Classified Staff Make A Difference
Bonnie Price

This is the third in a series of articles highlighting some of the ‘behind-the-scenes’ classified staff positions that have a significant impact on the successful operation of UWSP. For more information, contact the Classified Staff Advisory Committee (CSAC).

If you are a student researching the nuclear power plant proposed for a site near Rudolph in the early 1970s or a genealogist looking for the cemetery where a great, great uncle is buried, Bonnie Price, an assistant archivist since 1990 in the Nelis R. Kampenga University Archives, may be able to help.

University Archives holds three separate collections: university records, Portage County Historical Society materials and the Area Research Collection of public records from nine Central Wisconsin counties. One of Bonnie’s challenges is to help people find the information they need. Archives also houses photographs and memorabilia such as snowshoes from the 19 th century, the tombstone of Bozil DuBay and a saddle that belonged to Mildred Davis, the professor for whom the Foreign Language Lab is named. 

One of the jobs an archivist does is arranging and indexing incoming materials—a process called “processing.” The sheer volume of such material creates a perpetual backlog. But that is just part of the job as is “accessioning” – logging in and storing the material until it is arranged. A practicum in Archives first sparked Bonnie’s interest in the work. She went on to obtain a BA at UWSP in 1990 with a major in Russian and East Central European Studies and a minor in library science. 

One of Bonnie’s notable accomplishments was helping to index the Pointer. The two-year project began with Bonnie working backward from the current issue and Bill Paul, former archivist, going forward from the first issue in 1895. They converged in the 1960’s. It is an ongoing project for Bonnie. The index to the Pointer, a comprehensive coverage of campus life, opinion and local events may be accessed online. 

A “cottage industry” within Archives is the growing business of serving genealogists seeking information. Individuals may tap into Archives’ online obituary index or cemetery locator, which Bonnie maintains. The volume of these requests has grown beyond what she can handle alone. She now employs three students to help handle dozens of requests each month. 

Bonnie appreciates the rich cultural and historical resources that reside in Archives and she’s eager to help others access these resources. People are welcome to stop in Archives on the fifth floor of the LRC or visit its Web site on the UWSP Library’s homepage. CSAC will host a tour of Archives on Feb. 20—watch for information in the Sundial and via e-mail.

Republished courtesy of UWSP News Service from the Sundial, Volume 18, February 9, 2001.