This past semester, we have had the opportunity to have an intern working in our archives, digitizing one of our most used collections, the University Photo Collection. Join her as she explains the mission of the archives and the process she followed in digitizing some of the collection. All of the images in this blog are ones that she digitized during this process.

The Dick Smith Library at Tarleton State University houses a multitude of items. The most notable items are the books, periodicals, and digital resources available, but it also houses the Tarleton Libraries’ Archives and Special Collections. The goal of the archives is to curate and preserve materials relating to the history of Tarleton, Erath County, and the Cross Timbers region. These materials are photographs, manuscripts, rare books, serials, and the permanent historic records of Tarleton. While curating a collection is one topic to discuss and conservation another, the one that most people are curious about is the preservation of a collection.

Preservation comes in many forms. There is the preservation of physical items in climate-controlled environments, which necessitates the use of archival materials such as acid-free boxes, papers, and folders to separate items from one another. This keeps harmful acids and chemicals that leach over time from items and stops them from touching other items. These acids and chemicals damage and age items, and protecting them from this added harm keeps items intact for many more years than letting them sit stacked beside each other without acid-free barriers would. However, the most modern method of preservation is digital preservation.

Digital preservation will vary depending on the type of item being preserved. While digital-born items are the most common things created today, think photographs and emails, many older physical items can also be preserved digitally. This process is largely completed by scanning the item. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) shares guidelines for best practices for the digitization of items. These standards allow for best practices and best care for the items and their digital records. TSLAC’s recommendation is for images to be at 600 or better dots per inch (DPI) and for documents to be at 400 or better DPI. This is only one portion of the standards necessary for digital preservation. The other is metadata, or the information about the item. While a picture is worth a thousand words, a picture still has a title, a description, a creator, a date created, and so on and so forth. The DACS or Describing Archives: A Content Standard sets a set of rules for describing collections and allows for standardization across multiple materials.

The only thing left after establishing what is necessary to collect is to begin. Starting with the earliest images that exist about Tarleton in the University Archives Box 1 Folder 1, we took down the information about the item, identifier – the name of the item in the system, title -the name of the item, creator, date, folder, and so on, and then scanned each item from there. For the majority of the items in the collection, a flatbed scanner was adequate to digitize the majority of the images. For the items that are too large to fit on a standard scanner, a high-resolution camera and a well-lit room will suffice. This process, while simple, is labor-intensive and time-consuming, and when it is complete, there is a digital copy of these items that will potentially outlast the physical, so long as the preservation of the digital copy succeeds; however, digital preservation for digital items is a different topic to discuss.

As we’ve celebrated Tarleton State University’s 125 Years of Excellence this past year, we’ve combed through the archives and told stories from the history of TSU. We looked at the history of the Dick Smith Library and its namesake, the defense of the bonfire with Risinger, the history of our silent sentinel, and more.

As I jumped into research and delved into the stories of Tarleton State, I started to see the campus a bit differently.  I’ve looked through so many pictures of TSU’s past, it’s hard not to see “ghosts” on campus…

Every time I walk by the cannon, I see the cadets from the 1920s firing it in practice.

When I walk by the admin building and see the people celebrating the construction of the south gate in the 1930s.

I see generations of students taking their senior photos near the Tarleton gates.

Those who represented Tarleton State on the field and on the court.

The students who struggled and succeeded in various classrooms over the past century.

 The rich history of the fine arts department.

The sacrifice and service of Tarleton students and alumni.

And more.

These glimpses of the past make one stop and reflect on the impact we have on the future history of Tarleton State University. What are we doing now that will be remembered years from now? Will we continue to have stories such as Coach Wisdom and “The Streak”? The service and legacy of Doc Blanchard and his red fire truck? Or the legend of our namesake, John Tarleton?

The future is bright as word is out about the “best kept secret in Texas”. Tarleton State University is making waves in both athletics and academics, highlighting the amazing work being done by our community. Our enrollment is surging, with each incoming class higher than the last. And new programs, such as physical and occupational therapies, are constantly being added.

It will be exciting to see what history, stories, and traditions are formed as we strive ever forward.

If you would like to know more about the history of Tarleton State, check out:

Christopher Guthrie’s John Tarleton and His Legacy: The History of Tarleton State University, 1899-1999

Richard C. King’s The John Tarleton College Story: Golden Days of Purple and White.

The Tarleton Collection Narratives

The Grassburr (both in print and online)

The J-TAC

The Cross Timbers Historical Image Project

For the past few months, the Dick Smith Library has proudly hosted the exhibit Vaquero: Genesis of the Texas Cowboy. This captivating exhibition features the stunning photography of Bill Wittliff, a renowned Texan screenwriter and photographer. Wittliff is celebrated for his work on over a dozen films and TV series, including Legends of the Fall, The Perfect Storm, and Lonesome Dove.

In the 1970s, Mr. Wittliff had the unique opportunity to visit a ranch in northern Mexico that still operated in the traditional ways of the vaquero. This tradition, which originates from the Spanish conquistadors of the 16th century, serves as the foundation for the cowboy culture we know today. Wittliff followed the vaqueros as they went about their daily work, capturing their timeless practices through his lens.

The exhibit combines Wittliff’s evocative photographs with bilingual narrative text, offering a vivid portrayal of the muscle, sweat, and drama that define the life of a vaquero.

We invite you to join us at the Dick Smith Library on Thursday, April 17th, at 2:30 PM for a special reception to celebrate the closing of this remarkable exhibit.

Vaquero: Genesis of the Texas Cowboy is an exhibition produced by the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University, presented in partnership with Humanities Texas, the state affiliate for the National Endowment for the Humanities.

We hope to see you there!