MT @norasnoodlings: @SmithsonianFolk tackle moldy collections @SmithsonianArch labs #manicuremonday in nitrile gloves http://t.co/QVuiT2SILW
— Smithsonian Archives (@SmithsonianArch) July 21, 2014
After delving into the material assigned for this week’s readings, I couldn’t help but find myself reminiscing about the past summer, which I spent living in Washington D.C., working as a (regrettably) unpaid intern at the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, abbreviated as the CFCH (that’s me, on the left in the blue dress).
During my internship I worked largely within the Center’s archives, processing different art and correspondence collections, and attempting to discern what might be worth including in recent digitization efforts funded by a federally subsidized, and therefore unsurprisingly modest budget. Along with other interns (namely my friend on the right, Heather), we sorted through hundreds of original works of art from records produced at the Center during the 20th century (you can browse many of the recordings here: http://www.folkways.si.edu/folkways-recordings/smithsonian). The works of album artwork that we processed were historically produced as a part of an effort to release more unconventional or unorthodox music during the 1950s and 60s, when government censorship and the era of McCarthyism surged across the nation. Some of the most famous folk musicians of the 20th century such as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger recorded with Folkways and left original works of art and recordings in the hands of the Smithsonian’s CFCH. Even at an institution as prestigious as the Smithsonian, these materials were not accessible to the public online. Individuals are still required to make an appointment to view the collection, and many of the materials have yet to be cataloged at all.
During our efforts, we grappled with many of the same questions brought to light by Chon Noriega in “Preservation Matters,” such as what the function of our collections were on both a public and an institutional level, and what the responsibility of the Center was in preserving these historic materials. Essentially, our boss wanted us to pick out particularly good examples of well-preserved or exceptional works of art to be digitized and eventually put online for public access. However in doing this, we were adding weight to Gamboa’s theory that it was impossible to give an accurate account of a history because of the very fact that these materials were part of an archive. Heather and I were selecting what history would be publicly shown, and which pieces of art would remain hidden away or potentially even discarded (such as those with hazardous mold or other damages). I think this is one of the most universally important things to keep in mind when using archives and collections. True “History,” is unknowable because archives are an imperfect and meager snapshot of what happened, how it happened and who was involved.
For more information on the archives and collections I worked with check out these links:
http://www.folklife.si.edu/archive