1. Past and Present Challenges in Processing Political Papers At the Claude Pepper Library Burt Altman, CA baltman@fsu.edu Florida State University Libraries Society of American Archivists Chicago, Illinois August 27, 2011

2. Claude Pepper Papers Reubin Askew Papers LeRoy Collins Papers Spessard Holland Papers Fuller Warren Papers

3. The Claude Pepper Papers Containing over two million pages, includes his official correspondence, speeches, legislative, committee, and campaign files, personal correspondence, speeches, photographs, recordings, and memorabilia. Personal papers, photographs, recordings, and memorabilia of his wife, Mildred Irene Webster Pepper. Topic strengths within the collection include Aging, Civil Rights, Crime, Drug Prevention, Health Care, Law, Lend-Lease, McCarthyism, Social Security, U.S. Foreign and Domestic Policy, Vietnam, Watergate, Welfare, Worker's Rights, and World War II.

4. Challenges At the Outset Formats Resources Acquiring Initial Intellectual Control Preservation Technology Access

5. Wide Variety of Formats Printed materials: papers, scrapbooks, books Photographic: prints, black and white/color negatives, albums Audio: –Reel to Reel –Audiocassette –Phonodiscs –Wire recordings –Flimsy plastic recordings Video: –16mm film –Videotapes of varying size –Videocassettes Three-Dimensional Objects and other memorabilia No electronic records

6. Resources/Training Challenges Before my arrival (1981): 2 OPS students and 1 paraprofessional, covered by FSU Libraries budget After my arrival: 2 OPS students and librarian/archivist, covered by FSU Libraries budget Small processing space Limited learning opportunities: Mentored at State Archives of Florida

7. Acquiring Initial Intellectual/Physical Control Limited educational opportunities prior to my arrival Papers grouped by paraprofessional and counted, folder by folder, by OPS students Papers transferred to archival folders and boxes No implementation of MPLP: item-level Descriptions of folders typed on “P Slips” and books typed on catalog records. Varying Congressional office filing practices

8. Preservation Separation sheets for media Preservation photocopying for newsclippings and scrapbooks Creation of duplicate photograph user copies and digital surrogates Conversion of obsolete audiovisual formats to electronic

9. Technology Typewriters dBase III software for creating finding aids InMagic dB Textworks to create databases for in-house use InMagic dB web Publisher for serving finding aids to the web In-house selective digitization Server issues

10. Access Creation of printed finding aids and publishing to the web Seeking copyright approval from donors Development of copyright guidelines Early donor restrictions Case files and academy files

11. What Lies Ahead Conversion of files to a more robust discovery product – using Archon Enhancing access through digitization Reappraisal of content Resorting Refining web presence Acquiring resources to expand space and acquire additional collections Greater marketing and outreach