Using the university archives to demonstrate real research

Senf, Carol A.

doi:10.1080/13586840500164599

“…More specifically, prior efforts had already established curriculum programmes as methods for involving learners to understand UA’s contribution to acquiring knowledge about university history (Colonna and Lawrimore, 2019; Dominguez de Almeida and Medeiros, 2017). Moreover, other efforts emphasized increasing students’ motivation in doing research (Legg et al , 2020; Senf, 2005) or creating the research context to measure students’ awareness about UA (Wagner and Smith, 2012). Other researchers could further expand these methods by applying different teaching approaches and thereafter, measuring learners’ knowledge, awareness and consideration about UA and how they contribute to their educational background.…”

Section: Discussion and Future Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this section, efforts that demonstrate the UA contribution to enhance students' educational, research and cultural background are examined. One of the initial research approaches within this context has been designed by Senf (2005). Senf used university archival holdings to enrich and enhance students' exploration skills and mindset for performing genuine primary research within a living-lab approach.…”

Section: Educational Contribution Of University Archivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

University archives: the research road travelled and the one ahead

Chrysanthopoulos

¹

,

Drivas

²

,

Kouis

³

et al. 2021

GKMC

1

0

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Purpose University archives (UA) are the bridge between the past and the present and serve as a beacon for highlighting the contribution of academic institutions to society. Although the UA topic was introduced and formalized in the 1950s, the scientific research interest has increased significantly in the past two decades. This paper aims to provide insights into the UA research topic during the previous 15 years. Design/methodology/approach The combination of two well-established methods for performing literature review was deployed, aiming to identify, select and assess the research documents. Based on the selection criteria, 49 documents presenting research efforts around the UA topic were finally examined from the Scopus citation index. The selected studies have been classified into three main topics: strategic management of UA and the derived challenges, the educational contribution of UA and the strategic information systems for UA. Findings Some of the main findings are the lack of well-defined administrative policies, the low level of awareness and archival consciousness within the universities, the inadequacy of university archivists’ educational and training background, the need to use UA for building relationships with alumni and society, and finally, the need for metadata standardization by the UA management systems. Originality/value As a literature review around UA has not been conducted before, the reader will gain insights into the methods and research designs that other scholars had already applied to designate useful findings and results.

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“…4 English professor Carol A. Senf describes bringing her undergraduate Victorian studies class to the Special Collections Department as a means to encourage students move beyond their tendency to use "already digested" secondary sources that were often chosen without much thought. 5 Senf also notes that archival sources can dramatically reduce plagiarism, since their individual nature means that secondary sources defining and analyzing a particular document are less likely to exist. 6 Additional benefits of course projects conducted in the Special Collections, as detailed by history professor Marian J. Matyn, are an increase in the confidence level of student research and papers that are better informed and more engaging.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Manuscript as Question: Teaching Primary Sources in the Archives--The China Missions Project

McCoy

¹

2010

College & Research Libraries

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The collaborative effort between two Special Collections librarians and a history professor at DePaul University led to a quarter-long undergraduate project in the archives using China Missions Correspondence. In a reversal of traditional methods that assumes archival use to answer a question, this project looks at the document as the source of the questions. A qualitative analysis of student responses from these class sessions between 2002 and 2008 reveals the impact that direct experience has on primary source education and how outreach and user instruction in the archives can transform research, education, and the place of special collections within the institution. As a case study, this paper examines planning, administration, identification, instruction, and assessment of the project from the librarians' perspective.rchival collections provide tangible links to elements of history and society. These collections are unique clusters of letters, diaries, photos, memos, pamphlets, and many other documents that offer first-hand accounts of persons, groups, places, and/or events. Whether it is a word that is blacked out by a censor, a flourished cursive hand, doodles in the margins, or type that bears the soft purplish halos of an early mimeographed copy, the mere physicality of these documents exudes clues about the writer, the receiver, and the time period or the context. To interact with archival sources is an intimate experience; a sensation not captured through well-intentioned excerpts transcribed in textbooks. These materials in their original form have been long prized by history professors and archivists as the ultimate primary source due to their enormous potential for teaching students how to evaluate and interpret evidence. 1

show abstract

“…4 English professor Carol A. Senf describes bringing her undergraduate Victorian studies class to the Special Collections Department as a means to encourage students move beyond their tendency to use "already digested" secondary sources that were often chosen without much thought. 5 Senf also notes that archival sources can dramatically reduce plagiarism, since their individual nature means that secondary sources defining and analyzing a particular document are less likely to exist. 6 Additional benefits of course projects conducted in the Special Collections, as detailed by history professor Marian J. Matyn, are an increase in the confidence level of student research and papers that are better informed and more engaging.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Manuscript as Question: Teaching Primary Sources in the Archives—The China Missions Project

McCoy

¹

2010

CRL

0

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The collaborative effort between two Special Collections librarians and a history professor at DePaul University led to a quarter-long undergraduate project in the archives using China Missions Correspondence. In a reversal of traditional methods that assumes archival use to answer a question, this project looks at the document as the source of the questions. A qualitative analysis of student responses from these class sessions between 2002 and 2008 reveals the impact that direct experience has on primary source education and how outreach and user instruction in the archives can transform research, education, and the place of special collections within the institution. As a case study, this paper examines planning, administration, identification, instruction, and assessment of the project from the librarians' perspective.rchival collections provide tangible links to elements of history and society. These collections are unique clusters of letters, diaries, photos, memos, pamphlets, and many other documents that offer first-hand accounts of persons, groups, places, and/or events. Whether it is a word that is blacked out by a censor, a flourished cursive hand, doodles in the margins, or type that bears the soft purplish halos of an early mimeographed copy, the mere physicality of these documents exudes clues about the writer, the receiver, and the time period or the context. To interact with archival sources is an intimate experience; a sensation not captured through well-intentioned excerpts transcribed in textbooks. These materials in their original form have been long prized by history professors and archivists as the ultimate primary source due to their enormous potential for teaching students how to evaluate and interpret evidence.

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Using the university archives to demonstrate real research

Cited by 4 publications

References 5 publications

University archives: the research road travelled and the one ahead

University archives: the research road travelled and the one ahead

The Manuscript as Question: Teaching Primary Sources in the Archives--The China Missions Project

The Manuscript as Question: Teaching Primary Sources in the Archives—The China Missions Project

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