{"id":8118,"date":"2018-12-17T11:06:17","date_gmt":"2018-12-17T16:06:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=8118"},"modified":"2019-06-04T13:39:29","modified_gmt":"2019-06-04T17:39:29","slug":"student-reflections-bill-keeler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=8118","title":{"rendered":"Reprocessing Adventures – The Zelda Fichandler Papers"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post was written by Bill Keeler, Processing Student Assistant. Bill is studying History with a focus in American History at George Mason University.<\/em><\/p>\n

Since processing the Randolph H. Lytton Historical Virginia collection<\/a><\/span>, I have begun reprocessing the Zelda Fichandler papers<\/a><\/span>. I had the chance to poke around the collection and many problems have presented themselves! The first hurdle was to ascertain the exact way in which the previous individual arranged the folders in the collection, as well as the organization within the folders themselves.  <\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the collection was not arranged by subject nor did it have any series. Furthermore, there were unprocessed boxes (6-8 linear feet) that luckily all fell within one of the soon-to-be series. With intermittent alphabetization issues as well as spelling errors within the current finding aid, I had my work cut out for me! The decision to break up the collection into four series – arranged by subject and alphabetized within – provided a framework in which I could move forward and work within. <\/span><\/p>\n

I am halfway through the first series, and have properly alphabetized though the letter M. More importantly, each folder now has detailed information as to what materials are located within them as well as proper dates. Not knowing an overwhelming amount about stage productions, a large challenge was learning the vernacular and document types that exist within the genre itself. Knowing the difference between playbills and show cards was a subtlety I did not know existed before embarking on my new processing journey. The major issues while processing so far have been two-fold: The first being time and the second being arrangement. The former has been an issue when determining how long to spend on any given folder or production. Knowing how specific to be when dating or titling a folder is something that I have learned through osmosis and time. While added specificity can be extremely helpful, it can also sometimes make the collection and its finding aid too laborious for researchers to navigate. <\/span><\/p>\n

The latter is an issue that, as it turned out, ended up being quite an enjoyable one to tackle. The current state of the collection and its intermittent organization presented problems at the outset of the project in terms of how exactly to organize the collection during the process of reprocessing it. With portions of the first series scattered through the collection in its current state, keeping everything organized and well-documented was necessary. Fortunately, I am surrounded by experienced archivists who all provide wonderful insight as to the best way to go about reprocessing this robust collection. Below are some more cool finds with captions that I have come across during this process. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Playbill for \u201cThe Cocoanuts\u201d, April 21, 1988.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

Stage design model for \u201cAfter the Fall\u201d. March 1980.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

Photograph taken by Fichandler on her visit to Stonehenge.<\/p><\/div>\n

Follow Special Collections Research Center on Social Media <\/em>at our Facebook<\/a><\/span>, Instagram<\/a>,<\/span> and Twitter<\/a> <\/span>accounts. To search the collections held at Special Collections Research Center, go to our website and browse the finding aids by subject or title. You may also e-mail us or call if you would like to schedule 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":"

This post was written by Bill Keeler, Processing Student Assistant. Bill is studying History with a focus in American History at George Mason University. Since processing the Randolph H. Lytton Historical Virginia collection, I have begun reprocessing the Zelda Fichandler papers. I had the chance to poke around the collection and many problems have presented themselves! The first hurdle was to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101014,"featured_media":8122,"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":[3,5,121],"tags":[109,540,738,729,626,739,75,92,485,214,737,648,728],"class_list":["post-8118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-scrc-interest","category-scrc-picks","tag-arena-stage","tag-performing-arts","tag-stage-design","tag-stonehenge","tag-student-reflections","tag-the-marx-brothers","tag-theater","tag-theatre","tag-travel","tag-undergraduate-students","tag-united-kingdom","tag-washington-d-c","tag-zelda-fichandler"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/IMG_2015.jpg?fit=1988%2C2883&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-26W","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8486,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=8486","url_meta":{"origin":8118,"position":0},"title":"Spring Processing Finds","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"May 29, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Bill Keeler, Processing Student Assistant. Bill has a Bachelor of Arts in History with a focus in American History from George Mason University. The act of reprocessing a collection is about what half of my time here at SCRC is spent doing. 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Known for her leadership and innovation as a director and educator in theater during the mid-20th century, Zelda was one of the founders\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\/2024\/10\/Zelda_03.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Zelda_03.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Zelda_03.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Zelda_03.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Zelda_03.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Zelda_03.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5707,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=5707","url_meta":{"origin":8118,"position":2},"title":"A Tribute to Arena Stage Founder Zelda Fichandler","author":"admin","date":"August 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cThe miracle of theater is that it ever happens at all.\u201d -\u00a0Zelda Fichandler, in Laurence Maslon\u2019s The Arena Adventure: The First 40 Years Zelda Fichandler, a powerhouse of the performing arts, passed away Friday, July 29 at the age of 91.\u00a0 Fichandler was a founder of the Arena Stage which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"Zelda Fichandler and another woman standing in front of an audience in the Hippodrome, probably in 1950. Arena Stage records, #C0017, Box 633, Folder 1, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/C0017B633F001_01-300x231.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5516,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=5516","url_meta":{"origin":8118,"position":3},"title":"Arena Stage reprocessing project completed by SCRC staff!","author":"admin","date":"March 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"After years of work and a combined effort by many archivists and student assistants, we have finished the Arena Stage reprocessing project. \u00a0\u00a0The project culminated in the creation of a brand-new finding aid, including a 739-box inventory, to help researchers access the riches of the collection.\u00a0 The scope of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"C0017_09","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/C0017_092-e1457105429155-151x240.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9893,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9893","url_meta":{"origin":8118,"position":4},"title":"Looking Over our Shoulder: Art and Entertainment During the Cold War","author":"admin","date":"November 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"This post is part of a series pertaining to SCRC's current exhibition, Looking Over Our Shoulder: The Cold War in American Culture. 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Humans - the only creatures on earth able to conceptualize realities other than the present one \u2013 over the millennia have followed the urge to present these realities to each other in a multitude of ways. This need to witness and empathize with the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/SCRCArtsExhibit.Spring2020.LCD_.1920.FIXED_.FINAL_.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/SCRCArtsExhibit.Spring2020.LCD_.1920.FIXED_.FINAL_.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/SCRCArtsExhibit.Spring2020.LCD_.1920.FIXED_.FINAL_.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/SCRCArtsExhibit.Spring2020.LCD_.1920.FIXED_.FINAL_.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/SCRCArtsExhibit.Spring2020.LCD_.1920.FIXED_.FINAL_.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8118","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=8118"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8118\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8590,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8118\/revisions\/8590"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}