SCC’s History Collection accepted into Traveling Archivist Program at Williamson Library

The Southeastern Community College History Collection housed in the Williamson Library was accepted into the Traveling Archivist Program, a national initiative to help repositories improve preservation and access for archival collections. The Traveling Archivist Program is administered by the State Archives of North Carolina with funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The Williamson Library’s history collection will gain federally funded materials and guidance to preserve photos and campus publications dating back more than 60 years ago.  

During conversations at a library director’s institute last year, SCC’s Learning Center Coordinator and Librarian Crystal Prevatte learned about the Traveling Archivist Program and the resources it provided. She said that after applying, she received an email on March 10 notifying her of the library’s acceptance into the program. The major perk of the program is having in-person guidance who will bring preservation materials to the library. 

“We have so much stuff in our SCC History Collection that is well worth preserving,” Prevatte said. “We have photos and documents from when the college first opened, and so I think it’s important to preserve those things for the history of the college as well as the county and the state.” 

Included in the history collection are student publications and newspapers, old yearbooks, newsletters, programs from graduation ceremonies and framed photos of campus buildings and activities. Prevatte said that when most people come to the library to browse the history collection, they are looking for old photos.  

“This history collection is special because it goes so far back,” Prevatte said. “It goes back to the groundbreaking of the college, and the fact that there are documents in there that are as old as the college makes it so valuable.” 

Housed in a central location on campus, the Williamson Library’s history collection is accessible to students and public patrons. Prevatte said that anyone can “take a look at what we have.” With organization still in progress, Prevatte hopes to have a viewing process in place for patrons by fall 2026 to set up appointment times for entering the archive room.  

In addition to a physical collection, Prevatte said there are online archives already in place with scrapbooks being available through DigitalNC and InfoNet. She explained that being a part of the Traveling Archivist Program will make digitizing the current history collection easier. Prevatte emphasized the importance of digitizing the collection to make searches easier and more convenient, in addition to having digital copies in case originals get lost or damaged. 

“Having never worked in archives myself, I think it’s really valuable to have someone who is really familiar with the processes and the supplies that are used to properly preserve things,” Prevatte said. “So, I think the guidance from the Traveling Archivist Program was one of the most important things for us to make sure we were doing everything the way we should. Making sure we’re using the right folders and boxes is crucial in making sure the materials we have last as long as possible.” 

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