Special Collections: Social Media Extending Reach of 90-year-old Texas Collection at Baylor University

From the Waco Tribune:

The Texas Collection at Baylor University may be getting older, but it’s gaining fresh life and research recognition thanks to its online outreach and branding.
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Staff members share historical tidbits from the collection on Facebook, while photo-sharing site Flickr is used to post rare images of notable Texans or events. Staffers also have created YouTube videos with overviews of some of the archive holdings or special exhibits, including a current display on paper currency issued in the Texas Republic era.
And the university archivist uses an online tool called “Archive It” to capture current articles, video and media posts about Baylor figures like former Lady Bear Brittney Griner and Heisman-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III.
“I think it’s engaging an entirely different type of user,” said John Wilson, director of the Texas Collection. “For a long time we were thought to be very scholarly and unapproachable, and we certainly are scholarly, but we’re here to promote Texas . . . so I think it has helped us rethink who we are as a special collection, and how we make our materials more accessible.”
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People from Canada, Australia and the U.K. regularly submit online reference questions to Texas Collection staffers, and, second only to U.S. users, Italy residents racked up the most views on the collection’s Facebook page in July.

Read the Complete Article, Review Texas Collection Fast Facts
See Also: Archive-It, Texas Collection
Note: Archive-It is a service of the Internet Archive

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