Work Description: Today, I completed the final stage of inventory for the El Paso Times' Subject Newspaper Clippings Collection by processing boxes SN 2 through SV 1. This involved reviewing each folder one by one to record accurate titles, inclusive date ranges, subjects, and any special formats such as photographs, negatives, or printed brochures. The topics represented were impressively wide-ranging and reflected deep historical and social relevance. Materials addressed everything from Native American issues and federal programs to education, criminal activity, and local civic traditions. Among the most prominent and well-documented themes were decades of educational coverage, regional infrastructure, and El Paso civic celebrations such as the Sun Bowl and Sun Carnival. I ensured that each folder’s metadata was recorded with care and consistency, and I flagged visual or fragile materials for possible separate housing during the rehousing stage. By the end of the shift, I had completed physical processing for all remaining boxes in the Subjects Clippings. I ensured that everything was prepared for integration into the final collection finding aid.
Reflection: Reflecting on this phase of the project, I feel a renewed appreciation for the complexity and richness of community archives. Many subjects, names, and institutions reappeared across multiple boxes and folders, making it clear that thorough cross-referencing will be essential in the final descriptive framework. The clippings highlighted not only major social and political events, but also smaller, local stories that might otherwise be forgotten—stories that give life to El Paso’s historical identity. I also saw how public service announcements, political ads, and media coverage helped shape collective memory in this borderland region. Visual materials such as photographs and booklets added a valuable human element, often providing faces and imagery to go with the text. I am also growing more confident in applying professional archival techniques to real-world projects, particularly in areas such as arrangement, metadata consistency, and access planning. With the physical processing now complete, I am looking forward to moving into the descriptive phase and helping finalize a structured, accessible finding aid for future researchers.
Definitions:
- Intellectual control – The archivist’s ability to understand, document, and make accessible the contents of a collection through thoughtful arrangement and description.
• Visual formats – Non-textual media found in archival collections, such as photographs, negatives, brochures, or illustrations.
• Cross-referencing – The practice of linking related topics, people, or events across multiple archival folders or series to improve access and interpretation.
Summary of Work Completed:
Processed Boxes:
- SN 2–SN 13 / SO 1: Native American topics, national agencies, holidays, popular media like NYPD Blue, Odessa community coverage
- SO 2–SO 5 / SP 1: Oil industry, nuclear hazards, Olympics, Operation Noel, Orogrande, and regional topics like local parks and landmarks
- SP 2–SP 16 / SQ 1: Parenting, public parks, politics, policing, prisons, protests, television programming
- SR 5–SR 11: Restaurants, Route 66, Ruidoso coverage, Republican Party, robberies
- SS 1–SS 38: Education (1930s–1990s), safety, Santa Fe, Sun Bowl festivities, scholarships, sex abuse cases, and public services (includes photos and awards)
- ST 1–ST 5: Teens in media, Texas government, terrorism, and school reform
- SU 4–SU 12 / SV 1: UTEP athletics, U.S. federal agency clippings, and El Paso renewal programs (includes brochures, visual materials)
Notable Observations:
- Materials date from 1930 to 2000 and span a wide thematic range.
- Significant visual and multimedia content was discovered and noted in box-level notes.
- Repeated themes and locations suggest future benefits from cross-referencing (e.g., education, political activity, public services).
- This completed series will serve as a foundational section of the future finding aid.
The photo shows the far end of the basement stacks, offering a reverse view of the rows of boxes that have now been fully inventoried. The wall is lined with labeled containers from Subjects, signaling the near-completion of this phase of the El Paso Times’ Newspaper Clippings Collection. This vantage point captures both the physical scope of the archive and the steady, methodical progress made throughout the project.