Herrera Metadata Project - Michelle Godfrey, March 19, 2014

Today I worked on MSS160-b4-f01 and was finally able to complete the remaining items in this jumbo folder. I also got to review previously completed items and go back to correct a few of my typos. Fortunately, there were no problems wrapping up of this project.

All good things come to an end and I have had a wonderful time volunteering here. I learned so much and will truly miss having this experience. It makes me happy and thankful to have been a small part in such a great place.

Best regards,
Michelle

Herrera Metadata, Michelle Godfrey - Feb. 18, 2014

Today, I was able to work more on MSS160-b4-f01.  As I get closer to the end of the folder, I noticed that some of the titles of the items could be revised for the sake of consistency. I also noticed that I need to revise some of the authors of the documents. Those should be relatively quick and easy updates and after the last few new items are done, the whole folder will be completed...finally.

Herrera metadata project - Elaine Patton, 02/06/2014

Today I worked on MSS160-b3-f22 as my final project (!). It's been a great run! :)

I knew I'd seen HPLM_MSS160-b3-f22-16 (a program for an event "Honoring and Supporting" LBJ) before in another folder that I've done before, and hooray, I was able to easily locate the other version, HPLM_MSS160-b3-f13-02. The one from today is the better version, for what it's worth: the one from folder 13 has a blue tint. I've identified each as a Version Of the other in their records.

This folder actually contained several sets of "Version of" documents: same letter or note with different handwritten note added or addressed to different people, which made things very easy. There was a handful of Spanish-language documents, most of which could be described as "script for endorsement of Connally."

I noticed, as I was reviewing the records list, a few of the items had little padlock icons next to them that I haven't seen before... however, going back into the record and re-publishing got rid of them. Doesn't seem to matter, but just wanted to mention that.
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Nothing says "victory party!" (in the old-fashioned way...?) like a invitation written like an office memo.

Herrera Metadata, Michelle Godfrey - Jan 31, 2014

Still working through the MSS160-b4-f01. The only questionable item I encountered was a handwritten document with no date. I was not sure what title to give it and basically just did the transcription in the description field. All else went well and the end of this huge folder really is in sight.

Herrera Metadata, Michelle Godfrey - Jan. 23, 2013

Today I was able to resume work for MSS160-b4-f01. There were no problems with any of the items I was able to complete. This large folder still has several more documents to process, but the end is in sight.

Photos & Herrera metadata

Scanned a few extra photos, then worked on a few more Herrera folders: MSS160-b3-f23, -f25, -f26, and -f27.

HPLM_MSS160-b3-f27-01 is in Spanish; seems to be the same sort of layout as the text for a radio broadcast speech from an earlier folder, though. Ditto for -02, -03 (which may be a rough draft version of 01), and -04. The other two items were English, though, and I was able to complete the records for them.

Department photos & Herrera metadata

Finished up scanning the department photos with no problems.

Finished up MSS160-b3-f13, which I'd started...about a month ago! A couple of the items were only partial letters: the first page of one, the second page of another. I also completed MSS160-b3-f21 with no complications.

Herrera Metadata Project - Michelle Godfrey, Dec. 18, 2013

Today, I continued working on MSS160-b4-f01. Fortunately, there were no problems encountered.  It's still a little hard to tell how much of this large folder is left to do but it looks like at least the half-way mark has been passed. Many of the documents are just duplicates so that makes some of the process go by faster.

Herrera Metadata Project - Elaine Patton, 12/12/13

Today I worked on MSS160-b3-f13. Lots of letters = very straightforward. (The downside is that when I do come across the rare newspaper article, it's several records later before I realize that I didn't switch the "Primary Source" descriptor over to "no"!) A few of the records had already been completed, it seemed, as well.

Still a few records left (though only a handful, I think). :)

Herrera Metadata, Michelle Godfrey - Dec. 11, 2013

Still making progress on MSS160-b4-f01. There was a problem with the computer shutting down to that awful blue screen for no reason and that slowed things down a little. I was able to resume and complete more items and now this folder is probably close to being half way finished.

Here's a look at the official letterhead from the City of Houston in 1948.
 

Herrera Metadata Project - Elaine Patton, 12/5/2013

Today I completed: MSS160-b3-f14, -f15, -f19, & -f20.

In folder 14, there is a Viva Johnson poster that apparently was not digitized.

The finding aid description for folder 20 has a misspelling, I noticed: Allan Shivors: Telegrams to and Speech on Behalf of, by John J. Herrera. The governor's name should be Shivers. I included it in the Notes as it's written in TARO, but wanted to point that out.

One letter in f19 was hard to follow since it seemed to be partially in some shorthand:

Continuing in the vein of how little politics really change...

MSS160-b3-f14-05

Herrera Metadata Project, Michelle Godfrey - Dec. 4, 2013

Still working in MSS160-b4-f01.

For the most part, everything seems to be working well except for a small inconvenience when accessing the document scans. After clicking on the image thumbnail, the new window would open as it should but nothing would appear on the screen even after waiting several minutes for it to load. Fortunately, clicking on the Refresh/Reload button once or twice worked to bring up the document scan.

Herrera metadata project - Elaine Patton, 11/21/2013

'60s font! Barely-smiling disembodied face on a STAR!

Today I (finally) got to finish MSS160-b4-f12 and MSS160-b3-f12. No major problems-- couldn't physically confirm whether one item was a scan of a sticker, though it almost certainly is. A pamphlet for Bill Blakley didn't name a particular compiler or publisher, so I left those fields blank, but it was almost certainly created by his campaign team. Little things like that.

 Also, I love old campaign literature because it reminds me of how little politics change in many ways...

Herrera Metadata Project, Michelle Godfrey - Nov. 20, 2013

MSS160-b4-f01

Today, I was able to access the project to continue working on folder 01 and made some corrections to a few items from last week. The only problem I found was that this week the system seemed to be slower than usual updating the records after hitting the 'Publish' button.

Herrera Metadata - Elaine Patton, 11/14/2013

Today I started on MSS160-b4-f12 and struggled with UNT's system on-again, off-again ability to load pages completely. On the plus side, when that happens while trying to save a record, it seems that record does actually get saved, even if the page can't complete its normal refresh cycle, so it could be worse.

Herrera Metadata Project - Elaine Patton, 11/7/2013

Today I continued to work on MSS160-b4-f11 [and finished it, it turns out!]. Nothing particularly weird encountered (except for a large number of envelopes, which get the most boring titles and descriptions created), though I did come across another couple of Social Security numbers, flagged in the non-displaying notes.

There were, however, several gems-- utter, hilarious gems.

For example, the 2 resumes which volunteered various information like height/weight and physical health (after the name/address heading and before the education & experience parts):

Did that used to be a 'thing' in the '70s/pre-hiring protections?

Then there was the fairly lengthy letter to Herrera explaining the author's daughter had met a man who seemed like a phony (supposedly had attended a number of prestigious universities, claimed to have a number of degrees, planned to become a cardiovascular doctor but spent most of his days "smoking and drinking coffee" in restaurants, claimed to have been a racing driver but owned no car...) and had given Herrera as a reference. She says it's possible Herrera himself is a phony, but there weren't any better options than to contact him. The post-script of the letter casually asks for the driver's license and Social Security numbers of the man in question, if Herrera could procure them.

This one... I don't know what to make of this one, particularly the second half pictured below:

Herrera Metadata - Michelle Godfrey, Nov. 6, 2013

Today I was able to finish MSS160-b4-f03.  

It was nice to be able to resume work with those last few items that had the broken links. I am not sure if other folders in this collection have the same inconsistencies with letters and envelopes. Folder 3 had at least one record that contained both a letter and the corresponding envelope. There was also an undated letter scanned alone without an envelope and then there was another record with just an envelope scanned by itself.

I was also able to continued work in folder 01 and found no problems so far.

Herrera Metadata Project - Michelle Godfrey, Nov 1, 2013

This week I was able to continue work on MSS160-b4-f03 and finish the few even-numbered items that still remained in that folder. I was also able to begin working on f01. Everything went smoothly and I should be able to continue next week as usual.

Herrera Metadata Project - Elaine Patton, 10/17/2013

Today I completed MSS160-b4-f10 and got started on MSS160-b4-f11 (the latter is huge!).

I did run into the awkward situation (with HPLM_MSS160-b4-f11-38) where I technically had a name for a creator/contributor, but since the item is just an informal birthday card, only a first name was given (Lee).Not sure how/if this should be entered.

There was also a duplicated piece of correspondence that, somewhat annoyingly, had 2 different letters printed on it. I've encountered that before, but with this one it really wasn't clear exactly which one had come first (and to further nitpick, the topmost message didn't seem to make internal chronological sense -- obviously some context must have been missing). Nothing prohibitively weird, just...weird.

Herrera Metadata, Michelle Godfrey-Oct. 16, 2013

Made more progress on MSS160-b4-f03 today. The only unexpected thing I came across was an envelope that got scanned with a letter it did not belong with. This folder also contains quite a few handwritten letters which are somewhat challenging to read through and describe.

Here are a couple of things I saw that caught my attention. There was an actual signature from Senator Lyndon B. Johnson on a letter sent to John J. Herrera.

signature of Senator Lyndon B. Johnson in 1954

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and it was a timely occasion to see this postal stamp from 1954.

Hire the Handicapped - It's Good Business