Cassandra Knoppel is this month's curator of the BDC Research Room display case. My comments are in italics. -- gmc
Happy American Archives Month! It’s that time of year again where archives, special collections, and other cultural heritage institutions celebrate and promote the work of archivists in preserving records of enduring value. In celebration, I have put together a display that answers common questions about our archive and the field in general, expanding on my prior preservation display from April 2024 and hopefully offering some more insight into what we do here at the BDC.
Shelf 1: What are archives?
I started us off in the top shelf by defining archives and showing the varying types of materials archives can hold. The Society of American Archivists Dictionary of Archives Terminology has five definitions for the noun Archive, including “a physical or digital collection of historical records.” Archives hold material of current and future historical value including files and documents, rare books, photographs, maps, posters, and so much more. Researchers looking for the answer to a history or genealogy question can stumble upon untold stories hidden in these primary source documents only available in archives. The article “Using Archives: A Guide to Effective Research” by Laura Schmidt is a “short-and-sweet” introduction to archives. Schmidt outlines the aspects of archives that make them stand apart from libraries and the different types of archives, while also describing how to find and make use of archives during your research and what to expect during your visit to one. In my opinion, this should be mandatory reading for all researchers and visitors to archives (and I’m not just saying that because it was mandatory reading in my Intro to Archives course!) The pamphlet “Placing Your Family Papers in an Archival Repository” by the SC State Historical Records Advisory Board is another quick guide that goes into more detail on how archives collect and present historic material. Copies of this pamphlet and the Schmidt article, unlike most of our materials, are available to take home from the BDC.
Not every archive holds the same materials, nor does it serve the same function. While the BDC is a local history archive serving Beaufort County, other archives collect material related only to state politicians or governmental agencies or have broader scopes by collecting historical materials from across the state. The featured guide, Directory of Historical Records Repositories in South Carolina edited by Jeanette Bergeron (2000) (SC 025.171 DIR), lists some of the many archival repositories in South Carolina including ours at the BCL, and others like MUSC’s Waring Historical Library, the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, University of South Carolina's South Caroliniana Library, and the Catawba Cultural Preservation Project archives. While this is clearly an older and outdated edition, it does serve as a concise overview of the repositories within South Carolina and the current information for each archive can be easily found online. As the SC Archives Month poster from 2007 (SC Poster #200) proclaims, “There are over 100 historical societies, public libraries, museums, colleges, universities, and other locations across the Palmetto State with archival riches to be discovered.” We’re proud to say that the BDC is one of them!
Shelf 2: What is the Beaufort District Collection? What do you do?
The Beaufort District Collection (BDC) is the Beaufort County Library’s special local history and archives collection. The purpose of the Beaufort District Collection is to acquire, preserve, maintain and make accessible a research collection of permanent value that records the history of the area of Lowcountry South Carolina known as the old historic Beaufort District. The BDC began as a shelf in the Beaufort Township Library, then became a closet in the 1964 Library building, and by 1992 a South Carolina Room's worth of local history materials on the first floor of the Beaufort Branch Library. (We are still using some of the furnishings that the Beaufort County Historical Society provided back then now.) As the pamphlet from our Vertical File on the BDC shows (yes – we collect archival material on our archive too!), we later became our own department and campaigned to move to our present larger space on the second floor under the careful eye of Grace Cordial, Grand Poo-Bah of the BDC 😊(That you think of me as Grand Poo-Bah makes me smile, Cassi, but in all honesty I think of myself in more regal terms - as the "Queen 👑 of the BDC." BTW: It took me 9 years and 16 days from the initial "ask" for more space to move the BDC to our current quarters. I am a persistent cuss when I believe in a project.)
The BDC now holds almost 250 archival collections related to the history, people, and events of Beaufort County.
I discussed some of the “behind-the-scenes" work that archivists do in my last display for Preservation Week, but the short story is that BDC staff and volunteers prepare collections for public use through arranging, describing, and preserving collection materials (called processing). We then facilitate that use during reference appointments while also promoting our holdings and sharing local history through programs, displays like this one, brochures, flyers, resource guides, and social media posts. Ways to see and access our collections are described in our BDC brochure and our most recently processed collections are featured in the “What’s New at the BDC” brochure (copies are available outside of our Research Room door). Shelf 3: What types of records do you have? How can they help my research? The BDC holds a WIDE variety of records of historical value, in both physical and digital formats. A broad list of types of materials that archives hold is posted in the display. A few examples (as depicted in the surrogate versions on the shelf) include photo slides, floppy disks, prints, postcards, photographs and stereoscopes, manuscripts and typed documents.
Our collection is designed for in-person research, but did you know that you can access some of our resources virtually too? Our new “Virtual BDC” flyer lists all of the ways you can view some of our collections and resource materials from home. (Or you could just join us on October 10th at Port Royal Branch Library for a presentation about the Library's Digital Collections. Just saying.) You can also view some of our archival collection’s finding aids and resource guides on special topic areas on our BDCBCL: Links, Lists, and Finding Aids blog. When it comes to research help, we serve many purposes. For example, we often get customers looking to start their family tree research, and although we are NOT a genealogical library, we do have a few tools to help. Looking at census records is a great place to start! The SCDAH’s booklet, Census Records at the Archives (SC 929.1 TUT), is a handy primer available in our Research Room on how to approach Census research and what information can be found within different types of Census schedules. The BDC has SC census records from the years 1790 to 1930 available on microfilm. You can also access census records from Ancestry Library Edition from inside any Beaufort County Library, including here at the BDC (but it is advisable that you give us a heads up that you're coming.) Shelf 4: How are archives different from libraries or museums? And lastly, another important topic to cover is the distinction between archives, libraries, and museums. While each type is designed to hold and present informational material, the scope, method, and manner of maintaining their collections and facilitating access varies between each. The chart adapted from the AASLH “Basics of Archives” course (2008) illustrates the similarities and differences between archives, libraries and museums. One key difference is the types of material they collect; libraries typically collect published material that is available elsewhere, museums collect unique artifacts and objects, while archives - as I discussed before - collect unpublished and unique material (typically not including objects).
Now is a good time to state that archives often have special rules and policies to safeguard historical materials in our collections, not to burden patrons or prevent research but so that the condition of the items remain stable so people can continue to have access to them for centuries to come. The SCDAH’s booklet, Research in the Archives (SC 929.1 RES), concisely explains the role of the SCDAH, their services and their general holdings, while also outlining some of their access policies. The SCDAH’s policies are similar to those in the BDC - While libraries usually allow unrestricted access to their collections of books and DVDs, so long as you have a library card, archives and museums do restrict access to their collections – they do not allow patrons to walk up and select an item from the shelf to take home for a week.
I hope that this exhibit gives you a new-found appreciation and understanding of archives and the role they play in our communities and in our exploration of history. As the 2008 South Carolina Archives Month poster (SC Poster #197) states: Archives are “treasure maps to the past” and you never really know what you might find during your visit. Make a research appointment with the BDC to see what YOU can uncover in our archives: bdc@bcgov.net OR 843-255-6468.
