Army, Art, Archives: Archival Engagement and Outreach in an Academic Service Academy Library

Abstract

The United States Military Academy Library staff are incredibly interested in outreach and engagement with our Archives and Special Collections materials, and we often discuss as an institution the importance of capturing current cadet experience in multiple formats, such as physical and born-digital materials. We aim to ensure that future cadets have the resources to discover our current "Long Gray Line." To that end, a group of USMA Librarians created and executed a very successful Tiny Art Program and Magnificent Miniatures Exhibition. This presentation outlines how we combined academic library programming, exhibition, marketing, and digitization initiatives to inspire cadets to create original art that is inclusive of their experiences at West Point. These works of original art and images will serve as unique holdings for future generations to study to gain an understanding of what cadet life at West Point was like in 2022. The massive success of the Tiny Art Program and the Magnificent Miniatures Exhibition has allowed us to increase awareness of both the USMA Library and our Archives and Special Collections on campus and beyond.