“THE THING I CAME FOR: THE WRECK AND NOT THE STORY OF THE WRECK THE THING ITSELF AND NOT THE MYTH...” — “Diving into the Wreck” Adrienne Rich
In Adrienne Rich’s poem “Diving into the Wreck”, a deep-sea diver plunges into the water to explore a sunken ship. She immerses herself in the world of
THE THING ITSELF AND NOT THE MY TH Diving into the sunken archives
the wreck, stroking the beam of her lamp along its side, watching the fan-like plants that live between the reefs. She is an explorer, and she wants to see the actual ship with her own eyes. She wants “the wreck and not the story of the wreck/ the thing itself and not the myth.” For scholars and researchers, as for Rich’s diver, it’s not enough to hear or read about an object or primary source; they want to see and touch it themselves. The primary source may be a hand-written letter, a drawing, or notes jotted on the back of a receipt—anything that provides the scholar with additional insight into her field. Looking at primary sources allows researchers to draw conclusions based on their own direct sensory experiences; it allows them to use existing objects—letters, diaries, clippings, photographs—to create new scholarship. Because primary sources are unique, one-of-a-kind objects, scholars will travel across the country to immerse themselves in the world of primary sources, or archives, usually housed in a library’s “special collections.” Elmer L. Andersen Library at the University of
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Jessica Nordell
Minnesota is one of these special collection libraries. Its underground storage caverns hold millions of documents, ranging from original illustrations
www.lib.umn.edu
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