I will be spending the week with family and friends, but I hope your holiday dreams come true!
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| Charlie dog, dreaming of a white Christmas. |
Monday, December 19, 2011
Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!
The Petroleum Museum's Library & Archives Center will be closed for the holiday from Monday, December 26th through Monday, January 2nd. We will re-open Tuesday, January 3rd!
I will be spending the week with family and friends, but I hope your holiday dreams come true!
I will be spending the week with family and friends, but I hope your holiday dreams come true!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Archival Photography
A good snapshot stops a moment from running away. ~Eudora Welty
All photos are accurate. None of them is the truth. ~Richard Avedon
The Monday morning volunteer, Katelyn Mulder, has been working on an archival collection from the Estate of N. Ford Chapman, which includes hundreds of photographic prints and negatives. Some of the negatives have not been stored in the ideal conditions, wrapped around a piece of styrofoam. So she's had to re-house those negatives in archival materials.
In the Archives Center, we place photographic prints in inert plastic sleeves, which are then housed in archival folders, which are in turn housed in archival boxes. This creates a three-layered protection between the print and the environment to prevent potential damage or harm. Photographic negatives are treated similarly.
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| Photographic print storage in the Museum's Library & Archives Center. |
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Blast from the Past
One neat thing about working in the Archives is you never know what you'll run across.
Karen Shephard, a volunteer in the Archives & Collections Department, has been working on organizing and processing a collection of material from Ed Thompson related to the Permian Basin Petroleum Association. In the material, there was a publication from the Midland Chamber of Commerce, probably dated from 1971, trying to recruit mid-continent oil companies to set up shop in Midland.
One interesting tidbit found in the publication is the statistics about Midland and housing in Midland:
I wonder how that compares to today ...
Karen Shephard, a volunteer in the Archives & Collections Department, has been working on organizing and processing a collection of material from Ed Thompson related to the Permian Basin Petroleum Association. In the material, there was a publication from the Midland Chamber of Commerce, probably dated from 1971, trying to recruit mid-continent oil companies to set up shop in Midland.
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| Above: Cover of publication. |
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| Above: Aerial view of Midland at time of publication, circa 1971. |
One interesting tidbit found in the publication is the statistics about Midland and housing in Midland:
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| Above: General Information & Housing Costs in Midland circa 1971. |
I wonder how that compares to today ...
Monday, September 26, 2011
Barrels, Barrels Everywhere, and Not a Drop to Drink!
Every six months or so, I get an email from someone who has a metal oil drum wanting more information about the object. Today was the latest. Vicky from Illinois had a metal drum marked "Property of S.O. Co. - IND."
Above: Images from Vicky in Illinois.
Others have also emailed images wanting to know more about what they have.
Above: Images of oil drum from Tyler in May 2010.
Above: Images of kerosene drume from Anonymous in July 2010.
Typically, my response is the same. I tell them I am legally and ethically not allowed to provide any appraisal, i.e. assign a monetary value to the object, but I can provide some general information for them. For Vicky, my response was the following:
The barrel looks to be very similar to others in the Museum’s collections. These metal barrels were used to store and transport oil, often using a hand pump as well. The “S.O. Co. – IND” probably stands for Standard Oil Company of Indiana. After an anti-trust lawsuit in 1911, Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Trust was divided into different entities, creating Standard Oil of Indiana among others.
Many of the oil drums are from an entity of the Standard Oil Trust after it was dissolved in 1911. Standard Oil of New York (or Socony, later Mobil) was one such entity. The history of Rockefeller's legacy is fascinating, but another topic for another post!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Remember When?
A patron visit this afternoon turned out to be quite serendipitous!
Clay Barbee of Amarillo, TX, came into the Museum's Library & Archives Center to find a print of a certain panoramic photograph of Texon, his home town. (Texon was a town built in West Texas around the Santa Rita No. 1 and No. 2. The town offered a movie theater, a golf course, and even a baseball field with semi-professional team!)
While reviewing the database for the particular photo, he saw some images of kids he knew while growing up in Texon. He easily identified 15 young men and women from his past! One of them was Mr. Barbee himself as a young lad. It's amazing what the mind remembers after time.
While Mr. Barbee left without his photograph, his memory certainly helped the Library & Archives Center! I've updated the catalogue information on those individual photographs with names that were not included before. I promised Mr. Barbee I would do some investigating to find the photograph he wants!
Clay Barbee of Amarillo, TX, came into the Museum's Library & Archives Center to find a print of a certain panoramic photograph of Texon, his home town. (Texon was a town built in West Texas around the Santa Rita No. 1 and No. 2. The town offered a movie theater, a golf course, and even a baseball field with semi-professional team!)
While reviewing the database for the particular photo, he saw some images of kids he knew while growing up in Texon. He easily identified 15 young men and women from his past! One of them was Mr. Barbee himself as a young lad. It's amazing what the mind remembers after time.
Above: Clay Barbee as a young boy. His shirt was red with horses on it.
While Mr. Barbee left without his photograph, his memory certainly helped the Library & Archives Center! I've updated the catalogue information on those individual photographs with names that were not included before. I promised Mr. Barbee I would do some investigating to find the photograph he wants!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Time Travel
I am not sure where July and August went. Here we are, August 29th, and I haven't posted anything in two months! While I have been busy with various projects and tasks, I felt that nothing really deserved it's own blog post.
In July, I was busy with webinars on digital tools and social media as well as changing out an exhibit. Mery Codigna Collet's exhibition EXTRA VIRGIN PETRUS OIL closed July 11th. Some of the pieces moved onto Austin where they will be on display at a contemporary gallery there. Other pieces continued onto Italy (where Mery spends some time). Luckily, the Museum was given one piece, BRENT BLEND, by the artist. The six-piece artwork continues to hang in the Davidson gallery, but we're hoping to move it to its permanent home soon.
Soon after, Kathy and I installed the new exhibit TAKING STOCK, an exhibition showcasing the beauty and value of stock certificates. The exhibit is on loan from the Western Heritage Museum Complex at New Mexico Junior College. Come check it out! Be sure to pick up one of the activity brochures in the gallery.
I was also busy with potential rentals of the Museum. Many oil & gas companies like to use our large Auditorium for day-time events, like professional development, and for night-time receptions and celebrations. We've instituted an online calendar system to minimize double-booking the Museum's spaces. We can literally see who is using our facilities when on the new system.
August has turned out to be even busier! Kathy, Hal and I traveled to Irving at the beginning of the month for the annual meeting of Texas Association of Museums. While it was a more condensed conference than normal, I still learned quite a bit and got to network like never before. There were sessions on deaccessioning, museum ethics and collection conundrums.
The past several weeks, I've been focused on the upcoming Permian Basin Petroleum Pioneers' Biennial Reunion. We sent out several pieces of mail to potential sponsors, trustees, and the general membership. The event, scheduled for Friday, September 16th, consists of a full-day of speakers and an awards luncheon. Hopefully, all my hard work will pay off! Keep your fingers crossed!
In July, I was busy with webinars on digital tools and social media as well as changing out an exhibit. Mery Codigna Collet's exhibition EXTRA VIRGIN PETRUS OIL closed July 11th. Some of the pieces moved onto Austin where they will be on display at a contemporary gallery there. Other pieces continued onto Italy (where Mery spends some time). Luckily, the Museum was given one piece, BRENT BLEND, by the artist. The six-piece artwork continues to hang in the Davidson gallery, but we're hoping to move it to its permanent home soon.
BRENT BLEND
Mery Codigna Collet
Oil & natural fibers on plastic and canvas
2010
I was also busy with potential rentals of the Museum. Many oil & gas companies like to use our large Auditorium for day-time events, like professional development, and for night-time receptions and celebrations. We've instituted an online calendar system to minimize double-booking the Museum's spaces. We can literally see who is using our facilities when on the new system.
August has turned out to be even busier! Kathy, Hal and I traveled to Irving at the beginning of the month for the annual meeting of Texas Association of Museums. While it was a more condensed conference than normal, I still learned quite a bit and got to network like never before. There were sessions on deaccessioning, museum ethics and collection conundrums.
Above: Logo for TAM 2011 Annual Meeting
The past several weeks, I've been focused on the upcoming Permian Basin Petroleum Pioneers' Biennial Reunion. We sent out several pieces of mail to potential sponsors, trustees, and the general membership. The event, scheduled for Friday, September 16th, consists of a full-day of speakers and an awards luncheon. Hopefully, all my hard work will pay off! Keep your fingers crossed!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
High Tech & Outreach
Even though today is the official first day of Summer, the season arrived several weeks ago. Yesterday we set a record for 14 days of triple-digit weather. Today is a "cold" front with a high of 98 degrees! Ha!
In the last few weeks, however, I have stayed busy trying to update the Museum's website. I updated all of the Archives pages, from the Archival Collections to the Photographic Prints and Negatives. I even updated the Links page; take a look! What do you think?
One of my goals this summer is to reach out to similar institutions in the area. To that end, I had a "Tour Swap" with Jenni Opalinski, the Collections & Exhibits Manager at the Museum of the Southwest. I showed her around The Petroleum Museum, and she showed me around the Museum of the Southwest. It was quite fun and interesting to find out what they have and how we might help each other out. This Thursday, I plan on meeting with Pat McDaniel at the Haley Library. I'll let you know how that goes!
Similarly, I also want to reach out to educational institutions, like UTPB, Midland College and Odessa College, to find out how the Library & Archives Center can better serve that audience. While visitorship is up at the Center, I know it is HUGELY underutilized. Why? Do they know we exist? If so, what do the area students want and need from us? These are questions I hope to answer during my discussions with the various professors I've contacted. And I hope to come up with some solutions too!
In the last few weeks, however, I have stayed busy trying to update the Museum's website. I updated all of the Archives pages, from the Archival Collections to the Photographic Prints and Negatives. I even updated the Links page; take a look! What do you think?
One of my goals this summer is to reach out to similar institutions in the area. To that end, I had a "Tour Swap" with Jenni Opalinski, the Collections & Exhibits Manager at the Museum of the Southwest. I showed her around The Petroleum Museum, and she showed me around the Museum of the Southwest. It was quite fun and interesting to find out what they have and how we might help each other out. This Thursday, I plan on meeting with Pat McDaniel at the Haley Library. I'll let you know how that goes!
Similarly, I also want to reach out to educational institutions, like UTPB, Midland College and Odessa College, to find out how the Library & Archives Center can better serve that audience. While visitorship is up at the Center, I know it is HUGELY underutilized. Why? Do they know we exist? If so, what do the area students want and need from us? These are questions I hope to answer during my discussions with the various professors I've contacted. And I hope to come up with some solutions too!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Change is Good
After I attended SSA in Little Rock, I headed to Houston for the American Association of Museum's 2011 Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo. The four days of this international conference were packed full of sessions about collection management, registration and technology.
I was not disappointed!
The first tidbit was "Focus on the Visitor." In a blog, one should focus on what is useful or enjoyable for the visitor. This blog is meant to be a conversation between Museum staff and visitor. I hope that I've provided valuable content and insight on "behind-the-scenes" of The Petroleum Museum. Please do not be afraid to ask questions or comment on something! We can only improve from that feedback.
The other tidbit I took away was "Network Your Networks." While the Facebook page and the Twitter feed are linked, this blog was left out. So, now, the Facebook page and the blog are linked; whenever I update the blog, those posts are fed into the Facebook page. And today, I added Facebook and Twitter widgits to the blog. If someone finds the blog via a web search, they can directly like The Petroleum Museum on Facebook or follow it on Twitter. Try it!
Networking also works off-line. The Museum will soon establish The Filling Station in our Cafe Area. A physical space, The Filling Station will remind visitors of our social media networks, to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Of course, the most noticeable change is the background of the blog. After attending the AAM session, I found the old background and layout to be too formulaic and stiff. I wanted something more open and inviting you, the visitor, to stay a while.
What do you think of these changes?
Friday, May 27, 2011
Nothing to Quack About!
Last week, I attended the Society of Southwest Archivists' 2011 Annual Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas. The theme this year was "Opportunity and Promises: Advocating Archives."
Before I even mention what I learned (lots!), I want to tell you about Little Rock and the Peabody Hotel. Downtown Little Rock is completely charming, lying adjacent to the Arkansas River, lined with gardens, restaurants and shops.
What's unusual for the hotel is that they have real-life ducks living in the lobby. The ducks (about 5 of them) spend the majority of the day, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in a dedicated fountain in the hotel's lobby. At 5:00 p.m., the Duck Master leads the ducks to their own Duck Palace where they spend the night. Check out the legend here.
The conference offered several sessions relevant to my duties at the Petroleum Museum. In fact, I was even a presenter during one session, "Filling Our Niche: Opportunity and Promise in Subject Repositories," with Mary McLain Saffell from the Vietnam Archive at Texas Tech University and Melissa Gottwald from the Aviation Safety and Security Archives at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. We each talked about our respected subject-based repositories, or archives, and about some of the opportunities and challenges we've faced. I found it interesting to learn about archives and what they acquire and do with their holdings.
Other sessions I attended included:
* Keynote -- Listen Up: Voices from the Archives, Elliot West
Dr. West was a very engaging speaker; he spoke about finding "lost" voices within archival holdings and gave many examples of his personal finds.
* If You Love Your Collections, Set Them Free: Using the Web to Facilitate AccessThe Lyndon B. Johnson Presidental Library & Museum, the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, the Texas Archive of Moving Images, and Frazar Memorial Library, McNeese State University in Lousiana, are all doing fabulous and intriguing work using their collections online in a variety of ways. Main nugget: can't just sit there, find ways to be relevant!
* Grant Funding for Library, Archive and Museum Projects
Experts in the field of grantwriting and funding presented this resourceful session. Federal and foundational support is out there. You just have to ask and, if that does not succeed, ask again and again.
* Doing More with DSpace
DSpace is software intended to be a preservation warehouse for digital objects. (We use it for our Train to Share project.) However, there are other software out there, like Omeka and Pacyderm, to provide an interactive interface for users like you! Preservation is one side of the coin, with access the other.
One last thing ... we had a reception at the William Clinton Presidental Library, just a mile away from the hotel. We were able to visit the exhibits and even had the opportunity for a behind-the-scenes tour! Below are some photos from that event.
Above: The cake!
Before I even mention what I learned (lots!), I want to tell you about Little Rock and the Peabody Hotel. Downtown Little Rock is completely charming, lying adjacent to the Arkansas River, lined with gardens, restaurants and shops.
Above: Arkansas capitol in downtown Little Rock.
Above: A gazebo near the hotel, by the river.
Above: View of the Peabody Hotel from a sculpture garden.
What's unusual for the hotel is that they have real-life ducks living in the lobby. The ducks (about 5 of them) spend the majority of the day, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in a dedicated fountain in the hotel's lobby. At 5:00 p.m., the Duck Master leads the ducks to their own Duck Palace where they spend the night. Check out the legend here.
Above: The male Mallard duck in the hotel's lobby.
Above: The Duck Master leads the ducks to their palace.
The conference offered several sessions relevant to my duties at the Petroleum Museum. In fact, I was even a presenter during one session, "Filling Our Niche: Opportunity and Promise in Subject Repositories," with Mary McLain Saffell from the Vietnam Archive at Texas Tech University and Melissa Gottwald from the Aviation Safety and Security Archives at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. We each talked about our respected subject-based repositories, or archives, and about some of the opportunities and challenges we've faced. I found it interesting to learn about archives and what they acquire and do with their holdings.
Other sessions I attended included:
* Keynote -- Listen Up: Voices from the Archives, Elliot West
Dr. West was a very engaging speaker; he spoke about finding "lost" voices within archival holdings and gave many examples of his personal finds.
* If You Love Your Collections, Set Them Free: Using the Web to Facilitate AccessThe Lyndon B. Johnson Presidental Library & Museum, the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, the Texas Archive of Moving Images, and Frazar Memorial Library, McNeese State University in Lousiana, are all doing fabulous and intriguing work using their collections online in a variety of ways. Main nugget: can't just sit there, find ways to be relevant!
* Grant Funding for Library, Archive and Museum Projects
Experts in the field of grantwriting and funding presented this resourceful session. Federal and foundational support is out there. You just have to ask and, if that does not succeed, ask again and again.
* Doing More with DSpace
DSpace is software intended to be a preservation warehouse for digital objects. (We use it for our Train to Share project.) However, there are other software out there, like Omeka and Pacyderm, to provide an interactive interface for users like you! Preservation is one side of the coin, with access the other.
One last thing ... we had a reception at the William Clinton Presidental Library, just a mile away from the hotel. We were able to visit the exhibits and even had the opportunity for a behind-the-scenes tour! Below are some photos from that event.
The museum storage door has a knocker on it!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Do you know ...
what this is?
I received a telephone call from Sean yesterday. He was in the Colorado City, Texas, area helping with a search and came across the above item. Sean called it a snake catching stick, but I'm at a loss as to what it is and how it is used.
Any ideas or suggestions?
I received a telephone call from Sean yesterday. He was in the Colorado City, Texas, area helping with a search and came across the above item. Sean called it a snake catching stick, but I'm at a loss as to what it is and how it is used.
Any ideas or suggestions?
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Diaries from the Dungeon
Above: Me? Just another cartoon character caught up in another d@mn cliche.This afternoon I was the guest speaker at the Midland/Permian Basin Chapter of ARMA's monthly meeting. ARMA is the international organization of record managers. Check out their website here.
On Thursday, April 28th, I received a call from Lyn Miller. She was looking for the record manager at the Museum and she was very surprised to find me at the other end of the telephone. It just so happens that we know each other from volunteering at Midland Community Theater!
Lyn needed a speaker on Wednesday, May 11th, and wondered if I could talk about what I do at the Museum. I looked at my calendar: I was on vacation from April 30th until May 8th, which just left a mere 4 days to pull something together. Despite the limited time, I agreed!
So I quickly pulled together a presentation (based on a previous one), entitled "Diaries from the Dungeon," which also incorporated little cartoons of dungeons. (One needs a little humor when talking about records and record management, right?) As you may know, the Museum's Library & Archives Center is located in the basement with no natural light. The other employees downstairs are only part-time, so I often find myself the only one down in the dungeon.
Above: It's cold, damp & dark, but I can't complain -- It's perfect for my clarets.
After I returned from vacation, I revised and reviewed the presentation. While I was nervous (I am not the best public speaker), I felt confident about the material -- I knew what I was talking about.
The meeting was on the 6th floor Conference Room of ClayDesta, a rather large office building on the north side of town. I'd never been inside and was not sure where to go. Luckily, I did find it relatively easily, although I ended up walking around the entire floor! The ARMA Midland/Permian Basin meeting consisted of about dozen members, all down to earth; they quickly put me at ease. We first ate a hearty lunch and they conducted a short business meeting. Then it was my turn --- yikes!
The presentation introduced the Museum, touched on what we collect (and what sort of documentation is kept), and talked about the various projects I've implemented and completed: creating a comprehensive accession register & cataloguing all accessions, scanning & cataloguing photographs, and digitizing photos via UNT's Portal to Texas History and the Train to Share project. And it happened how I imagined it: I easily expanded on what I had written and I did not stumble (too much) over my words. It seemed to flow fairly well. The ARMA members also asked questions at the end!
Overall, I am proud of myself. I made a presentation about material near and dear to me and it went really well. And the ARMA members seemed impressed with what I had accomplished and what I was doing at the Museum. I just hope I didn't bore them too much!
Above: Before you're released, would you mind taking our exit survey?
Thursday, April 28, 2011
May Day
May 1st is MayDay in the archives, library and museum world. It's a day dedicated to preparing for disasters. With all the horrible weather, tornados and wildfires around the country and in Texas, I just had to highlight this day.
According to last year's news release from Heritage Preservation,
Sponsored by Heritage Preservation and other members of the Heritage Emergency National Task Force, MayDay encourages organizations to take one simple step to protect the art, artifacts, records, and historic sites they hold in trust.
Check out their website here.
Last year, I drafted an Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Plan to have in place at the Museum. Other ideas include:
■If you have a disaster plan, dust it off and bring it up to date.
■If you don't have a plan, make a timeline for developing one.
■Get to know your local firefighters and police. Invite them to tour your institution and give pointers on safety and preparedness.
■Identify the three biggest risks to your collection or building (such as dust storm, leaking water pipe, heavy snow, or power failure) and outline steps to mitigate them.
■Evaluate your need for a priority contract with a disaster recovery firm.
■Conduct a building evacuation drill and evaluate the results.
■Update your staff contact information and create a wallet-size version of your emergency contact roster.
■Eliminate hazards such as boxes and furniture in hallways, blocked fire exits, or improper storage of paints and solvents.
■Join forces with nearby institutions and develop a protocol for helping each other in case of a disaster.
■Identify and label priority collections and objects for evacuation during emergencies. Which are most important to your mission, irreplaceable, or most fragile?
■Register for a free course to learn how your institution fits into existing emergency response protocols.
What will YOU do for MayDay?
Monday, April 18, 2011
National Volunteer Week: Priscilla Jeffries
April 10 through 16 is National Volunteer Week. The Library & Archives Center has some great and dedicated volunteers. This is the third in a series of posts about the volunteers here.
Meet Ms. Priscilla Jeffries.
Priscilla Jeffries is the most recent addition to the Library & Archives Center's volunteers. Since starting here in March, she has been cataloguing the photograph collection, creating hard-copy worksheets for the files. Now we have two volunteers working on the same project, so hopefully they will meet in the middle!
Priscilla moved to Midland last May to be closer to family after working for over 25 years teaching World Social Studies in Andrews. Her background is diverse and interesting; she enjoys archeology, traveling, meeting new people, writing and teaching. (She's even broaden her volunteer efforts here at the Museum, being a docent for several school groups recently.) Priscilla is also a world traveler who has been to Spain, Egypt, and elsewhere.
She wants to volunteer at the Library & Archives Center "because of my interest in people, the past, sharing information with others ... and learning from [them]. For me, learning is a pleasure."
Meet Ms. Priscilla Jeffries.Priscilla Jeffries is the most recent addition to the Library & Archives Center's volunteers. Since starting here in March, she has been cataloguing the photograph collection, creating hard-copy worksheets for the files. Now we have two volunteers working on the same project, so hopefully they will meet in the middle!
Priscilla moved to Midland last May to be closer to family after working for over 25 years teaching World Social Studies in Andrews. Her background is diverse and interesting; she enjoys archeology, traveling, meeting new people, writing and teaching. (She's even broaden her volunteer efforts here at the Museum, being a docent for several school groups recently.) Priscilla is also a world traveler who has been to Spain, Egypt, and elsewhere.
She wants to volunteer at the Library & Archives Center "because of my interest in people, the past, sharing information with others ... and learning from [them]. For me, learning is a pleasure."
Thursday, April 14, 2011
National Volunteer Week: Karen Shephard
April 10 through 16 is National Volunteer Week. The Library & Archives Center has some great and dedicated volunteers. This is the second in a series of posts about the volunteers here.
Meet Mrs. Karen Shephard.
(Photo to follow. Karen is out of town so I am not able to get a photo of her!)
Karen Shephard is a new addition to the Libray & Archives Center, starting last November after being recruited by Karen Lowder, a dedicated Santa Rita Club member (and future SRC President). Karen S. has been processing the more difficult back-log archival collections and has been doing a fabulous job! She is currently working on a medium-sized collection of records related to the Permian Basin Petroleum Association from Ed Thompson.
Karen grew up in upstate New York but moved around the United States as part of the Air Force. She has a background in accounting, having worked for several oil & gas business in the Permian Basin, including Exxon, ARCO, Duke Energy and Pure Resources. Her husband Rick and she enjoy going to the theater (I often see them at Midland Community Theater). Karen also enjoys reading, crochet, puzzles and music. We've become fast colleagues and friends!
Meet Mrs. Karen Shephard.
(Photo to follow. Karen is out of town so I am not able to get a photo of her!)
Karen Shephard is a new addition to the Libray & Archives Center, starting last November after being recruited by Karen Lowder, a dedicated Santa Rita Club member (and future SRC President). Karen S. has been processing the more difficult back-log archival collections and has been doing a fabulous job! She is currently working on a medium-sized collection of records related to the Permian Basin Petroleum Association from Ed Thompson.
Karen grew up in upstate New York but moved around the United States as part of the Air Force. She has a background in accounting, having worked for several oil & gas business in the Permian Basin, including Exxon, ARCO, Duke Energy and Pure Resources. Her husband Rick and she enjoy going to the theater (I often see them at Midland Community Theater). Karen also enjoys reading, crochet, puzzles and music. We've become fast colleagues and friends!
Monday, April 11, 2011
National Volunteer Week: Morris Bassham
April 10 through 16 is National Volunteer Week. The Library & Archives Center has some great and dedicated volunteers. This is the first in a series of posts about the volunteers here.
Meet Mr. Morris Bassham.
Mr. Bassham has been a dedicated volunteer in the Archives Center since October 2008. He has been cataloguing our large photograph collection; he reviews the card catalogue and completes worksheets for each image. (This process creates a hard copy of the catalogue information to include with the object file.) Periodically, I review his work and add it to the growing collection management database.
Personally, Mr. Bassham has an interesting background. Having grown up in Midland, attending Midland High School, Morris became a petroleum engineer with Sinclair Oil & Gas from which he retired when they merged with ARCO. Not only did he attend Texas Tech University, Mr. Bassham also attended art school in Minneapolis and Sul Ross University. He also spent twenty-one months in the military and became active with the Confederate Air Force for twenty-five years, although he is no longer a pilot. His interest in the military does not end there: he is interested in aviation history, from the Wright Brothers to the Enola Gay, as well as the history of the Alamo and the State of Texas.
Morris is also an active volunteer within the community, having devoted time to the research library at the Commemorative Air Force.
Meet Mr. Morris Bassham.Mr. Bassham has been a dedicated volunteer in the Archives Center since October 2008. He has been cataloguing our large photograph collection; he reviews the card catalogue and completes worksheets for each image. (This process creates a hard copy of the catalogue information to include with the object file.) Periodically, I review his work and add it to the growing collection management database.
Personally, Mr. Bassham has an interesting background. Having grown up in Midland, attending Midland High School, Morris became a petroleum engineer with Sinclair Oil & Gas from which he retired when they merged with ARCO. Not only did he attend Texas Tech University, Mr. Bassham also attended art school in Minneapolis and Sul Ross University. He also spent twenty-one months in the military and became active with the Confederate Air Force for twenty-five years, although he is no longer a pilot. His interest in the military does not end there: he is interested in aviation history, from the Wright Brothers to the Enola Gay, as well as the history of the Alamo and the State of Texas.
Morris is also an active volunteer within the community, having devoted time to the research library at the Commemorative Air Force.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Busy, Busy, Busy
The past month has gone by in a blur!
The Museum is preparing for our fundraiser, the 2011 Hall of Fame gala. This year we are honoring I. Jon Brumley, Dr. Sam Gibbs, William Kleine and the team of Mack Chase and John R. Gray. Invitations are out, thanks to some great and dedicated staff members and volunteers! The event is next Thursday night. Do you have your seat reserved?
The last week of March, I went to Austin for the Outcome Based Evaluation of the Train to Share grant program which I have participated in for the past several years. Team members from all over Texas congregated to discuss individual and organizational successes (and not-so-successes) for the grant as well as offer some reflection and insight into the program itself, with suggestions for the future.
That week also saw the installation of the new exhibit in the Davidson Gallery: Extra Virgin Petrus Oil by Mery Codigna Collet, a Venezuelan artist who uses petroleum and its by-products to highlight serious concerns. Her method is fascinating: she paints on pieces of plastic, then layers them facing the canvas. The result, in my opinion, is a high-gloss painting with depth. You must see them in person! Mery had a successful gallery talk and opening last Tuesday.
Tomorrow, the Archives Center will be undergoing some changes too. With the Train to Share grant, we have been able to purchase a networked server dedicated to the Museum's Library & Archives Center. The server will house the various files and digital objects (photographs) as well as the collection management database which all will be accessed from the computers in the Center.
Among those activities, we have been fielding requests for photographs and research materials. We are definitely staying busy! Of course, May is shaping up to be a busy month too....
The Museum is preparing for our fundraiser, the 2011 Hall of Fame gala. This year we are honoring I. Jon Brumley, Dr. Sam Gibbs, William Kleine and the team of Mack Chase and John R. Gray. Invitations are out, thanks to some great and dedicated staff members and volunteers! The event is next Thursday night. Do you have your seat reserved?
The last week of March, I went to Austin for the Outcome Based Evaluation of the Train to Share grant program which I have participated in for the past several years. Team members from all over Texas congregated to discuss individual and organizational successes (and not-so-successes) for the grant as well as offer some reflection and insight into the program itself, with suggestions for the future.
That week also saw the installation of the new exhibit in the Davidson Gallery: Extra Virgin Petrus Oil by Mery Codigna Collet, a Venezuelan artist who uses petroleum and its by-products to highlight serious concerns. Her method is fascinating: she paints on pieces of plastic, then layers them facing the canvas. The result, in my opinion, is a high-gloss painting with depth. You must see them in person! Mery had a successful gallery talk and opening last Tuesday.
Tomorrow, the Archives Center will be undergoing some changes too. With the Train to Share grant, we have been able to purchase a networked server dedicated to the Museum's Library & Archives Center. The server will house the various files and digital objects (photographs) as well as the collection management database which all will be accessed from the computers in the Center.
Among those activities, we have been fielding requests for photographs and research materials. We are definitely staying busy! Of course, May is shaping up to be a busy month too....
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Oil in Libya
The Petroleum Museum's Library & Archives Center has been a hive of activity recently. We now have four faithful volunteers in the Center, working on various projects. One volunteer, Ms. Hunt, took on the task of processing a small collection found on the backlog shelves.
Turns out, the collection from Robert Stine, long-time patron of the Museum, dealt with the building of the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline in the 1970s AND the ESSO (now EXXON) oil industry in Libya in the 1960s.
Finding materials about the oil industry in Libya? How timely, considering the current events happening. I knew that Libya was an "oil-rich" nation in northern Africa. But I did not know much about its political or economic history.
Above: Some of the materials included in the Robert Stine Collection (2011-002).
After a little digging (thanks to Wikipedia and the New York Times online), I discovered that Libya was a kingdom prior to 1969. All of the ESSO materials in this particular collection pertaining to Libya date prior to 1969. Turns out, the Libyan kingdom was pro-Western and friendly with Western countries such as the U.K. and the U.S. According to one of the publications ESSO in Libya 1963:
On 1 September 1969, a small group of military officers led by then 27-year-old army officer Muammar Gaddafi staged a coup d'état against King Idris, launching the Libyan Revolution. After the coup, Gaddafi closed American and British bases and partially nationalized foreign oil and commercial interests in Libya.
An interesting story ...
Turns out, the collection from Robert Stine, long-time patron of the Museum, dealt with the building of the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline in the 1970s AND the ESSO (now EXXON) oil industry in Libya in the 1960s.
Finding materials about the oil industry in Libya? How timely, considering the current events happening. I knew that Libya was an "oil-rich" nation in northern Africa. But I did not know much about its political or economic history.
Above: Some of the materials included in the Robert Stine Collection (2011-002).
After a little digging (thanks to Wikipedia and the New York Times online), I discovered that Libya was a kingdom prior to 1969. All of the ESSO materials in this particular collection pertaining to Libya date prior to 1969. Turns out, the Libyan kingdom was pro-Western and friendly with Western countries such as the U.K. and the U.S. According to one of the publications ESSO in Libya 1963:
"The Libyan Petroleum Law became effective in June 1955 and Esso Libya applied for, and was granted, nine concession areas covering about 100,000 sq.kms. The company then began the painstaking search for oil."
"Esso was the first:
* To discover oil in Libya
* to build a crude oil pipeline to the sea
* to build a marine terminal
* to produce and export oil to foreign markets
* to build a refinery in the country to produce processed oil products for local consumption
* and among the first to agree to the Petroleum Law Amendments of 1961."
On 1 September 1969, a small group of military officers led by then 27-year-old army officer Muammar Gaddafi staged a coup d'état against King Idris, launching the Libyan Revolution. After the coup, Gaddafi closed American and British bases and partially nationalized foreign oil and commercial interests in Libya.
An interesting story ...
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Art & Alzheimer's
I am subscribed to numerous professional email lists, from the regular In the Loop email newsletter from the Society of American Archivists (SAA) to the occassional email blasts from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH). One subscription that I look forward to perusing is the Dispatches from the Future of Museums, a weekly email blast which consolidates news articles and blog posts about museums and the future.
One of this week's highlighted articles is entitled Art and Alzheimer's at the University of Virginia.
My maternal grandfather had that horrible disease and I'm always interested in learning about it and its treatments. It was hard on my grandmother and the rest of the family as my Papa slowly but steadily drifted into the disease.
I have heard of MoMA's program for Alzheimer's patients and I think it's great that other museums, like the University of Virginia Art Museum, are adopting similar programs. According to the article, several of the patients react positively while participating in the program. I just wonder if those positive strives present themselves outside of the museum setting.
What do you think? Do you think art helps Alzheimer's patients? Would you like to see programs like the ones at MoMA and UVa in an art museum near you?
One of this week's highlighted articles is entitled Art and Alzheimer's at the University of Virginia.
My maternal grandfather had that horrible disease and I'm always interested in learning about it and its treatments. It was hard on my grandmother and the rest of the family as my Papa slowly but steadily drifted into the disease.
I have heard of MoMA's program for Alzheimer's patients and I think it's great that other museums, like the University of Virginia Art Museum, are adopting similar programs. According to the article, several of the patients react positively while participating in the program. I just wonder if those positive strives present themselves outside of the museum setting.
What do you think? Do you think art helps Alzheimer's patients? Would you like to see programs like the ones at MoMA and UVa in an art museum near you?
Friday, February 4, 2011
January Wrap-Up & February Preview
I cannot believe the first month of 2011 has come and gone already! Things have been seemingly low-key at the Museum this month.
One major accomplishment for January: I completed my major project of creating an accession register for the archvies & library donations since 1965. It's nice to know what the Museum actually has! Not only did I create an electronic register (thanks to Excel), I also added most gift/donation information to our collection management database Re:Discovery. With time, and practice, every piece in our collections should be searchable in the database! That will allow us to better serve researchers, visitors and just interested people! Next step? Conducting an inventory to match up actual items (objects, books, manuscripts, etc) with the information. Wish me luck!
Now I can also turn my attention to the Train to Share project I've discussed multiple times here. We are finally ready to start uploading the digital objects and their associated metadata! Hopefully the team will be able to upload our 1000 objects!
Lately, I've also been very busy with researchers and other visitors looking for photographs. In fact, one Friday (typically a quiet day for the Archives Center) I had three appointments and a conference call scheduled. I had to schedule another researcher for the next week because I was so busy! It's great that the Library & Archives Center has had such a demand!
February will be a busy month for the Museum. On the 17th, we'll host our third Family Science Night of the [academic] year: Inventions! Come to the Museum between 6:30 and 8:00 p.m. to learn and explore well-known and not-so-well-known inventions. Lemonade and cookies are provided! Then, a couple of days later, the Museum will host Read-A-Rama on Saturday, the 19th. Come explore the wonderful world of reading and literacy!
One major accomplishment for January: I completed my major project of creating an accession register for the archvies & library donations since 1965. It's nice to know what the Museum actually has! Not only did I create an electronic register (thanks to Excel), I also added most gift/donation information to our collection management database Re:Discovery. With time, and practice, every piece in our collections should be searchable in the database! That will allow us to better serve researchers, visitors and just interested people! Next step? Conducting an inventory to match up actual items (objects, books, manuscripts, etc) with the information. Wish me luck!
Now I can also turn my attention to the Train to Share project I've discussed multiple times here. We are finally ready to start uploading the digital objects and their associated metadata! Hopefully the team will be able to upload our 1000 objects!
Lately, I've also been very busy with researchers and other visitors looking for photographs. In fact, one Friday (typically a quiet day for the Archives Center) I had three appointments and a conference call scheduled. I had to schedule another researcher for the next week because I was so busy! It's great that the Library & Archives Center has had such a demand!
February will be a busy month for the Museum. On the 17th, we'll host our third Family Science Night of the [academic] year: Inventions! Come to the Museum between 6:30 and 8:00 p.m. to learn and explore well-known and not-so-well-known inventions. Lemonade and cookies are provided! Then, a couple of days later, the Museum will host Read-A-Rama on Saturday, the 19th. Come explore the wonderful world of reading and literacy!
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