Caster helps public uncover Nebraska’s stories

Inside the stacks of paper held within the College of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Archives and Particular Collections are 1000’s of tales. Josh Caster, archives supervisor at College Libraries, is without doubt one of the many employees members serving to to deliver these tales to the floor.

“If we’re not utilizing these items and making connections with individuals, we’ve mainly obtained a bunch of previous paper,” he mentioned. “It’s the individuals utilizing it that brings it to life.”

Caster, a Husker alumnus, began in Archives and Particular Collections as a scholar earlier than ultimately taking over a everlasting position. His early expertise gave him basis in all points of the work and helped him establish a selected curiosity in reference work, or serving to customers discover the proper materials for his or her analysis.

“I used to be uncovered to the entire gamut of stuff an archivist may do,” Caster mentioned.

Now, Caster will get to work with scholar employees and, together with Mary Ellen Ducey, college archivist, and different archives employees, pair college students with jobs that match their pursuits, whether or not which means the exercise or the subject material. He mentioned it’s rewarding to see them develop from scholar employees to professionals within the discipline in their very own proper.

“It’s neat to observe individuals once they’re freshmen and feeling stuff out after which you may watch them, in actual time, acquire competencies,” he mentioned. “Finally generally we’ll usher in donors or individuals considering sure topics and it’s good to have the ability to be like, ‘It is best to speak to this scholar employee.’ They’ll speak about (the topic) with nice data and enthusiasm.”

Caster enjoys serving to researchers establish which assortment holds the solutions they’re in search of. With a lot info at their fingertips, this could be a problem.

“I’m at all times in search of the ‘Eureka second,’” Caster mentioned. “I would like individuals to capable of entry the good stuff we have now. I won’t know the reply they’re looking for however I do know the place to indicate them to look, so I like connecting these items and I like when individuals stroll away with no matter they’re in search of.”

Generally efficiently discovering these solutions is a longshot. Not too long ago, for instance, a researcher was in search of photographs of quilts made by a selected quilter. Caster was capable of work with them and cross-reference some collections right down to the marginalia to search out photographs of the person quilter’s work.

“It was a needle in a stack of needles,” he mentioned.

Selling entry to this sort of distinctive materials is a ardour of Caster’s. The preservation and file holding and offering entry work in tandem to make sure the wealth of data held within the archives remains to be useful.

“If individuals aren’t taking a look at it, that effort and that nice work of all people that’s been on this division and this library is just not being reaped,” Caster mentioned. “I feel it’s fairly core to the mission.”

Working with the fabric has given Caster a terrific appreciation for college. Individuals may come throughout a doc marking the start of a college division or group or with the signature or an early vital determine in college historical past.

“Individuals will ask, ‘What proof do you’ve gotten of the beginnings of the college?’” Caster mentioned. “Now we have the constitution. We’ve obtained the origin doc. There’s heavyweight individuals who have labored right here all through our historical past, so it’s cool to know who the actual gamers have been.”

Personally, Caster can also be considering a number of the environmental historical past within the assortment. Caster enjoys fishing and different out of doors actions outdoors the workplace, so he’s a fan of entries like images taken by Erwin Barbour, an instrumental determine within the basis of the Nebraska State Museum, or studies from a biologist working for an early incarnation of the Nebraska Recreation and Parks Fee.

“He’s obtained previous stocking studies for all these lakes I fish at to today,” he mentioned.

Caster speaks to individuals generally who don’t notice what number of hidden treasures the archives maintain about their very own pursuits. A farmer may discover related details about fertilizers and crop yields. Husker soccer followers may be amazed by a movie reel of the Recreation of the Century or {a photograph} of Tom Osborne and Willie Nelson surveying Memorial Stadium for Farm Assist.

“I need to be a part of that ecosystem that reaches out and says, ‘You need the stuff we have now, even it you don’t comprehend it,’” Caster mentioned. “There’s human curiosity stuff for anybody right here.”

Gems from the archive

Nebraska’s Josh Caster handpicked 5 of his all-time favourite gems from the College Archives and Particular Collections. Try the slideshow under, the place the archives supervisor shares the tales behind every picture together with his private contact and enjoyable descriptions.