Oct. 4, 2017 is “Ask An Archivist” day. This yearly Twitter campaign began in 2010 to engage everyday people who want to know about historic collections and the people who work with those collections.
The SMU Archives has formally participated in Twitter’s #Ask An Archivist day for only 2 years, but this day always brings a smile. For the DeGolyer Library, every day is “Ask An Archivist Day.”
We’ve gotten questions about SMU history (“Why does the sundial in front of Dallas Hall not work correctly?”). We’ve gotten questions about specific collections (“I want to find my mother’s wedding gown as seen in the 1974 JCPenney catalog” or “Are there any copyright restrictions for an image in the Texas Instruments collection that I want to use?”).
We’ve gotten questions from students in library school wanting to know about how to become an archivist. We’ve given advice to friends and co-workers about how to save their family photographs.
Almost each and every day, someone asks an archivist about the materials in the SMU Archives or the DeGolyer Library. Yes, we even get questions on Sundays. No matter your question or when you decide to ask us, we archivists are happy to follow up with you.
So if you are on Twitter, tweet us (@SMUArchives) or any of the other archivists on the beautiful SMU campus (@artsarchivist, @BridwellLibrary, @metalarchivist, or @SMUJonesFilm) on Oct. 4—or any other day. We love to help.