At the center of the Brackett Library was a cold, dry room filled with books, papers, letters and notes from some of Harding's most esteemed past leaders. The bookshelves and the carts surrounding them were filled to the brim with tangible Harding history, which were curated, preserved and collected by Hannah Wood, special archives and collections librarian. "Between my history degree, museum studies degree and my love for Harding, it's the perfect job for me," Wood said. Wood was raised with an appreciation not only for Harding, bur for the people who helped shape the institution. Through her work, Wood gained a new perspective into the lives of historic Harding figures like Dr. Jim Bill 1clnteer, Dr. Clifton Ganus and Dr. George Benson. Since 2013, Wood ~orked with the Harding archives which served a variety of purposes. Graduate students from institutions like Cornell University and Washington niversity, along with universities from the United Kingdom, visited campus to research artifacts that were exclusive to Harding. Benson, Harding's second president, was politically active as a proponent of capitalism. He wrote many papers describing his anti-communist stance during the Cold War, which has become a very popular topic in the academic community. "The only reason these people know about Harding is because of what Harding College was a part of during Dr. Benson's time as president," Wood said. Joanna Crisco, Harding Alumni and Parent Relations office manager, worked with Wood in preserving Harding's history through the Harding History House and was a third-generation Harding graduate. Crisco aimed to preserve Harding history because of the personal connection many alumni had to the people the artifacts represented. "Preserving history is important because if you don't, you lose that tangible touch to the past that gives you ownership," Crisco said. "They are not just words on paper or people that [others] talk about; it gives you a personal connection, and if you don't hold onto it, you lose it." Because Harding's h_istory was accessible online, Crisco was able to find artifacts about her fiance's father, a Harding alumnus, who had ince passed away. "I took [the artifacts] to [my fiance]. He read through them and there was information in those articles that him, his brothers and sister didn't know," Crisco said. The archives have also served as a reference guide and database for Hannah Owens, director of digital media. Owens combined social media with the archives, helping to connect current students, alumni and faculty with future members of the Harding community as well. "Telling stories now means telling stories in the future, and none of that could be done without the work of the library," Owens said. I In the Brackett Library, Hannah Wood, archives and special collections librarian, maintains thousands of archives from all areas of campus and digitizes them into an easily accessible format. Wood received her digital archive specialization in April 2017 in order to better preserve Harding's history. // Photos by Evan Swearingen 77 )> 0 C ~ u5 -i )> 77 77
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