Research Projects

IGWS Library and Archives Management

Status Start Date End Date Locations
completed Feb 1, 2019 Jun 30, 2021 All Counties
Director: Jennifer Lanman
Other Researchers: Janis Fox, Barbara Hill, Garrett Marietta, Rebecca Meyer, Gary Motz Karen Like, John Day, Stephen Todd, Riley Domer
Funding: Indiana University - Indiana Geological & Water Survey
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) - National Geologic and Geophysical Data Preservation Program
Issue: The temporary move has consolidated the bulk of IGWS archived records into two locations, providing an ideal opportunity over the course of the next two years to pre-prep for the return to the renovated Survey building.
Objective: Short-Term - fulfill CAP goal of creating an item-level inventory of materials - identify and transfer or expunge materials not appropriate for reference library, public records room, or in-house archive - identify materials appropriate for inclusion in IU Archives, prioritize their digitization then transfer them Medium-term - identify and prioritize materials for archival digitization - accurately determine records housing needs for return to renovated building (number of boxes, flat file sizes, rolled storage, etc.) Long-term - increase accessibility to materials - mitigate future loss of materials - create archival environment for housing materials in perpetuity
Approach: Because of the scope of this project in terms of length and extent, the specifics of approach may shift as areas of focus change, but will follow this general principle: - adhere to best practices for managing paper and photographic records - identify data subsets that are manageable and quantifiable within a specified grant period to utilize funds from NGGDPP, IMLS, and elsewhere as available
Products: Searchable Records, Archives, and Reference Library catalogs, ideally accessible through a collections management system with public facing web portal (see reinitialized Collections Management System project).
Benefits: Consolidation of, organization of, and improved access to IGWS materials for research and public service.