Special Collections Launches “Access to Collections” Project

Just over a year ago, Smith College Special Collections hired Christie Peterson, its first Head of Technical Services for Special Collections, who has spent the past 12 months planning and hiring a team to undertake an unprecedented project called Access to Collections. In the next three years, the A2C team will enable Special Collections to provide equitable access to all of our new and existing collections through:

• publishing finding aids
• building technical infrastructure
• iteratively processing collections
• digitizing at-risk and hard-to-use materials
• publishing digital files
• creating documentation and training materials to sustain our practices

To enable this transformational project, we have hired professionals for five term positions: Project Manager Archivist, Processing Archivist, Rare Books Technical Services Librarian, Legacy Metadata Migration Archivist, and a special Mellon-funded post-baccalaureate fellow. In addition, we have hired a new Metadata Archivist, bringing the total to 6 new staff members who are joining Special Collections as a cohort in summer and fall 2018.

By the time Special Collections moves into the New Neilson Library in mid-2020, we will be prepared to provide world-class access to our world-class collections in what is sure to be an inspiring space.

Contact

Christie Peterson
Head of Technical Services for Special Collections