13:00:32 can begin. Hey, good afternoon everybody and thank you for attending our session archiving piecework collections. We'd like to thank polygon for sponsoring this session, and for making this virtual conference possible polygon offers a complete range of
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13:01:30 So, I will begin the program.
13:01:34 And I'm Stephanie Gardner the Special Collections librarian at Bridgewater College in Bridgewater Virginia.
13:01:41 I've worked at Bridgewater college for 10 years making archives and artifacts organized and accessible.
13:01:48 I participated in a project to inventory and bring intellectual control and physical control to the Ruby Pritchett museum collection here at Bridgewater college, And I recently participated in a project to me.
13:02:02 All of our special collections in order to renovate the 1960s, Alexander mat Memorial Library into the john Kenney for Learning Commons.
13:02:18 We're very excited to be in this wonderful space, and it opened in 2020 last year. I hold a Masters of Public history from Appalachian State University, and a masters of Library and Information Science from the University of North Texas.
13:02:30 My presentation is archiving piece work from an outsider's view. And I've defined an outsider than myself here as a person who did not grow up within or have previous exposure to the faith traditions, or ideology represented by the materials with which
13:02:54 And this is the piece call on Bridgewater college campus, outside of our library, and it has the messages of peace and goodwill and many different languages.
13:03:04 This was something new to me when we need to Bridgewater, and the Shenandoah Valley.
13:03:10 We'd like to thank Megan cranium for helping to organize this session. She helped a lot during the move, which came much sooner than I expected that it would, and really helped me keep my head above water, like the Bridgewater college women, and this
13:03:26 photograph around 1911 are doing.
13:03:31 I suggested this session, to the panelists, because I recognize the history in a Baptist influence in this region, and the resulting piece work, that it contributed.
13:03:43 And we were talking before the virtual conference was originally physical to be basically the physical conference around the Harrisonburg Virginia area in my case, I recognize that the Baptist presidents continues in the modern social justice work in
13:04:00 this region.
13:04:02 region. I have a professional interest in working with peace archives, and I thought it would be interesting to hear the perspective of others who curate face based pieces for archival material.
13:04:15 Here's a little bit about the brethren, or the Junkers or drunkards, or the German Baptist brethren who founded Bridgewater College, where I work, there one of the family of denominations founded by Alexander Mac senior.
13:04:30 He lived during the 1600s and 1700s, and was a German immigrant to America.
13:04:37 The Church of the Brethren has the quietest and separatist traditions there in a Baptist believing and trying adult try and immersion adult baptism, which is how they got the nickname The Dunker sir drunkards, along with the Mennonites and the Society
13:04:56 of Friends or Quakers. They're one of the historic peace churches.
13:05:01 They supported conscientious objection and non resistance throughout historical us wars in the collection here this is seeing most evident as alternative service opportunities during World War Two, that historically dressed in plain clothing.
13:05:21 The earliest clergy or sometimes multiple church clergy for one congregation, and the clergy also held other occupations. In addition to being a preacher, and teacher.
13:05:34 We often see English and early German language materials here in the collection, because many of the early brethren in this area. We're bilingual or German speakers.
13:05:47 So you can see on the top of the upper, right of the screen there a house blessing, which is a religious blessing and also kind of like a charm to, to remind God to bless the house.
13:05:59 And on the left is one of the treasures of the collection. The personal Bible of Alexander Mac senior which is a German Bible. That was printed in the early 1700s in Germany
13:06:12 in the Shenandoah Valley, we see a migration from Pennsylvania.
13:06:17 So there's a lot of Pennsylvania German or Pennsylvania Dutch influence in the collection, Brethren, influences in here and education, such as Bridgewater college, and an affiliated now defunct school del Valle college.
13:06:33 The brother and also managed to senior home in an orphanage in this area for which we have papers.
13:06:41 Local figure who gets a lot of interest is john Klein john Klein was considered the martyr missionary.
13:06:50 He was an evangelist, a church manager, a healer in a local organizer. He was opposed to the Confederacy. During the Civil War, and he was killed by confetti are regulars and Broadway Virginia north of here.
13:07:10 So there's a lot of interest in trying to climb the martyr missionary.
13:07:15 We also see in the Shenandoah Valley refugee resettlement coming from the Baptist traditions, and there's a history of missionary training,
13:07:28 which water college as I noted was founded by the Church of the Brethren, and we see the affiliation most early in the records, although only a small percentage of Bridgewater college special collections are brother and faith based.
13:07:43 And in fact bc welcome women and men students of all fade since it's establishment and continues to value diversity.
13:07:51 The first graduating class in 1886 had a woman Katie Danner is a graduate. And the first graduating student of color was Karen see Weaver. She graduated in 1956.
13:08:07 There are some pictures of some of the brethren affiliated with Bridgewater college. The Macan family on the left, there were missionaries to India, and also administrators at the college professor McKeon was a very well a Bible professor at the top,
13:08:24 are the children of what the son and daughter and the daughter in law.
13:08:30 Well, the son and daughter and the daughter in law. Our college founder Daniel Christian Lori, who were missionaries to China. And I saw a sneak peek of Rachel's presentation and you'll be hearing more about them later as well.
13:08:41 And then there's a photograph of some Bible department students that Bridgewater college.
13:08:48 The piece of work is represented here in Special Collections within the john Klein materials.
13:08:56 The Mr Sigler materials and he helped form a pet for international.
13:09:00 There's a very nice accumulated collection of conscientious objector material, especially from the CPS which was an alternative service project during World War Two.
13:09:14 We held the brother and Mid Atlantic and southeastern Regional District archives, which are great for administrative papers on a variety of topics.
13:09:24 Over the years, a number of historic brother and periodicals and topical files were collected.
13:09:29 The annual conference reports are here and they are always good for learning the brother and position on issues. And then there's also a very nice library of secondary reference sources.
13:09:45 There are some disadvantages that I found it working in a face to face archive.
13:09:54 In a faith or ideology with which was previously unfamiliar, there is definitely a learning curve.
13:09:58 That was self taught about the brother in this region and the concept of piecework.
13:10:04 Usually when I interact with someone who is schooled in this tradition, and I don't know something it's a playful, but you didn't know that attitude, good occasionally still sometimes there's no less plus.
13:10:16 I can't believe you didn't know that attitude, from constituents, thankfully, that happens very rarely sometimes feel left out of activities in which I see my predecessors, some of whom were community members participated.
13:10:32 And there's the ongoing struggle every archivist I guess the creators don't know that we collect and would welcome their donations. I find this to be especially true for modern brother and piecework materials.
13:10:46 They're also advantages of working with a faith based archives in a tradition, with which one was previously unfamiliar here. And I feel like some researchers exploring the materials from a secular perspective, are more comfortable and confident doing
13:11:01 so with an archivist who identifies with them.
13:11:05 as someone from outside the tradition.
13:11:07 I feel like they don't think I have an ownership of the content of the material, so much, and I can say here's what they did, then not here's what we do.
13:11:18 So feel like students and researchers are comfortable to approach materials.
13:11:23 Without knowing my perspective, so sometimes I don't share my perspective, if appropriate.
13:11:30 So like having the opportunity to interact with scholars in the field and ask questions from my Navy point of view, and learn more and I enjoy talking with people with institutional memory of the piece work that they participated in some favorite experiences
13:11:49 and working with the piece where collections here, we're presenting materials to Manchester college students.
13:12:00 presenting materials to other interactive travel groups. We curated a CPC exhibit.
13:12:03 And we are opening an exhibit tomorrow on the Virginia constitution 50th anniversary, and its impact on civil rights, we show a brother and perspective and that exhibit.
13:12:16 Like interacting with brother and and peace working colleagues at the college as I noted curating the john Klein materials which have a great deal of regional interest.
13:12:27 Give a piece perspective on the US Civil War, which also has a great regional and national interest, and I really enjoy mentoring students and help them explore the piece where collections.
13:12:39 My advice to someone who finds themselves in a situation, working with an archives and an ideology in which they're unfamiliar, is to self educate as much as you can.
13:12:50 Keep an attitude of competent inquiry.
13:12:55 Recently respect the materials and the people that you're working with, and recognize that a learning curve is experienced by all new archivist.
13:13:02 Thank you very much. And I'm going to stop sharing my slides here and we will move to our next presenter, Devin.
13:13:15 So Devin We are ready for you to begin screen sharing and I'll introduce you is that you get the slides ready.
13:13:23 Devin man cielo Thomas is director of archives at Messiah university course he also serves as the director of the cider Institute for in a Baptist quietest, and Wesleyan studies, and a senior lecturer in the humanities.
13:13:41 He holds a PhD in American religious history from Temple University, where he also earned an MA in public history.
13:13:49 Devon is passionate about archives as both a source of institutional memory for the campus community, and as a laboratory for teaching and learning.
13:13:57 He is also passionate about D colonizing archival collections in order to ensure representation and preservation of diverse voices from the past and process.
13:14:08 Thank you, Devin.
13:14:12 Thanks Stephanie, and thanks to everyone that came to this session today. I'm excited to talk with you about this topic.
13:14:22 As you can see from my slide here, I'm going to be kind of coming at this topic or this issue from a different perspective than what Stephanie had so I've titled My, my, part of this presentation piece church archival work from an insider's view right
13:14:38 and so here I'm kind of defining myself as an insider as someone who did grow up within this faith tradition within the ideology represented by the materials that I have a hand in curating.
13:14:55 So I want to talk about. I'm going to talk about the peace church tradition that I come from and work within. I'm going to talk a little bit about the institution where I work.
13:15:02 Talk a little bit about the materials that we have.
13:15:06 And some of the opportunities and experiences that I've had in curating them.
13:15:13 So we'll start by talking about the brothers in Christ Church.
13:15:16 The brothers in Christ, are you know there are many different brethren traditions within Christianity and so the the brethren in Christ which is the group whose materials I have a hand in curating are slightly different brethren group than the Church
13:15:34 of the breadwinner of the German Baptist Brethren, that Stephanie was talking about.
13:15:38 So I just say a little bit, I say that they're different. In some respects, they are different, right, so they're distinct as an anti Baptist tradition from other Baptist traditions like the Mennonites or the Church of the Brethren, one of the distinctive
13:15:53 distinctive is that they were never part of those other groups so they're not a splintered group off of some larger bread right group or some larger and a Baptist group they came together to form their own denomination about 1780.
13:16:06 There's some theological differences to between the brethren in Christ and some of these other brethren groups.
13:16:12 But there are also a lot of things that they have in common and Stephanie has kind of touched on some of the commonalities.
13:16:18 There's a historic separatism that is part of the brethren in Christ Church that's also part of some other brethren groups so plain dress a distinctive kind of dress is historically part of what the brother in Christ have done you can see an example of
13:16:31 that here on the screen.
13:16:49 And that plane dress, non participation in politics has been part of that, historic separatism for the brother in Christ, just as it's been for other in a Baptist groups that manifested itself in not voting, not holding political office.
13:16:53 You know not swearing ODEs other ways of not relating to the state piece is also something, obviously that's shared between the brother and tradition that I'm talking about and the one that Stephanie was talking about that or Rachel we'll talk about later.
13:17:07 The brother in Christ have used lots of different words to describe their peace convictions, over the years, you can see a couple of examples there on the screen non violence is a more recent term that's been used pacifism is a more recent term that's
13:17:21 been used by some people within the tradition of historically It was called non resistance. And we have examples in our collections, and certainly the church's stance has been such that they've held this kind of peace, position they've done this kind
13:17:37 of peace work as far back as the US Civil War, we can document it and as as recently as today, so it remains a part of that church tradition.
13:17:49 Let me talk a little bit now about the institution where I work, Messiah University.
13:17:54 You can see here on the screen photo of the earliest campus.
13:18:00 Well, a painting, I should say at the earliest campuses as part of a postcard collection that we have in our repository, the postcard is approximately from 1912.
13:18:11 As you can see what was what is now Messiah University was originally named Messiah Bible School, which tells you a little bit about its original kind of educational purpose and mission.
13:18:21 It was founded in 1909 by this church tradition that I've been talking about by the brethren in Christ Church.
13:18:29 And it was owned by the church for a long time. In the 1970s it was decided that in order for Messiah to keep running, it would have to change its relationship to the founding church.
13:18:40 And it did that in 1972, it moved from an ownership model to a covenant relationship with the brother in Christ Church that covenant relationship allowed the school to grow and to get bigger to welcome a wider array of students from lots of different
13:18:56 backgrounds and church traditions.
13:19:00 One of the sort of outgrowth of that was that the the student population at Messiah that was brother in Christ has decreased over the years, so it was the majority prior to the 1970s.
13:19:12 Today, only about one to 2% of our 3000 students, undergraduate population is brethren in Christ so that's a lot of change in a shortest period of time.
13:19:26 A similar thing that's happened is a gradual decline in the brand new price population within the faculty. Prior to 1970 or 1970s.
13:19:36 The vast majority of the faculty if not all of the faculty were were brothers in Christ today that's very different. For instance, in my department the religion department.
13:19:47 I'm one of only three big faculty in our in our nine member department.
13:19:52 And we have a pretty high percentage of brothers in Christ faculty in our department. So that tells you something about what it might be like across campus, some faculty come to our institution today from other piece church traditions in church of the
13:20:08 Brethren, Mennonite Church, we have some Quakers and the faculty as well.
13:20:14 So this this piece work this piece tradition is not foreign to everyone on our faculty, but it's foreign to a lot of folks who come here to Messiah those students and faculty.
13:20:24 But even though the, let's say the majority of folks on campus, don't wouldn't be considered insiders to this tradition Messiah itself. Still embraces peace, and peacemaking as part of its institutional identity.
13:20:41 We have a major in Peace and Conflict Studies, we put on chapels we put on lectures we put on other events that highlight peacemaking. And so it's very much a part of our campus ethos.
13:20:57 And that's represented also in our, in our collections, which, which I want to talk about now so we let me say a little bit about the archives here at Messiah.
13:21:06 And we actually have three repositories here on campus, they're all kind of managed and run under one umbrella from one office, I serve as director of that office, but they are really distinct repositories and in many respects, so one of those repositories
13:21:21 is the archives of Messiah University. That would be the official papers of the university, its president and Board of Trustees etc etc.
13:21:30 Another repository is the brethren in Christ historical Library and Archives, that would include the official papers of the denomination.
13:21:38 We are the official repository for the entire denomination in the United States. So we hold the official papers of the denomination and its leaders, we hold congregational records from across the United States we hold the records of church institutions,
13:21:54 nursing homes orphanages that used to be run by the church, things like that.
13:22:00 We also hold publications by by the church or about the church.
13:22:07 And we have a special collections unit that is personal papers of individuals that are related to the denomination in some respects so ministers bishops missionaries, people like that.
13:22:20 Our third repository here on campus is the Ernest L Boyer center archives.
13:22:24 Ernest Boyer was an alum of Messiah. Back in the 1940s He went on to a career in higher education here in the United States.
13:22:34 He was Secretary of Education, under Jimmy Carter in the 1970s for instance, so we have all of his personal papers and it's a pretty substantial collection that we have here at the university.
13:22:47 Peace themes and peace elements, kind of runs throughout all three of these repositories. But for our purposes or my purposes for the rest of this presentation I'm just going to mostly focus on the big materials, and the Messiah University materials.
13:23:04 So I'm just going to share a couple of highlights of the piece of materials that we have in our collection here on campus.
13:23:18 Peace is a theme runs across these materials like I said I'm not going to be comprehensive and trying to cover them or give you a snapshot of them.
13:23:19 But I do want to talk about one major collection that that deal significantly in peace themes and then some of the ways that piece teams run across other parts of our collection.
13:23:28 So that major collection that I want to talk about is the CN hosted or junior papers, co hosted or junior was president here at Messiah from 1934 to 1961 of our longest serving presidents.
13:23:41 He was also a minister and Bishop in the revenue Christ Church and was very active in church life. His materials documents significant work across the denomination and a lot of different committees and positions.
13:23:56 He was also active outside of the denomination so he was pretty significantly involved in ecumenical work, particularly with Anna Baptist organizations, he was chairman for a number of years of Mennonite Central Committee, which is an anti Baptist relief
13:24:12 and Development Agency. He was also chair and worked closely with the world relief organization of the National Association of evangelicals. So, an ecumenical figure in a lot of ways, how does how does peace and peace work, how do they prop up in in this
13:24:33 collection of materials, I'll just show you some highlights. What you're seeing right now on the screen. Our writings about peace themes and these saturate homesteaders collection, he was, he was a vocal advocate in favor of the church's peace position.
13:24:47 Talked a great deal about it. Right, a great deal about it and so had a very significant voice in shaping what it was that the church believed and taught about peace and peacemaking here I just showed two pieces of his writing two tracks that we have
13:25:03 in our collection that that hosted a rate this first one here from 1951 called rethinking our disposition, it was based on a series of sermons that he gave.
13:25:12 I like this item because you can see his signature here at the top of the screen and kind of jealous of how cool is signature looks on this.
13:25:20 This piece of his writing. I'm also highlighting this brochure that he wrote called the Christian and war. I'm highlighting it because I think it's interesting, but also because it is one of the most frequently reprinted denominational brochures that
13:25:36 we have in our collections. It was originally printed in 1955, it went through two additional printings in the 1950s, so we have separate copies of those.
13:25:44 I went through another round of printing in 1973, and then a fourth round in the 1980s. So it was really a very significant statement of what the church believed on peace and peacemaking, and a significant part of homesteaders collection.
13:26:02 Another significant component of his collection related to peace, our materials that he has about brothers in Christ men, serving as conscientious objectors during World War Two, with the civilian public service alternate service program that Stephanie
13:26:16 mentioned in her comments, his collection includes reports about civilian public service correspondence with the men who were serving photographs and more I put one of those photographs up here on the screen posted or visiting a civilian public service
13:26:31 camp in Virginia. In the 1940s.
13:26:35 So really significant insights in that part of his collection into the sort of lived experience of peace and peacemaking during a really pivotal moment in American history.
13:26:46 Third really significant component of his collection that deals with peace, our materials about his ecumenical his ecumenical work.
13:26:54 I put up here on the screen a picture of this is co hosted or junior. This is Billy Graham, the evangelical preacher.
13:27:02 I put this picture up because it illustrates what I think is a really cool part of homesteaders collection, which are materials that document, his efforts, alongside other be icy and Mennonite leaders to meet with Billy Graham in the 1960s.
13:27:20 The materials talk about, and document them organizing a breakfast meeting with Graham I'm not sure how they managed to get on his schedule, but a breakfast meeting with Graham where they met with him they talked about their in a Baptist tradition and
13:27:34 their theology of peacemaking, and then talked with him about kind of contemporary issues of war and peace. I think basically what they were trying to do was convinced him to sort of convert to their peace position.
13:27:47 That didn't happen. But the documents are really interesting just in showcasing how hosted or and other kind of ended up as leaders of his generation were interested in kind of spreading this message of Christian peacemaking beyond their, their own denomination.
13:28:03 So that's one significant collection in in our repository that deals with peace, but peace themes also appeared throughout different parts of the collection that are not organized by that theme, but they still kind of crop up there.
13:28:16 One example of this would be the the student newspaper section of our Messiah University collection and I've just thrown up a couple of examples of the way that piece comes up in these materials to here on the screen.
13:28:28 This article is from 1940. About a year before the US entered World War Two and a student poll a polo of male students at Messiah time asking them what they would do if they were called.
13:28:46 If the US joined the war effort and they were drafted into the military, what would they do what they become conscientious objectors with a list of what would they do so it gives us insight into what you know peace people were thinking during that kind
13:28:55 of pivotal moment.
13:28:56 Here's an article from the student newspaper from October of 1969. The article talks about Messiah students holding a protest against the Vietnam War, you're on campus in kind of conjunction with the larger Vietnam moratorium movement that was happening
13:29:13 nationwide at that period of time. Again, just a document that gives us some insight into what peace workers were thinking more recent example, 2001 issue of our student newspaper, after the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington DC faculty from
13:29:31 our department of biblical and religious studies published this op ed piece in the student newspaper, calling the campus community kind of reflect on messiahs own heritage of piecework and how that might lead them to think differently about how the US
13:29:45 should respond to these attacks.
13:29:49 Again, gives us a glimpse into how the Messiah community. Even it's changing and its composition was thinking about issues of war, during a period of particularly pivotal period of time.
13:30:03 Again piece of materials, kind of crop up in other areas. This is a example from our photograph Collection.
13:30:10 This is one of my favorite images from our side photograph collection.
13:30:16 I mentioned in 1969 Vietnam, anti Vietnam War protests that were held on campus. This one is from 1970. It's another student sit in you can see the students sitting here in front of our college chapel building.
13:30:29 Here they were protesting the war they were also holding a vigil for the Kent State students who had been killed.
13:30:38 days before this happened by National Guardsmen in Ohio.
13:30:42 You can see here that they're tending fires as sort of symbols in solidarity with those students that were killed. We have documents that show that later in the day they took these, the students took these crosses a fixed anti war sentiment signs to the
13:30:59 process and marched up and down a local highway as another protest against the war. So just another really interesting example of how these themes kind of crop up in our materials.
13:31:11 A couple of favorite experiences that I've had in peace curation here at the university every fall I get to give a talk to new faculty members here at Messiah, and introduce them to the institution's theological roots.
13:31:31 And in that context get to talk a little bit about peacemaking also get to show off some artifacts from the archives so you can see here this is a photograph from a version of the talk that I gave in 2016.
13:31:42 You can see here some archival materials that I use to illustrate different theological themes including, including piece and peacemaking.
13:31:50 One of the other benefits I get to have is working with student researchers including researchers who really don't know much about peace or peace history peace theology, when they come into the archives.
13:32:04 You know I really enjoyed getting to talk with them getting to introduce them to some of these themes.
13:32:10 Seeing the way that they choose to explore them in their research is really exciting to me.
13:32:16 Just a couple of photographs from a visit from a couple of years ago this is my colleague, our associate archivist Glen Pierce, showing off some materials to students this is a class about Christian peacemaking a theology class about Christian peacemaking.
13:32:31 So just really great to work with students and introduce them to something that they don't know much about or haven't had much experience with prior to coming to the archives.
13:32:39 I also get to work with, quote unquote, inside or researchers in my work here. So people who also come from this tradition or have some kind of background in a piece tradition.
13:32:49 There's a sense of knowing and being known in those interactions, and that becomes really fun and meaningful as well.
13:32:57 One of my favorite parts of my work is getting to remember and preserve the legacy of peace advocates, you know, in our tellings of US history often peace advocates are left out their memory is left out.
13:33:11 And without archivists who are preserving that memory we would lose their stories. So I really I count that as a great privilege to be able to do that.
13:33:20 One of the collections that I really love that allows us to do this is the LC Bechtold papers backdoor was a brother in Christ woman who went to France after World War Two.
13:33:29 As a peacemaker and cared for war orphans, she started some orphanages in France and cared for cared for orphans there we have her materials.
13:33:39 She's, you know, not a person who would otherwise be remembered.
13:33:42 If we weren't here preserving her, her diaries and her photographs and allowing her message and her work to, to continue to be remembered.
13:33:53 I actually really enjoy working at an institution and providing a living memory to that institution institution that still values, it's peace heritage and talks.
13:34:02 So that's a meaningful part of the work that I do and I hope that what I do as an archivist is meaningful to the institution and to those who are part of the institution who also value it's it's peace heritage.
13:34:16 Finally, just three pieces of advice that I've kind of come to feel strongly about in my work. One is embrace the opportunities of your role. When I started in my work.
13:34:27 I was anxious about the, you know, how do I how do I talk about pieces at an institution that values peace but where a lot of people aren't you know don't don't hold that position as well.
13:34:42 But what I've learned over time is to really embrace the opportunities that come with that challenges as well but certainly lots of opportunities. I've also learned to show respect.
13:34:53 You know it can be difficult to work in a space where the piece position is held by the institution but not by a lot of the members of the community and that institution that can be awkward.
13:35:04 minutes in my experience that the folks who disagree will be more comfortable and have a greater sense of belonging, when the institutional position is explained clearly and generously.
13:35:15 And that to me is about respect.
13:35:17 And then finally, don't be afraid.
13:35:19 You know some of the best conversations I've had about peace work and about the size piece heritage about the brothers in Christ piece heritage, have been with people who disagree.
13:35:27 So my advice would be Don't be afraid to have those conversations.
13:35:32 People want to talk they want to understand, don't be afraid to have those conversations.
13:35:37 Thanks so much for listening. I'm looking forward to the q amp A at the end.
13:35:44 Thank you, Devin. And our next presenter is Rachel, our energies Rachel but she's getting her slides ready.
13:36:00 Rachel Grove horrible, is the archivist and Elizabeth town College, where she is responsible for all aspects of the Lh, and they need to have his Archives and Special Collections.
13:36:05 She is a certified archivist and holds a BA in art history from the University of Delaware. In an ml is an archival studies from the University of Pittsburgh.
13:36:17 Rachel is passionate about promoting the Hess archives, the teaching and learning resource for the college community. She especially enjoys working directly with students, and has taught courses on local history archives and digital humanities.
13:36:33 So welcome Rachel.
13:36:35 Thank you Stephanie.
13:36:37 So I'm going to talk about things from a very similar place of Stephanie.
13:36:43 So, unlike Devin, I come from my work from an outsider perspective. I'm not a member of a peace church and I was not raised in a peace church tradition.
13:36:53 I do not, however, see myself completely as an outsider.
13:37:11 I'm a native of South Central Pennsylvania, as we've discussed an area with a strong piece church heritage, just like the Shenandoah Valley, and I grew up with friends and neighbors who were in our in historic piece churches.
13:37:14 I've been the arc of St. Elizabeth town. Since 2014, but my work with Anna Baptist materials goes back much earlier
13:37:25 when I was an undergraduate at the University of Delaware in the early 2000s, I became involved with the quilters SOS save our stories project project.
13:37:36 This is a grassroots oral history project of the Alliance.
13:37:42 The collection is now in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, my contribution to the quarters SOS was to add some of the very first interviews with Amish quote makers who I met through mutual friends back in Pennsylvania.
13:38:01 Around that same time I was lucky enough to be able to enroll in an anthropology class on an Amish Mennonite and brethren, religious life and culture at the University of Delaware.
13:38:13 This experience made a big impact on my career, and continues to inform my work to this day actually the textbooks that I bought for that class are sitting on my shelf right here in my office so who knew.
13:38:26 Decades later, and still be using them quite regularly.
13:38:32 Also the town college was founded in 1899 by members of the German Baptist brethren.
13:38:41 So, just just like Bridgewater, and is, and they are now known as the Church of the brother and the brother and did not, however, assume ownership of the college until April of 1917, which happens to be the same month, that the United States entered World
13:38:58 War One. On April 10 1917, the church of the brother in General Education Board released a statement, urging church members quote to patronize our brethren schools where the principles of non resistance is taught and upheld as against the intense spirit
13:39:18 of militarism which pervades our state institutions and country and quote.
13:39:27 The Church of the brother and ended their direct ownership of the college in the 1990s, but several spots on our board of trustees are still designated for church members.
13:39:40 The college honors our peace church heritage in a variety of ways.
13:39:45 The most prominent is the college's support of the young center for Anna Baptist and Pieta studies, which is considered the nation's leading research center for Anna Baptist and pilot test groups, most notably the Amish and other plane sex, who continue
13:40:02 to avoid many forms of modern technology, the advocacy and fundraising of the young Center is a large part of why I was hired in 2014 as the college's first full time archivist, and why they were able to build around the same time a new archival facility
13:40:22 on campus.
13:40:25 I've also worked closely over these past few years that I've been here Elizabeth town with the college's Center for Global understanding and peacemaking seek up as they're known sponsors programming and coursework that emphasizes both historic and current
13:40:44 day piece work.
13:40:47 Finally, but not last but not least of all Elizabeth town students I've come to find take very seriously the college's motto, educate for service can see it there on the college seal up in the upper right there, and service opportunities are emphasized
13:41:07 both in and outside the classroom, quite strongly here at town.
13:41:15 From the beginning, Elizabeth town educated students from a variety of religious backgrounds in one of the very first issues of the student newspaper published in July, 1904, there appeared an article called or titled every denomination, noting that our
13:41:34 doors are quote open to everybody regardless of creed, and they are not to be intimidated on the account of their honest religious convictions and quote.
13:41:46 The article goes on to mention that we have students that are quote, not personally members of any church, and there are those personally, who represent nine different religious denominations German Baptist brethren Lutheran united Brethren, United evangelical
13:42:04 Presbyterian reformed Catholic brother in Christ, and midnights, unquote, notably though on the very same page of that July 1904 student newspaper appeared an article titled loyal church members admonishing incoming students who were members of the Church
13:42:24 of the brother into quote, make up their minds before they leave home that they will do all in their power to help in the plane doctrines of the church and quote i think that article was really emphasizing them, we're continuing to where they're playing
13:42:38 clothing.
13:42:40 Interesting enough.
13:42:43 So, today. At this point, the vast majority of Elizabeth town students, just like at at Messiah University are not members of the church were affiliated with the Church of the brother and, at least as of a few years ago some, some statistics I saw had
13:43:03 the largest percentage of our students currently now being Roman Catholics, which is quite different from a from a Baptist tradition.
13:43:13 So, at the same time.
13:43:19 I regularly still work with researchers who are affiliated with the Church of the Brethren, or other anti Baptist groups. And it's interesting to see they often assume that I am as well.
13:43:28 Some of that I think might come through my last name people it has it has a very Pennsylvania German flavor to it too so they're like oh of course your course your brother and to work with the brother God you work in the archives your brother, anyway.
13:43:42 At the same time, I'm, uh, I'm lucky to have my colleagues in the young center, who are both experts on Anna Baptists groups as well as members of the support and advice of the young Center staff is especially helpful when I'm working with donors who
13:43:57 want to know that their collections will be understood and respected. Beyond that assistance, I rely on the same techniques. Any of you would use when working with donors, I try to listen, the open respect to their perspectives.
13:44:15 While I'm not a member of a peace church, I've come to value what I can learn from a piece church perspective and I carry that knowledge into my work.
13:44:27 Well the collection is grounded in brethren history and college history materials cover a wide range of Anna Baptist Empire artists groups and different aspects of their culture.
13:44:39 Many of these collections came to the has archives directly from the young center, and I benefit from the expertise of their staff in cataloguing materials and connecting with researchers, two examples here probably our largest image collection is the
13:44:59 dentist sell Hughes photographs of the Amish that collection has over 18,000 images of the Amish and that that's that's just one example there. And then, very large collection of church of the brother and related photographs.
13:45:14 Here you see some women in the effort of church in the brother and processing corn, something very common in this area.
13:45:25 And so a few more examples of our most site, exciting and and heavily used collections. Our largest collection of just papers, is the scholarly papers of Dr.
13:45:39 Donald be Kraybill dr cradle is distinguished colleague professor at Elizabethtown and senior fellow emeritus at the young center Krieble is the foremost living expert on the Amish and his papers contained decades of research on the Amish and other Anna
13:45:58 Baptist groups Crable also was for a time the provost at Messiah University.
13:46:05 And he likes to tell me about his time on the wrong side of the river so.
13:46:13 So a lot of connections going back and forth between our inner institutions
13:46:19 like Bridgewater, we have strong holdings of brother and missionary papers and and artifacts examples here. And ablow letters and diaries from China. These are missionary materials from the 19 teens and, and 1920s, and they've been digitized and are available
13:46:38 on pa photos and docs.
13:46:44 We saw the floor is in Stephanie's presentation they come up again in materials we have here. Here at Elizabeth town.
13:46:54 The night but them, Byron and Nora Flory teaching claws.
13:46:58 These were used by the Furies in their missionary work in Shawnee province in China in the 1920s.
13:47:08 The clouds were used when Byron did evangelism. In World Chinese villages, and they were hung up in in evangelical tents, to teach about hygiene family life and the Christian faith.
13:47:23 Our claws are digitized and available in a collaborative site.
13:47:26 Chinese Christian holsters calm. I also just learned today that there are Florida teaching clubs at Bridgewater as well so very exciting.
13:47:37 Find, working, working with Stephanie recently.
13:47:42 Another area.
13:47:44 We emphasize, and Elizabeth town, in our collecting is effort a cloister effort was a brother and offshoot semi monastic religious community, established in 1732 by Conrad Beisel, the cluster is now a Pennsylvania historical and museum commission site,
13:48:05 one of our newest and most exciting Rare Book and manuscript manuscript collections, is the Clarence East bone collection of rare imprints from the early presses, in an effort to Pennsylvania.
13:48:19 Spoon worked at the effort a cloister from 1968 to 1996, and while he was there, he slowly acquired an impressive collection of personal personal up an impressive personal collection of effort and materials.
13:48:37 archives, including to manuscript music books and several copies of the 1748 effort of martyrs nearer, which was the largest book printed in pre Revolutionary War America, and over 1500 pages.
13:48:58 Like many of you, like many of the folks on this panel today I have a strong interest in teaching with primary sources, though, through my work with faculty and students.
13:49:07 I've been able to emphasize piece narratives and Anna Baptists history. More generally, when looking at larger historical events.
13:49:22 Again, most of our students are quote outsiders, like me, and so depending on the nature of the course and the faculty teaching it often need to begin with basic information on Anna Baptists and explain basic beliefs on on baptism pacifism etc.
13:49:42 So following Here are a few examples of my work with students.
13:49:51 I'm in a religious studies class on the New Testament, students read and discuss in class pamphlets, in our collection that relate to brother and responses to issues of war and peace he saw some very similar pamphlets in Devon's presentation.
13:50:10 Many of the pamphlets we have, have been digitized and they are also available on on pa photos and docs and an assignment.
13:50:19 The students are asked to explain how these pamphlets site the New Testament specifically, and, and then in one case we had a session where we shared those findings with local members of the Church of the brother and the system students there.
13:50:36 I'm speaking with with those church members.
13:50:39 This, this session was was in was in the course as well and I was able to attend it so it was really interesting to see the students have those like dialogues of of what they discovered with folks who have a similar way of looking at, at peace traditions,
13:50:56 these days.
13:51:00 I'm so in spite of some, some frequent faculty turnover. I've been able to insert myself and insert the hustle archives into both semesters of our introductory history survey courses this students just starting out in history major are just taking it
13:51:37 credit here as well. I'm in the first course in in the introductory series.
13:51:27 During our section on the Reformation on the students read and discuss a primary source from an anti Baptist writer, most recently I've been having them read something from from mental Simon's.
13:51:40 And then they complete an in class, exercise with me, where they analyze plates and texts from the 1685 Dutch martyrs mirror, you see an example there the famous Derek Williams image from from that addition to the Mars mirror.
13:52:00 So, in two weeks I'm actually going to be presenting the session for the first time on zoom so fingers crossed that that goes well.
13:52:11 I normally and I hope to as well on zoom. I like to share with the students.
13:52:17 Various editions of the martyrs mirror that we have here in the archives and, including the that Dutch version and also the Africa martyrs mirrors that we have in the second half of that introductory series of courses during our section on World War Two
13:52:36 students read and analyze letters in our IRA her dear coach collection. Her was hired as Elizabeth town's first athletic director and coach in 1928. He was not brother and himself, and he served the college for over 30 years in 2015 person daughter, lowest
13:53:00 Catherine her donated letters that students and alumni wrote to coach her to her father during World War Two and just after what makes the primary source exercise with the students in the course really quite interesting is that several of the letters
13:53:18 are not from students in the military, but from students who were conscientious objectors
13:53:27 serving in in civilian public service, the program that Devin mentioned, including the CPS letters, help students understand perspectives.
13:53:42 Outside the larger narrative.
13:53:47 And actually, interestingly here. The three, three, alumni, shown in this photo. They all volunteered as the so called seagoing cowboys.
13:53:57 So these were young men who took care of livestock, that were shipped to war devastated countries, after World War Two, an outgrowth of that was the Heifer International that that Stephanie mentioned in her presentation.
13:54:20 I've also worked with several students on intensive research projects. I'm drawing on our piece collections, so two examples here. The first is Anne Marie heart, soul, class of 2016 and rewrote her senior honors and the discipline people on brother and
13:54:50 objectors during the Civil War, and she drew heavily on the papers, we have here in the archives of SR sub, sub was a brother and elder, who helped advocate for brother and seeking exemption from the Civil War.
13:54:57 Another example and more recent here is, he can tell because she's wearing her mask and the photo Caitlyn class of 2020. She just graduated December and she profit processed and partially digitized the papers have Lloyd and Ellen Cunningham, brother and
13:55:16 missionaries who served in China, the Philippines and India, and they were actually imprisoned by the Japanese Imperial Army from 1941 to 1945, there's definitely some themes that are
13:55:36 upsetting and disturbing in that, in that collection things that I think and we'll go into greater detail about about how, how to process some of that, or deal with that kind of kind of material.
13:56:03 We have in recent years have also been able to reach a wider audience for peace church collections and perspectives, through exhibits. In, in 2017 2018, The library and the college's Center for Global understanding and peacemaking were awarded an exhibit
13:56:09 and program grant centered on the hundredth anniversary of world war one from Library of America.
13:56:18 With support from the NIH.
13:56:20 While the accompanying traveling exhibit focused mainly on the larger story of American participation in World War One. I was able to research and present an accompanying exhibit on the brethren and World War One.
13:56:38 While the brother and maintained their pacifist stance. During this time, the draft challenge the church to define what specific activities were appropriate for church members.
13:56:55 On January, 9 1918. The brother and convened a special conference in Goshen, Indiana.
13:57:04 At this point, most young brother men were accepting non combat roles in the military things like cooks, medical, etc.
13:57:13 But some refused any participation in what they saw as the war machine and sat unoccupied in detention camps, and many there.
13:57:36 Many of those men suffered harsh treatment for their beliefs, the delegates to the ocean conference sought to clarify the official church position.
13:57:38 And the conference project produced a resolution, which was sent to President Wilson, Secretary of War Newton Baker and Provost Marshal general Crowder requesting quote noncombatant service in agriculture and the peaceful industries, unquote, the delegates
13:57:56 also wrote a special statement affirming the the churches peace stance, quote, we believe that war or any participation and more is wrong and entirely incompatible with the spirit example and teachings of Jesus Christ and quote.
13:58:15 The statement went on to encourage mission, and leaf work and discourage brother and men from wearing a military uniform, or drilling.
13:58:25 Within months, the authors of the Goshen statement were threatened with sedition charges on the grounds that they were directing young men to not wear a military uniform or drill and charges were only dropped.
13:58:40 When the church agreed to stop distributing the statement and officially withdraw it so very complicated history here and a history that goes on on into World War Two and has some, some clarity on some of these issues but very, very tenuous as part of
13:59:00 the World War One. And America grant that we received. We planned public programming throughout 2017 and 2018. One of the most rewarding programs, was a panel discussion that featured both veterans and conscientious objectors to World War Two, and Vietnam.
13:59:20 Several attendees commented how much panelists had in common, no matter their choice of service during the war, and had very deep respect for the others decision on service.
13:59:37 Another example of how we've been able to reach a larger audience with exhibits and related programming was a decade of service, the teachers for West Africa program 1962 to 1972, which we were able to share in the library in January and February 2020.
13:59:56 So thankfully just before the pandemic hit the exhibit came out of a million grant funded archives and digital humanities course that I co taught, with the director of the Center for Global understanding and peacemaking in Fall 2019, the course, and the
14:00:15 exhibit focused on the teachers for West Africa program, which was based at the college from 1962 to 1972, and was actually funded by the Hershey Corporation, Hershey chocolate.
14:00:29 12, as it was known was a Peace Corps style program that sent young people to serve in Ghana and Nigeria, actually also notably areas of large chocolate production was part of why they were going there as well.
14:00:45 Um, well top was not explicitly faith based on the president of Hershey Samuel Hinkle partly chose Elizabeth town to run the program because he knew the Church of the Brethren had decades of experience administering missionary and and secular aid programs,
14:01:03 notably the longest serving, Director of swap. Dr. James burka bile was the son of missionaries and, and then do an ordained minister in in the church of the brother end as part of the course.
14:01:19 That was connected to, to the exhibit.
14:01:22 The students created digital mapping projects, a podcast where they interviewed former top teachers, and then also an Omega exhibits, which you can check out at the link there.
14:01:37 These are just a few examples of how we've been able to encourage students, and the larger community to engage with our piece collections in our collections, more, more generally, while I'm still technically and will probably always be a piece church
14:01:53 outsider.
14:01:54 I appreciate all the opportunities I've had to learn more and share that knowledge with our students. I remain grateful for my colleagues at the young center, as well as for peace church archivists and scholars like Stephanie, Devin and preparing for
14:02:11 this presentation made me think about other collections we have that focus specifically on peace work, and all the potential we have for teaching, research, and programming.
14:02:26 Thank you, Rachel and it's been very exciting to hear, Rachel and Devon speaking to the similarities between our collections and think about collaboration.
14:02:37 So, next we will welcome Chris enter and Yoder.
14:02:41 And we have an introductory slide for his presentation, although she does not have a PowerPoint to share with us today.
14:02:50 And the owner has been the archivist for 26 years at the Swarthmore College college piece collection which holds the records of non governmental piece our organizations, and the papers and peacemakers from the past 200 years.
14:03:05 And that role she has helped people from all over the world, and the Swarthmore College campus with their research needs, has created websites databases and exhibits featuring materials and special interest in his process hundreds of feet of archival
14:03:21 collections. More of which come in every week.
14:03:25 More of which come in every week. Her main areas of interest has been in conscientious objection to war, and an honor of the 100th anniversary of World War One, she published articles and gave talks highlighting both non religious religious CEOs of the
14:03:40 the time, especially utilizing material found at the piece collection. Miss Yoder has a BA from Eastern Mennonite college and a master's in library science from Kent State University.
14:03:54 Please welcome and
14:03:59 thank you everyone.
14:04:02 I'm really enjoying hearing the stories of my colleagues who also have been working in Special Collections libraries and archives about their insider outsider dichotomies that can emerge as we work with a tour material, and with patrons, my own experience
14:04:22 with this has made me reflect on what it means to be a professional while still being human. and you'll hear what I mean by that.
14:04:32 I'm glad for this opportunity to share with you some thoughts about secondary or vicarious trauma in our profession.
14:04:41 As the archivist for the Swarthmore College piece collection I'm aware that I am preserving the stories of peacemakers from all over the world who have worked for the causes of peace and justice.
14:04:57 It is heartening to know that so many have given and are giving their time, their talent and their passion to make the world a better place.
14:05:03 It would be nice if I could end here and pretend that this is the full story.
14:05:09 But even as I celebrate all the material we have that stuff showcases the best of the human race, race, she said the human race. We also have material that plums its depth as well.
14:05:23 Nearly every day, I read about or see the details of pain and sorrow caused by other human beings in the material I work on and never occurred to me when I took on my role that the material How did the piece collection would make me feel anything but
14:05:41 peaceful. And I was not particularly prepared for it.
14:05:45 It certainly never came up in the job interview or in the training for the position, but it makes sense that an archives and library based on peace efforts around the world but also document what people have been protesting against
14:06:07 some of it is fairly mild and I can forget it easily. Or I'm exposed to it fleetingly like something we all see on TV and the internet.
14:06:16 that can turn off quickly.
14:06:19 But there are things that have required more handling or part of larger archival collections that have burned their way into my heart and mind, and which can be named as trauma, as it can affect my mood my positivity my work, and more.
14:06:39 Usually secondary or vicarious trauma is used to describe what people go through work and volunteer in the medical and emergency fields in victim response services in war reporting and such like.
14:06:53 So I feel a bit of like a wimp who is complaining about nothing much. When I call when I and other archivists feel as any kind of trauma when we are exposed to that, which causes us emotional, physical, or moral stress.
14:07:10 Yeah, to put we go through is real, and not not to be just just in consequential just because it isn't as awful as what those mentioned live with me to need the freedom to name our stressors and to learn how to process them.
14:07:26 A friend of mine is a library catalog on her first day of work she was told to compare two copies of a very large book that documented the dead from the Nazi concentration camps, which meant that she had to very closely inspect each picture and caption
14:07:45 for differences.
14:07:47 This was really difficult for her, as she took in the pain and horror of those images and words.
14:07:54 And she still recalls them vividly 20 years later.
14:07:58 And that was just day one.
14:08:01 She knew she didn't know anyone there to talk to.
14:08:05 So you can imagine what that felt like.
14:08:09 Similarly imprinted on my memory or images and stories of things I would rather not know about have children burned horribly by napalm of large bodies, excuse me of large piles of dead bodies of people killed in warfare.
14:08:24 Some just limbs are mushy flush of women raped and tortured of whole cities and villages bombed into rubble of people tied to a steak about to be shot by a firing squad.
14:08:38 I think you can imagine him understand why I didn't have any pictures to show you for this talk, my list could be much longer,
14:08:51 two instances are ones that I can identify as particularly hard for me to forget and move on from
14:08:59 other photographers from dispatch news services in Vietnam and surrounding areas. Documenting them, the war there in the late 1960s.
14:09:11 One took photos of teenage boys who had captured teens from the other side of the conflict and beheaded them.
14:09:20 The boys can post for the camera holding up the heads of their so called enemies while grinning widely widely themselves.
14:09:32 I couldn't believe how Cavalier these teams could be about it.
14:09:36 Those grins and those are heads swim around in my consciousness for a long.
14:09:44 The very day I process those photos I went home to find my neighbor had hung up dismembered heads as part of his porches Halloween decorations.
14:09:54 It was a also at the time when ISIS was beheading foreigners, and we were hearing about that on the news often.
14:10:08 I realized that present a reality was spotlighting as it were the archival images that I had the duty to preserve and that what sickened me from the Vietnam War was just a sickening in his current manifestations.
14:10:17 I couldn't whitewash any of that out of existence either professionally or personally.
14:10:23 The second instance is also the images, this time from photos of Biafra in the 1970 showcasing very young kids was hugely distended bellies and shrunk and limbs, often held by a parent with a wish, in their eyes because there was a blockade and they could
14:10:41 not get food or medicine for their children.
14:10:47 The written account so the feminists are to magnify the unnecessary suffering.
14:10:52 I worked on that collection for several weeks and I had actual nightmares.
14:10:57 As a result, something that is very unusual for me.
14:11:03 It reminded me once again that archiving is not done in a vacuum.
14:11:07 But can take a toll on those of us who are the caretakers and memory holders for the material.
14:11:16 At times like these when I'm working in the piece collection I feel a very visceral response, rising up in me.
14:11:25 I've had to hide tears at times, sometimes I wished I could mon or cry aloud.
14:11:32 I can just imagine the havoc that would create in our peaceful setting so I haven't done it.
14:11:40 So how should I how should we deal with what touches us so deeply.
14:11:48 Some years ago I called an archives that I knew documented the, the annihilation of people groups. And that's one of the archivists how she coped with the subject matter, her answer was brief.
14:12:01 I'm a professional.
14:12:03 The case was closed at that point. She allow for no discussion.
14:12:10 I've pondered since then what professionalism means in this regard.
14:12:14 Are we to turn all emotion off and become a sort of robot.
14:12:20 And if so, how do we learn how to do that.
14:12:25 Excuse me.
14:12:32 expected this definition of professionalism was handed down to me just what this woman said for some years, but that it was a product of our time and culture.
14:12:41 Not something written in stone for the ages.
14:12:45 In her book common shock witnessing violence, every day, Kathy Weingarten states that Westerners tend to split the personal from the professional see as a hallmark of professional competence to do so.
14:13:00 professionals are socialized to believe that objectivity is possible and necessary in one's job authority is associated with detachment, and emotional neutrality.
14:13:14 She says Westerners tend to view thoughts as superior to feelings and more crucially, they are viewed as distinct.
14:13:22 The way the body is seen as distinct from the mind.
14:13:26 In fact, emotionality is frequently construed as being in opposition to rationality must win strong emotions are aroused in the work of professionals do.
14:13:39 This is often perceived as threatening strong emotions may be construed as a sign of weakness or in competence and quote.
14:13:48 And I think that thoroughly speaks to the I am a professional quote.
14:13:57 I recently spoke to Judy Greenberg of the konterra Group, which provides counseling for the staff of many organizations around the world that are involved in humanitarian relief efforts.
14:14:09 I told her about the, I am a professional Roche I heard and asked if that was the idea that I should work toward when processing material that I found difficult.
14:14:19 Her reaction was to call the approach, completely fake.
14:14:26 She said that as humans we are hardwired in such a way that suffering affects us, whether it's our own or that of others and that to not to deny this leads to burnout and cynicism.
14:14:42 was I glad to hear this from a professional.
14:14:42 We do have a choice of how we will deal with what traumatizes us.
14:14:47 Nothing is letting it make us bitter and angry, so that we take it out on our co workers and patrons is obviously not healthy and we each have our own way of kind of letting things fester in us, which is, which is not healthy.
14:15:07 but neither is pretending that we aren't upset.
14:15:11 The notion of self care being important is gaining some ground in the library and archival world, but really hasn't been institutionalized, to the point that there are established means for working through emotional or other difficulties engendered by
14:15:25 our jobs.
14:15:28 I was glad to hear that the content or group has started offering counseling sessions at the Holocaust Museum and other places where I can imagine the staff meeting that very much.
14:15:40 I wonder how many other librarians and archivists have such an outlet at work.
14:15:45 I assume very few so far.
14:15:49 But we can light on ways to deal with secondary trauma. If we try, such as taking a break from processing disturbing archival material, and are seeing if another archive Argus would not mind taking over for us.
14:16:07 Might want to find a partner, somebody who understands what we are going through, or perhaps to talk with our supervisors.
14:16:17 Sometimes this might even happen organically as it did for me at one point when I was at a piece collection staff meeting.
14:16:26 That day as I was sharing about the things I was working on I could not hold back the emotion that arose when I spoken one collection that had very powerful and disturbing images.
14:16:39 Thankfully, none of my co workers were condemning or brushed me off.
14:16:44 Instead, we talked about what we might do to alleviate the stress I felt, and then others of us, including our student workers have experienced in similar situations.
14:16:55 At the piece collection.
14:16:57 It was helpful to realize that I wasn't alone in my reactions, nor was I being unprofessional because of them or because I spoke about them.
14:17:07 I also acknowledge the different things hit me more at various seasons of my life.
14:17:14 In any case, if more of us voice our feelings and if those who are supervisors, encouraged us perhaps we can help to bring about a new definition of. I'm a professional.
14:17:24 When it comes to secondary slash by vicarious trauma.
14:17:31 Some years ago I started my own practice while processing collection material that troubles me.
14:17:37 I sit with the images and stories and hold them almost like a parent, holding a desperately ill child.
14:17:46 I try not to rush away from what I'm feeling and how much I want to fix it.
14:17:51 I acknowledge that it is beyond my power to do anything.
14:17:55 I think about and I often pray for those around the world whose lives are being threatened by the very same thing that that minute.
14:18:03 Those being tortured or violated or experiencing violence and as many forms. For those who are literally starving.
14:18:14 When it's just me, voices giving out a little bit then I name one or more of the peacemakers the peacekeepers the piece of lovers who worked for the good in this world, and give thanks for them.
14:18:28 This brings me back to remembering that there are hopeful beautiful aspects of human history just celebrate.
14:18:35 You may have developed your own practices that have been abused to you in this regard, which you may wish to share with the rest of us and I'd certainly be interested in hearing about them.
14:18:47 Well there is a great impetuous these days for librarians and archivists to work with folks in their communities, to become as close to people from ignored groups, and to look for the signs of racist attitudes in our established practices.
14:19:04 One of the things we should keep in mind in reaching out through communities is that they may have their own shared memories and their own traumas that shape them over the years, personally, and as groups.
14:19:16 We do well to listen for the points that bring these to light, especially if it relates to the collections and our discharge order papers and records that we hope to take in.
14:19:28 Finally, as archivists we interact, often with the public and should be thinking about how material might produce secondary trauma in them, or even remind them of traumas they experienced earlier in their lives.
14:19:41 Sometimes we can use better descriptions.
14:19:46 Sometimes we can label something in such a way that flags that as a possible source of stress.
14:19:52 For instance, some of our photos from Vietnam are horrible.
14:19:55 And I wanted to label them as nasty and sick making this show from very graphic.
14:20:02 Other things may just have to be part of our sensitivity to changing norms, such as when someone revered for many years has found to have written in such a way that denigrated a people group and it upsets a patron, or patrons to find this out.
14:20:19 Listening well as once again important than.
14:20:23 I hope that this brief talk will open doors and your institutions for discussions about secondary trauma in ourselves, and in our constituents, and how we may respond.
14:20:34 It is vital that we not just sweep our feelings under the rug so that we are just treading water, and our jobs, but are able to work from a place of peace, and our resilience.
14:20:48 So before I leave, I want to just mention a handout I put together with some links to sources, as well as advice from the world renowned center for justice and peace building.
14:20:58 I hope these are helpful to you as you.
14:21:02 If you want to learn more about trauma and how to respond to it within ourselves and and others.
14:21:08 And I believe it's going to be there in the chat for you.
14:21:13 Thank you.
14:21:18 Thank you. And for that, powerful presentation and very helpful I've have already downloaded and saved your handout, and believe making will read any questions she was, we have them.
14:21:35 Right. So, if all the panelists want to rejoin by video. We do not currently have any questions in the chat we have just a few minutes here before we're out of time so if any attendees want to add questions to the chat now's your or the q amp a section
14:21:49 now's your chance to do that. I do have one in light of just disclosing sentiments that and has provided and listening to all of your discussion. Thank you so much for your presentations.
14:22:01 I'm wondering if anyone has any brief comments about access to sensitive materials in your holdings and or community sensitivities around providing access to what may be considered really their communities holdings if that's something you've encountered
14:22:17 in your archive.
14:22:29 Then say surprised happily surprised to find that the undergraduate students here at Bridgewater college or sometimes upset and offended by racism or sexism, that they see recorded in earlier college history, and I'm sad that they're upset.
14:22:54 We use it as a dialogue moment to talk about why these things happen, why we don't want them to happen again.
14:23:02 Sometimes, to me as an undergraduate, I don't think I would have seen seem to be offended. And so I'm, I am very proud of, of the students for that perspective.
14:23:16 And now definitely know to sometimes when when students in advance, and that we can use these opportunities to dialogue and plan for a better future.
14:23:35 Really, are working toward the same thing with our librarians and other archivists in the special collections at Swarthmore College, particularly on your library description and also in our finding is that, you know, terms change over time.
14:23:54 And, and also just some of the things that are missing i think you know from our description that we, I remember going to.
14:24:04 And then I'd archives in Goshen years ago, asking for women's diaries and well they didn't have any catalog cards on those women they were all under their husbands names and so yeah that's just an obvious one, that we can do better.
14:24:21 And, you know, even just thinking about well, you know, we get questions about what do you have African Americans in civilian public service and, you know, I wonder well is that, you know, when we lift out things is that does that make it better or worse,
14:24:37 I don't know. So, but to have that dialogue is important. We also have a lot of material I think that our, our donors have restricted because of things that they don't want to have seen everybody has that in their archives, but some of it is politically
14:24:55 oriented so they don't want their, you know, to get in trouble because they spoke out for peace or justice and. And so that is something that we have to be very sensitive and and careful about as well.
14:25:12 I did wonder in you know we collect non religious material mostly I mean some of the people who give us some religious, but I did wonder if in the brother and brother in Christ, colleges, etc.
14:25:27 if, if you make a point of saying, you know, we have this here is from this perspective, there are people with other perspectives and you might want to go to such and such, to find out to get a fuller picture.
14:25:43 I know I've certainly sent central this to you and to Swarthmore, depending on the type of materials that they're looking for.
14:25:53 Just your overall collections are strong in this area, particularly when students have been interested in Vietnam that's come up quite a bit, that they want to explore that more deeply and Swarthmore is the place to go for that.
14:26:14 We've had similar situations you know our collections as they kind of suggested in my presentation one of the strength is civilian public service CPS and alternate service programs during World War Two.
14:26:26 And so we've done, I've sent researchers to the Mennonites Central Committee archives to the Mennonite archives out in Goshen before that augment those collections really nicely.
14:26:36 So yeah, it is it is about that collaborative kind of engagement when there are so many similarities and crossings between all of our collections. Yeah, that's really been something in general that's been really wonderful just in my work here is how collaborative,
14:26:54 people are in different Anna Baptist traditions different piece church traditions I feel like it frequently comes up that you know someone here at the center is also working at this like they.
14:27:08 I feel that it's, it's, where there are some areas where you would say like oh maybe we're competing for collections I don't feel like I've been surprised how little that actually comes up that it's more that people just want this kind of material to
14:27:24 be accessible, and they want people to be doing research on it, they want, it's it's not it's not the dominant narrative in American history so people are just excited when, when the stories are being told.
14:27:40 It does.
14:27:55 So it looks like we've received two questions.
14:27:46 And we're, we're running a little short on time. So, shall we move on to the two questions. Okay. One of them is asking from J Gordon, do we have any suggestions around I ideas on how to approach academic departments who we've not worked with, who have
14:28:04 not already worked with our collection.
14:28:07 And I, this is not my strongest point I'm always advocating for the archives, I'm always letting professors know that the materials are here but I would like to hear the answers to this too.
14:28:23 I've been lucky in some ways that the young center is already doing a lot of active advocacy on our campus for it for the collections. I've also, it's worked out well that I'm a member of the library staff, and at various points I've had these on assignments
14:28:38 to some, some academic departments just serving as their as their librarian.
14:28:43 But a lot of times, I will present the full range of library services and then also mentioned the archives and I really, I usually sit down with the course schedule.
14:28:56 As soon as it comes out and I look over the descriptions of the classes that are coming out and I write direct messages to each of those faculty for those that history survey course because it's been, I think, as I alluded to my presentation, it's been
14:29:11 moving around as to who actually teaches that that type of class I've actually just started emailing the person who's teaching it right away and saying, Okay, this is what we do during the Reformation unit and this is what we do.
14:29:23 During the World War Two unit and a lot of times I find that, then they're like okay that's a class i know i i can just have taken care of and can do so sometimes really yeah just really inserting myself in that, in that curriculum.
14:29:39 But I think that's the right way to do it, Rachel, that's been my experience to the, the faculty who who use our archive most frequently for student classes are not faculty who have come to me sort of voluntarily right it's I've developed relationships
14:29:53 with them. I've invited them individually to come look right and just building those relationships over time. It takes time and can be, you know, time consuming to do, but ends up being really beneficial I think for faculty and for students and us of
14:30:09 course as well.
14:30:15 It looks like we actually have several questions and we are right at the end of our time here I wonder if panelists if you would mind sharing your contact information in the chat with attendees so that they have follow up questions if they can reach out
14:30:27 to you directly. Okay.
14:30:29 I don't remember if we have a session, coming up behind us. I don't want to keep anyone from next commitments.
14:30:41 I don't think there are any more sessions today.
14:30:45 So we could just keep going. Correct. There are no more sessions. This is the last day.
14:30:53 Happy to stay in, put my contact information in the chat and people are welcome to contact me but I'd be happy to stay and answer the last two questions with any attendees who are interested in staying here.
14:31:06 One of them is there much evidence of rather and Pete, or their peace based faith denominations do much ecumenical work with some of the larger denominations, to promote peace efforts and this is a question from David Grindle
14:31:24 first collection has nearly larger color archival collections from the fellowship of reconciliation from others who did ecumenical work the church peace mission organization.
14:31:39 So, there's definitely you know you may not be brother and or a Mennonite or focused on those people, but they were involved.
14:31:49 And so I think you may want to come to us I'm I'm I'm having a little trouble figuring out how to get my email into the chat.
14:32:01 But it's a you know somebody else with somebody typed it in for me.
14:32:06 Absolutely. Okay, thank you.
14:32:15 Thank you. And our last question is from an anonymous attendee, and they asked what are some issues that come up and cataloguing sensitive materials, and your collection.
14:32:28 And how are those address.
14:32:41 I think with with us we we create a fair and accurate record of what is in the materials. I think sometimes it is appropriate to ticket warnings of content.
14:32:58 And we have to news Library of Congress subject headings and also work with some of our own headings, especially in the interest of promoting more specific language either specific to the work, or more inclusive language.
14:33:17 We can't, I'm not a catalog or per se, so that that is a whole different field that has very strict guidelines, but I know that people are discussing something like, I think it was illegal aliens.
14:33:34 And what is, what is the better way to use that as a subject heading longer Congress subject heading. You know that takes an awful lot of people to get behind that and to make it happen.
14:33:47 So, sometimes those discussions can take months, but as archivists and we're writing a finding aid. Now we have a lot more freedom and we still need to probably look at the subject headings that our catalogs are using and try to use those.