University Archives publishes digital collections in Shared Shelf
Photo: Two novice nuns on the Cliff Walk in the 1960s, one of more than 250 images recently published to Shared Shelf Commons.
The University Archives has created a digital collection in Shared Shelf Commons, a media management system created by Artstor.
Genna Duplisea, archivist and special collections librarian, and student employee Brittany Fox ’18 prepared the photo collections for digitization over the summer. In honor of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, they began with photographs of campus ministry and the Sisters of Mercy. In the coming months, they will continue to organize, digitize, describe and publish images from the archives for viewing in Shared Shelf Commons.
“My goal at the moment is to get the archives’ image collections – particularly architectural and property photographs – described and online, which will occupy us for the next year or so,” Duplisea said. “Digitization is a time-consuming process, and much of the materials have privacy, copyright or IP concerns that would be inappropriate for digitization, so we’re focusing on materials that are unrestricted and to which Salve Regina owns the copyright. Donated special collections, like manuscript collections or photographs, can eventually become digital collections in Shared Shelf as well.”
Shared Shelf also offers possibilities for use by classes or researchers that are generating their own image collections, whether artistic creations or the capturing of historic materials. Each image in Salve Regina’s collection states the relevant usage rights and ownership information.
“I hope that the Salve community and public will find the collection useful for understanding the history of Salve Regina as an educational and Sisters of Mercy institution, and that the platform will facilitate greater engagement with digital humanities and the creation of unique knowledge on campus,” Duplisea said.
