Highlighting our Historians: The Archives Committee Brings JLW into the Digital Age

HIGHLIGHTING OUR HISTORIANS:

THE ARCHIVES COMMITTEE BRINGS JLW INTO THE DIGITAL AGE

By Jessica Sanchez

Thinking about archives conjures up images of dusty folders, forgotten boxes of photos, and stacks of aging documents. For the Junior League of Washington (JLW) Archives Committee, whose focus is to capture JLW history, managing documentation of our League’s history is anything but boring and neglected. Archives Committee members are the information gatherers of JLW and help maintain historic records of our activities and events, developing presentations, displays, and articles to portray JLW history, including preparation of an annual scrapbook.

Last year was a time to rebuild for the JLW Archives Committee, submitting a proposal to Finance Council to increase the Committee’s budget for a project to digitize our archives. The committee was thrilled to receive $15,000 for the multiyear effort, beginning with a pilot program to digitize JLW’s most fragile items. The oldest physical archives, which date back to 1912, have been stored primarily in brittle, delicate scrapbooks. The first phase of this work will prioritize digitizing the oldest archived materials, from the 1910s through the 1960s. JLW Archives also include framed materials like the JLW Presidents’ photographs, which are presented Archives members kicked off their digalong the walls on the first floor of JLW Headquarters. itization effort by performing an in-depth search of the physical archives around JLW The Archives Committee has already JLW President, Elizabeth Hempstone. She Headquarters. Objects within the archives made several exciting finds, including discusses her idea for a “President’s Book,” are located in several places throughout the scrapbook pictures from the 1940’s when which would have each outgoing president Loughborough House, but are primarily the JLW helped produce a television show write a brief summary of her administration organized in the two parlors. JLW archives that interviewed local dignitaries about their to include the main events, problems, and also include framed materials, such as leisure time activities. The committee also accomplishments to serve as a reference to photographs of the JLW presidents. unearthed a March 1925 letter from the first other future leaders. By 1925, Hempstone

was serving as a sustainer, and she mentions the submission of a check for 14 dollars – at that time, the amount of two years of dues. That is commitment to paying dues!

Building on last year’s work, the Archives Committee is embarking on two new projects: cataloging and then digitizing the JLW archives. The committee has sent out a request for proposals and will work to select a digitization vendor this year to begin the next step of the project.

Our League has a rich history documented via the incredible information contained within our physical archives. This will be the first time JLW has undertaken a professional digitization of archives, and it is an important investment in our history. According to the Archives Committee Chair Carly Robinson, “The investment empowers our organization to better communicate our League’s legacy. Documenting how our dedicated voluntarism has positively impacted our community over the last 107 years.”

With successful digitization, the Archives Committee will be able to showcase the incredible contributions JLW volunteers have made throughout the Washington, DC, community since the League’s inception. Digitization will also connect JLW volunteers and committees with helpful information from the past in order to improve our understanding of the League’s history and how it has evolved over time. •