In a previous post in May 2021, we discussed the use of vendors for digitization in the archives. This same month, we dropped off six collections, including William Everett Derryberry, William Brinker, Dave Johnson, the Upper Cumberland Institute, Tennessee Tech faculty, Putnam Countians, and the Charles Faulkner Bryan recordings. We received all the digitized materials except the Charles Faulkner Bryan and began processing the digital materials to make them available to patrons. The audio assets contain veteran oral histories and local oral histories and interviews. The film assets mostly document William Everett Derryberry tenure as President of the University, but also feature the campus and its students. The coolest part of this project is finally getting to see and listen to the audio and film reels stored in the archives for almost 30 years!
Placing the materials online is a slow process because the archives needs to complete multiple tasks before publishing the materials. We ensure oral histories have signed agreements allowing for us to store and make the interviews available ; we ensure the interviews do not contain personally identifiable or health information; and lastly, we need to supply listeners with transcripts for the sound recordings. These recordings will also receive descriptions, titles, dates, and subjects to assist patrons in discovering the materials. If you are interested in volunteering to assist Tech Archives with transcription of the oral histories from the comfort of your home, email us at archives@tntech.edu
We are still working through the oral histories, but we shared the film assets from the Derryberry papers on our YouTube channel. The links are here:
Tennessee Tech commencement, homecoming and sky diving, circa 1970 (no sound)
Commencement, Derryberry speaking, and the carillon, circa 1970 (some sound)
Tennessee Tech University: A Prologue, circa 1967
Campus aerials and Joe L. Evins Day, 1966 October
William Everett Derryberry’s retirement party, circa 1974 (no sound)
