Southern Miss Student Archivists - SMSA

https://aquila.usm.edu/fondsandfeathers/7/
Welcome to read the spring issue of "Fonds and Feathers," SMSA's student magazine edited by Destiny Dehart and contributed by fellow students!

The Spring 2026 Issue The theme of this issue is "we explore what matters" – what matters to us, what matters to archives, and what matters to libraries. Different voices are reflected by writers in the formats of poetry, artwork, research, and articles.

Grey Literature Primer
Tuesday, June 23, 2026| 10:00 am - 10:30 am PDT
This 30-minute webinar provides a concise introduction to grey literature—what it is, why it matters, and how it can strengthen research and evidence-based practice. Participants will learn how grey literature differs from traditionally published sources and how to locate common types, such as government reports, policy documents, conference proceedings, and theses. The session will provide practical tips that attendees can apply immediately in academic, clinical, or professional research settings.

Presented by:

Danielle Masursky, MLS, PhD
D’angelo Library
Kansas City University

Register Now:

Scholarly Snippets: Grey Literature Primer This 30‑minute webinar provides a concise introduction to grey literature—what it is, why it matters, and how it can strengthen research and evidence‑based practice. Participants...

Topic: SMSA meeting with Amanda Wade on orphaned collections
Time: Apr 22, 2026 12:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://usm-edu.zoom.us/j/89228641284
Meeting ID: 892 2864 1284

Abstract:
Orphaned collections are not a new problem in GLAM institutions but are a growing concern as professional after professional passes on this unwanted inheritance. Join us as we discuss what are orphaned collections, review their legal standing in the United States, ramifications of not reconciling these abandoned items, and best steps forward for reconciling these fair-weather objects.
Amanda Wade is the Museum Archivist with the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum.

Speaker bio:
Amanda graduated from the University of Strathclyde with her Masters of Science (Distinction) in Information and Library Studies in 2016. She was the inaugural archivist for the Singing River Genealogy-Local History Library with the Jackson-George Regional Library System, and has since expanded her archival experience to records management, court records, museums, religious archives, and evidence rooms.

Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise cloud communications.

You're Invited! April 13-15 Global Digital Humanities Symposium Watch Party + Transcribe-athon

Join us for a watch party of the Global Digital Humanities Symposium and a transcribe-athon of historical documents with the Mississippi Digital Humanities Hub! This event is free and open to all, and light refreshments will be included! Feel welcome to come and go as your schedule allows!

Watch Party: April 13-14 | 8am-5pm | Library Room 209A
The Global Digital Humanities Symposium is a free, annual conference that convenes an international community of DH practitioners to engage with the relationships between technology, culture, and global issues. Since its founding at Michigan State in 2016, the symposium highlights innovative digital scholarship while centering conversations on equity, representation, and justice.

Join us for a watch party where GDHS sessions will be streamed live for our campus DH community! View the full schedule of presentations.

Transcribe-athon: April 15 | 10am-2pm, lunch at 11am | Library Room 207
Help transcribe historical documents with the Mississippi Digital Humanities Hub transcription tool! Your contributions will make these documents more accessible to researchers and the community. No transcription experience required! Drop in and stay as long as you’d like. Lunch will arrive at 11am.

Please RSVP for this event if you plan to attend (while not required, it helps us estimate refreshments and materials). Please direct any questions to Dr. Jen Andrella ([email protected])

https://aquila.usm.edu/smsa/25/
Dr. Jennifer Andrella's recent talk with SMSA is available.

Digital Humanities and the Archive: Communicating Digital Skills, Career Pathways, and Cultural Heritage This talk reflects on Dr. Andrella's path into Digital Humanities and my interests in cultural heritage and history. Drawing on my training and experience with Digital Humanities, this talk will also focus on career opportunities and how to leverage digital skills for the job market. She also explor...

Join us for a free screening of "In Search of Phillis Wheatley Peters" at 2 p.m., Sunday, March 1, at the Two Mississippi Museums. This 35-minute documentary uncovers the little-known love story of Phillis Wheatley, America’s first Black published poet, and John Peters, a free Black man she married in 1778. Following the screening, a panel conversation featuring moderator Robby Luckett, scholar Ebony Lumumba, and filmmakers Leslie Askew and Turlough White will highlight Margaret Walker’s creation of the Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival and the Black Studies program at Jackson State University. Sponsored by the Mississippi Humanities Council, Film Mississippi, and the Mississippi Film Society.

https://www.mdah.ms.gov/careers-volunteering/internships

Internships | Mississippi Department of Archives & History Some of our archives are viewable online; others, only in person. Explore all the ways MDAH can empower you to find, preserve, and share your Mississippi stories.

Contribute to the next issue of SMSA's student magazine! We are looking for articles, think pieces, poems, stories, cartoons, illustrations, and more. Fonds & Feathers is a student-written and produced magazine published every semester covering noteworthy archivist topics, student research, SMSA news, and more. If you would like to write an article, send in an illustration/art, or share your current research, email Destiny at [email protected]!

Check out the past issues here:

Fonds and Feathers | The University of Southern Mississippi This issue, edited by Destiny DeHart, features “Advances in Storytelling” by Assistant Professor Laura K. Clark Hunt, Ph.D., “Evolving Storytelling in Libraries: Project Techne” by Crystal Walker, “Who’s Rewriting History” by Austin Bello, “Soldiers in Disguise: Women’s Stories fro...

https://aquila.usm.edu/fondsandfeathers/6/

Fall 2025 Issue The theme of this issue is "community in shared memory." The past, present, and future of a community's history binds people together through generations and stories,

SMSA talk on Jan 28 is live

Talk with Jessica Perkins Smith Jessica Perkins Smith, who is an Associate Professor and University Archivist at Mississippi State University, where she has been for almost 10 years. In this talk, she talks about how the university archives came to be, how they collect materials and work with donors, what the day to day looks like...