Making the Case for the Use of the KSU Archives and Special Collections Through Interpretive Videos

Author

Helen ThomasFollow

Semester of Creation

Fall 12-1-2019

Submission Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW)

Committee Chair/First Advisor

Sergio Figueiredo

Course Number

PRWR 6850

Course Title

Writing for Interactive Media

Description of Work

One of the challenges faced by Kennesaw State University’s Museums, Archives and Rare Books Department is a lack of awareness of both the existence of our collections and the many potential research applications that archives and rare books provide. This series of short videos makes the case to potential users as to why we collect these materials and how they are useful and relevant to a variety of research interests. Each video pairs an item or collection from the KSU Archives and Special Collections (including the Bentley Rare Book Museum) with expert interpretation provided by a KSU faculty member in a related field. Interviewees discuss how particular items could be used as evidence to support a research topic and why physical engagement with original primary sources is valuable to researchers. The medium of video provides an interactive experience for the user, allowing for both an detailed, multidimensional presentation of a given item or collection as well as the opportunity to browse a collection of videos for materials that relate to their own interests. This series is intended to serve as proof of concept to demonstrate the value of a video-based outreach initiative, ultimately comprising a library of videos on a wide variety of research topics support by the KSU Archives and Special Collections.

Comments

After your essay abstract is approved, you will begin to develop your interactive media project. As is usually the case, I expect that your proposed project will undergo structural revision (e.g., use of media, outline, etc.) as well as content-based adjustments in response to your particular research. This project requires that you use specific research methodologies ethically and purposefully as you compose the project. For the benefit of readers, you should either incorporate a discussion of your research methods and practices into the project itself.

In addition to the project, you should also submit an artist’s statement that addresses in detail your research focus, purpose and production process for this individual/collective project. The statement should be 2-4 single-spaced pages at 12-point font, with 10-point space between paragraphs, and include a title and list of references. Please see Sarah Hotchkiss’s guide to writing artist’s statements and Karen Atkinson’s artist statement guidelines.

The final project should be 5,000-7,500 words and include at least 6 original, self-produced, non-alphabetic media elements (e.g., videos, audio recordings, animation, digital games, GIFs, etc.). The media you choose to use should be purposeful and appropriate to your particular treatment of the collection’s theme, with at least three different kinds of interactive media being intentionally and purposefully integrated into your project.