New Special Collections website

Well, I am still here! We recently launched a
new Special Collections website. So I may be not writing, but at least I am cranking! We have gotten through our first 60 batch of Owen Wister letters, and are working on creating our Digital Wisteriana / La Salliana concept. We've been spending a lot of time updating Wikipedia with information on the Wisters. Given that the Wisters' estate was on the La Salle campus, we are really poised to be an authority on the family. Many Google searches take you to another website that I am now in charge of -- Belfield and Wakefield: A Link to La Salle's Past. I recently took over this website from Dr. Jim Butler, who had made it with an honors English class in something like 1994. I think its going to be a wonderful opportunity to incorporate digital collections and things like internet based geneologies and such and breathe some life into a website that hasn't been updated in a while. I have changed the style sheet on this website to make it conform to the La Salle "brand" more and started incorporating some images from the Wister Special Collection, so please look for this to develop more over time.

Developments

We are cranking! It's amazing what a new budget year can do to a project. We have set up our digitization lab and are beginning to scan. The first project I have decided to tackle is the Wister family papers -- We are beginning with the letters of Owen Wister, author of the Virginian. I am busy developing my cataloging database, which we will be attempting to use METS and MODS, so my head is all over the LC website today. I will add some pictures soon.