Story
https://www.flickr.com/photos/north-carolina-state-archives/32799903222/
This photo languished at the State Archives of North Carolina for more than 40 years described only as “Unidentified Prison.” The photographer who made the copy, Albert Barden, surely knew what this image was, but the details were lost to time, and when the photo came to the state with 10,000+ others upon Barden’s death in 1953, only a vague notion of what it might depict remained. And in this case, that vague notion was way off base. This image was at best useless and at worst totally misleading until it was seen by Karl Larson and recognized as the old North Carolina Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind that was on Caswell Square in Raleigh. Karl went on to research the image and learned in short order that it was from 1875 because it had been published and was dated in the 1915 ‘Seventieth Anniversary Exercises of the State School for the Blind and Deaf.’ With this definitive description, the picture went from being an incorrectly labeled image, essentially a false record, to being a documented primary source, a wealth of accurate usable data.
This is but one example out of hundreds illustrating the value of the work that Karl does for the state of North Carolina. Karl is a Raleigh native son, a lifelong resident of the city, and an expert on the history of it, especially Raleigh’s built environment. He has a unique knowledge base that is perfectly suited to identifying unidentified photos in two of the largest and most valuable collections here in the State Archives—the Albert Barden Photo Collection and The News & Observer (N&O) Negatives. Both of these collections are heavily populated with Raleigh and Raleigh-related images but arrived to the State Archives with sparse or nonexistent descriptions. Karl has been working on these projects part-time for several years and made remarkable progress. His skill set enables him to write more and better catalog records for Raleigh-specific collection material than anyone else. He is uniquely qualified to do what he does for us.
What We Need
There is no appropriated funding for Karl’s work. For many months he has graciously continued to work as a volunteer; however, that is not a sustainable situation long-term for him or for us. The Friends of the Archives, the State Archives of North Carolina's support foundation, is seeking to raise $9,000, which will fund his position for an entire year! Yes—we are aware what a bargain this is! No one else can do what Karl does for us at any price.
So please help us keep Karl Larson on the job another year. Do it for yourself, for your children, and for everyone who cares about Raleigh’s history and the history of the great state of North Carolina.
The Impact
Karl’s work directly benefits researchers. Every new identification he makes allows us to describe and index a previously uncataloged photo and share that information online with the world. Every bit of research AV Materials staff does, as a result of Karl’s being on board, allows more information to be uncovered and shared with the public.
Karl’s work also benefits the agency. The Barden Photo Collection and the N&O Negatives are part of Audiovisual Materials (http://archives.ncdcr.gov/Public/Collections/Non-Government/Audiovisual-Materials). AV Materials includes motion picture film, audio recordings, and more than 200 other photograph collections. These collections are processed, cataloged, indexed, and referenced for the public by just two people—Kim Andersen and Ian Dunn. Without Karl on the job, there is precious little existing staff time to devote to the item-level research and tagging necessary to make the heretofore unidentified photos discoverable via social media and the Web.
In addition to being essential to the success of our online presence, Karl’s being part of our team yields multiple tangible and intangible positives for the entire institution. He represents the State Archives in outstanding fashion giving his “Lost Raleigh” presentation at the City of Raleigh Museum and elsewhere, promoting the use of our photo collections in his “Goodnight Raleigh” blog http://goodnightraleigh.com/ and other online venues, serving on the board of the Wake County Historical Society, and in general being a gifted ambassador for the State Archives in the local history community. His connections have greatly enhanced collection development efforts and outreach to new audiences as well.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you’re not able to contribute financially but would still like to help, please spread the word about our campaign! You can use Indiegogo’s sharing tools to let people know on social media or share via e-mail. Every little bit helps!
Contact Us With Any Questions!
Kim Andersen
Audiovisual Materials Archivist
State Archives of North Carolina
109 East Jones St. | 4614 MSC | Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-4614
kim.andersen@ncdcr.gov
Hints and FAQs
If you would like to support this cause but do not feel comfortable contributing online, the Friends of the Archives (FOA) is happy to accept personal checks and cash! A check made payable to the FOA may be sent via US Mail to:
Friends of the Archives
4614 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699
ATTN: IndieGoGo
- The FOA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. You will be sent a receipt for any contribution, and cash donations are gladly accepted in person by any member of the State Archives staff.