National Volunteer Week: Nita Evans

April 15 through 21 is National Volunteer Week. The Library & Archives Center has some great and dedicated volunteers. This is the last in a series of posts about the volunteers here.
Meet Ms. Nita Evans

Nita Evans is not new to the Petroleum Museum as she helps in the Education Department and the Museum Store/Admissions Desk.  With a background as a Veternarian Tecnician, she got to know the various animals in the Education Department, like Betty the Beared Dragon and Lola & Gypsy the Chinchillas.  In September 2011, Nita decided to also spend some time in the Library & Archives Center as well!

She has taken over scanning our large photographic collection of historic images.  Nita states she is interested in preserving the history of the petroleum industry for future generations.  With her time and effort, she's already scanned hundreds, if not thousands, of images to digitally preserve those snapshots of the past.

Nita and her husband Jim are interested in motorsports and are both very involved in the Midland area Corvette Club.  She also enjoys quilting, sewing and other crafts.

National Volunteer Week: Katelyn Mulder

April 15 through 21 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 Ms. Katelyn Mulder

Katelyn Mulder started volunteering in the Library & Archives Center in October 2011.  She came to the Museum with Masters' Degree in Library and Information Science from Dominican University.  She has previously volunteered at Clinics of St. Viator archives and the Rush University Medical Center.  With such a background, she dived right into processing the N. Ford Chapman Collection ... and finished it in record time!  More recently, she has helped me with inventorying museum objects.

Katelyn lists digital preservation, photographs and artifacts as some of her interests within the archives world.  When she came on board, she wanted to learn more about the oil and gas industry and to gain more experience in the archives field.  Hopefully, she accomplished that goal here at the Petroleum Museum's Library & Archives Center! 

Katelyn and her husband will soon be returning to Indiana, where they both come from.  Good luck to you both!

National Volunteer Week: Bob Angevine

April 15 through 21 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. Bob Angevine

Bob Angevine

Bob Angevine started working in the Library & Archives Center in October 2011 to catalogue a large collection of photographs, negatives and slides from T. B. O'Brien.  He went through every image, numbered it and created a catalogue worksheet describing it.  What a lot of work!  But I never heard him complain.  He recently finished up that project and is anxious to start up a new one!

Bob is a World War II veteran who was in the Air Force.  After flight school, he soon found himself a bombadier in the Midland area.  He comes from a family of telegraph operators, first for the railroads and then for the pipelines, from the Northeast and Ohio area. 

Bob works on processing a collection.

Thank you Bob for all that you do!

The End is Near!

In my last post I talked about my goal to complete a collections inventory.  My volunteers and I have definitely made progress and the end is in sight!  We have finished writing down all the objects in storage, and the volunteers have entered location information into the database.  But we still have some objects that we're not sure what they are or where they came from. 

This is my favorite part of collections work ... trying to match up puzzles.  I haven't had a chance to really look at the inventory we've done and search the database or the files to match up questions to answers.  But I hope to do so soon. 

When I was in graduate school at Seton Hall University, I spent one semester as an intern at the Newark Museum.  Rebecca Buck, Registrar, gave me the project of matching up the "backlog" of donations from 1988 with files and database records.  I got such a thrill when I finish!  I couldn't wait for the next puzzle.

Next week, I'm headed to San Antonio for the Texas Association of Museums annual meeting & conference.  I'm actually presenting this time around about my efforts with the Train to Share grant program.  I'm looking forward to networking and seeing what the museums in San Antonio have to offer!

Resolution Update

Well, I've been hard at work on my New Year Resolutions!

1) Migrate to updated version of collection management database.

I spent several days week before last on the phone and online with technical support to migrate my data from the old collection management database to the new version.  There are still two modules to migrate, but my tech support person, Vanessa, is hard at work on those!  I'm actually working in the new system now.  And with any luck (once I get over the current hurdle -- installing another workstation), I'll have a volunteer or two working in it too!  I have one volunteer who is willing waiting in the wings.  I just need to feel comfortable teaching her how to use the new system.

2) Complete inventory of all collections in storage.

With the help of two volunteers, I've made strides on the inventory of collection storage.  There certainly seems to be more questions than answers at the moment, but we should have a comprehensive list of what is in storage soon!

3) Develop & implement plan for moving collections off-site.

This one I've waited on until I know more details about the renovation.  The Capital Campaign is making major headway, and this project looks to be taking off!

4) Gain more meaningful followers on the Museum's social media tools (Facebook & Twitter).

With the help of the Marketing and Education Departments, the social media tools are gaining followers.  I haven't analyzed the numbers but I think there will be meaningful gains.  Be sure to like the Museum on Facebook and Twitter, if you haven't already.  We do a lot of different features: Dates in History, Facebook Fridays, and now Science Saturdays and Whatzit Wednesdays!  Be in the know... 

5) Be an advocate for the Museum while at work and while not at work.

This is much harder to count or measure.  However, I was asked this morning to give a presentation about collection management in late February.  And I'll be attending the Texas Association of Museums' annual meeting & conference in March.

I can't wait to see what the next few weeks hold ...!

New Year's Resolutions

I know many of you have created resolutions this New Year in order to start fresh or improve yourself.  Your resolution may be to be healthier, by eating right or working out, or it may be to learn a new skill, like learning a foreign language or developing a hobby.

I myself have developed my own personal New Year Resolutions.  And I think I need to develop ones for my little corner of The Petroleum Museum. 

We at the Museum anticipate 2012 to be interesting, to say the least.  We hope to finish our Capital Campaign and to start our $15M renovation of the oil & gas industry exhibits.  With those events looming, there is a lot to take care of!  Before demolition, we have to move the collections, both what's on display and what's in storage, off-site.  So, there's a lot of prep work that I need to complete before the ground-breaking. 

Below are my resolutions or goals for the upcoming year.  Many of these I started last year, but for whatever reason, never finished or just dropped the ball.  Some of them are re-focusing on what my job duties entail and trying to be better in those duties.

1) Migrate to updated version of collection management database.

2) Complete inventory of all collections in storage.

3) Develop & implement plan for moving collections off-site.

4) Gain more meaningful followers on the Museum's social media tools (Facebook & Twitter).

5) Be an advocate for the Museum while at work and while not at work.

Wish me luck in keeping my New Year Resolutions!  What are your resolutions?

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!

Charlie dog, dreaming of a white Christmas.

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 Museum's Library & Archives Center has a large photographic collection, which estimates range from 250,000 to 400,000 images.  Most of those are from the 50+ career of professional Midland photographer Randolph Rubin.  For more info about the collection, click here.

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.

Photographic print storage in the Museum's Library & Archives Center.

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.

Above: Cover of publication.

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:

Above: General Information & Housing Costs in Midland circa 1971.

I wonder how that compares to today ...

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!

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.

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!

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.

BRENT BLEND

Mery Codigna Collet

Oil & natural fibers on plastic and canvas

2010

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.

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!

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!

Change is Good

As you probably noticed, I've made a few changes to this blog. What's that saying? The only constant is change. Change is inevitable. Not all change is bad, and I hope these changes will be for the better.

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.

One of the sessions I attended was Blogging Basics 201: How to Keep Your Blog Working for You. I want to do some good with this blog; I want this blog to be a conversation with the Museum's visitors. And I hoped that the session would provide me with tidbits to meet those wants.

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?

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."

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!

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?

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?

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?

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."

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!