Organization
Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre
Address
50-950 West 41st Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5Z 2N7
Canada
Map It
Supervising Librarian/Archivist
Name: Ada Alster
Email: adaalster@vhec.org
Purpose of the project:
The Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre strives to digitize and describe our collections to the item level so they can be made accessible on our web-based collections catalogue collections.vhec.org. This 120-hour student project will assist with finishing the item-level description of a few of the arranged series and sub-series and renumbering of one of our backlogged fonds: the Kaplan, Shak family fonds.
The Kaplan and Shak families were Jewish families from Vilna, Poland, now Vilnius, Lithuania. The records in this fonds pertain mostly to Abrasha Kaplan, also known as Abram; his wife, Ida Kaplan; their daughter, Odie Kaplan; and Ida’s brother, Boris Shak.
Fonds consists of vital records, citizenship documents, correspondence, photographs, slides, published materials, manuscript, videocassette, audio cassettes and objects relating to the lives and interests of the Kaplan family.
Summary of activities required to carry out the project:
Renumbering of fonds (approx. 30 hours):
The student will pull all archival boxes containing materials from Kaplan Shak family fonds and:
- Renumber the entire fonds physical folders from RA# to the preferred ID numbering system.
- Update numbers in the collective access content management system, as well as input and track any prior and changed numbers.
- Rename existing digitized files with updated numbers.
- Update the existing word document finding aid and inventories with these ID numbers.
- Coordinate with collections Volunteer who has been creating box lists to ensure any box lists containing Kaplan, Shak family fonds are also updated.
Item-level Description of series and sub-series (approx. 70 hours)
Create item-level descriptions according to the Rules for Archival Description (RAD) for the following series:
- Series 1: Kaplan family personal records series (1 cm of textual records)
- Series 2: Kaplan family correspondence series (1 cm of textual records)
- Series 3: Kaplan family audiovisual materials series (1 video cassette and 2 audiocassettes)
- Series 4(?): Odie Kaplan Theresienstadt visit materials series (2 cm of textual records, 22 photographs, 37 slides (35 mm).
- Series 8: Boris Shak manuscript series
- Lastly, write an exit document of work completed and any item-level description that still needs to be done for fonds
Coordinate Digitization: (approx. 20 hours)
Coordinate with Digital Archivist to:
- Have items in these series digitized with their newly assigned ID numbers as filenames.
- If time permits, the student can help in uploading item-level descriptions and media representations (after digitization) to our collective access collections management system. The student may also wish to gain digitization training and experience.
Expectations of the end result of the project, for both host and student:
Host
The Kaplan Family fonds will be renumbered in both its physical and digital storage, and the item-level description of series and sub-series will commence, helping to complete the description of this backlogged fonds.
Student
The student will gain experience with item-level descriptions of a fonds arranged in 2017 and the ability to examine the arrangement and give suggestions for rearranging or re-description. The student will acquire experience with collective access data entry for items. Additionally, the student will undertake the important task of renaming items from the RA# system to our preferred identifier system, ensuring consistency within our archival collections. Lastly, the student will get experience working with collection volunteers and other collections staff to coordinate various parts of the project’s completion.
Time periods in which the project could be supervised:
- Winter Term 1 (September – December)
Is there a deadline by which the project must be completed?
December 2024 to January 2025.
Please note: The ideal workdays for this project will be Tuesdays or Wednesdays during the weeks when the centre is closed for high-holidays; otherwise, the project can be conducted during VHEC’s regular business hours Monday-Thursday 9-5 pm and Friday 9-4 pm. See holidays and closures at this link to plan project accordingly.
Considering the project requirements, please suggest suitable coursework as pre-requisite or co-requisite:
Required:
- ARST 515 Arrangement and Description of Archival Materials
- ARST 545 Advanced Arrangement and Description of Archival Materials
Recommended:
- ARST 550 Management of Audio-Visual and Non-Textual Archives
Applications deadline: September 1, 2024