LIS 775 Fall 2015

Comprehensive Case Analysis/Final Exam

(15 pts.)
Submit in Canvas by 11:59, December 16
Answer the questions that are in bold by entering your response in the space provided. Use
more space, if necessary. In addition, enter your source information. Your source can be
from the Reading Lists or course slides. Where appropriate, cite your source by entering
author(s) or editor(s) (or title if no author or editor), date of publication (if available), and
page number(s). When citing a lecture slide, enter class lecture and the module number
that it was part of.
_____________________________________________________________________________

CASE FOR ANALYSIS

A. You are the new archivist at a small, Midwestern university with a mission statement that
favors Caritas et Veritas. In your job, you found out that some years ago, the archives and
special collections department received 30 boxes of materials from Arlene Epstein. Epstein
was a fashion designer who worked in Hollywood in the late 1930s to early 1940s. She also
worked as a private fashion designer and consultant from the 1940s to the late 1970s. After
Hollywood, she retired to an exclusive suburb in the Midwest.
The 30 boxes were in a storage room in a tunnel connecting several buildings. They were
donated by a descendant of Ms. Epsteins sister-in-law (her brothers wife). The boxes
contained folders, labeled by date (year). The dates ranged in years from 1819 to 2005.
Some of the folders were labeled by content.
Note: The University has a regionally-recognized Apparel and Design Merchandising
Department.
The following are samples of items and materials in the boxes:
Boxes containing European fashion plates. For example, Box 6 has 3 folders
labeled French costume plates circa 1850 and 6 folders labeled Modes
Parisiennes circa 1846. Inside one of the boxes is the following note: European
plates given to Ms. Epstein by her father. The fashion plates showcase popular
clothing for upper-class men, women, and children from the mid- to latenineteenth century. The plates are primarily hand-colored etchings and steel
costume plates that showcase the attire of lower classes and people of the world.

Boxes containing some folders labeled Hollywood and costume fashion

materials. These boxes contain many of Epsteins costume sketches for
Hollywood films, as well as movie stills, correspondence, scrapbooks, newspaper
clippings, cast and crew lists, and address books and ephemera.
Boxes containing folders labeled Commercial fashion and business materials.
These boxes contain many of Epsteins commercial fashion papers and
professional materials, which include such materials as fashion sketches, fabric
swatches, correspondence, research materials, and salesmens books.
Boxes containing Epsteins personal papers. They contain family records,
biographical material, early artwork, correspondence, photographs, diaries, and
newspaper clippings from 1911 to 2005. For example there is a folder with a
DVD labeled DVD from memorial service for John dated 2005. Another folder
contains photographs of her as a child.

B. Upon learning of the Epstein collection, Sally Mystic donated her personal collection of 984
cabinet cards (a style of photographic portraiture widely used after 1870 and through 1920).
See example here: http://www.phototree.com/id_cab.htm. Ms. Mystic indicated that she
would like students to see what real people wore in the good old days. The subjects of
Ms. Mystics cabinet cards appear to be wealthy men, women, and families and aristocrats.
Ms. Mystic has never been affiliated with the University but she has admired the work of the
Apparel and Design Merchandising Department.

According to accepted standards, what title would you give the Epstein materials?
(.50 pt.)
The Arlene Epstein Collection (Class lecture, module 1)
Assuming that you want to expand your archives, what argument would you give to
accept Ms. Mystics collection? Would you refer to a concept, theory, or
methodology?
(1.50 pt.)
I would refer to the concept of historical value the usefulness or significance of records
for understanding the past. In this instance, the cabinet cards seem to fit in with the
spirit of the department and would be appropriate for the growing collection of
materials. (Class lecture, module 2)

List and describe three steps that you need to take before you begin arranging and
describing the Epstein collection. (1.50 x 3 = 4.50 pts.)
1.) Immediately remove any items that may be hazardous to the rest of the collection,
such as items with mildew or mold.
2.) Inventory the items.
3.) Send a letter to Ms. Mystic with the inventoried list asking for a Deed of Gift and
making sure there are no restrictions to the materials donated (Accession)
(Class lecture, November 30th, and Module 2)

C. Upon learning of the Epstein and the Mystic collections, someone at the University suggested
that you expand your archives and have a separate Distinguished Collections department
(in fact, Northwestern University has created a position of Executive Director of
Distinguished Collections, which consists of its special libraries and collections). Someone
else pointed out that you should seek and collect other records and materials that will
demonstrate the Universitys spirit of Caritas et Veritas.

Describe two potential (but non-existing) records or collections (describe two

separate types of records or collections) that you will seek to include in your
distinguished collections and that will demonstrate the spirit of Caritas et Veritas
at the University. (1.50 x 2 = 3 pts.)
1.) I would seek to collect costumes from the 30s and 40s from either the universitys
theatre department or a regional theatre. These can be used as to display the
collections and make them more accessible and interesting to students and researchers
and would fit in nicely with the growing collection.
2.) I would research the alumni to see if there were any performers or designers of note
and try to acquire their papers. This would be relevant to both the department and the
university and would also spark interest in the new Distinguished Collections
department. I feel that both of these collections demonstrate the spirit of Caritas and
Veritas, showing loyalty to the university by spotlighting the importance of the
university studies and alumni and providing inspiration and learning to current
students and researchers.

You will need a preservation strategy for your department, of course. Describe three
components of this strategy and how they are particularly pertinent to the Epstein
and Mystic collections. (1x2 = 2 pts.)
The purpose of preservation is to retard the deterioration of materials. Maintaining stable
conditions is crucial. 1.) A consistent temperature and humidity will have to be chosen and
kept that way 365 days a year. Because the Epstein collection contains both fabric and paper,
the temperature and humidity requirements may be different for the different materials. If
possible, they will need to be stored separately. 2.) UV light is particularly damaging. The
collection needs to be kept in a low illumination at all times unless they are temporarily on
exhibit or are being used for research. 3.) The air quality needs to be free of gaseous
contaminants that can catalyze harmful chemical reactions. Keep windows closed and invest
in a quality air filter. No smoking in the archives!
These preservation strategies are pertinent to the Epstein and Mystic collections, because
they contain both paper and fabric. Fabric and paper are both sensitive to light and
temperature, as well as air quality, so installing these precautions will slow the eventual
deterioration of these materials.
(NEDCC Preservation leaflets, section 2.1)

From the information you have learned of the Epstein collections, how many DACS
elements do you already have for a finding aid for that collection? (.50 pt.)
1.) Extent
2.) Name of creator
3.) Dates
4.) Scope and content
5.) Authorized form of name
6.) Type of entity
7.) Language
(Taken from DACS online book, Module 3)
Describe an access issue that comes up in the Epstein collection. (1 pt.)

There is a possibility that in Epsteins personal correspondence that some of the people
she was in contact with are still living and may not want their letters made public. A
university attorney be consulted regarding potential invasion of privacy issues to see if
these people or their descendants should be contacted to get permission to make these
letters public. How great are the risks involved? That is a question that should be
considered.
(Boles, Frank. Just a Bunch of Bigots. 1994, p. 59.)

Describe a legal issue that comes up in the Epstein collection. (1 pt.)

As a 21st century archivist, having a digital presence is essential. This means that at least
some of the materials should be exhibited online. With an interesting collection such as
Epsteins, drawing in users on the web should be a priority. Sue Hodson, in writing about
privacy in papers of celebrities said, Institutions and archivists must determine
acceptable risk levels for the possible legal fallouts of violating someones privacy
rights. This focuses more on personal information than intellectual property rights such
as movie stills, but intellectual property rights must be considered as well.
(Hamburger, Susan. Rejected Manuscripts in Publishers Archives: Legal Rights and
Access. 2011. p. 4)

Describe a social or cultural issue that might come in future collections in your
expanded archives. (1 pt.)
According to Kenneth E. Foote, archives are sometimes said to be societys collective
memory. If this is true, then Ms. Mystics donation, while certainly valuable, doesnt
reflect all of society, or even most. The cabinet cards were of wealthy men, women,
families, and aristocrats. This is hardly a complete collection of what real people wore,
as most of the population was not wealthy. This could easily be perceived as being
culturally insensitive. To circumvent this, it must be acknowledged in the description that
the class status is of the wealthy only and does not reflect the majority of the population.
(Foote, Kenneth E. To Remember and Forget: Archives, Memory, and Culture. 1990. p
379.)