As the newspaper industry makes every attempt to save the dying medium, libraries are facing similar challenges: hardcopy texts are no longer the preferred method of receiving information. With the evolution of the internet and the accessibility to various journals, periodicals, and publications on university servers, scholars and students alike are finding little need to physically make a trip to the library to conduct research. But what is to become of the millions of hardcopy textbooks that university libraries house? At Illinois State University, over 1.5 million physical books are available to students, faculty and staff alike. Illinois State University boasts one of the very best library facilities in the state, but what will become of these texts once students and faculty conduct their research remotely? The need for a digital humanities center is a growing necessity, but nevertheless a daunting task to begin.
This research seeks to begin the start of the Digital Archival Curation Center at Illinois State University by proposing a very simple and basic method for composing a digital archive of various texts within the Special Collections unit at Milner Library. In an age where Harry Potter theme parks drawn millions of visitors annually, the Lord of the Rings & Hobbit franchises collect coveted Academy Award wins year after year, and the Hunger Games trilogy draws in millions at the box office, the fantasy genre fandom is at an all-time high. To capitalize on the fantasy world interest, investing inTraveller’s Tales, a story that brings mythical beasts and creatures to life, as the first text to become digitized in the new Digital Archival Curation Center is a deliberate and smart way to draw in the younger generation and help these students learn and understand the importance of the digital humanities.
Traveller's Tales, by Rev. H.C. Adams, 1927 