![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/1.jpg?resize=234%2C270&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\nHello again! I\u2019m your host (again), Kelsey Kim, C-SPAN Project Archivist.\u00a0 Today on the blog\u2026\u2026..more about the C-SPAN project! Almost fooled you that this was about something else, right? Surprise!<\/p>\n
At this point, I imagine you\u2019re thinking something along the lines of \u201cThis again? What more could she possibly have to say about this project???\u201d (In my imagination, you sound a little exasperated).\u00a0 But before you click away from the page, allow me to answer that question.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Yes, we\u2019ve been over preparing for the project<\/a>.\u00a0 We\u2019ve talked about the steps in the workflow: prep<\/a>, imaging and QC<\/a>, post-processing<\/a>, and lessons learned<\/a>.\u00a0 You\u2019ve even gotten a glimpse of some of the gems<\/a>. \u00a0Yet, there is one question I really don\u2019t think I\u2019ve answered: WHY? As in, why digitize? Why this collection? Why should you care?\u00a0 As Michael Scott would mumble under his breath when negotiating\u2014you make a very compelling argument.\u00a0 The \u201cwhy\u201d of digitization is an excellent question, so let\u2019s take the elements one at a time.<\/p>\n Why digitize?<\/strong><\/p>\n There are two primary reasons why materials in archives and special collections might be digitized: preservation and access.\u00a0 Both are more complicated and far-reaching than appears at the surface and both are vital to maintaining long-term use and value of archival records.<\/p>\n Don’t let this be you. SERIOUSLY.<\/p><\/div>\n One of the most common questions I get asked as a digitization specialist is why don\u2019t we get rid of material after we digitize it? Seems like we could save a lot of space that way.\u00a0 But digitization is not a replacement for a physical item, it is just a surrogate.\u00a0 There is still something unique to a piece of paper as an object, not just a sample of text or film.\u00a0 I mean, would you want to throw away the Declaration of Independence? Probably not (after all, there could be a secret map on the back, just PLEASE don\u2019t put lemon juice on it!!!!).\u00a0 The document itself embodies something that the words alone don\u2019t fully capture. So we can digitize it to analyze it, but we\u2019ll hold on to the paper too, thanks very much.<\/p>\n It certainly can.<\/p><\/div>\n Not to mention, digitization sometimes allows us to see things that we wouldn\u2019t with just our eyes. Documents too fragile to be physically unfolded can be digitally unfolded<\/a>, allowing us to see what\u2019s inside.\u00a0 Different light exposures can help us determine age or see other layers<\/a> to pieces of artwork or documents that are invisible by just seeing it.\u00a0 Talk about incredible!<\/p>\n Next, why this collection?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The simplest answer to this question is a rather straightforward \u201cbecause that\u2019s what we do.\u201d\u00a0 It is true that sometimes, when records are donated to an archive, the donors ask for the material to be digitized or set aside funds to facilitate that.\u00a0 We love donors, so we will work with them however we can.<\/p>\n But for the C-SPAN collection, the answer to the question is also just so much more.\u00a0 The material we\u2019ve digitized is an absolute treasure trove of history for the past 40 years.\u00a0 The creation of C-SPAN itself was revolutionary\u2014never before had the actual proceedings of the House of Representatives been so available to the public to watch.\u00a0 C-SPAN then expanded coverage to include the Senate, and then even foreign governments, like the British and Canadian Parliaments.\u00a0 In between, it highlighted the work of notable authors and public figures, reenacted historic events, and took us along on campaign tours.\u00a0 Our Press Releases series showcases how C-SPAN came to be and how it rose to become what it is today.<\/p>\n Six years in, 23 million subscribers. Try getting TikTok followers that fast!<\/p><\/div>\n But the collection doesn\u2019t just display C-SPAN\u2019s internal growth\u2014it documents the external reactions to the events and broadcasts of the day.\u00a0 The Viewer Mail series has nearly 30,000 letters from viewers, giving their opinions and thoughts on politics, economics, foreign relations, and high-profile individuals.\u00a0 Was the Gulf War viewed positively in the public perception?\u00a0 What was the national reaction to the Clinton impeachment?\u00a0 How far did the Y2K panic reach?\u00a0 You can find out! \u00a0Thanks to our extensive metadata gathering, you can search by subject, date, and location! That means, if you want to know if people in Oregon felt differently than people in Arkansas, you can! It\u2019s a truly unique way of tapping into the minds of ordinary people in the past.<\/p>\n This person recommends a more direct punishment for Clinton.<\/p><\/div>\n If visual is more your thing, the Photographs series is for you!\u00a0 In addition to incredible photos from the sets of interviews with such remarkable people as Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, and Colin Powell, you can also peek into the ins and outs of behind-the-scenes production and what it took to make C-SPAN happen, from breaking ground for satellite dishes to final editing.\u00a0 Plus, you\u2019ll catch the \u201csilly side\u201d of the C-SPAN staff\u2014making goofy faces and having a blast while making the shows happen.\u00a0 It\u2019s clear they loved what they did!<\/p>\n I wonder if the people here know this picture exists.<\/p><\/div>\n Finally, why should you care?<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re still asking this, I\u2019d recommend you go back and read this whole post again.\u00a0 If that doesn\u2019t help, maybe this will: We did all of this for you and others like you, because we believe there\u2019s something in the C-SPAN collection for you to find!\u00a0 In nearly 100 boxes of documents, photographs, drawings, newspaper clippings, and letters, I guarantee something will spark your particular interest.\u00a0 Just wait and see! 😊<\/p>\n Follow SCRC on Social Media and look out for future posts on our\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>, and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0accounts. \u00a0To search the collections\u00a0held at Special Collections Research Center, go to our\u00a0website<\/a>\u00a0and browse the finding aids by subject or title. You may also e-mail\u00a0us at\u00a0speccoll@gmu.edu<\/a>\u00a0or call 703-993-2220 if you would like to schedule an appointment, request materials, or if you have questions.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hello again! I\u2019m your host (again), Kelsey Kim, C-SPAN Project Archivist.\u00a0 Today on the blog\u2026\u2026..more about the C-SPAN project! Almost fooled you that this was about something else, right? Surprise! At this point, I imagine you\u2019re thinking something along the lines of \u201cThis again? What more could she possibly have to say about this project???\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101020,"featured_media":9609,"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":[557,558,3,461],"tags":[455,289,348],"class_list":["post-9603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital-collections","category-digitization","category-news","category-the-c-span-chronicles","tag-archives","tag-brian-lamb","tag-c-span"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/cspan.jpg?fit=1249%2C445&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-2uT","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6652,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6652","url_meta":{"origin":9603,"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":6875,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6875","url_meta":{"origin":9603,"position":1},"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":6809,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6809","url_meta":{"origin":9603,"position":2},"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":6429,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6429","url_meta":{"origin":9603,"position":3},"title":"The C-SPAN Chronicles: Part II – Unique Finds – Processing is Like A Box of Chocolates: You Never Know What You’re Gonna Get","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"May 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"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\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_8697.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_8697.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_8697.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_8697.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_8697.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_8697.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9467,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9467","url_meta":{"origin":9603,"position":4},"title":"The C-SPAN Chronicles: Season 2, Part VI","author":"Kelsey Kim","date":"February 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello! It\u2019s me again\u2014Kelsey Kim: cereal lover, ghost story enthusiast, C-SPAN Project Archivist (today, I\u2019ll be primarily focusing on that last one).\u00a0 We are still hard at work making the C-SPAN collection available to you, plugging away at the tasks of refining and redacting to present it as best we\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\/2021\/02\/cat.jpg?fit=1200%2C769&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cat.jpg?fit=1200%2C769&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cat.jpg?fit=1200%2C769&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cat.jpg?fit=1200%2C769&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cat.jpg?fit=1200%2C769&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6316,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6316","url_meta":{"origin":9603,"position":5},"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":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9603","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\/101020"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9603"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9603\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9610,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9603\/revisions\/9610"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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