ARCHIVES 2015

Archival description tends by necessity toward the aggregate, but sometimes the opportunity arises to examine and reveal objects at a more granular level. This platform presentation will explain how an archivist and librarian at the University of Tennessee applied their interest in highlighting marginalia to UT Libraries’ Shaheen Antiquarian Bible Collection, a significant but understudied collection of 250 volumes, many from the 16th and 17th century. The books’ previous owner, Naseeb Shaheen, tracked Shakespeare’s many Biblical references back to different Early Modern English translations. While Shaheen studied the translation and glosses (or printed marginalia) “layers” of Biblical text, we looked at evidence of the books’ physical history via handwritten marginalia and ownership marks left by largely anonymous readers, in an effort to emphasize the importance of books as historical objects containing evidence of readers’ interactions with text and books as objects over centuries. After using iPads, Google Sheets, and a Tumblr blog to record and share instances of marginalia, the project is nearing the end of its first phase. We have discovered that marginalia – even from unknown authors – is a desirable, diverse, and significant subject of inquiry. It also makes a more human (and therefore more interesting) entry point into history for students. In our talk we will discuss our findings and next steps: using what we have learned in instruction, examining other collections, and investigating metadata standards to support widespread discovery of these small but significant marks.

About the Authors:

Kris Bronstad is the Modern Political Archivist at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, where, in addition to managing the collections of 20th century Tennesseepoliticians such as Howard Baker, Estes Kefauver and Bill Brock, she works with the library to find ways to best provide lasting access to digital material. Kris has a Masters in Information Science with a Specialization in Archives and Records Management from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a BA and MFA from University of Texas-Austin.

Chris Caldwell is Assistant Professor and liaison to the Departments of English, Theatre, and the Humanities Center at University of Tennessee Libraries in Knoxville. His research interests include book history, hidden collections, and forgotten libraries. Chris has an MS in Information Science from the University of Tennessee and an MFA from New College of California.