COLLECTIONS GATHERING
CENTER FOR GREAT LAKES CULTURE
MAY 26, 2000
NEWBERRY LIBRARY
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

PARTICIPANTS

Peter Berg
Special Collections
MSU Libraries

Inta Carpenter
Folklore Institute
Indiana University

Len Coombs
Bentley Library
University of Michigan

Kurt Dewhurst
Museum
MSU

Robert Graham
Historical Collections of the Great Lakes
Bowling Green State University

Jim Grossman
Resarch and Education
Newberry Library

Hjordis Halvorson
Reader Services
Newberry Library

Russell Lewis
Chicago Historical Society

Michael Ann Williams
Folklore Studies
Western Kentucky University

The intent of the Collections Gathering was to begin planning for an electronic inventory of collections related to the cultural heritage of the Great Lakes region. The participants represented libraries, museums, archives, institutes, and historical societies.

In his welcoming remarks Peter Berg reviewed the activities of the Center for Great Lakes Culture and the work that was planned for the year. He noted the importance of the Collections Gathering to the work of the center and hoped that the participants would share their knowledge of where important Great Lakes collections reside and the important first steps that could be taken to create an inventory of them. He saw this inventory as a useful resource for scholarship and public education, as well as assisting curators. Finally, he asked that participants think about the future of regional collections and what areas of our cultural heritage that we might be missing as collectors.

After participants were asked to introduce themselves and their work, Peter Berg and Kurt Dewhurst led the morning's discussion. It was suggested that while the gathering's intent was to create an inventory we should recognize that much collections work (e.g. History of Illinois, Archives of American Art, Guide to Chicago Maritime History) had already been completed by other groups. This discussion led some to suggest that a "bibliography of bibliographies" might prove useful, while others felt that the Great Lakes region merited a guide of its own that formally identified collections. A long discussion then followed about how to identify the best path to gather information on collections. One path was to centralize the work with 10-15 compilers and another was to create a small administrative team to review the holdings of several large respositories (e.g. Newberry Library, Wisconsin State Historical Society, Bentley Library,) with strong collections documenting the history and culture of the region. Once a summary of these repositories was completed it would be offered as a guide for others to submit their relevant holdings. A questionnaire would also be prepared that could be sent to organizations around the region asking them to submit information about regional collections.

The discussion then moved to whether the inventory should be organized according to state or subject. Participants were then asked to list collection themes that might prove useful. These included cookery/food; maritime; labor; environment; recreatioin/leisure; water; collegial folklore; music (gospel, blue grass, jazz); tourism; highways; early exploration; transportation; and oral history. As a way to expand the list participants were then asked to discuss some of the relevant collections in their own institutions. Some of these included African American churches in Detroit; Gay/Lesbian activism; midwestern architects; transformation of work in Chicago; immigration; professional athletics; roadmaps; regional literature; dance; local histories; and the built enviornment.

After lunch we were joined by the participants of the State Humanities Councils gathering which included Rick Knupfer, Kristina Valaitis, Max Harris, and Gale Peterson. In this segment we were informed that the state of Ohio is funding Ohio historical societies to preserve and dscribe collections. It was suggested the the Center for Great Lakes Culture could provide leverage and fund raising to set a side money that regional state humanities councils could match to make collections better known and more accessible. There was also support for the center to facilitate traveling exhibits of collections to increase visibility.

In the wrap-up discussion participants agreed that the idea of a regional, online, continuously updated inventory of regional focused collections was the type of work the Center for Great Lakes Culture should support and house. The collections initiative was viewed as important for scholarship, public education, K-12 education and curriculum development, and for those who curate these collections. To be successful it was stressed that broad and open planning was paramount to make sure the audience was well defined and that the right questions were asked. Final thoughts included identifying a format model (e.g. Great Lakes Maritime Museums, Societies, and Research Sources); pull out themes for organization and accessibility; identify in each state folks who have collections and create a listserv for them.

Both Peter Berg and Kurt Dewhurst thanked the participants for their input and support. They stressed the importance of the collections inventory to the center and noted that a first step might be to work with several large repositories to set a model inventory that could then be critiqued and modified for broader use.