Athens State Archives

Time for anther peek !👀

that archival work isn't just about the old and dusty things? 🙂University archivists collect material in real time as a way to document the functioning of the university and its relationships with those whom it serves. 🗃️

Our latest example: the University Archive was included in a swag-bag giveaway of material from the university's most recent Quality Enhancement Program, Experiential Learning. 🧑‍💼

While processing this material for inclusion in the Quality Enhancement Program collection, archivists "learned by experience" that 3D puzzles are misleadingly tricky to return to their "original order"! 😉

Today we hear much about the excitement that accompanies heading off to college; finally, that first taste of freedom! 😎

However, the incoming class might have been surprised to see the Special Requirements and Special Prohibitions listed in the catalogue for Athens Female College, 1904-1905! 🫢

Does this remind you of your own campus experience? 🤔 Does anything seem too strict? 🤯How might it measure up to the expectations of Athens bound co-eds today? 🐻💛💙

💻See the full version of the 1904-1905 catalogue online by visiting our digitized collections on JSTOR at https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.34025607

How about a quick peek behind the scenes in the University Archive?👀

When working to preserve paper based records for ongoing access, an important first step for archivists is the removal of metal fasteners such as staples and paperclips, sometimes even straight pins!🖇️📎🧷

While these fasteners group documents together in a useful manner, their degradation via rusting, bending and oxidization can cause staining on the paper, and pose a risk of tetanus for any researcher--or archivist--handling the materials. 🚨

All of this work ensures that the information on the material remains useful, and safe, for future researchers and archivists to use. 🗃️🤓

Our next Collection Connection comes from the Athletics series within the larger Student Life collection in the University Archives.

This photograph circa 2003 features Hebrew the Bear, Athens State University's mascot, at a home basketball game. 👀If you look closely, you can see that Hebrew is sporting a bit of a different look, and offering to "ref for food". 👀Perhaps that's some commentary on the game officiating?😆

🤓Records like this photograph help archivists and researchers get a clearer picture of what student participation in campus activities might have involved. ⚽️🏈🤼🏋️In particular, this photo gives researchers an image of what the mascot costume looked like during the early 2000s as well as what activities the mascot would be engaged in. 🏀⛹️‍♂️

We can make a judgement about this Hebrew's "personality" or "style" as humorous judging by the photo. 🐻But we'll not comment on whether or not we should make judgements about the officiating.😉😆

The Athletic programs were discontinued in the early 2000s, making this one of the last photographs of collegiate competitive athletics at Athens State. 📆🏆

Make an appointment with the University Archivist to view this photograph or other items from our collections. 💻

Stay tuned for more Collection Connections!