From Silos to (Archives)Space: Moving Legacy Finding Aids Online as a Multi-Department Library Collaboration

The Special Collections department at Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library houses archival materials that showcase southern Appalachian life and natural history, with particular attention to Western North Carolina. Notable collections focus on Horace Kephart, renowned naturalist, author, and promoter of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and George Masa, whose photographs of the Appalachian region were used as promotional materials to support the establishment of a national park in the Smokies. However, these collections remain largely inaccessible outside of the library’s walls. The approximately 700 finding aids for these collections reside in Microsoft Word format and are available only to users who physically visit the Special Collections department or contact the department via phone or email.