Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
10-28-2025
Abstract
Background: In November 1940, the LSU Medical Center organized the 64th US Army General Hospital to serve in the Mediterranean from 1943 to 1945. In the 1970s, members of the unit donated approximately 3000 items to a faculty member, who then donated that collection to the LSU Health Libraries; it comprises photographs, newsletters, Army reports, interviews, and correspondences. In 2011, the Libraries faculty & staff undertook digitizing and describing the collection. In 2025, given the advances made in technology since the original project, it was decided to reassess both the physical and digital versions of the collection.
Description: This presentation details several aspects of the project: digitized documents were evaluated for accessibility, online image searches of noteworthy photographs were conducted, select documents were uploaded to the institutional AI application to generate a synopsis and test character recognition capabilities, photographs still mounted on scrapbook pages were removed, the versos scanned and descriptive text added to the metadata. Description: This presentation details several aspects of the project: digitized documents were evaluated for accessibility, online image searches of noteworthy photographs were conducted, select documents were uploaded to the institutional AI application to generate a synopsis and test character recognition capabilities, photographs still mounted on scrapbook pages were removed, the versos scanned and descriptive text added to the metadata. Conclusion: Advances in technology and new standards in accessibility warranted a review of a historical institutional collection. The expectation that richer descriptions would be discovered proved true which benefits future researchers as well as the custodial institution. Assessments and interventions ensured the longevity of an important piece of institutional history while also preparing it for a wider audience.
Recommended Citation
Holt, Elizabeth H., "Revisiting the 64th: Assessing and Updating a Historical Collection with New Technologies" (2025). Library Faculty Publications. 42.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/lib_facpubs/42
Included in
European History Commons, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, Medicine and Health Sciences Commons, Military History Commons
Comments
Presented at the 2024 South Central Chapter / Medical Library Association (SCC/MLA) Annual Meeting, Little Rock, October 24-29, 2025.
Attached files have been formatted to meet Section 508 Accessibility Standards. For any questions, comments, or requests, please contact DigitalScholar@lsuhsc.edu.