When new collections are added to an archive, they need to be formally processed. Processing an archival collection consists of performing small preservation tasks, like removing staples and paper clips, going through every box and folder to learn about the contents, and describing the collection. This allows us to create a map of the collection for future researchers. As the archivist in The Strong Museum’s Brian Sutton-Smith Archives of Play, I learn something new every day in a lot of different subject areas. That’s probably why a lot of archivists and librarians are REALLY good at trivia.
Because you really need to know the collection well to accurately describe it, you get drawn into the lives of people who are a part of the narrative, and every collection is its own story. Emotions aren’t supposed to be a part of the archival process, but trust me, they are!
I’m always entertained by random gossip nuggets in papers. They can be found in so many different types of collections: personal papers, individual manuscripts, and surprisingly, corporate records.
One of my favorite objects is from the collection of individual manuscripts, a seventh-grader’s notebook and notes. Some of us remember THAT notebook. The notebook you and your friends would pass back and forth between classes. This manuscript has drama, different colored inks, and fun acronyms—W/B/S [write back soon] and LLL [longer letter later]. I can smell the Aqua Net hairspray!
I was hooked on the first sentence, “If Jason’s on activity restriction, then he won’t be able to come to Darien Lake.” Who was Jason? Why is he on activity restriction? The girls in the notebook discuss other friends, teachers, parents, and general things going on. The best part of the small group of papers is the surprise ending. Through much of the notebook, the girls are gossiping about a specific “friend.” In the folder, tucked behind the notebook, is one last note. It’s between the “friend” the girls were gossiping about and one of the notebook girls! Glad I’m out of middle school! You may be wondering how the object fits The Strong’s mission to document the history of play. The notebook represents a favorite pastime of teenage girls in the 1980s and 1990s. Lucky for me, the notebook wasn’t too long, or I could have sat there for hours!