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January 2006
Students Digitizing Historical
Photo Collection     Now Available
An important new collection of historical images will soon be accessible online, due to a unique partnership between the Libraries, the Instructional Media Center, and the Department of History.  Students enrolled in Dr. John Krugler's new course, "Technology for Historians" (History 191) will be digitizing the photographs of Joseph  A. Zimmerman, S.J.  The Jesuit priest worked among the Rosebud Lakota in the 1920s at St. Francis Mission.  The Department of Special Collections and Archives acquired the collection of 1,600 glass plate negatives in December.

The photographs made by Father Zimmerman document daily life around the Catholic mission and neighboring community, which included a working ranch and a boarding school with more than 350 students.  Zimmerman administered a mission in  an era when the preservation of Native customs and traditions were actively discouraged, but his camera nonetheless captured the richness of Lakota culture. The historic images are expected to interest both scholars and members of the Rosebud Lakota (or Brule) tribe.
Rosebud Lakota elder and grandson, ca. 1925-1930.  Photograph by Joseph A. Zimmerman, S.J., St. Francis Mission Collection
The negatives are in very good condition, but require cleaning, arrangement and description before they can be made accessible.  Students enrolled in History 191 will receive training in scanning the negatives from University Photographer Dan Johnson.  Some members of the class will assist archivists in item-level cataloging of select images.  Others will assist in reformatting analog tape recordings and videotapes from the St. Francis Mission records, making them more accessible in digital formats. 

"History 191 offers upper-level students interested in public history the opportunity to apply classroom learning in a practical way," emphasized Professor John Krugler. "By assisting archivists and librarians," he added, "my students will see the immediate value of their work as research collections once available to only a small number of scholars are made accessible to much larger audiences. They will develop the skills needed to succeed in their chosen fields." 

The digital Zimmerman Collection is expected to be available online in early May.
For more information please contact Matt Blessing, Department of Special Collections and Archives, at (414) 288-5901 or Matt.Blessing@marquette.edu

This page compiled and maintained by:
Susan Hopwood, 288-5995 or Susan.Hopwood@marquette.edu

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© 2006 Marquette University -- Last Update: January 11,  2006