The Robert Hitchman Collection at UW Special Collections
Merely as a Hobby - Robert Hitchman Exhibit
Photo courtesy of Kate Leonard
Photo courtesy of Kate Leonard
While working for the University of Washington in Special Collections, I had the opportunity to process this large personal collection completely, from start to finish. The collection, which was centered around the collector's lifelong interest in Northwest history and Americana, included over 1000 books, many of them rare editions, while his papers and ephemera filled a range of shelves. Yet more correspondence and ephemera were found folded inside many of the books. When I first saw the collection, I knew that organizing this material and explaining its importance would be a challenging and involved process.
I thoroughly enjoyed this long-term experience, as it gave me insight into every step required to make such a collection available and useful to researchers and the public at large. Besides being solely responsible for processing the manuscripts, papers, and ephemera in the collection, I also did much of the copy-cataloging for the books, and identified and set aside any particular books that required more attention and the assistance of the cataloger in Special Collections. In these cases, I also did some research on the edition and passed this information on to the cataloger. During the course of my processing, I also compiled and encoded an EAD finding aid for the collection, assigned Library of Congress Subject Headings, and did all of the background research required to provide appropriate background notes.
Towards the end of the processing, I began work on designing and planning an exhibit utilizing some of the material in the collection. I wrote a proposal explaining the theme and design of the exhibit, and once this was accepted and a location was determined, I wrote up the pull list and captions that identified the items to be used and the hardware required for display. Another important element of this process was writing an article and getting it placed in a journal which would promote the exhibit and the collection. I met with two members of the Book Club of Washington to discuss my plans, and my article was accepted and published in their journal. I also wrote short publicity blurbs for use on websites.
I find projects such as this one particularly fulfilling. Being able to work through an entire process results in both maximum learning opportunities, as well as the best engagement with and understanding of the materials. My ability to envision the potential exhibit value of this collection was a direct result of the familiarity I gained with the materials through working closely for them over an extended period of time. My successful completion of every step of this complex process while sticking to a time schedule also demonstrates my skills in project management.
Below are some of the materials I produced during the course of this project.
- Online finding aid at UW Special Collections
- Initial Proposal/Report
- Technical Discussion
- Exhibit Captions
- Exhibit Pull List
- Book Club of Washington Journal Article
All uncredited photos on this site were taken by Gabriel Chrisman
All material copyright Gabriel Chrisman, 2010
No reproduction allowed without permission