State-IT: Facilitating Student Donations to the University Archives By: Kayla Siddell Katie Sutrina-Haney Indiana State University

Abstract The University Archives Department at Indiana State University (ISU) assists faculty, students, and the public by providing access to and preservation of primary resources and ISU history. Despite the resources and services available, archival holdings are often underused and receive few donations from students and student organizations. These students are often unaware of the function and uses of the archives. To address these concerns, Special Collections staff have created a website utilizing the Omeka platform called STATE-IT to engage students with the University Archives. This site houses digital archival materials, digital exhibits, and oral histories. STATE-IT also provides a quick and easy access point for students to contribute images, documents, and other historical items. This paper focuses on how creating an interactive component increases students’ motivation to contribute to and use the University Archives, providing a look into the past and highlighting their current experiences and perspectives as ISU students.

Indiana State University (ISU), located in Terre Haute, Indiana, was established in 1865 as Indiana State Normal School, a public school dedicated to educating teachers. Now contains seven colleges with more than 100 majors. The degrees offered include Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate and Educational Specialist. The university is relatively small with a total enrollment of 13,584 for fall 2015 with 2,784 as first-time freshmen. ISU has over 100,000 living alumni and a campus of 435 acres. About our school

Cunningham Memorial Library

Special Collections

Products and Services Services Products Reading Room Sycamore Scholars Digitization Laboratory Wabash Valley visions and Voices Classes University Archives Tours

What were our needs? We noticed that student organization donations had decreased significantly and we were not growing those collections. We did not know what organizations were being created or how to stay in contact through the high rate of turn-over. With technology changing, we realized we needed a digital solution. We needed a way to engage students and build and maintain relationships.

What is STATE-IT? The Indiana State University’s STATE-IT site is designed to be a collection of past and present stories, images, videos, and recordings donated by students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana.   The site was designed to serve as a social hub and a digital access point for the University Archives.

The Process Omeka Repurposing Designing Florida Memory Planning and creating collections Choosing a name

Uses of STATE-IT Digitized exhibits Sports Teams Events Athletics 3 times yearly Events Athletics Oral Histories Student Organizations University Archives Records… Greeks, Academic clubs

Advertising and Marketing Extravaganza at the ISU Library Campus life Attending Events Provost Student workers Opportunistic approach

Where are we now? Site was launched 2 years ago Advertising more aggressively Coordinating with stakeholders Fielding request to contribute to STATE-IT Attending events to advertise

Lessons Learned Technology Issues Students are competitive Need to demonstrate value We need partners and collaboration Student Organizations and their evolution Bridging gaps

Future Plans Collection Requests Social Media Collection Syllabus Collection Student Organizations Continued Advertising and Growth

http://stateit.indstate.edu/

Questions?

References Buchanan, S. and Richardson, K. (2012). Representation through documentation: acquiring student and campus life records through the Bruin archives project. The American Archivist. Spring/Summer, Vol. 75, No. 1, pp. 205-224. Retrieved from http://americanarchivist.org/doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.74.1.h7tn4m4027407666?c ode=same-site  Indiana State University. (n.d.). Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence. Retrieved from https://www.indstate.edu/fcte/resources  Indiana State University. (2017, Spring). Institutional research: Enrollment summary. Retrieved from http://irt2.indstate.edu/cms/ir/

References  Indiana State University. (n.d.) Student Organizations. Retrieved from https://www.indstate.edu/student-affairs/campus-life/student-org  Theimer, Kate. (2011, Spring). What is the Meaning of Archives 2.0. The American Archivist. Spring/Summer, Vol. 74, No. 1, pp. 58-68. Retrieved from http://americanarchivist.org/doi/pdf/10.17723/aarc.74.1.h7tn4m4027407666  Wagner, J., L. and Smith, D., A. (2012). Students as donors to university archives: a study of student perceptions with recommendations. The American Archivist. (Fall/Winter) Vol. 75, No. 2 pp. 538-566.

Contact Info: Kayla Siddell Kayla.Siddell@indstate.edu Katie Sutrina-Haney Katie.Sutrina-Haney@indstate.edu