Capitalizing on short-term collaborative projects: A special collections case study

Abstract

After the University of Idaho (UI) Library Special Collections and Archives (SPEC) received an unexpected bequest of approximately 340 boxes of science fiction books and manuscript materials, faculty and staff had to think creatively about how to appraise, clean, preserve, and provide basic access to the collection within a short time frame.Embracing the idea that short-term collaborative projects require less formality, which makes them “low-hanging fruit” and more likely to succeed than long-term collaborative projects, SPEC implemented successful strategies such as cross-training library student employees from other units, applying for use of temporary space on campus, and creative use of available technology. Short-term projects require different approaches and resources than a long-term project. Lessons about flexibility, student learning, and using available technology can be used by other academic libraries facing short-term projects that can at first seem overwhelming.

To Thine Own 3D Selfie Be True

“…Passehl-Stoddart et al provide an example of this form of makerspace outreach, in this case 3D printing of cultural objects from a local collection. 2 One of the earlier scholarly treatments of 3D printing and scanning in an academic library was Michael Groenendyk and Riel Gallant's work at Dalhousie University in 2013, near the dawn of the current maker movement. 3 Writing about the Dalhousie "hackerspace," which predated even the term "makerspace" being in wide use, Groenendyk and Gallant described the technical details of their setup for a 2013 audience before writing frankly about their outreach efforts and difficulties with 3D scanned models.…”