two 1941 model Chrysler automobiles. These cars were newly-restored to their showroom appearance and are displayed with mementos that indicate Truman’s love affair with the automobile.
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KCAA Briefs
The Central Missouri State University Archives and Museum in Warrensburg is exhibiting photographs and museum objects relating to the university’s history during the months of April and May.
The Missouri State Archives conducted a series of grant workshops throughout the state during the first week of March. The workshops were conducted through the Local Records Preservation Program.
The University of Kansas has finalized plans for Vivat:Liber: Celebrating books, librarians, and readers at the Kenneth Spencer Research Library, a symposium in honor of Alexandra Mason, Spencer Librarian. Friends, colleagues, and all who appreciate rare books and special collections are most cordially invited to attend. Please refer to the Vivat Liber web site at http://www.ukans.edu/~spencer/vivat.html for further details and registration forms.
The documentary, "Westward the Empire: Omaha’s World Fair of 1898," featuring 40 of Haskell Indian Nation University’s Frank A. Rinehart American Indian portraits, was shown on the History Channel on April 17. This documentary was produced by the University of Nebraska at Omaha Public Television Station. They did an excellent job. I hope you had a chance to see it and find out more about this important world’s fair and the Indian Congress that was a part of it.
Ken Apschnikat was named superintendent of the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site in Hodgenville, Kentucky. Apschnikat joined the National Park Service 28 years ago and was with the Truman Home for four years. Ken and his wife are both from Kentucky and their two daughters currently live in the state.
Liberty Memorial Museum Archives
Lynn Ward went to Mt. Carroll, Illinois, in September to attend the
"Care of Book Collections" class at the Campbell Center for Historic
Preservation Studies. The class was taught by Betsy Palmer Eldridge, a book conservator
from Toronto, Ont. The class was paid for by a grant from the Midwest Museums Conference.
The generosity of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Headquarters in Kansas City will enable Liberty Memorial Museum to have its own website. The VFW is sponsoring the cost of generating the site and donating a computer for museum staff to use. The website will contain information on the memorial, the museum collection, and World War One. The address will be: libertymemorialmuseum.org .
Nazarene Archives
The Nazarene Archives published a 50-page booklet in 1985 to
coincide with the First Nazarene Compassionate Ministries Conference. Two thousand copies
were distributed before it went out of print in 1990. Last fall a more comprehensive
edition was published.
Rescue the Perishing, Care for the Dying: Sources and Documents on Compassionate Ministries in the Nazarene Archives, Second Edition (1998) is an illustrated guide to 22 collections and a host of related materials in other collections that document social ministries of the Church of the Nazarene around the world, including orphanages, homes for unwed mothers, hospitals, social-ministry oriented congregations, and two church agencies: NCM International, and NCM USA/Canada. Two of the collections detailed document the work of Kansas City Area institutions: the Kansas City Rescue Mission, which was founded in the 1940’s and has operated for over a half-century, and the Rest Cottage for unwed mothers, founded at the turn-of-the-century and operated until the 1940s. The 100-page spiral-bound book contains a 50-page collection guide and reproduces a cross-section of materials represented in the collections. Copies are available to KCAA members and institutions for $6 postage paid, ($ 7 for non-KCAA folks) by contacting Stan Ingersol.
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British Columbia Archivists Consolidate Websites
The British Columbia Archival Network web site is at: http://aabc.bc.ca. The site
incorporates the British Columbia Archival Union List database system (formerly housed on
the University of British Columbia Library server), the online Guide to Archival
Repositories in British Columbia, and all web pages previously comprising the former
Archives Association of BC and British Columbia Archival Resources sites. Over the last
several months, the AABC’s Archives Advisor/Network Coodinator Program, in
conjunction with the AABC Internet Committee, oversaw the establishment of a new
linux-based server, the replication of the BCAUL database system, and the installation of
AABC computers in a secure and monitored external facility. The final product is an
integrated web server, mail server and web-based database system specifically designed for
the needs of a provincial archival network. More information on the establishment of the
new server is available at http://aabc.bc.ca/aabc/newserve.html. (Erwin Wodarczak, Chair, AABC Internet Committee)
Human Rights Watch Archives
The Archives of the University of Colorado at Boulder has acquired
20 years of files assembled by one of the world’s preeminent human rights
organizations, New York-based Human Rights Watch. According to Kenneth Roth, executive
director of Human Rights Watch, documentation of human rights abuses is central to the
success of the cause. "The power of the human rights movement derives from its
ability to expose, document and publicize the atrocities that tyrants work desperately to
keep hidden," he notes. "Human Rights Watch chose to entrust the archives of our
investigative and documentation efforts with the University of Colorado because, as the
largest repository of such material in the United States, it has a strong track record of
treating this working history of the fight against repression with the care and
sensitivity that it deserves." Acquisition of the Human Rights Watch material is a
major achievement that confirms CU-Boulder’s human rights collection as the
world’s foremost, said Chancellor Richard L. Byyny. "The Human Rights Watch
acquisition is the crowning jewel of this magnificent collection of material that our
Archives has carefully amassed since 1992," Byyny said. "We are honored now to
be able to say that the University of Colorado is the central clearinghouse for all the
world’s major human rights documents." The Human Rights Watch Archives have
never before been available for public scrutiny, Montgomery said, making the decision of
the organization’s governing board to relinquish the documents an historic one. That
decision also presents an element of risk for the university as caretaker and for
individuals whose situations could be exposed by the transfer of the documents, he said.
Since its founding in 1978, Human Rights Watch has conducted regular, systematic
investigations of human rights abuses in about 70 countries around the world, addressing
human rights practices of governments of all political stripes, geopolitical alignments,
and of all ethnic and religious persuasions. "We anticipate that the availability of
these vast archives will revolutionize research, scholarhip, and public education efforts
on behalf of human rights worldwide," said Montgomery. "There can be no real
effort made on behalf of human rights education unless the human rights historical legacy
is preserved and intact. The University of Colorado at Boulder is deeply gratified to
provide this service." Human Rights Watch defends freedom of thought and expression,
due process and equal protection through law, and a vigorous civil society. It documents
and denounces murders, disappearances, torture, arbitrary imprisonment, discrimination and
other abuses of human rights recognized internationally. The organization was in the
forefront of the worldwide campaign to establish a permanent International Criminal Court,
which will try people accused of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity
anywhere in the world where national courts are unavailable or ineffective. Human Rights
Watch began in 1978 with the founding of its Europe and Central Asia division, then known
as Helsinki Watch. Today it also includes divisions covering Africa, the Americas, Asia
and the Middle East. It also includes three thematic divisions on arms, children’s
rights and women’s rights. The organization maintains offices in New York,
Washington, Los Angeles, London, Brussels, Moscow, Dushanbe, Rio de Janeiro and Hong Kong.
Gerard A. Hauser, Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication at CU-Boulder,
praised the value of the materials for research: "These records will be extremely
valuable to researchers and students who seek to understand the cause of human rights and
the types of individual, institutional and state action that may prove effective in
safeguarding against their violation." Human Rights Watch materials are now on-site
at the University of Colorado at Boulder. (Press Release)
Preservation Policies Solicited
The Education Committee of SAA’s Preservation Section invites
you to submit the preservation policy statements of your archive or special collection.
Sample policies, chosen from the submissions, will be included in a manual the committee
is developing to assist in implementing effective preservation programs. The committee
intends to make the manual available via Internet and in print. Preservation policy and
procedures statements need to be in hand before the committee submits its proposal for
publication. Please direct copies of your documents to either of the Education
Committee’s co-chairs as soon as possible. If you have questions, please contact them
as well: Anke Voss-Hubbard, Archivist, Rockefeller Archive Center, 15 Dayton Avenue,
Pocantico Hills, Sleepy Hollow, New York 10591-1598, (914) 366-6321, e-mail: vossa@rockvax.rockefeller.edu; and Glenda
B. Stevens, Jim Wright Archivist, Texas Christian University, Box 298400, Ft. Worth, Texas
76129, (817) 257-7595, e-mail: g.stevens@tcu.edu
Alexander Graham Bell Papers Released On-Line
The National Digital Library Program (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amhome.html) has
released portions of an on-line edition of the Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers. The
papers are accessed at: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/bellhtml/bellhome.html The online collection is composed of selections from the larger paper collection
and will eventually include about 4,700 items, or about 38,000 images. The first release
contains over 1,000 items consisting of correspondence, scientific notebooks, journals,
blueprints, sketches, and photographs documenting Bell’s invention of the telephone
and his involvement in the first telephone company, his family life, his interest in the
education of the deaf, and his aeronautical and other scientific research. These
manuscripts date from 1862 to 1939.
Bell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on March 3, 1847. He and his parents moved to Canada in 1870, and, a year later, he moved to Boston to teach speech to deaf students. Teaching notes used and taken by Bell can be found in the Bell Papers selected to appear online. Bell’s efforts to build a multiple telegraph led instead to the invention of the telephone in 1876. Included among Bell’s papers are his first sketch of the telephone and an experimental notebook with an entry from March 10, 1876, that describes the first successful experiment with the telephone, during which he spoke through the instrument to his assistant, Thomas Watson, the famous words, "Mr. Watson-- Come here -- I want to see you." Bell, Watson, and Bell’s financial supporters, Gardiner Greene Hubbard and Thomas Sanders, formed the Bell Telephone Company the following year. Bell continued to pursue his interests in deaf education and science. He also dedicated much of his research to aviation.
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And Also On-Line
An exhibit mounted originally in 1976 to commemorate the American
Bicentennial has been adapted by Georgetown University as a new online exhibit titled:
"The American Mission: Maryland Jesuits from Andrew White to John Carroll." It
can be viewed at: www.library.georgetown.edu/dept/speccoll/sjexhib/sjtitle.htm
Duke University’s Digital Scriptorium (a program of the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library) has opened the Historic American Sheet Music web site. The site features digital images of over 16,000 pages of sheet music from 3042 publications that appeared in the United States between 1850 and 1920. A wide variety of music types are represented, including bel canto, minstrel songs, protest songs, sentimental songs, patriotic and political songs, plantation songs, Civil War songs, spirituals, dance music, songs from vaudeville and musicals, "Tin pan alley" songs, and songs from World War I. The collection is particularly strong in antebellum Southern music, Confederate imprints, and Civil war songs. The site includes background information about the social and political events that shaped the songs. Visit the Historic American Sheet Music site at:
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/ sheetmusic/ (Press Release)Frank Burke Honored for NHPRC Leadership
At a special noontime ceremony on November 17 meeting of the
National Historical Publications and Records Commission, Chairman John W. Carlin presented
the Commission’s 1998 Distinguished Service Award to Frank G. Burke, its executive
director from 1975 to 1988. Burke’s work had a profound impact on the field of
historical documentary editing and on the preservation and accessibility of historical
records. In 1976, the Commission, under Burke’s leadership, launched its records
program to provide support across the country for the preservation of and access to
documentary materials. Under his direction, the Commission also launched a series of
conferences at which historical editors discussed the practices and problems of their
work. The exchange of ideas at these conferences led to the creation of the Association
for Documentary Editing (ADE) in 1978. Burke joined the staff of the National Archives and
Records Service in 1967 as an information retrieval specialist, after holding previous
positions at the University of Chicago library and the Manuscript Division of the Library
of Congress. He was one of the first National Archives employees to advocate the
development of computer software for storage of archival information. Burke served as
Acting Archivist of the United States for the last two-and-a-half years of his career with
the National Archives and Records Administration, after which he enjoyed a number of years
teaching archival administration at the University of Maryland. Burke in the only
individual to have served as president of both ADE and the Society of American Archivists.
His demonstrated commitment to both historical documentary editing and the preservation of
historical records make him a particularly appropriate recipient of the Commission’s
Distinguished Service Award. The NHPRC’s Distinguished Service Award honors
individuals whose careers have exemplified extraordinary commitment in forwarding the
mission of the NHPRC and who have made notable accomplishments in fields touched by the
Commission’s work. 1998 is the tenth year in which the award has been presented.
(NARA Press Release)
Kansas State Historical Society Among Grant Recipients
On November 17, the National Historical Publications and Records
Commission recommended grants of over $2.6 million for 26 projects designed to improve the
understanding of America’s past. These include, for Electronic Records and
Technologies Projects, Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka, KS: A two-year grant of
$74,996 for its Electronic Records Applied Research Project to: 1) conduct applied
electronic records management research by testing key elements of the NHPRC-funded
electronic records management and preservation guidelines; 2) evaluate the feasibility and
effectiveness of the guidelines; and 3) modify the guidelines based upon the research
results. (NARA Press Release)
New National Parks Stress American History
The 105th Congress added three new National Parks, bringing to 378
the number of parks in the National Park System. More than half of the national parks
focus on historical events. The three new sites are: the Little Rock Central High School
National Historic Site for the pivotal role that it played in the desegregation of public
schools in America; the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, established in association
with Tuskegee University to commemorate the "Tuskegee Airmen" and the thousands
of men and women who served in African-American Air Force units during World War II; and
the Oklahoma City National Memorial related to the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P.
Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City where 168 people died.
Regional Archive System Affirmed
On April 7, U.S. Archivist John Carlin reported the findings of a
self-study that examined all of NARA’s facilities. The National Archives has
concluded that it will retain all units in the current regional archives system. The
American Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians and the
Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference had all weighed in strongly on the importance of
the Regional Archives and the need to retain these facilities.
In 1998 the Archives’ Space Planning Team analyzed NARA’s regional facilities to determine what changes should be made to reduce space costs, increase space quantity and quality, and enhance access to records. This initiative led to considerable discussion in and out of the National Archives. In addition to Presidential Libraries and Federal Records Centers, the National Archives has thirteen Regional Archives spread across the country.
The Space Planning Team’s recommendations focused on immediate facility needs and not long term space reorganization. Three specific recommendations were: finding a larger and more adequate facility for the Atlanta area regional archives; meeting the space needs of the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis which holds the 20th century Department of Defense personnel records; and developing records center storage standards for records still in the legal custody of federal agencies, but which may be stored under proposed regulations with private records center companies. (Page Putnam Miller, NCC Washington Update, April 14, 1999)
Electronic Records: NARA Moves Forward
Last November the National Archives and Records Administration filed
a report on electronic records in the U. S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
It outlined steps to manage the Federal Government’s electronic records, including
actions to create alternatives to General Records Schedule 20, which the Court declared
null and void in 1997. John Carlin, Archivist of the United States, reported that NARA has
produced a draft bulletin to guide agencies in scheduling how long to keep electronic
copies of records of their program activities and certain administrative functions
formerly covered by GRS 20. NARA has also cooperated with the Office of Management and
Budget to solicit comment on the bulletin, and has sought public comment through a Federal
Register notice.
NARA’s three-pronged approach to electronic records issues emphasizes partnerships with Federal agencies to resolve technical issues; establishment of an interagency group to develop electronic records guidance; and a study to update internal processes in government records management. NARA has worked with the Department of Defense on functional requirements for records management application software, on the certification process for testing whether particular software products meet those requirements, and on electronic imaging standards. The agency also is working with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to use the power of supercomputers to test records life-cycle management solutions for large quantities of data, and with the Army Research Laboratory on tools to process office automation records.
NARA’s ultimate goal: to re-design how Federal records are identified, appraised, scheduled, and tracked while in agency custody. The project will assess the applicability of fundamental records management and archival practices in the electronic age, including such questions as:
how to appraise records that exist in multiple media or formats
how changing technical capabilities affect the appraisal process
assessing the role that electronic access plays in the appraisal process
According to Carlin, electronic records are "an unprecedented challenge to archivists and records managers" because of "the vulnerability of such records to erasure, media instability, and technological obsolescence, compounded by their mushrooming quantities in multiple formats." Nonetheless, "our democracy, in which open and accountable government depends on open and accessible records, in the electronic era as in any other, cannot afford the loss of a generation of documentation."
A further step was made late in the fall when NARA endorsed Department of Defense Standard 5015.2 for the criteria for electronic records management software. NARA determined that this standard is one approach that federal agencies can use to manage growing quantities of e-mail messages, word-processing documents, and other electronic records. All federal agencies were notified that the standard conforms with requirements of the Federal Records Act and establishes baseline requirements of managing electronic records. NARA underscored, though, that the standard does not solve all electronic record keeping problems. Lewis Bellardo, Deputy Archivist, noted that the standard offers one approach for records management, but other and equally valid approaches may exist. NARA, he said, is exploring alternatives. Endorsement of the DOD standard did not include endorsement of the test and certification program or any software projects certified under that program. The National Archives was still evaluating the test and certification program and will announce the results of the review when it is completed. Bellardo expressed gratitude for the Department of Defense’s work and emphasized that this is an important step forward toward electronic records keeping in the federal government. (National Archives Public Affairs Press Release; and Page Putnam Miller, NCC Washington Update, December 1, 1998).
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SAA Council Resolution on Destruction of Archives in Kosovo & Yugoslavia
On April 14, 1999 the SAA Council approved this resolution on the destruction of archives in Kosovo and Yugoslavia:
The Society of American Archivists notes with grave concern reports of the systematic destruction of archives in Kosovo and war-caused devastation to archives throughout Yugoslavia.
Archives hold the valuable records of the accomplishments of a nation, of a government’s actions, and of its people’s lives. Destruction of the archives eliminates a vital link in a nation’s connection to its past and destroys a people’s ability to learn about themselves and to defend their rights and interests.
Although felt most deeply by those directly affected, the loss of archives anywhere in the world is an irreparable tragedy for all humankind. Once destroyed, archives cannot be recreated, and the cultural patrimony of the world is permanently diminished.
With these considerations in mind, the Society of American Archivists deplores the loss of archives that has taken place to date in the Yugoslav conflict and urges all military forces to recognize the significance and sanctity of archives and to take all actions necessary to protect them to the greatest extent possible wherever they may be found.
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Publications
Books, Pamphlets, Videos, Et cetera
The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) has released "Managing the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) Electronic Collection: A Policy and Planning Document." The Federal Depository Library Program, involving nearly 1,400 libraries, makes government information available to the public. The report outlines the policies for developing and maintaining the collection and makes clear the distinctions between GPO’s role and that of the National Archives. The report may be found on GPO’s WEB site at:
www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/ecplan.html.The Federal Judicial Center has published the Directory of Manuscript Collections Related to Federal Judges. It contains entries for more than 900 federal judges, including justices of the Supreme Court, and citations to over 5,000 collections at 385 repositories. A PDF version of the directory is available on the Federal Judicial Center home page at www.fjc.gov. To request a printed copy of the directory, please send an e-mail to msarago@fjc.gov, or fax the Information Services Office at (202) 273-4025. E-mail requests should include "Manuscript Directory" in the subject field and the name and full mailing address in the body of the message. You may also write to the Information Services Office, Federal Judicial Center, One Columbus Circle NE, Suite 6-310, Washington, DC 20002-8003. Other questions or comments may be directed to the Federal Judicial History Office at (202) 273-4182 or pwonders@fjc.gov.
The Northeast Document Conservation Center is making available on-line the third edition of Preservation of Library & Archival Materials: A Manual, edited by Sherelyn Ogden. The updated and expanded version of the manual will be available after March 1 at: www.nedcc.org. The manual, approximately 350 pages in length, consists of a series of 51 technical leaflets that are written to be useful to nonprofessionals and professionals alike.
The online Directory of Regional, State and Local Archival Organizations in the United States is at: http://sophia.smith.edu/~pnelson/regionals/
SAA’s Directory of Corporate Archives in the United States and Canada is now available on-line in its final edited format at: www.hunterinformation.com/corporat.htm
The National Park Service has placed on the web various publications on archival management. These include Conserve O Gram technical leaflets (nearly 100 4-page leaflets); a Disaster Plan; and exhibits featuring National Park Service collections. These are available at: http://www.cr.nps.gov/csd/publications/index.htm On a related NPS Web page, http://www.cr.nps.gov/crm, recent issues of the NPS journal Cultural Resources Management are posted, including such articles as: "Archives-A Primer for the 21st Century," "Is the Record of the 20th Century at Risk?" "An Archival Glossary for the Millennium," and "What is the Encoded Archival Description Standard?"
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Opportunities
Employment, Fellowships, Grants
Archives Processing Technician: Kauffman Foundation
B.A. in history required, M.A. in history preferred. The successful candidate will
have direct experience with archival description work, familiarity with holdings
maintenance techniques, special media preservation, and basic computer skills. Archives or
museum studies course work a plus. Applicant must be able to climb ladders and lift boxes
weighing 50 lbs. This is a full-time temporary position of approximately one to one and a
half years duration and does not include benefits. The salary rate is $15/hour. For more
information contact Barbara Kowalski, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, 816-932-1104.
RESEARCH GRANT: NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Nebraska State Historical Society (NSHS) announces a research grant program for
qualified applicants wishing to pursue research and produce articles on some aspect of
Nebraska history or archeology. One $1,000 grant will be awarded in 1999 for a project
that must be completed within one year. The grant can be used to support original research
and interpretive writing related to the history of Nebraska and the Great Plains.
Preference given to those pursuing neglected topics, new approaches, or new
interpretations. The NSHS invites applicants from a variety of backgrounds. Grant
recipients expected to spend a minimum of one week in residence in Lincoln working at the
NSHS, and, within one year from the date the grant is awarded to submit a manuscript for
possible publication in Nebraska History or other appropriate venue. APPLICATION
GUIDELINES: Proposals must be postmarked by June 1, 1999. Notification to the grant
recipient will be made by June 15, 1999. Applications must include: 1. Title page with:
name, address, phone number and e-mail address (if available), and project title. 2. Short
description of the proposed project, no more than 1,000 words, which addresses: topic;
thesis; aspects of the topic to be investigated and questions to be explored; proposed
sources and their availability and applicability to the topic; and potential contribution
to existing literature. 3. A statement, if this is part of a larger project, of how much
work has been completed and what additional research the grant will support. 4. Current
vita. Please send completed application and requested supplementary materials to:
NSHS Research Grant Program, Nebraska State Historical Society, P.O. Box 82554, 1500 R
Street, Lincoln, NE 68512, For project criteria and other details, contact James E. Potter
402-471-4747.
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Should Your Repository Be Listed on KU’s Religious Studies Resources Website?
Does your repository hold collections that document religious life in Kansas or in the Metropolitan Kansas City Area? Looking for another way to make your collections better known and utilized?
If the answer to both questions is "yes," then contact Annie Williams, Religious Studies Bibliographer for University of Kansas Libraries about listing your repository on the Religious Studies Resources webpage.
What collections pertain to religious life? Those that document congregations, denominations, ministries, religious movements, and church-related institutions
Visit the Website at: http://www.ukans.edu/~relignks/HomePgReligious.html
Contact Ms. Williams by e-mail at awilliams@ukans.edu and provide the information below, or copy the form below, fill it out, and mail to: Annie Williams, Religious Studies Bibliographer, Watson Library, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045-2800; Phone: (785) 864-8913
Religious Studies Resources Webpage
Repository Name______________________________________________________________
Contact Person ________________________________________________________________
Repository Mailing Address:_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Phone Number: (_____)__________________ E-Mail Address:_________________________
Brief Description of materials related to religion in Kansas and the Metropolitan Kansas City Area:
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Co-Chairs
Lynn Ward (Liberty Memorial Museum)
(816) 221-1918Eric Page (Unity Archives)
(816) 524-3550
Secretary
Jelain Chubb (Kansas State Historical Society)
(913) 272-8681
Treasurer
Mary Hawkins (University of Kansas)
(913) 864-4274
Kansas City Area Archivists is a local non-profit organization serving archivists in Eastern Kansas and Western Missouri. Annual membership dues: $15 individuals, $25 institutions, $10 students, $50 sustaining institution, $100 supporting institution.
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Editor
Stan Ingersol
Production Staff
Greg Brunson
Samuel Simoes
Preservation Notes Editors
Nancy J. Hulston & Alan Perry
The Dusty Shelf is published three times a year by Kansas City Area Archivists. We honor exchanges with other organizations. The Dusty Shelf is compiled and edited by staff of the Nazarene Archives and mailed by staff of the Western Historical Manuscript Collection-KC.
Materials for publication should be sent to: Stan Ingersol, Nazarene Archives, 6401 The Paseo, Kansas City, MO 64131, (816) 333-7000, or via e-mail to singersol@nazarene.org.
Memberships and address changes should be sent to: Jelain Chubb, Kansas State Historical Society, Center for Historical Research, 6425 SW 6th Ave., Topeka, KS 66615 (913) 272-8681, ext. 307.
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1999
CALENDAR
MAY 13-15, 1999
MAC SPRING CONFERENCE
Midland Hotel, Chicago, Ill.
JUNE 12, 1999
KCAA ANNUAL BANQUET
6:00 p.m., Italian Gardens
1110 Baltimore, Kansas City, Missouri
816-221-9311
Election of Officers
Benefit Auction for the Minority Internship
AUGUST 23-29, 1999
SAA 63RD ANNUAL MEETING
Pittsburgh
SEPTEMBER 16, 1999
KCAA FALL QUARTERLY MEETING
Truman National Historic Site
Independence, Missouri
OCTOBER 14-16, 1999
MAC FALL MEETING
Lincoln, Nebraska
announcement: KCAA Award if Excellence
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Last revised:
Thursday, April 06, 2006
