So I did some research on the archives at Santa Clara University for my paper. To my surprise, there was a wide range of topics that I could choose from. In particular, I became interested in the University’s history, women in religion, and the history of science. I hope that once I get to the archives and actually see the sources, my mind will lean towards one of these topics more than the others. For now, I’m not sure what my topic will be, but thanks to a passage by Lynée Lewis Gaillet, I have an 11 step checklist to examine the archives I do find.
Check Them Off!
- Develop a question about your archive and what you hope to find
- Describe what the physical archive looks like
- How is your archive documented?
- Find out what kind of society and norms your archive came from (time period)
- Consult other sources to help strengthen your claim
- What is the significance of your archive?
- Who created the archive and why?
- Who was the original audience?
- Determine the effectiveness/purpose of the archive in its time period
- Did the archive have a good reputation? Was it influential?
- Tell your story using what you find in the archives
Even though I haven’t narrowed down my topic, I feel much better about walking into SCU’s archives tomorrow. I have a sense of what to look for in a source and the questions I should be asking about it. Wish me luck!
How I hope to come out of the archives… (Source: Giphy)