Rehousing a collection

This week I started the actual process of rehousing the Brian Arbogast collection. It took me a combined total of about 11 hours to rehouse just two boxes. The process is quite tedious (as I've mentioned in my previous post). Basically what I had to do was go through each box again and make sense of what I like to call "organized chaos."

I started working on box one which contains the files concerning the ILGA (International Lesbian and Gay Association), GLAAD Florida, and the various correspondence with other GLAAD chapters in the country. This should have been an easy process, and it was for the most part. Until I got to the files pertaining to the formation of the GLAAD Florida chapter. I went through these folders and had to find like files so that the organization makes more sense for future researchers. Once I made sense and reorganized these files I put them into new acid free file folders that were purchased from http://www.hollingermetaledge.com/. I then relabeled the files and put them in new acid free boxes purchased from the same site.

The second box I went through was box two (naturally). With the exception of about two or three files, this collection was almost entirely composed of files in plastic document sleeves housed in three ring binders. These are incredibly bad to store documents in long term. They allow for moisture to get trapped which adds to the deterioration of the documents. I took a similar approach to this box as I did with the first one. I would open one of the three ring binders and take the documents out. I then sorted all of the documents while they were still in the plastic document sheets. Once I sorted the documents, I then took them out of the plastic document sheets and removed any paperclips (which along with staples, rust). I then placed the sorted documents into the new acid free files folders and into the new acid free boxes.

Overall I was nervous at first, but once I got started I found the work to be rather enjoyable, and the time seemed to fly by. At times I would hit a road block and become frustrated with certain documents, asking myself "Where on earth should this go? It doesn't pertain to this, but it kind of pertains to that." Eventually I would overcome that road block and make sense of the matter. Rehousing is a lengthy process, one which I do not know if I will be able to complete before the end of the semester. Alas, where I leave off, the next intern will pick up. I will have left detailed information pertaining to what all I have done, and what all needs to be done. Ideally this will make the next intern's job much easier.

I leave you all once again. Have a great weekend and Until next time,

-Kyle the intern