Call for Participants

Call for Participants, Fall 2017
Collaborative Research Seminar on Archives and Special Collections

The Graduate Center Library
and The New York Public Library

A two-part seminar on special collections and archival research methods, in its second iteration. Open to graduate-level students, faculty, and staff at CUNY by application.

Sponsored by the Graduate Center Library and The New York Public Library, with support from the Early Research Initiative, The Center for the Humanities, Lost and Found: The CUNY Poetics Document Initiative, and GC Digital Initiatives.

Application Form:  https://goo.gl/forms/xZ0c3mb1VTUdPRMr1
Application Open Until September 19th, 2017

Eligibility: Students of all levels, faculty, and staff of CUNY are invited to apply. We encourage participation from a wide array of disciplines.

When / Where: The Seminar will occur over the course of two sessions:

October 13th, 2017
6:00pm – 8:00pm
[hosted at The Graduate Center Library]

October 27th, 2017
5:45pm – 8:00pm
[hosted at The New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building]

The Seminar: Through discussions, presentations, and hands-on archival activities, this two-part seminar provides space for CUNY students, faculty, and staff to engage the praxis of incorporating archival and special collections research into their work. Together, we will develop research methods that unite the resources of both the Graduate Center Library and the archival and special collections holdings of the New York Public Library. To learn more about this experience and the scholarly work it generates, please visit The Center for the Humanities’ blog to read more from Collaborative Research Seminar participant Iris Cushing.

Why: Together as archivists, librarians, curators, students, faculty, and staff of The Graduate Center and The New York Public Library, we will work to foster a community of primary-source research practice across our institutions. We will collectively consider how both sides of the reference desk can collaborate to promote preservation and access for the materials that hold our stories, histories, and traces.

How: To indicate your interest, please complete our brief Google Form. We request that you submit your form before 11:59pm on September 19th, 2017. We will be in touch  by the end of September to confirm your participation. The form is also available at the following URL: https://goo.gl/forms/APboRINWRvWLOvCY2

While your application is a vote for the necessity of this type of programming, we can only support limited participation capacity in the initial iterations of this seminar. To that end, we encourage a clear statement of interest and commitment to both sessions. We particularly encourage applicants from Spring 2017 to re-apply and to indicate this on their application.

We welcome questions directed to the seminar’s coordinator, Mary Catherine Kinniburgh, at marycatherinekinniburgh [at] nypl [dot] org.

About the Seminar

Launched in Spring 2017, the “Collaborative Research Seminar on Archives and Special Collections” is a two-part seminar for graduate students, faculty, and staff at The Graduate Center, CUNY, hosted in concert with the Graduate Center Library and The New York Public Library. Through discussions, presentations, and hands-on archival work, we will develop research methods that engage the resources of both the GC Library and NYPL in order to participate in our own special collections and archival research.

We invite students, faculty, and staff of CUNY to participate by submitting a brief application with statement of interest.

Sponsored by the Graduate Center Library and The New York Public Library, with support from the Early Research Initiative, The Center for the Humanities, Lost and Found: The CUNY Poetics Document Initiative, and GC Digital Initiatives.

*cover image cc licensed by flickr user Andy Langager, “card catalog.”

Primary Source: A Working Group

Beyond the Collaborative Research Seminar, we feel there remains a need to have time, space, and synergy for students, faculty, and staff working on developing primary source skills and pedagogy. To that end, we have created a Center for the Humanities Working Group titled “Primary Source: A Working Group on Special Collections, Archives, and Libraries.” We invite you to join us as a member to stay up to date on events, workshops, and seminars related to primary source work, and to collaborate so this space best fits your needs at The Graduate Center, CUNY.

Primary Source provides a space for students, faculty, and staff who are interested in deep engagement with archives and special collections: for interrogating research methods, recovering histories and silences, and developing technical skills for professional experience. This working group offers a space for participants with academic, professional, and creative interests in archives and rare materials to convene and collectively think through ways to enrich their work. Primary Source is also home to the Collaborative Research Seminar on Archives and Special Collections, hosted in conjunction with the Graduate Center Library and the New York Public Library, with support from Lost and Found: The CUNY Poetics Document Initiative, the Center for the Humanities, the Early Research Initiative, and GC Digital Initiatives.

The Primary Source Working Group on Special Collections, Archives, and Libraries is organized by Mary Catherine Kinniburgh (English, the Graduate School, CUNY). Visit the Primary Source Working Group’s website here for more information.

Contact

There are no current active calls for participants at this time.

We invite you to send questions to the seminar’s coordinator, Mary Catherine Kinniburgh, at mckinniburgh [at] gmail [dot] com.

Resources

Resources for Archival and Special Collections Projects + Research Development

Introduction to Archival Research

The Graduate Center Library offers semesterly workshops for students new to using archives, titled “Archival Research: The Basics.” Please check the Workshop Calendar for the schedule, and to register.

GC Librarians can also assist as you prepare to visit an archive, or when you are doing research with secondary sources. Each department (and MALS track) has a librarian who can work with your specific projects. You may make a research appointment with your subject librarian for in-depth conversation and support.

Digital Collections, Digital Galleries, and Digital Archive Development

GC Digital Initiatives offers many resources for digital skill development, including those related to archives and special collections. Their semesterly workshop schedule, open office hours, and newly-formed working groups allow you to learn in a group setting or through one-on-one consultations. Please contact Lisa Rhody <lrhody@gc.cuny.edu> for more information.

Beyond the Schwarzman Building Collections

We invite those of you with research interests in collections located at the Library for the Performing Arts, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture to book a research consultation with your specific collection of interest. Please also email us if you are interested in a special Collaborative Research Seminar hosted specifically with one of these institutions.

Maps

For researchers specifically interested in mapping or archival maps, we invite you to contact the Map Division of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building to schedule a research appointment <maps@nypl.org>. Please also email us if you are interested in a special Collaborative Research Seminar specifically on this topic.

Working Groups at the Center for the Humanities

The Center for the Humanities offers students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to create working groups focused on a central inquiry or theme. Contact Kendra Sullivan, Program Director, <ksullivan@gc.cuny.edu>, or Mary Catherine Kinniburgh <mckinniburgh@gmail.com> if you are interested in joining our working group, Primary Source: A Working Group on Special Collections, Archives, and Libraries, or beginning your own.

The Early Research Initiative

The Early Research Initiative offers student funding and research support for archival projects, and hosts numerous partnerships with institutions such as the Morgan Library, The New-York-Historical Society, the Vera Institute for Justice, The New York Botanical Gardens,  and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Please contact Duncan Faherty <DFaherty@gc.cuny.edu> for more information on how to get involved.

Collated by Mary Catherine Kinniburgh, with Alycia Sellie, Polly Thistlethwaite, Duncan Faherty, Lisa Rhody, Kendra Sullivan, and Ammiel Alcalay in March 2017.