Collection and Acquisitions Policy
The following is a brief summary of the policies that guide the project team in adding new items to the archive. Hobo Archive serves the hoboing community as well as the larger research community by collecting and providing access to rare and unique resources through a digital platform. Hobo Archive accepts most digital formats, including scanned documents and manuscripts, analog and digital audio and visual materials, and several other types of electronic files and records.
In order to hold custody over all items contributed, we have moved to a post-custodial model of archiving. This decision was made in accordance with the community's desire to preserve electronic records, meaning Hobo Archive will not physically acquire and maintain archival records. Through this model, records are retained by their creator with Hobo Archive providing oversight and support functions. All collected items and relevant documentation will be digitized by Hobo Archive and returned to the contributor. No physical items will be kept by Hobo Archive.
The Collection Committee adopted the following policy to make sure all items are appropriately documented and accounted for, as well as protected, secured, and preserved; that decisions regarding the acquisition and contributions of items in Hobo Archive collections are made in a manner consistent with Hobo Archive's mission, compliant with applicable law, and reflective of the highest professional standards; and that collection-related activities promote the public good.
An acquisition is defined by the transfer of the title of an object from a contributor to Hobo Archive.
A Call for Specific Collections
All cultural resources related to rail-riding history and culture are welcome (see themes of historical inquiry below). Items of particular interest to Hobo Archive include manuscript materials, oral histories, personal memorabilia, photographs, letters, hobo art, 3D artifacts, historical newspaper articles and media resources, resources related to Britt, Iowa, and the National Hobo Convention, published and creative works, and other cultural resources of relevance.
Project Objectives:
- Better understand the U.S. rail-riding community’s current use of Hobo Archive
- Document and preserve the history and culture of American hoboing through the collection of authentic cultural resources related to the hobo, the tramp, and the rail-rider. We prioritize resources from the 1870s-1930s, however, we also welcome contemporary resources of historical relevance.
- Advance the concept of "participatory archiving" as a collaborative practice between historians, archivists, and community members
- Create a model for nontraditional collections that includes marginalized communities in the process of building community-based archival collections
- Explore how the figure of the hobo is represented as a mythic figure in popular culture
Themes of Historical Inquiry:
- Historical relationships between poverty, homelessness, unemployment, and industrialism in America from the 1870s-1930s with particular emphasis on hoboes and their way of life.
- The hobo is a symbol of economic injustice for the working-class
- The importance of the railroad economically and psychologically in the hobo’s life
- The world of hobohemia where hoboes, radicals, writers, and poets in Chicago met and mingled
- The organization of the hoboes by the International Brotherhood Welfare Association and the Wobblies of the Industrial Workers of the World
- The demise of the hobo as a consequence of automation, the automobile, and new groups of migrant workers
*Please note, images of cultural resources are required to submit resources to the digital archive. The file formats allowed are JPEG, PDF, PSD, PNG, GIF, and TIFF.
Review Process
Initial review of new items to the collections will be reviewed by the Collection Committee before being formally accepted by the archive. This committee consists of key partners in the rail-riding community, including:
Rod Sykora "Minneapolis Skinny" - committee leader, hobo historian
Frank Kelley "Flatcar Frank" - committee member
Betty Moylan "Connecticut Shorty" - committee member
Maggie Malone "New York Maggie" - committee member
Craig Ziegler "K-bar" - committee member
Laura Carpenter - committee member, digital public historian
If additional authentication is needed, the committee will seek out further information from professional museum curators and archivists.
Collection Committee Shared Objectives and Goals:
- To digitally preserve cultural resources related to rail-riding history and culture
- To strive for authenticity in maintaining the hobo’s cultural and natural heritage, and of genuine historical and cultural relevance to the rail-riding community
- To carry out the duties and responsibilities of the collection and acquisition process and ensure all items are appropriately documented and accounted for
- To support knowledge sharing and participatory archiving between the Collection Committee and the U.S. rail-riding community
When accepting cultural resources to be included in this archive, the Collection Committee will strive for authenticity. Authentic cultural resources are defined by Hobo Archive as items of authentic evidence of the hobo's cultural and natural heritage and genuine historical and cultural relevance to the U.S. rail-riding community.
Hobo Archive also prioritizes educating the public on the common misconceptions and stereotypes of U.S. rail-riding culture. By doing so, Hobo Archive categorizes all collected cultural materials based upon what is deemed culturally authentic and what is representative of popular culture stereotypes and misrepresentations. These two categories are labeled under the following tags:
1. Culturally authentic materials are labeled with the tags "culture" and "history"
2. Popular culture stereotypes and misrepresentations are labeled with the tags "popular culture", "stereotype", and "misrepresentation"
Acquisitions
The title of an item transfers legally to Hobo Archive when three conditions are met: the intent is clear of a person or entity to contribute, the item is transferred physically or digitally to the archive, and Hobo Archive formally accepts the contribution. All items will transferred back to the contributor after the item is digitized by Hobo Archive.
Potential acquisitions must meet three basic criteria:
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Relevance: the item must support Hobo Archive's mission and fit within its criteria for "authenticity" (see themes of historical inquiry above)
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Use: the item must have the capacity for use in digital exhibitions and/or for research and scholarly purposes
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Condition: the item must be in reasonable condition and must not require significant expense for treatment to make it relevant or useful unless such funds are provided for by the contributor or other sources such as grants or by other special arrangements with another institution or organization. When submitting items using the online contribution process, the image file must clearly display the items and best represent the items in their entirety
Hobo Archive does not accept acquisitions on which restrictions or special conditions, other than contributor recognition, have been placed. Exceptions to this policy must be considered and approved by the Collection Committee.
While Hobo Archive encourages contributors to submit digitized items online, all items transferred physically will be digitized by the project team to meet the archive's digital format. All items transferred digitally will be reformatted to fit the archive's preferred file formats.
Care of the Collections
Hobo Archive is entrusted with the preservation of its collections and must be guided by respect for the integrity and conservation of cultural resources. Preservation is essential to Hobo Archive's stewardship of its collections, and the archive will preserve all items by the highest standards. If items are physically transferred and await to be digitized, Hobo Archive shall provide a safe, stable, and appropriate environment for the items, with effective security and environmental control, for the benefit of present and future generations. If items are digitally transferred, Hobo Archive will digitally store the provided files and upload them to the online collections with the information provided. In accordance with the post-custodial model of archiving, all physical items will be returned to their contributors.
Collection Procedures
Once transferred to Hobo Archive and returned to the donor, the Collection Committee will evaluate all items for their authenticity via an initial review process. Authentic cultural resources are defined as authentic evidence of the hobo's cultural and natural heritage and genuine historical and cultural relevance to the U.S. rail-riding community. After the initial review process, all historically and culturally authentic items that are not already digitized will be digitalized by the project team in accordance with the best practices in the creation and management of digital items. All physical items will be sent back to the contributor after digitization. The Collection Committee reserves the right to edit any information provided by the contributor that pertains to the items transferred to Hobo Archive to best represent the items in the online collections.
Effective Date
This revised policy shall be effective immediately upon approval by the Collection Committee and shall supersede all prior policies on the topics addressed herein.
Please refer to Minneapolis Skinny for more details.