Archives of the City of Kingsport

www.kingsportlibrary.org/archiveswww.kingsportlibrary.org/archives

What is an Archives? • Archives consist of

"documents or records relating to the activities, rights, claims, treatises, constitutions, etc., of a family, corporation, community, nation or historical figures

[and]...a place where public records or other historical documents are kept." (Random House Unabridged Dictionary).

Of all our national assets, Archives are the most precious; they are the gift of one generation to another and the extent of our care of them marks the extent of our civilization.

Arthur G. Doughty

Dominion Archivist, 1904-1935

What is an Archivist?

• An Archivist is responsible for appraising, arranging, describing, preserving and providing access to records of enduring value

• An Archivist is also responsible for the oversight and management of an archival repository.

• Archivists are collectors and keepers of history.

Kingsport Archives

The Archives, located in the library’s lower level, houses papers and photographs of individuals, organizations, industry, business, and non-current City records pertaining to the history of the City of Kingsport for preservation and research purposes.

Mission of the Archives

• Identify records of enduring value

• Protect and Preserve records

• Access-Make available to patrons

Kingsport Archives Collection Policy

The Archives of the City of Kingsport collects materials, published and unpublished, relevant to the history of the City of Kingsport.

What does the Kingsport Archives Collect?

• letters • memoirs • diaries/journals • scrapbooks/photo albums • professional papers • genealogical information • books• school yearbooks

• speeches/lectures • business records • subject files • legal documents • minutes/reports • brochures and flyers • photographs • films/videos/audio tapes

Collection and Appraisal in Archives

• Identify items that have permanent (archival) value based on collection policy, mission statement, and overall appraisal

• Appraisal Decisions – Content– Authenticity– Condition– Value– Uniqueness

Values of Records in an Archives • Operating/Administrative- records used for current work of the

organization or institution, generally short-term records

• Fiscal-financial records

• Legal-records documenting legal rights of an individual or organization (an example is a patent or trademark file) or records required by statutes and regulations to be kept.

• Archival– Evidential-records of “proof” – Informational-worth is in the people, things and events in the

records in relation to importance to collection policy

• Monetary-worth in the market place– The Kingsport Archives does not appraise items based on monetary value

Evaluating Appropriateness and Value of

Records for the Kingsport Archives • Kingsport Related?• Does it fit any appraisal

values therefore giving it archival value?

• What condition is it in-can it be preserved and stored in the archives?

• Will it be useful and accessible to researchers

Collections in the Archives

• Kingsport Community Manuscript Collections

The community collections come from people, organizations, businesses, and industries.

Example: KCMC 0049- J. Fred Johnson Family

Collection, 1893-mid 1990s.

Collections in the Archives

• Kingsport Municipal Manuscript Collections

These documents have been created by various departments within the Kingsport City Government.

Example: KMMC 37- Kingsport Fire Department Collection, c.1871-1989 and undated

Why donate your personal and family collections to the Kingsport Archives?

• Environmentally controlled environment

• Safe, secure storage• Proper handling and use• Access to your records

for future generations• Cared for in order to

ensure that it is preserved as long as humanly possible

• Your records are important to preserving the history of Kingsport; its places, people and cultural heritage

PreservationAn Integral Part of any Archives

Program

• Protect materials by minimizing any deterioration-chemical or physical- and damage

• Extend life cycle of materials • Protect from loss of information • Conservation Methods/Treatment

– Rule of Reversibility: • No treatment should be undertaken that cannot later, if

necessary, be undone without harming the item. Treatment should be incapable of altering its physical, chemical, aesthetic, or historical integrity.

Temperature

• Higher temps speed up chemical reactions so the colder the environment, the longer materials will last.

• Recommended maximum temperature of 68 degrees.

Relative Humidity

high humidity ( above 65-70%)

encourages growth of mold and mildew

low humidity (below 30%)

causes materials to be dry and brittle

recommended 45% relative humidity

Other Factors in Storage Environment

• Air Quality: Atmospheric pollution can cause deterioration of archival materials

• Light: Light speeds up the oxidation of paper and thus its chemical breakdown. Also has a bleaching effect-think of something left out in the sun.

• Biological Agents: Fungi, Insects and Rodents

Good Housekeeping practices are very important!

Basic Preservation • Remove staples,

paperclips, rubber bands• Unfold papers• Put in acid-free folders • Re-box in acid-free boxes• Photocopy newspaper

articles• Wear white, cotton

gloves, especially when handling photos or negatives

• Never use pen to identify photos

Access to Archives of the City of Kingsport*Patrons Welcome*

What can you do at the Archives?• View Historic photos of

Kingsport on display

• Check out exhibit cases filled with items from the archives and Kingsport artifacts

• Read Local history books

• Research!

• Learn about Kingsport history

Bringing the Archives to You! Take a Trip Down Memory Lane from Home

www.kingsportlibrary.org/archives

Online Image Gallery Over 2,000 images

Search by Categoryexample: Buildings

Search by Keyword

example: Dobyns-Bennett High School

Browse Newest Photos added to the Gallery

Click on thumbnails to view information about the image (date, photographer, location, ID number, etc.)

Print and digital copies of the images on the image gallery may be obtained by visiting the Archives

Search the Archives Collections• Search the Archives

holdings by keyword

Example:

Looking for information on the Frank and Mack Show?

Type Frank and Mack into the search feature and see what collections have info on the Frank and Mack Show.

Finding Aids- information about the collection

Box and Folder List-Listing/Inventory of what is in the collection

See something online you want to investigate further?

• To view the items in a collection you must come to the archives

• Materials from the archives do not circulate- they must be viewed in the archives reading room

• Walk-ins and appointments are welcome

Archives of the City of Kingsport Blog“Bringing the Past to the Present”

http://kingsportarchives.wordpress.com

Great way to Post Upcoming Programs/Events

Link Current News with Historical Photos and Information

• Pet Dairy announced closing of local plant– Blog post

about closing included photos of the plant along with the history of the plant

Highlight Past Events/Anniversaries

A blog is a great way to keep statistics

• Daily record of visits • Top pages/posts• Search engine terms• Manages subscribers

to the site • Gives a good idea of

what people are interested in and want to see from the Archives

The Archives is also on Facebook

Another way to Promote the Archives of the City of Kingsport!

• Post links to new blog posts

• Allows people to comment and submit fan photos

• Great way to promote the Archives and encourage interaction with “fans” of the page

• Share news and events

Think you know a lot about local history? Check out the Kingsport Trivia Questions on Facebook

Want to get More Involved with the Archives?Join the Friends of the Archives

• Take an active role in helping to preserve Kingsport’s history

• Help promote the archives

• Volunteer in the archives

• Help with fundraising projects

Archives of the City of Kingsport

• Monday:

2-5

• Tuesday:

9-12 & 2-5

• Wednesday:

9-12 & 2-5

• Thursday:

9-12 & 2-5

Kingsport Public Library and Archives

400 Broad Street

Kingsport, TN 37660

Contact the Archives

Brianne Wright

City Archivist

423-224-2559

bjohnson@wrlibrary.org

kingsportarchives@wrlibrary.org

Kingsportarchives.wordpress.com

www.kingsportlibrary.org/archives

My connection to the past, like any Historian's, is through the stuff that's left

behind. It's not an imaginative connection, although imagination is part of it. It's about documents , it's about sources, it's about clues, it's about the leavings, the shards, the remnants of people who once live and

don't live anymore. Without the documents, there's no history.

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich