Necessary Resource
Is the Purdue Archives a great resource or a terrifying experience? The idea of doing research gives most under qualified researchers an uneasy feeling. I’ve never had a good experience doing research due to using dated material, insufficient research material, or lack of interest. It is hard to find resources that are relevant to your topic. To add to your nervousness, you have to work with Archivists. Like most I’ve always stereotyped Archivists as antisocial condescending people, who you think are judging you because of your excessive amounts of questions. However, with my experience in the Purdue Archives it was one to not be feared, but to enjoy and become familiar using archival material.
Walking into the Archives, I feared that it would be a waste of my limited time. If only I could just do my research online, it would be more productive, I thought. As part of my assignment I had to physically go into the Archives. Before I could go into the Archives, I had to have a topic. Online I could go to their website and scroll through material. I would also be able to cross reference and double check sources from the convenience of my not so quiet dorm room.
Once I arrived to the fourth floor of the Stewart Center in HSSE library, where the Archives is located, I was amazed. Through the glass doors and windows I could see an example exhibit full of documents and artifacts on insects. Before I could even step foot in the door, a worker sitting at the front desk greeted me with a warm, “Hello.” I responded, “Hello, I’m here to do research on the Black Cultural Center.” The clerk handed me a form to fill out and led me behind the gate that separated the quiet study area, locker room, and his desk. As I sat down, an archivist came from the vault carrying a collection of documents to a cart filled with research material. With a big smile the ponytail wearing man smiled and asked, “How may I help you?” Nervously I responded, “I’m doing a research project on the Black Cultural Center and I'm looking for research material.” With great interest and enthusiasm he went straight to the vault and rolled out of a cart labeled, “Black Cultural Center.” The cart contained four boxes full of newspaper clippings, journal entries, and flyers that displayed the center. I was surprised that he was so nice. I always thought that archivists were lacking in communication skills, but this man was just the opposite. He was very helpful and informative. He also took his own personal time to look through the database for more research material than what was on the cart.
For two days in two-hour increments, I shuffled through the first four boxes. Dates, events, and important people who have had an great influence on the center labeled the folders, located in the boxes. The material in the folders dated back to the fifties and some older than that.
When I came back on the second day I was a little more comfortable and relaxed. Upon my return, the archivist brought two more boxes of letters and many other interesting documents that had been written and published about the center. After looking through all the interesting artifacts and documents, I started thinking about the topic of my research paper and what kind of direction I could take it. I thought I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do my research on, but with great anticipation that quickly changed once I saw all the articles on the necessity of a Black Cultural Center.
Looking through the material in the archives I caught a lot of interest in the Black Cultural Center. One quote that stood out to me was that of Professor Singer Buchanan. He said, “The Black Cultural Center is an attempt to bring together in one place as much of the black experience as is humanly possible, so that it may be visible and viable for all concerned…”(Buchanan First Coordinator of Black Student Programs). The quote was written in an article in 1970. Holding this article in my hand, on crumpled up and discolored newspaper, gave me a deeper understanding of the purpose of the Archives. The Archives is significant, because it preserves artifacts that are special and have great meaning to Purdue.
Overall the Purdue Archives is a great resource that is on campus and very convenient. From my experience in the Archives I learned that technology may be a useful resource, but it is not the only resource. Getting hands on experience with aged material makes you realize the importance of an artifact. Sure the Internet is a more convenient resource, but to be able to touch newspapers, books, and journals that were printed and written sixty years ago is an indescribable feeling. This experience allows you project yourself into that particular time era and get a better idea of what was going on.
Walking into the Archives, I feared that it would be a waste of my limited time. If only I could just do my research online, it would be more productive, I thought. As part of my assignment I had to physically go into the Archives. Before I could go into the Archives, I had to have a topic. Online I could go to their website and scroll through material. I would also be able to cross reference and double check sources from the convenience of my not so quiet dorm room.
Once I arrived to the fourth floor of the Stewart Center in HSSE library, where the Archives is located, I was amazed. Through the glass doors and windows I could see an example exhibit full of documents and artifacts on insects. Before I could even step foot in the door, a worker sitting at the front desk greeted me with a warm, “Hello.” I responded, “Hello, I’m here to do research on the Black Cultural Center.” The clerk handed me a form to fill out and led me behind the gate that separated the quiet study area, locker room, and his desk. As I sat down, an archivist came from the vault carrying a collection of documents to a cart filled with research material. With a big smile the ponytail wearing man smiled and asked, “How may I help you?” Nervously I responded, “I’m doing a research project on the Black Cultural Center and I'm looking for research material.” With great interest and enthusiasm he went straight to the vault and rolled out of a cart labeled, “Black Cultural Center.” The cart contained four boxes full of newspaper clippings, journal entries, and flyers that displayed the center. I was surprised that he was so nice. I always thought that archivists were lacking in communication skills, but this man was just the opposite. He was very helpful and informative. He also took his own personal time to look through the database for more research material than what was on the cart.
For two days in two-hour increments, I shuffled through the first four boxes. Dates, events, and important people who have had an great influence on the center labeled the folders, located in the boxes. The material in the folders dated back to the fifties and some older than that.
When I came back on the second day I was a little more comfortable and relaxed. Upon my return, the archivist brought two more boxes of letters and many other interesting documents that had been written and published about the center. After looking through all the interesting artifacts and documents, I started thinking about the topic of my research paper and what kind of direction I could take it. I thought I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do my research on, but with great anticipation that quickly changed once I saw all the articles on the necessity of a Black Cultural Center.
Looking through the material in the archives I caught a lot of interest in the Black Cultural Center. One quote that stood out to me was that of Professor Singer Buchanan. He said, “The Black Cultural Center is an attempt to bring together in one place as much of the black experience as is humanly possible, so that it may be visible and viable for all concerned…”(Buchanan First Coordinator of Black Student Programs). The quote was written in an article in 1970. Holding this article in my hand, on crumpled up and discolored newspaper, gave me a deeper understanding of the purpose of the Archives. The Archives is significant, because it preserves artifacts that are special and have great meaning to Purdue.
Overall the Purdue Archives is a great resource that is on campus and very convenient. From my experience in the Archives I learned that technology may be a useful resource, but it is not the only resource. Getting hands on experience with aged material makes you realize the importance of an artifact. Sure the Internet is a more convenient resource, but to be able to touch newspapers, books, and journals that were printed and written sixty years ago is an indescribable feeling. This experience allows you project yourself into that particular time era and get a better idea of what was going on.