These past two weeks I have begun an in-depth review of the materials I have acquired for my project. These objects have been collected over 40 years and consist of a range of materials. Currently, the objects are stored in one large tote bin, a shoe box, and a small storage bin. Some pieces of the collection do not have a home currently and are waiting to be placed into their spot in the collection.
The collection includes newspapers, photographs, art pieces (metal & wood), paper documents, books, and drawings. This allows me to practice handling and archiving different materials. I have found the hardest part of organizing this collection is that it is very easy to get distracted and go into a rabbit hole of the little bits of history each piece has.
My process so far consists of maintaining a Google Spreadsheet which I will be able to update regularly and easily turn access over to my family members that will take over. As of right now, my inventory list looks a bit like the spreadsheet below.
As I progress through the project, I plan to select some of the items in the collection and place them in a Collection Management System (CMS) to further the project's goal of being a usable archive. The main objects that would be housed on the CMS would be a part of my physical exhibit that is opening in University Gallery in February. Before I get too ahead of myself I have to finish up my review and re-organizing of the Jerrold B. Smith Family Archives Collections.
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