{"id":10301,"date":"2023-05-05T14:04:22","date_gmt":"2023-05-05T18:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=10301"},"modified":"2023-05-05T14:07:41","modified_gmt":"2023-05-05T18:07:41","slug":"student-reflections-processing-the-james-m-buchanan-papers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=10301","title":{"rendered":"Student Reflections – Processing the James M. Buchanan Papers"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post was written by Processing Student Assistants for the NEH Buchanan Papers Processing Project, Vilma Chicas Garcia and Colin McDonald. Both students have contributed invaluable time and effort to the project – thank you Vilma and Colin!
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

The Life of an Economist<\/em> by Colin McDonald<\/p>\n

\"\"

Colin McDonald.
<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

When I first came to work at the Special Collections Research Center I didn\u2019t really know who James Buchanan was. I had heard the term \u201cpublic choice theory\u201d in an introductory environmental economics class, but I hadn\u2019t expected to be working on a collection of the \u201cfather\u201d of the field. Although he was a Nobel Laureate and one of the authors of the strategy used by radical right billionaires to influence American politics (according to Nancy MacLean anyway), few people know who he is. To me it seems James Buchanan exists in that awkward area of semi-known in his field, and unknown to virtually anyone else. If I tell people that I work on the archival collection of James Buchanan, I have to clarify \u201cthe economist, not the president.\u201d I think this is largely by Buchanan\u2019s design; he was a reticent person who valued his privacy, wanting any attention to be on his work and ideas, not on him. In Democracy in Chains<\/em> MacLean writes \u201cAt his memorial service, in 2013, a friend of thirty years was asked how he had gotten to know Buchanan. \u2018Did I?\u2019 he responded.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before the age of digital communication a lot more things were written down on paper. This may be an obvious observation, but it is something that I came to more fully appreciate working on this collection. I think this collection differs from others in the breadth and the minutiae of its contents; birthday cards, intra-economics-department politics, travel arrangements (Buchanan traveled a lot), a complaint about soup being heated in a communal microwave. These accumulated materials allow for glimpses into the day-to-day life of James Buchanan. All these little details are now captured and stored in the archives at SCRC, filed away for researchers to look over as they try to piece together who Buchanan was and the impact that he had.<\/p>\n

Something else I learned while working at SCRC is the importance of having a trained archivist overseeing the processing of a collection. Rebecca Thayer was the project archivist for the James Buchanan papers and deserves recognition for being in charge of turning the mess of decades worth of papers that was being kept at the Buchanan House into a proper archival collection, as well as being an amazing supervisor. I\u2019m glad to have been part of the team that prepared this collection, and that researchers will soon be able to access the James M. Buchanan papers.<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

\"\"

Vilma Chicas Garcia (and her cat Kona.)<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

By Vilma Chicas Garcia<\/p>\n

The James M. Buchanan papers has been an incredible learning experience that has solidified my decision to work within archives. I had no processing experience before the Buchanan project, but there was no better place to gain experience than at the Special Collections and Record Center (SCRC). I arrived at George Mason unsure of what I wanted to do career-wise; all I knew was that I wanted to study history. I have worked with archival material before on research projects, but I had only considered working within archives in the summer of 2022. I stumbled upon archival work on TikTok and immediately felt it was a profession I wanted to pursue, but I did not know where to start or whether it would be the right fit for me. I was lucky enough to find this part-time position at the SCRC and work alongside exceptional people who helped me every step of the way.<\/p>\n

Processing work can be repetitive, especially in a collection as vast as Buchanan\u2019s. However, there was always something to learn, or to question, which kept the work interesting. This job required me to utilize a different set of skills I had yet to use in a work environment. I can see now why this field values hands-on experience as much as it does. I don\u2019t know if there is any other way to truly grasp what this work requires without doing it for yourself. I didn\u2019t realize how much research and patience was needed to do this type of work, but I immensely enjoyed it. Reprocessing archival materials requires a balance; figuring out how to label each folder to best summarize its contents and assist researchers without straying too far away from the original order is a skill learned over time and through practice. I am far from an expert, but I am excited to come to work every day and learn more about this field.<\/p>\n

Follow SCRC on Social Media and look out for future posts on our\u00a0<\/em>Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>Instagram<\/a>, and\u00a0<\/em>Twitter<\/a> accounts. To search the collections\u00a0held at Special Collections Research Center, go to our\u00a0<\/em>website<\/a>\u00a0and browse the finding aids by subject or title. You may also e-mail\u00a0us at\u00a0<\/em>speccoll@gmu.edu<\/a>\u00a0or call 703-993-2220 if you would like to schedule an appointment, request materials, or if you have questions.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This post was written by Processing Student Assistants for the NEH Buchanan Papers Processing Project, Vilma Chicas Garcia and Colin McDonald. Both students have contributed invaluable time and effort to the project – thank you Vilma and Colin! The Life of an Economist by Colin McDonald When I first came to work at the Special […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101014,"featured_media":10309,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[529,882,883,3,5,121,784],"tags":[37,626],"class_list":["post-10301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-george-mason-university-history","category-neh-buchanan-papers-project","category-neh-buchanan-papers-project-news","category-news","category-scrc-interest","category-scrc-picks","category-studentreflections","tag-james-buchanan","tag-student-reflections"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Student-Blog-Cover.jpg?fit=1640%2C924&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-2G9","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10353,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=10353","url_meta":{"origin":10301,"position":0},"title":"Open for Access – the James M. Buchanan Papers","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"May 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) at George Mason University (GMU) is pleased to announce that the James M. Buchanan papers are now open for access! This collection consists of the papers of the Nobel Prize-winning economist James McGill Buchanan, documenting his career and research from the mid-20th century through\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "NEH Buchanan papers project"","block_context":{"text":"NEH Buchanan papers project","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=882"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/JMB_001.jpg?fit=1200%2C833&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/JMB_001.jpg?fit=1200%2C833&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/JMB_001.jpg?fit=1200%2C833&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/JMB_001.jpg?fit=1200%2C833&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/JMB_001.jpg?fit=1200%2C833&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9494,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9494","url_meta":{"origin":10301,"position":1},"title":"The James M. Buchanan Papers Processing Project: Beginnings","author":"admin","date":"June 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Way back in spring 2020 (as noted by SCRC director Lynn Eaton in an earlier post), SCRC received some welcome good news at a moment when it seemed in short supply. We were informed that our application for a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to finish processing the James\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "GMU Fairfax Campus"","block_context":{"text":"GMU Fairfax Campus","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=272"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/buchananhouse_landscape-530x342-1.jpg?fit=530%2C342&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/buchananhouse_landscape-530x342-1.jpg?fit=530%2C342&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/buchananhouse_landscape-530x342-1.jpg?fit=530%2C342&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10776,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=10776","url_meta":{"origin":10301,"position":2},"title":"Student Reflections","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"December 15, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"This blog post was written by Vilma Chicas Garcia and Colin McDonald, former SCRC student workers. Congrats on graduating, Vilma and Colin! My Experience at SCRC by Vilma Chicas Garcia I began working at the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) during the 2022 Fall semester, and at the time, I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "SCRC interest"","block_context":{"text":"SCRC interest","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/colidgrad.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/colidgrad.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/colidgrad.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/colidgrad.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/colidgrad.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9617,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9617","url_meta":{"origin":10301,"position":3},"title":"NEH Buchanan papers project update – introducing GRA Rachel Barton","author":"admin","date":"September 7, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"We are now approaching six months of renewed processing work on the James M. Buchanan papers. A lot of hard work has happened in that time, and Project Archivist Rebecca Thayer has made significant progress and moved into new phases of the project since her last blog post. I\u2019ll let\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "NEH Buchanan papers project"","block_context":{"text":"NEH Buchanan papers project","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=882"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/processing1-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/processing1-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/processing1-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/processing1-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/processing1-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9358,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9358","url_meta":{"origin":10301,"position":4},"title":"NEH Grant for the Buchanan Papers update\u00a0","author":"Lynn Eaton","date":"October 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"This past spring, the\u202fGeorge Mason University Libraries\u202freceived a grant in the amount of $334,720 from the National Endowment of the Humanities\u2019 Humanities Collection and Reference Resources program for the \u201cPreserving the Legacy of James M. Buchanan\u201d project.\u00a0\u00a0 The purpose of this processing grant project is to preserve and make accessible\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "George Mason University History"","block_context":{"text":"George Mason University History","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=529"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/BuchananGustaf-copy-1.png?fit=1200%2C833&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/BuchananGustaf-copy-1.png?fit=1200%2C833&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/BuchananGustaf-copy-1.png?fit=1200%2C833&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/BuchananGustaf-copy-1.png?fit=1200%2C833&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/BuchananGustaf-copy-1.png?fit=1200%2C833&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10165,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=10165","url_meta":{"origin":10301,"position":5},"title":"Processing from the Outside In: Care of Betty Tillman","author":"Rebecca Thayer","date":"July 14, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This post is one in a series about the Buchanan Papers processing project. The project is supervised by Buchanan Papers Project Archivist Rebecca Thayer and is grant funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. One of my favorite things about processing is learning about a person or organization through\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "NEH Buchanan papers project"","block_context":{"text":"NEH Buchanan papers project","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=882"},"img":{"alt_text":"James M. 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