{"id":6429,"date":"2017-05-02T15:48:13","date_gmt":"2017-05-02T19:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6429"},"modified":"2017-12-19T17:01:43","modified_gmt":"2017-12-19T21:01:43","slug":"the-c-span-chronicles-part-ii-unique-finds-processing-is-like-a-box-of-chocolates-you-never-know-what-youre-gonna-get","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6429","title":{"rendered":"The C-SPAN Chronicles: Part II – Unique Finds – Processing is Like A Box of Chocolates: You Never Know What You’re Gonna Get"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello there! Amanda here again with another edition of the C-SPAN Chronicles. This week I will be exploring\u00a0unique items found in the C-SPAN records – some straightforward, some, well…not so much.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a processor, I have spent many an hour surveying collections, and usually this task is fairly clear-cut. But despite knowing the majority of the contents of a collection, occasionally I have been surprised, and scratched my head in wonder\u00a0at the materials hidden away in boxes. <\/span><\/p>\n

Talking to archival processors, you would be hard-pressed to find somebody who did not have a story of a strange object uncovered during processing. Not only can these objects be entertaining, they oftentimes can be baffling. What do you do with these objects? Do they belong to the series of the surrounding materials? Will it need its own unique container? Is this object considered of enduring archival value? How does this object work with the rest of the collection? I personally find it a fun challenge to figure out the arrangement of these unique processing finds, and to stretch my intellectual <\/span>and<\/span><\/i> physical arrangement abilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, processors\u00a0occasionally come across objects or documents that are just plain cool<\/em>. These are the moments archivists live for,\u00a0whether it be a document with the signature of a famous historical figure, an original Playbill from a Broadway musical (in my case, this is equivalent to the Holy Grail), or a rare book made over 500 years ago – much like the ubiquitous “Forrest Gump” quote – processing is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re gonna get!<\/p>\n

In processing the C-SPAN records, I have come across some unique objects leading me to ask the above questions. Needless to say this has kept me both busy and entertained.\u00a0Below is\u00a0a sampling of my finds. Enjoy!<\/p>\n

\"\"

The C-SPAN records contain hundreds of viewer letters – this one stuck out to me due to its unique format and the writer’s interesting handwriting.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

Letter from President George W. Bush congratulating Lamb on C-SPAN receiving the Records of Achievement Award from the Foundation for the National Archives.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

A “Celebrating C-SPAN’s 20th Anniversary” Frame containing an interesting drawing, Artist Unknown.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

This shirt was coveted by most of SCRC staff- luckily it will be preserved indefinitely to the joy of all.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

From a series of original mixed media paintings on board of various authors – this particular one features the writer Zora Neale Hurston.<\/p><\/div>\n

Keep your eyes peeled for the next installment of the C-SPAN Chronicles later in May!<\/em><\/p>\n

Follow SCRC on Social Media and\u00a0look out for future posts on the\u00a0processing of the C-SPAN Papers on our Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, and Twitter<\/a> accounts. To search the collections\u00a0held at Special Collections Research Center, go to our website<\/a>\u00a0and browse the finding aids by subject or title. You may also e-mail\u00a0us at speccoll@gmu.edu<\/a> or call 703-993-2220 if you would like to\u00a0schedule an appointment, request materials, or if you have questions. Appointments are not necessary to request and view collections.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hello there! Amanda here again with another edition of the C-SPAN Chronicles. This week I will be exploring\u00a0unique items found in the C-SPAN records – some straightforward, some, well…not so much. As a processor, I have spent many an hour surveying collections, and usually this task is fairly clear-cut. But despite knowing the majority of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101014,"featured_media":0,"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":[461],"tags":[289,348,422],"class_list":["post-6429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-c-span-chronicles","tag-brian-lamb","tag-c-span","tag-processing"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-1FH","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6652,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6652","url_meta":{"origin":6429,"position":0},"title":"The C-SPAN Chronicles: Part IV – Viewer Mail","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"June 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello all! Amanda here with another edition of the C-SPAN Chronicles. As this project has progressed, I have had ample time\u00a0to re-examine this collection, as well as the unique records it holds. Despite some of the more serious portions of the collection, there are those that are more entertaining (see\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The C-SPAN Chronicles"","block_context":{"text":"The C-SPAN Chronicles","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=461"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_9228.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_9228.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_9228.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_9228.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_9228.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_9228.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6316,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6316","url_meta":{"origin":6429,"position":1},"title":"The C-SPAN Chronicles: Part I – A Processing Primer","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"April 13, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello one and all! My name is Amanda Brent, and I am the C-SPAN Papers Project Archivist here at GMU\u2019s Special Collections Research Center (SCRC). I began my journey at SCRC as a volunteer, then intern, then Processing Assistant, and now I have been given the opportunity to work as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The C-SPAN Chronicles"","block_context":{"text":"The C-SPAN Chronicles","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=461"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/IMG_0632crop.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6499,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6499","url_meta":{"origin":6429,"position":2},"title":"The C-SPAN Chronicles: Part III – To Rebox or Not to Rebox?","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"May 18, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello again! Amanda here with another edition of the C-SPAN Chronicles. As processing has progressed, I now find myself with the task of reboxing and finalizing the official inventory of the C-SPAN records. Though a somewhat straightforward task, reboxing and inventorying isn\u2019t without its challenges. But first of all, let\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The C-SPAN Chronicles"","block_context":{"text":"The C-SPAN Chronicles","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=461"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_8957.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_8957.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_8957.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_8957.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_8957.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_8957.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6809,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6809","url_meta":{"origin":6429,"position":3},"title":"The C-SPAN Chronicles: Part V – Cassette Tapes, and DATS, and U-matics, Oh My! or Processing Audiovisual Materials in the C-SPAN Papers Project","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"August 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello all! Amanda here with another edition of the C-SPAN Chronicles. This week I will be discussing the challenges of processing audiovisual materials in archival collections, and the specific challenges I have encountered when processing them in the C-SPAN papers. Let\u2019s go! Imagine you open a box. Inside are various\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The C-SPAN Chronicles"","block_context":{"text":"The C-SPAN Chronicles","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=461"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_0054.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_0054.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_0054.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_0054.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_0054.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6875,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6875","url_meta":{"origin":6429,"position":4},"title":"The C-SPAN Chronicles: Part VI – Lessons Learned","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"September 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello all! Amanda here with another - and sadly the last - of the C-SPAN Chronicles. I thought it would be fun (and informative!) to reflect on the lessons I\u2019ve learned undertaking and completing the processing portion of this project. It has been quite the journey, and since I began\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The C-SPAN Chronicles"","block_context":{"text":"The C-SPAN Chronicles","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=461"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/C-SPAN-ME1.jpg?fit=1200%2C637&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/C-SPAN-ME1.jpg?fit=1200%2C637&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/C-SPAN-ME1.jpg?fit=1200%2C637&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/C-SPAN-ME1.jpg?fit=1200%2C637&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/C-SPAN-ME1.jpg?fit=1200%2C637&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9271,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9271","url_meta":{"origin":6429,"position":5},"title":"The C-SPAN Chronicles: Season 2, Part IV","author":"Kelsey Kim","date":"June 22, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Kelsey here, coming to you from my kitchen table, a.k.a. my home office.\u00a0 I have good news and bad news for you\u2014I\u2019ll start with the bad news, because it\u2019s always better to rip off the Band-Aid.\u00a0 Sadly, while we\u2019re out of office, our actual \u201cdigitizing\u201d (meaning our document photography) has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Digital Collections"","block_context":{"text":"Digital Collections","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=557"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/letter.jpg?fit=914%2C1166&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/letter.jpg?fit=914%2C1166&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/letter.jpg?fit=914%2C1166&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/letter.jpg?fit=914%2C1166&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/101014"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6429"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6429\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6452,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6429\/revisions\/6452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}