UHC Minutes, April 3, 2012
Present: Jay Gaidmore, chair, Bob Anthony, Susan Ballinger, John Blythe, David Brown, Kat Burkhart,
Jill Coleman, Steve Davis, Stephen Fletcher, Missy Julian-Fox, Lawrence Giffin, Speed Hallman, Linda
Jacobson, Eileen McGrath, Tim McMillan, Cecelia Moore, Peggy Myers, Gary Patillo, Natasha Smith,
Jason Tomberlin, Tim West
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
Introductions. Jay introduced Dr. Steve Davis of the Research Laboratories of Archaeology as the
latest addition to the committee. He has been in involved in various archaeological projects on
campus that had ed to a better understanding of UNC history.
University History Portal. The Library Technology Council (LTC) approved the proposal for this site
which will provide information about sources related to University history. The portal will include a
search box that limits the search to specific collections and subject headings so that only those
materials relating to UNC are searched. The website will include information about the UHC and
University history with rotating images from different collections and links to online exhibits and
other digital resources. There will be a news feed that pulls from different blogs that publish posts
relating to university history, such as NCC Miscellany, Southern Sources, Civil War Day by Day, and
UARMS’ For the Record.
Web Harvesting. UARMS received a free 6-month subscription from the Internet Archive to test its
harvesting service, Archive-It. UARMS staff and student assistants have begun testing this service
and capturing some departmental and student organizations websites, as well as online university
publications. The free subscription will expire at the end of June 2012. Jay Gaidmore has
approached the library administration about paying for a subscription to Archive-It that could be
used by not only UARMS, but also the NCC, SFC, SHC, and other library collecting units. There is a
need to begin collecting websites so that current collections remain relevant and comprehensive
Southern Historical Collection Bibliography of UNC history-related collections. Thanks to the GAA,
the SHC, and the NCC, Diana Roycroft has been working this past academic year as a student
assistant for the UHC on the preparation of a bibliography of SHC collections that are related to
University history. The next step will be to revise the NCC bibliography. These will be available
through the University History Portal.
Digitization of University Publications and University Archives. 1) Bob reported that he’s
continuing to look at materials for digitization. He’s looking through published materials. Fragility
keeps us from working with some materials, while others are too tightly bound. Oversized items are
too large for the scribe. We also need to work with items that already have an online record. Items
digitized by the scribe have not yet been linked to catalog records. Jay asked about the possibility of
digitizing honors theses and dissertations, but we need permission to do that. UARMS and the NCC
are talking about digitizing the DTH. The Internet Archive has digitized a number of reels. We may
need to digitize some from the original papers and we may need to raise some funds for the project.
Peggy asked for an estimate. 2) Jay reported that the LTC approved the bucket for UARMS, allowing
large portions and in some cases, entire collections, to be digitized. The Board of Trustees minute
books will be the first project.
Exhibits. Linda reported about the campus buildings exhibit in the Gallery and the Library buildings
exhibit in Davis, and about Jennie Rose Halperin’s Gallery talk about the Library buildings exhibit and
Will Owens’s tour later in the month. The Coates Lecture was announced—Wendy Hillis will give a
talk “Lux and Libertas in Perpetuity: History Preservation at UNC.”
Virtual Museum. Jay reported that there will be a new exhibit in the Virtual Museum based on the
student organizations exhibit by the NCC and the UARMS in the spring of 2011. Another planned
exhibit will be on Carolina athletics. Library administration will be asked to fund a research assistant
for that project. Peggy mentioned the education foundation as a source for money. We will also
update the current buildings exhibit with the text from the campus buildings exhibit in the NCC
Gallery.
VIII. Mobile Campus Walking Tour. Cecelia reported that she, Missy, and Jay have been brainstorming
about this and have talked to Tim Shearer of Library Systems. Tim gathered information from NCSU
about how they developed their tour and tracked usage. Ramon Padilla of ITS is putting together a
working group to discuss mobile website issues. The group will look at how ITS can develop and
support these sites. The GAA and Student Affairs sites can be guidelines.
IX. Recently Processed Collections. Susan reported that Special Collections Tech Services is doing more
minimal level processing to put finding aids up so people can know what’s here. Recently processed
this way were the Records of the Graduate and Professional Student Association and additions to
student government records, the Carolina Quarterly, Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies,
Faculty Council, Carolina Black Faculty/Staff Caucus, Residence Hall records, UNC-TV and UNC Radio
records. Steven reported that Elizabeth Hull reprocessed photographic collections and updated
them for EAD (Encoded Archival Description). One collection, the Sam Boone negatives, is now
available. Before Jerry Cotton, Samuel Moyle Boone ran the Photographic Services. The images are
from the late 1940s to the early 1960s.
X. How can we improve the reach and influence of the University History Council? Tim M. suggested
that Jay try to get on the Faculty Council agenda. Another suggestion was asking Gary Moss to write
a University Gazette story. This topic launched a discussion that began with Missy reporting that we
should come up with an elevator speech about the UHC. She also asked the group about the
possibility of the UHC doing a history tour for fourth graders. The statewide science expo on April
14 is having an “innovation avenue.” Do we want to show “Gridiron Glory” that day? Kat asked how
the UHC can serve first year students and/or use first year seminars for reference and job
opportunities? Rachel Willis has two classes that deal with University history but this doesn’t reach
everyone. Tim M. noted that the University often talks about how old it is, but not how it’s old.
How can we get the campus itself to spread lessons about University history? Jim Kessler of the
Center for Faculty excellence gives a tour to new faculty. Could we offer a behind closed doors of
the University tour to new faculty, possibly on staff appreciation day in the fall? Peggy mentioned
that Library had been trying to come up with something to do for faculty orientation. We could end
the tour at the Library where there would be a reception. New faculty receptions at Carolina Club
didn’t work well. With a new associate provost for diversity and a new director for CSAS, this can be
an opportunity for UHC. Perhaps infuse ourselves into an opening reception?
XI. Other Business? Tim W. reported that the SHC received Doris Betts’s papers. Missy reported that
Bland Simpson will do a formal literary tour on campus. The Visitor’s Center is also hoping to create
a water-related themed tour to coincide with the new two-year, campus wide academic theme .
Information about all the tours needs to be pulled together. Linda reported that the University had
been offered some old pipes allegedly from the first Old Well, but that they were too large to store
and that there was no provenance attached. Jay reported that the old model of the UNC campus
that was located in the Morehead Planetarium is now at a store called Furniture Follies on Route
54E, just past Meadowmont.
The meeting adjourned at 3:00.
Minutes submitted by Linda Jacobson, May 7, 2012.