Michigan Civil War Records Project Update

Although our project began in June, we have decided to start posting weekly status updates. Hopefully this will keep everyone better informed of our progress.

Staff includes:

Nicole Garrett: Project Archivist

Mary Zimmeth: Project Coordinator

Mark Harvey: Project Leader

SCANNING

Out of the 37 boxes of service records, 23 have been scanned. These are being scanned in house by the project archivist. A student volunteer will begin helping with the digitization process next week. This will allow the project archivist more time to dedicate to other parts of the grant.

UPLOADING

We are using CONTENTdm as our content management software. The Archives has an unlimited license for uploading objects, so this was the simplest solution.

The files are being uploaded as they are scanned. Access to the digital images for the collection can be found here. More are being added daily.

The Muster Records are being scanned by an outside vendor, as they are oversize and cannot fit on our equipment. The vendor is about halfway through scanning, so hopefully those will be done and returned soon.

EAD GUIDE

The EAD guide is for the collection is complete and online. However, linking the digitized images is still a work in progress. We are hoping to have all the service records digitized and linked into the guide by the beginning of May. To view the guide, click here.

WEBSITE

The Archives Digital Collection website has a few broken links that will be repaired this week. In the upcoming months, this site will undergo a complete redesign. To view the Archives Digital Collection, click here.

TO DO

In June, the project archivist will be speaking at the Michigan Archival Association Conference in Mackinac City, Michigan. Preparation for the presentation will begin soon.

We will also begin researching survey techniques to begin the follow-up portion of the project.
After the service records are linked into the guide, staff will begin reviewing the collection and comment on what they like and dislike. When the project is complete, user groups will be asked
similar questions.

We are also trying to export file information from Adobe Photoshop into CONTENTdm to avoid rekeying all the metadata. Hopefully we will find a way to do this easily and efficiently.