Juvenilia ✔/ a Nonfiction Undergraduate University Collection

ARTS 3002 Major Project Proposal

ARTS 3002

Fredericton Regional Museum

March 17th, 2021

Major Project Proposal

Background Information

I am placed with the Fredericton Regional Museum, a small, non-profit organization in Fredericton.

The Fredericton Region Museum, founded in 1934 by the York Sunbury Historical Society, is an organization that aims to create exhibits for the public, establish programs for learning, and has an on-going project contributing to open access information in Public Humanities.

As well, they publish a local periodical, 'The Officers' Quarters', the name being a nod to the location of the historical museum.

The Historical Society now has members all across North America and was formed in 1932. The Museum building we see today, located in The Officer's Quarters in downtown Fredericton on Queen street, was built in 1959.

With a collection of over 30,000 artifacts, the museum has something interesting for everyone. The museum relies on a small number of payed staff and numerous volunteers who are all passionate about the past and learning the stories from those who came before us.

Currently in the works is the digitalization of primary resources from collections that are not displayed in the museum including post card chains from local families in the area, letters, bills, inquiries, and photos.

Through the work of volunteers, these resources are being transcribed and will eventually be available for online viewing for everyone to see.

This work is valuable because it aids both historians and the public, providing a historical record for interest in niche areas such as WWII for anyone, not just those in academic settings.

Goal of the Project

The goal of my project is to provide Open Access of historical primary resources from the York County region, showcasing stories of people in the area from the past.

By providing this information and being a part of the process to enable this immense project, creative endeavors can flourish as inspiration can be taken from the past and applied in the present in an endless amount of ways (creative writing, movies, documentaries, research, plays, artwork.)

One of the most important pieces of the project is the postcard chains that provide direct insight into relationships of the past. The style of the penmanship also provides a lot of information about education levels in the area as well the provide insight into living conditions, lifestyle, and communication styles of the past.

In addition to approving transcription files, I have collaborated with another student to create a style guide to facilitate the editing process for the future. This work is an essential stepping stone for accessibility and though I will not be a part of the finished product, the work behind the scenes is as important as what happens on stage.

Description of Approach

In this placement, I have had multiple roles so, truth be told, I have not had the time or experience to truly gain a sufficient knowledge in any of the roles. That being said, I have been exposed to most of the ins and outs of the process at least in theory.

I have been a part of two major parts. I have done proofreading work, and editorial work thus far. I will provide a more in-depth walk-through of the process I went through in my extended report.

For my role doing proofreading, I compared sources of original documents to transcribed files to ensure the integrity of the original document is maintained as much as possible. At my discretion, I made changes to the transcribed file to better align with the original source.

Within my editing role, I helped to streamline a standard format for how each document should appear for further submissions. By creating a style guide, it helped to maintain a certain consistency in quality of each transcription, ensuring no information was missed or placed out of context.

Determining the intended placement of the paragraphs instead of where they are squeezed in on a postcard is an important job because it ensures clarity of the original. I do not correct spelling or punctuation mistakes from the original, and if there is something that is legible, such as stamps, notes, signatures, they are included.

Random markings that do not add anything to the text, such as accidental lines or markings are not included. Finally, in the case of postcards, a description of the image is to be included in bold to clearly identify which postcard belongs with any given transcription.

It is similar to providing a closed-caption description, which I have experience with from previous work with audio transcription and closed-captioning.

Expected Outcomes

From this placement, I will gain firsthand experience with proofreading and editing. I will have helped create a style guide for future use, and been a part of a transcription efforts.

All of these skills are relevant for me as I am highly interested in manuscript studies, and though some of the methods and requirements are dissimilar, there are certainly transferable skills.

I will have been a part of the process to digitalize collections that have not been seen before by the public, and they will be featured online and in person as a direct result of the behind the scenes efforts I was involved with.

Sources

I will be consulting sources including "A Guide to Documentary Editing" and sources within the realm of Public Humanities (also Digital Humanities), Manuscript Studies, and looking at how postcards are typically tended to within the academic world, particularly with an emphasis on WWII era as many postcards in the collections I am working with are within that timeframe. (I will include some articles I think may be helpful below.)

Ullyot, Michael. "Review Essay: Digital Humanities Projects." Renaissance Quarterly, vol. 66, no. 3, 2013, pp. 937–947. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/673587. Accessed 17 Mar. 2021.

Woodward, Kathleen. "The Future of the Humanities in the Present & in Public." Daedalus, vol. 138, no. 1, 2009, pp. 110–123. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40543879. Accessed 17 Mar. 2021.

"Introducing the Digital Humanities." Big Digital Humanities: Imagining a Meeting Place for the Humanities and the Digital, by Patrik Svensson, University of Michigan Press, ANN ARBOR, 2016, pp. 1–35. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv65sx0t.5. Accessed 17 Mar. 2021.

Conclusion

I will be doing an extended report about my application to the Fredericton Region Museum.

The end goal of my work is not that I will have completed something tangible necessarily, but that I will have helped a large project out by focusing in key areas such as approving transcription files, proofreading, and making editorial decisions.

I am adding to the knowledge base of the organization and helping with providing a polished, verbatim collection that will be available to all who wish access to it. Text will be accompanied by photos of the original text and may be used by the museum and the public in any number of ways.