Cross-Eyed

I finally got through the inventory process for the Keach collection. I annoted the old shelf list organized by author's last name with Dewey call numbers so that I could start drawing up the new shelf list organized by Dewey number. That doesn't sound too hard, right?

Imagine a 15-page list where all the Dewey numbers are jumbled randomly. You have to go through every page looking of the next one in the sequence. Imagine you had bad handwriting and you have trouble deciphering your own notations. Imagine you are entering it all into an Excel spreadsheet that you have little experience using. Now you understand.

So, the fun part is over. The leisurely, quiet moments with dusty books that were held by many hands over several hundred years have passed. Now onto the real work with the dreaded spreadsheets. I'm about a third of the way done with the computer work, so hopefully I'll knock it all out in my next session.

In the meantime, here's an article about an archival donation to the University of Texas at San Antonio. I wish SAPL had gotten it, but I don't know where we would have put it - we're already full to the brim

"(Feb. 12, 2009)--UTSA officials announced Feb. 11 the donation of documents from the 1830s to the UTSA Library Archives and Special Collections at UTSA's Institute of Texan Cultures. The gift comes from the family of Aline Carter, poet laureate of Texas and former curator of the Alamo. Additionally, the family will establish an endowment to support and maintain the UTSA archives and collections.

UTSA Vice Provost David R. Johnson (left) and David Carter,representative of family donating collection to archive(Photo by Mark McClendon)

Among the items in the Carter family's donation:

• Aline Carter's manuscript, "Light Beyond the Hills," a recounting of the life of her great-grandmother, Elizabeth Canterbury, one of the first five female settlers in San Antonio.



• "The Perote Papers," written by Canterbury's husband, Wilson Riddle, they are his plea to a British minister for the release from a dungeon of him, his brother and other prisoners
  


• "Indian Depredations Reports," which describe massacres, conflicts and cruelty inflicted by Indians on whites. In the 19th century, the term "depredations" was used universally to describe these actions. San Antonian George Brackenridge reported on "depredations" committed by Indians on the Texas frontier. He was appointed by the secretary of the interior to head an investigative committee
  


• A telegram from Clara Driscoll, known as "Savior of the Alamo," who in 1903 provided funds to prevent the sale of the Alamo to a hotel firm
  

"We hope this collection serves as a great resource for public education," said family spokesperson Paul Carter. "If anyone is interested in doing a documentary on San Antonio or pursuing historical research on a class project, they would now have these resources available to provide accurate and first-hand accounts. We are grateful that the UTSA archives exist and want to spread the word about the many worthwhile endeavors UTSA is pursuing, which we will support with our donations."
Because such materials enhance the understanding and knowledge of early San Antonio, Carter said that his family hopes their donation spurs other local families to search through older photographs and papers and determine if they could be pertinent additions to the UTSA archives.
"We are pleased that the UTSA Archives and Special Collections will be the repository for this important San Antonio family collection," said David R. Johnson, UTSA vice provost for academic and faculty support and former interim dean of the library. "There is no doubt the collection will be a tremendous resource for historians and students researching 19th and 20th century San Antonio as it was experienced and described by the Carter family. Covering the family's activities for more than a century, the collection provides great insight into the fabric of life in the city and region."
UTSA Archives and Special Collections holds more than 300 items, ranging from Mexican manuscripts from the 1500s to original Fiesta San Antonio Commission photos of the 1920s. The archive also serves as the repository for the university's primary source of materials on San Antonio regarding women and gender, authors and political activities of the San Antonio Mexican-American community since World War II.
Access to the UTSA Archives and Special Collections is free and open to all. For more information, call (210) 458-2381 or visit the UTSA Archives and Special Collections Web site."

UTSA Today

The University of Texas at San Antonio
>> Read a San Antonio Express-News story (2/12/09) aboutthe Carter family gift to UTSAUTSA Library receives historic 1830s documents

By Kris RodriguezPublic Affairs Specialist