Molly Stothert-Maurer

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Scholarly Contributions

Journals/Publications

• Stothert-Maurer, M., & Kinsley, C. (2024). Relationships Matter: Unpacking Personal and Professional Grief in Archival Labor. Journal of Western Archives, 15(1), 16. doi:10.59620/2154-7149.1181
• Stothert-Maurer, M. (2021). Aim High: Pushing Collaboration and Outreach Limits for the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11. Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies, 8(9), 17.
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  Exhibits in archives and special collections function as an important outreach tool for these specialized, sometimes formidable repositories. Exhibits increase public knowledge of available collections, promote engagement with those collections, reach new audiences, and provide opportunities to build bridges across campus units. This case study looks at a rotating exhibition titled Moon at the University of Arizona Libraries Special Collections created to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing on July 20, 2019. This article covers exhibit design, programming and events that accompanied the exhibit, and coordinated efforts across the University of Arizona campus to celebrate this milestone anniversary in spaceflight. Collaboration played a key role in the success of this exhibit, with shared expertise and relevant items on loan from other university units adding depth and complexity to the wealth of Moon-related items held by Special Collections.
• Stothert-Maurer, M., & Duncan, L. E. (2022). To the Moon and Mars and Back to the Archives: Working with Modern Space Collections at the University of Arizona Libraries. Journal of Western Archives.
• Stothert-Maurer, M., Arnott, J., & Hale, J. (2016). Read by Touch: Stewarding the Reading and Writing Collection at the Perkins School for the Blind. Preservation, Digital Technology & Culture (PDT&C), 45(1), 17-26. doi:10.1515/pdtc-2015-0026

Presentations

• Stothert-Maurer, M. (2023, November). You Too Can Mukurtu. Fall Caucus. Online: Council of Inter-Mountain Archivists.
• Stothert-Maurer, M. (2024, August). Archiving in Advance of Mission Completion. Preserving the Race for Space Conference. Houston, TX: National Park Service.
• Stothert-Maurer, M. (2021, July). Digital Strategy for Archival Materials Related to the Education of the Blind & Deafblind. Annual Meeting of the Association of Documentary Editing. Virtual: Association of Documentary Editing.
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  This panel will discuss the implementation and evolution of the strategies for digitizing and disseminating archival materials in a variety of formats at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA. Perkins was the first school for the blind established in the United States and was a pioneer in the education of the blind and deafblind worldwide. The materials in the archives document this history and contain rich collections from European schools for the blind and deafblind including the first book created for use by the blind (in raised type) and the first braille book. Panelists will discuss the platforms used to share digital materials, the value-added transcriptions and visual descriptions to make materials accessible to blind, deafblind and visually impaired users and the steps taken to photograph raised print and tactile materials in a useful fashion. Discussion will include measures to describe photographs (19th-20th century), books for the blind (18th-20th century), and handwritten manuscripts and correspondence (19th-20th century) including squarehand print used by the blind (19th-20th century).
• Stothert-Maurer, M. (2021, March). Introduction to UArizona’s Archives: the Arizona State Museum Library and Archives. The Roots of Knowledge: Enhancing Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Through Work with Primary Sources. Virtual: Center for University Education Scholarship (CUES) at the University of Arizona.
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  Curated by Matthew Mugmon, CUES Distinguished Fellow, this multi-panel workshop series addresses a significant pedagogical challenge in higher education: the lack of undergraduate opportunities to engage with primary sources. Each of the six workshops features a different aspect of using primary sources and archival materials in undergraduate education and research, and introduces some of the many archives available at the University. Faculty, researchers, and students of all disciplines are encouraged to attend and explore strategies for using physical and digital archives in their work.
• Stothert-Maurer, M. (2021, May). Creating Meaningful Hybrid and Virtual Internship Opportunities for Students. Society of Southwest Archivists Spring 2021 Meeting. Virtual: Society of Southwest Archivists.
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  Experiential learning is a component of many undergraduate and graduate programs in disciplines like library and information science. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, sponsoring institutions had to rethink or restructure internships and field study opportunities for students to provide work experience in a hybrid or virtual environment. This panel features supervisors and students who participated in or managed a diverse range of virtual or hybrid Special Collections and Archives internships focusing on reference and instruction, digital humanities, archival processing, and transcription. The session will include discussion of tips for success, challenges, lessons learned, and benefits for the students involved, to aid SSA members considering similar programs at their own institutions. We welcome questions and conversation about any of these topics during the live Q&A session, in addition to thoughts on the future of virtual internships in the field.
• Stothert-Maurer, M. (2020, November). More than Books Under Glass: Innovative Special Collections Exhibits. Vision 2020: Libraries Moving Forward. Virtual: Arizona Libraries Association.
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  Through innovative approaches to exhibits, special collections libraries can provide viewers with vivid and meaningful points of connection to collection materials. In this panel, you’ll hear about exhibits at the University of Arizona Poetry Center and University of Arizona Special Collections that involved planning an opening reception at which visitors were invited to eat a poem, borrowing a precision hemisphere used by scientists to craft the moon maps used for the lunar landings, integrating primary source materials related to the USS Arizona into university athletic uniforms, and displaying space artist Robert McCall’s paintings in conversation with contemporary poems. Special collections libraries are often seen as unfamiliar and even formidable spaces; through exhibits that incorporate interactive and unexpected elements, special collections libraries can demonstrate the value of their holdings for a wide variety of people, while also building or strengthening relationships with partners both on campus and off.
• Stothert-Maurer, M. (2020, October). The Future of Digital Humanities in the History of Science and Technology – Round Table. Joint Society for the History of Technology and History of Science Society Conference. Virtual: Society for the History of Technology.
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  Sponsored by the HSS Technology and Communication Committee. The Technology and Communication Committee of the History of Science Society are sponsoring and organizing a dual-submission round-table in order to discuss issues in digital humanities in the history of science and the history of technology. As these disciplines continue to develop, we must recognize that we are working within the context of new technologies, new methods of engaging scholars and the public, and new philosophies of using these technologies. Presenters in this roundtable session will have an open, organized, discussion about their own experiences with digital humanities. We aim not only to share our methods and ideas, but also to learn more about how our use of digital methods is working--or not working--within disciplines that are a bit late to the digital platform. Further, we as a committee expect to learn more about how the TCC can work within HSS and its members, as well as collaborate with SHOT members, to make projects easier to create, to promote projects, and to help develop plans for supporting DH in the years to come. While SHOT has a special interest group for those interested in Computers, Information, and Society (SIGCIS), we have noted that SHOT does not have a regular THATCamp or other regular venue in which scholars discuss these types of issues. This roundtable will be that venue for both societies this year. We will not have a commentator, but will allow the attendees and presenters to openly share their comments with each other in a dialogue.
• Stothert-Maurer, M., & Duncan, L. E. (2020, October 9). The Future of Born‐Digital Materials in Special Collections. Society of the History of Technology/History of Science Society joint meeting. Virtual: Society of the History of Technology and the History of Science Society.
• Stothert-Maurer, M. (2018, January). Archiving the Pioneers of Planetary Science. To Boldly Preserve: Archiving for the Next Half-Century of Space Flight. American Institute of Physics, College Park, Maryland: NASA.
• Stothert-Maurer, M. (2017, March). Working with Niche Collections: Lessons from the Archives at the Perkins School for the Blind. Research Talk, School of Information. University of Arizona.
• Stothert-Maurer, M. (2016, April). Exploring Material Culture in the Perkins School for the Blind Archives. Guest lecturer, Material Culture (graduate course Hist 661), Department of Public History. UMASS Amherst.
• Stothert-Maurer, M. (2016, April). The Topography of Literacy: The Early History of Books and Tactile Graphics for the Blind. Public Lecture, Department of History. UMASS Amherst.
• Stothert-Maurer, M. (2016, January). The Internet Archive as Digitization Vendor. National Digital Stewardship Residency Unconference. JFK Presidential Library.
• Stothert-Maurer, M. (2015, April). Occupations and Vocational Training for the Blind. 9th Annual Digital Commonwealth Conference. College of the Holy Cross.
• Stothert-Maurer, M., Poll, L. M., Hocking, L., & Turley, L. (2015, March). Provenance vs. Artificial Collections: To Restore or Not to Restore?. MARAC/NEA Joint Meeting. Boston: Perkins School for the Blind.
• Stothert-Maurer, M., Sisco, L., & Kresmer, A. (2014, April). Recognizing and Respecting Archival Materials Produced by and for the Blind. Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference. Rochester: Perkins School for the Blind.
• Stothert-Maurer, M. (2013, June). Building online collections on a shoestring budget. Massachusetts Library System Conference. Worcester, MA.
• Stothert-Maurer, M. (2013, May). Rapid Fire Inspiring Projects, Boston Public Library Digitization through LSTA Grant. 7th Annual Digital Commonwealth Conference. College of the Holy Cross.

Poster Presentations

• Stothert-Maurer, M. (2024, October). Keeping Costs Low: Reclaim Hosting + Mukurtu CMS. Visual Resources Association meeting. Minneapolis, MN: Visual Resources Association.

Creative Productions

• Stothert-Maurer, M. (2019. Moon Exhibit. University of Arizona Libraries Special Collections. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Libraries Special Collections. http://speccoll.library.arizona.edu/exhibits/moon
  More info

  Explore the science, history and culture of the Moon and how we view it. Learn about the early art of mapping the Moon from sketches to photography, see early books by Copernicus and Galileo and explore Moon themes in sci-fi books and poetry.