Brooks-Tatum, Shanesha R. F.

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Against the GrainVolume 24 | Issue 1 Article 8February 2012Fayetteville State University Preserves HistoryWhile Collaborating with Faculty and StudentsShanesha R. F. Brooks-TatumHBCU Library Alliance, sbrooks-tatum@hbculibraries.orgFollow this and additional works at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/atgPart of the Library and Information Science CommonsThis document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact epubs@purdue.edu foradditional information.Recommended CitationBrooks-Tatum, Shanesha R. F. (2012) "Fayetteville State University Preserves History While Collaborating with Faculty andStudents," Against the Grain: Vol. 24: Iss. 1, Article 8.DOI: https://doi.org/10.7771/2380-176X.607820 Against the Grain / February 2012 <http://www.against-the-grain.com>continued on page 22Fayetteville State University Preserves History While Collaborating With Faculty and Studentsby Shanesha R. F. Brooks-Tatum  (Project Coordinator/Writer, HBCU Library Alliance)  <sbrooks-tatum@hbculibraries.org>Fayetteville State University is the second-oldest bachelor’s and master’s degree-granting institution in the University of North Carolina System.  It was founded in 1867 as the Howard School for the education of African Americans, the forerunner institution of Fayetteville State University.  Now serving over 6,000 students, this North Carolina campus is undergoing a $38-million campus construction campaign to meet the growing demands of southeastern North Carolina.The University’s library bears the name of Charles W. Chesnutt (1858-1932), successful African American novelist and the second principal of the Howard School.  The Library’s archives and special collections department recently took on the challenge of preserving the history of its Chesnutt papers and other valuable collections.Library staff identified several needs, which included preserving rapidly-deteriorating antique documents (some more than 120 years old) and making the collections more accessible.  “It is one thing to preserve and quite another to make collections accessible,” Bobby Wynn, Director of Library Services stated.With initial funding from the HBCU Library Alli-ance Mellon Foundation grant, the Library began its archival preservation efforts in 2008.  Projects needing immediate attention were identified through a Lyrasis needs assessment survey.  These included preserv-ing scrapbooks in the Rudolph Jones Collec-tion, historical photographs from the Charles W. Chesnutt family collection, and key documents of institutional history.  The needs assessment survey also confirmed the staff’s concerns about environmental conditions within the department, which posed an ongoing threat to the integrity and endurance of materials housed within the department.  Despite the high demand, library visitors and researchers could not access the materials until the necessary preservation work had been completed.The environmental monitoring project was suc-cessfully completed through cooperation with the Image Permanence Institute (IPI).  Campus fa-cilities personnel used IPI data to target the climate-related problems in the archives and ensure their conformity to the accepted archival standards.Also, library staff developed a system of priori-tizing which documents would be digitized.  “It is extremely important that libraries evaluate the col-lections they have based on a set of criteria.  Our cri-teria included historical importance, level of usage, physical condition, level of arrangement, and size. We gave each of these criteria a numerical value,” remarked Craig Tuttle, University Archivist.  Evaluation criteria enabled the Library not only to prioritize, but also to adjust the preservation and digitization schedule to fit changes at the Library. Before Craig Tuttle was hired as university ar-chivist, the Library did not have an archivist on staff, since the position was vacant for almost a year.  University of Delaware professionals and other consultants trained staff in preservation and digitization.  Students were trained to assist with the project and consequently, exposed to the library science profession and archiving practices. Along with Tuttle, Diana Amerson, Gov-ernment Documents Librarian (previously the archival assistant) and Jan Whitfield, Head of Public Services, played a key role in the Library’s preservation efforts.  “We had to consider the entire budget while taking stock of what supplies were available.  In considering how to allocate the budget, we, of course, had to follow university policy,” added Amerson.Pictured above is a page from Rudolph Jones’ Scrapbook.  All photos on  this page are courtesy of Fayetteville State University Library.Photo of E. E. Smith.22 Against the Grain / February 2012 <http://www.against-the-grain.com>Scrapbooks were processed by Backstage Library Works and microfilmed.  The digitized images of the pages were placed on DVDs and are currently being transferred to the Website.  Eighteen photographs were sent to the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts for repair.Library staff engaged faculty members in a project centering on the archives.  Each year the Chesnutt Fellows Program pays ten Faculty Fellows stipends to participate in a yearlong program that assists them in in-corporating ACRL standards for information literacy into their syllabi.  “Collaboration is key,” shared Wynn.  “We also evaluate how faculty are teaching with and without ACRL standards to gauge outcomes,” he added.Fayetteville State University ...from page 20“Through this program we are able to make faculty and students aware of the rich archival materials housed at the Library, and the diverse ways that the materials can be used in teaching and research,” Tuttle remarked.  Library staff encourage faculty fellows to assign activities that teach stu-dents to use the archives.  “Since collec-tions are digitized, students do not have to visit the Library to use the materials, but we do want to ensure that they are aware of what we have as well as the history of the institution that they are now part of,” Amerson shared.This collaborative effort between fac-ulty members and librarians is part of the University’s SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) Quality Enhance-ment Project.  Additionally, librarians began a multimedia oral history project called the Broadell Project, in which they collected oral histories and subsequently cataloged presen-tations. “This garnered even more attention for the archival collections.  Ultimately, the project not only improved archives but also served as training for faculty and staff,” Wynn stated. “The Library is growing and expand-ing.  Our focus is on working closely with faculty members so that through every point of contact, awareness of the Library’s di-verse and valuable collections reaches even more faculty members and students,” added Wynn.  The digitization efforts increase national and worldwide awareness of the unique collections at Fayetteville State University.To learn more about Fayetteville State University’s Library, visit http://library.uncfsu.edu.  continued on page 24Savannah State University Innovates to Ensure Excellent Customer Serviceby Shanesha R. F. Brooks-Tatum  (Project Coordinator/Writer, HBCU Library Alliance)  <sbrooks-tatum@hbculibraries.org>Savannah State University is the oldest public HBCU in the state of Georgia and the oldest institution of higher education in the city of Savannah.  Founded in 1890, the campus serves 4,300 students and an increas-ingly diverse population.  The Asa H. gordon Library is the main library on campus, where Mary Jo Fayoyin has been the Library Director for ten years.  In 2007, Fayoyin and her staff implemented an en-hanced strategic plan that positioned the library to spearhead innovations that have garnered institutional, local, and national press coverage. Transformations in these areas were prompted by the library staff’s self-assessment, which made clear their need to holistically examine and rethink their approach to customer service.“The questions that we reflected on were ‘Why we do what we do?’ and ‘How can we improve what we do?’” stated Fayoyin. Following the initial assessment, the library implemented a strategic plan addressing key areas that surfaced from patrons’ feedback. Asa H. gordon Library’s innovations are primarily in three areas: cutting-edge technol-ogy, information literacy and assessment, and library accessibility.Although technological advances were made, assessment tools were strengthened, and library accessibility was substantially im-proved, the library’s core strategy continues to be improved customer service.  “Our library is innovative for the sake of customer service.  We are forward-thinking and customer-oriented be-cause we value our patrons,” Fayoyin added. The HBCU Library Alliance was espe-cially helpful in providing the leadership train-ing Savannah State library staff and faculty needed to create a strong and clearly-defined strategic plan.  While the HBCU Library Alliance identified the library’s strengths and weaknesses, implementing the enhanced stra-tegic plan required the commitment and efforts of the entire library staff. James Stevens, Systems, Databases, and Periodicals Librarian and COST (College of Science and Technology) Liaison, wrote script for most of the programs and helped lead technological advancements at the li-brary.  He spearheaded the development of the library’s text messaging reference service, which received “trend setter status” recognition in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the HBCU Digest.  However, technology is useless without training for the end-user, so Stevens developed programming to train students. He developed a strong relationship with the Student Body President and Cabinet through giveaways and other incentives for students.Louise Wyche, a librarian at the gordon Library for over ten years, focused on improv-ing customer service.  Wyche and Librarian, Ivy Brannen developed a training program for library assistants and student assistants.  Bran-nen, who earned her Master’s degree in Library Science while working as a Library Assistant at Savannah State, now heads the Circulation Department, which helps students have easy access to resources.  “We received funding to hire additional librarians, and we were happy to support Ms. Brannen as she earned her library degree,” Fayoyin remarked.Caren Agata heads the library’s Informa-tion Literacy Program, which was implemented with grant funding in 2008.  The information literacy program ensures that students leave Pictured above is the Asa H. Gordon Library.  Photo is courtesy of  Asa H. Gordon Library, Savannah State University.

Fayetteville State University Preserves History While Collaborating with Faculty and Students

Shanesha R. F. Brooks-Tatum

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Against the Grain

https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6078&context=atg

Fayetteville State University Preserves History While Collaborating with Faculty and Students

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