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LAH/HMN350: Archival Research / Lang

Choosing a collection to research

What should I look for?

This is likely the hardest part of the journey: choosing a collection to research and scoping your research of a collection.

We are introducing you to the Benson, the Briscoe and selected collections in the HRC because they represent voices to which you can bring meaningful awareness. They are not always extensively researched (or researched at all, in some cases) by others. You will be creating new knowledge of which others will become aware in your exhibit, so that they can build upon the conversations you've started. 

How do I choose one?

Your task is to build upon and enrich conversations already underway in the class Omeka exhibit. Can you contribute to an existing exhibit? Is there a collection that will broaden and deepen the conversation started around a topic already in the class site?

When choosing your collection, remember your goal is to uncover hidden histories and to thoughtfully bring light to a voice, an experience that doesn't always make it into scholarly conversations. Perhaps you have uncovered a collection that has not had much attention and you can ask, "Why has this been left out or ignored?" Similarly, you can take a fresh look at a collection that has been studied and recontextualize and enrich scholarship around the topic by asking questions about perspectives not taken into consideration.

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