Abstract
Statement of Problem
The California State Railroad Museum’s Grahame Hardy Collection is a rich source of information on American railroads. Unfortunately, since its donation in 1981-1985, it has remained almost entirely unorganized, rendering it inaccessible and unknown to researchers. The purpose of my project was to remedy this by working with Museum archivists and using methods specified in Describing Archives: a Content Standard (DACS) to organize the collection and provide it with a finding aid.
Sources of Data
Much of my guidance for my description work came from DACS and my CSRM supervisors. My information on Mr. Hardy came largely from his own materials, but also from online resources like Archive.org and discussions with people who knew him.
Conclusions Reached
The Hardy Collection is a valuable addition to CSRM’s archives and a boon to railroad research in general. However, its accession would have been handled much differently today, and Museum officials would have had to discuss whether or not another collection of materials produced largely by white men were a necessary addition to CSRM’s holdings to begin with.