Heading into the homestretch...

Since my last post, the pace has picked up somewhat with regard to the Jesse Owens project. I have identified numerous primary sources from the archived collection, and have digitized these items. Kevlin (my mentor) has given me free reign to select items I believe may be of interest to students performing research for National History Day projects. To date, I have digitized letters from foreign leaders, programs and ship logs from the 1936 Olympics, poems written for Jesse by children.....and condolences received by his family at the time of his death. I will continue my review of the collection over the next two weeks. Final approval on what will be selected rests with Kevlin.

In addition to my analysis of the archived Jesse Owens holdings, I have initiated contact with the National History Day Organization for guidance in making our online collection a part of their research offerings.

Still at it....

Another week has come and gone, and I continue on my quest to process the Tzagournis collection. The work seems to be going more quickly, however. This is mostly due to a more systematic approach that I have adopted through trial, error, and numerous consultations with my mentor. I no longer am second guessing my decisions on what to keep and discard.....and I feel more confident in my ability to organize the seemingly endless stacks of memos, letters, photographs, videos, cassette tapes, etc.

My main accomplishment so far with regard to the Tzagournis collection has been to significantly decrease the number of boxes required to store the collection. This is a good thing as it produces a more streamlined, accessible collection for users....and the decrease in storage containers frees up more space in the depository where space is always at a premium.

In addition to my work on the Tzagournis items, I continue to browse through boxes in the Jesse Owens collection. I have identified numerous items which will be scanned and converted to digital formats.