A new program has allowed researchers in the area a new way to access Alden Library’s materials online.
A federal grant has funded Alden’s construction of a repository of Finding Aids for its collection of primary source materials — non-book items that can’t be classified with general collections or circulated in books.
“A Finding Aid is something archivists use to help people discover what is in their archives,” said Kelly Broughton, assistant dean for research & education services.
Each aid contains an index of the materials Alden has on a particular topic, as well as what they contain and where they can be accessed.
Alden has a large collection of such primary source materials, manuscripts and other items, which were previously impossible to find online thanks to a backlog of work. But, OU received a $120,000 grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, which OU matched, Broughton said.
OU has large manuscripts collections related to southeast Ohio, as well as collections related to the American Civil War, journalists and the military.
Broughton said she hoped the finding aids would make Alden’s collections more approachable to people of all ages, not just academics and graduate students.
“We don’t want to be some scary, closed-off space,” Broughton said, “We want as many people to use our stuff as we can get.”
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