Week 11-15: Conclusion of Harrisonburg Historic Maps and Beyond

Over the past couple of weeks, the other intern and I finally completed reprocessing the Harrisonburg Historic Maps Collection. We were able to fine all but one of the missing maps, but we continued on with the numbering even though one was still missing. Originally, we were able to reduce the number of large map folders down to 10 from 20, and after more reorganizing we were able to fit all of the large maps into only six map folders, much more manageable than 20. We updated the finding aid to reflect the new map additions and added some brief information about how we went about reprocessing the old and new collections together.

The final step in this project, after the completed finding aid, was processing the over sized maps. We left these maps until the end because they were not going to be stored with the rest of the map collection and instead needed to be rolled up and placed into rolled storage boxes. With assistance from Julia, who is in charge of preservation here, we were able to roll up the oversize maps and place them into two separate rolled storage boxes.

This entire process took just about two months and was an incredible experience in how processing collections is done. It didn't seem like too much work in the beginning, just numbering and reorganizing, but it turned out to be much more time consuming than either of us imagined. I am extremely glad this was my first processing experience because it showed me all the intricacies and tiny details that need to be paid attention to while processing collections. We ran into some speed bumps along the way but were able to push through them and finally get this collection open to the public for research.

Flat boxes containing small maps

Rolled storage boxes with oversize maps

After we finished the map project, I have been working on a number of smaller projects for Special Collections. There is a reunion coming up for the Women's Concert Choir here at JMU and we needed some more information on their history. I went through numerous copies of the yearbooks and was able to find out they they are the oldest choir on campus, beginning back in 1916 and called the Glee Club, and remained a choir until the late 80s when they were eventually split up into many other choir groups. One of the coolest things I found out about them was that in the mid 1950s, they went on an international tour for the Air Force and performed in Belize, Iceland, and Azores, a small island off the coast of Portugal. While on this trip, one of their planes was actually struck by lightening on the way to Iceland and they had to make an emergency landing in the states.

Along with that project, I worked on compiling a list of collections for your map project that were specific to Harrisonburg and contained information about specific places within the city. Hopefully that list was sufficient enough and I look forward to hearing more about that project.