The project has progressed nicely as the majority of the materials have now been cataloged. The database contains all of the information written on each tape case, the type of tape, and an assessment of the medium so as to be able to understand what materials are in the most need of immediate action.

I met with Scott of the Sousa Archives. The entire collection will be moved over the the archives on 12/9. At that point, Scott will decide on a preservation strategy. Scott will also decide which materials to deaccession.

Although I completely understand the space and resource constraints within the Sousa Archives, I am saddened to see that the collection will not be preserved as a whole. As mentioned in a previous post, I do believe there is value in maintaining this collection as a whole but I understand the real-world constraints inhibiting that. I do also lament the fact that we may of had a real opportunity to get this collection in the hands of its creators and originating institutions but reaching out to these other institutions and creators has been discouraged from within our archives. That said, I understand the desire for the music archives to exert as much control as possible over such a significant collection.

In the upcoming weeks, I’m going to clean up the database. I want to put a GUI behind the database so as to make it easy to search but Scott says he does not want such an interface. I’m going to build a finding aid and a report with some recommendations to pass over. I am not sure if they will be utilized but as someone who has worked with this collection over the past ten or so weeks, I do think that I have some valuable observations to share. I have also digitized a significant amount of materials pertaining to the original order of the collection which I will also pass over.

Overall, I am satisfied with this project. I do believe that I brought several departments together in an effort to preserve this material. I also believe that through the work I have done will aid in the preserving materials for the long-term. Additionally, I am still honored that I got to act as the temporary custodian of this collection during this transition time.