Archives & Special Collections
Finding Aids
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Frazar Memorial Library Archives & Special Collections Finding Aids |
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How do I get to the Archives Department and when are you open? Does the Archives Department have special rules? How do I start researching a historical subject? What kinds of material can I find in Archives and Special Collections? How do I research a particular house? How do I find information on genealogy? How can I find out how much my rare book is worth? Where can I find someone to repair my old book? I have some old family papers - what should I do with them? How do I contact the Archives Department staff?
How do I get to the Archives Department and when are you open?
The Archives and Special Collections
Department is located on the first floor of
Frazar Memorial
Library on the McNeese State University campus in Lake Charles,
Louisiana. We are open
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday - Friday
and by appointment. Please visit the
following links for more information:
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Does the
Archives Department have special rules?
How do I start researching a
historical subject?
Historical research can be a long
and complicated undertaking. In general, the steps are:
State the question you are trying
to answer or the thesis you are trying to prove as specifically as
possible.
Search for published materials
(books and journal articles) on your subject. See the library's
database list to search
for published materials.
Refine your question or thesis, if
necessary.
Consult secondary sources such as
newspapers, city directories,
yearbooks, etc.
Finally, search for primary
sources in archives repositories. No one source exists to search
for archives nationwide. Here are some places to start:
The librarians at
Frazar Memorial Library can help you
find specific resources to help in your research.
How do I research a particular
house?
The Archives
staff
can help you
find information about houses and buildings in Southwest Louisiana.
In the reading room, you can:
Consult our books about Lake
Charles architecture
Search city directories to find
the names of past owners
Look at historical maps to get a
sense of when the building was built
Find photographs of the street
where the building is located
Browse our
archives collections for more clues,
specifically the Calcasieu Historical
Preservation Society Records, the Dunn & Quinn
Records, and the John M. Gabriel
Records.
What kinds
of material can I find in Archives & Special Collections?
We collect materials useful for
studying the history of Southwest Louisiana. These materials come
in just about any format, including unpublished records and papers,
books, pamphlets, periodicals, maps, architectural drawings and
blueprints, paintings, photographic negatives and prints, audio
recordings, video recordings, microfilm, clothing, and artifacts of
a manageable size and weight. Most of our materials fall into the
following categories:
Books. We have several
different collections of
Rare and Special
Books. You can find specific titles through the library's
Online
Public Access Catalog.
Oral
Histories. Over
the years, the MSU archives has participated in various oral
history projects yielding many recordings of interviews with local
citizens.
Photographs. We have over 4,000
photographs of people and places in Southwest Louisiana. You can
find some of our more popular photographs in the
Louisiana Digital
Library. For a complete listing of our photographs,
contact
the archives staff or
visit the reading room.
Maps. We have a strong collection
of maps of Southwest Louisiana throughout history.
Contact
the archives staff or
visit the reading room
for access to our map collection.
How do I find
information on genealogy?
Visit our
Genealogy Page. While we do not specifically collect
genealogy materials, we do have some resources that could prove helpful. To
learn more about how to get started in genealogy, contact the fabulous
librarians at the
Southwest Louisiana Genealogical and Historical Library.
The MSU Archives holds
approximately 4,000 photographs of people and places of Southwest
Louisiana. You can find our most popular images in the
Louisiana Digital
Library. We have a complete list of our photographs in the
Archives office. Please contact the
Archives staff for help in searching the list.
How can I find out how much my rare
book is worth?
The staff of the MSU Archives
cannot appraise materials. We can point you to several
resources to perform your own research:
Amazon - Amazon not only has new books, but also rare and used
books for sale or auction.
Alibris
- Alibris is a the best site for finding rare and used books from
small book dealers around the country.
Ebay
- Ebay features auctions by everyday people and sometimes
professional book dealers.
Bookman's Price Index [Z1000 .B74
V.76] and American Book Prices Current [Z1000 .A51 V.109] located
on the back wall of the 3rd floor stacks - These print resources
give the prices paid for rare books from dealers since 1964 [BPI]
and 1915 [ABPC].
Where can I find someone to repair
my old book?
Frazar Memorial Library has a
preservation lab run by the Archives staff.
We can perform minor repairs on books, such as a torn spine or a
loose cover. If your book has more extensive damage, we can refer
you to a professional bookbinder. We can also give advice on
preserving other types of materials.
I have some old family
papers - what should I do with them?
We would be happy to talk with you
about donating your papers to our archives or any other repository.
Please contact a staff member for
more information. Also, please see the Society of American
Archivists'
Guide to Donating your Personal or Family Papers.
Different people define archives
in different ways. The most widely accepted definition is Dr.
David B. Gracy II's: "Archives are the records, organically
related, of an entity, systematically maintained because they
contain information of continuing value." In other words, archives
aren't just old, dusty papers lying around, but rather the body of
documents created by a person or organization over its lifetime. In
reality, though, people rarely keep every document, so most
archives collections consist of only one or a few items of
historical significance. To learn more about
archives and archivists, see: O'Toole, James M.
Understanding Archives and Manuscripts. Chicago: Society of American
Archivists, 1990.
How do I
contact the Archives Department staff?
E-mail:
bordelon@mcneese.edu
Archives & Special Collections
The Frazar
Memorial Library Archives and Special Collections Department began
in 1980 when Richard Reid was the director of the library. Reid
began the Department at the request of Dr. Robert D. Hebert,
McNeese State University President. When it began, it consisted
of one collection - the Rosa Hart scrapbooks that were saved from
a fire at the Lake Charles Little Theatre.
Kathie Bordelon
volunteered to work with the collection on a part-time basis.
Since then, the department has flourished, proving Dr. Hebert’s
premise that there was a need for an archives in the University
that would serve the entire Southwest Louisiana community. Kathie
has directed the archives since its inception and is now joined by an
assistant archivist,
Pati Threatt.
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4205 Ryan Street, Lake Charles, LA 70609
337.475.5000 | 800.622.3352 | E-Mail:
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