University Libraries help preserve Southeastern Conference (SEC) History

By Marketing and Communications | 10-14-2021


The Texas A&M University Libraries Preservation Unit teamed up with the Southeastern Conference (SEC) to save decades' worth of historical documents related to the athletic conference.

The SEC began working with the University Libraries in 2018 on how to best preserve the conference’s historical records and documents spanning more than nine decades. A team of experts from the University Libraries Preservation Unit traveled to the SEC headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama, to meet with conference officials and assess the collection and determine the best course of action for the preservation efforts.  A year later, the Preservation Unit began processing the SEC’s historic records and objects.

Dr. Torie A. Johnson, Associate Commissioner for the SEC, commented “It has been a pleasure working with the experts at the Texas A&M University Libraries on this special project.” She added “When we first met three years ago, we had no idea a pandemic would halt our progress, but through it all, the team there has been persistent. It is amazing to now see their attention to detail and care displayed in each restored and properly rehoused SEC document. We really cannot thank Texas A&M enough for helping us with our private collection.”

All digitization, digital file processing, rehousing, conservation treatments, and logistics were handled exclusively by the University Libraries’ Preservation Unit faculty, staff, and student employees and were completed at the end of summer 2021. The work included scanning more than 21,000 pages of historical records. Once the work was completed, The Preservation Unit presented the SEC with a full written report of work completed, including guidance for continued excellence in collections stewardship for storage, exhibition, as well as the digital preservation of their new digital collection produced from this project.

“Our unit was honored to have the SEC’s trust on such a meaningful project,” said Sean Buckner, Director of Preservation. “I appreciated the opportunity to collaborate with Dr. Johnson and her team, allowing us to provide our expertise ensuring important historical documents and collections would be saved for future generations.”

 

Media contact: Patrick Zinn, pzinn@library.tamu.edu


About Texas A&M University Libraries

Texas A&M University Libraries house a rich array of resources assembled to support the research, learning, and teaching at Texas A&M. Made up of five unique libraries, the Texas A&M University Libraries serve the entire diverse student and faculty population at Texas A&M through physical and online resources and services for instruction in the research process leading to discovery, creativity, and innovation. To learn more about the services and materials available visit http://library.tamu.edu.