October 14, 2021

Texas A&M University Libraries Preserve, Digitize SEC Special Collection

By: SEC Staff
SECU (Twitter: @TheSECU)

Birmingham, Ala. – The Southeastern Conference recently partnered with the Texas A&M University Libraries to preserve and digitize a private special collection of historic SEC documents, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey announced on Thursday.

The private collection includes hundreds of volumes of materials, consisting of thousands of pages, dating to 1932, when the Conference was established. It is comprised of meeting minutes, data books and iterations of the SEC Constitution and Bylaws, among other items.

“Our member institutions possess a wealth of expertise, and we were pleased to use the resources available at Texas A&M University for our special collection,” Sankey said. “This collection holds some of our most historical and treasured documents, and to know they have been preserved and will be stored properly gives us great comfort. My thanks to Julie Mosbo Ballestro, Interim Dean of University Libraries at Texas A&M and Sean Buckner, Director of Preservation, for their commitment to this important project.”

The preservation effort began with an in-person assessment of the SEC’s private collection several years ago and only concluded recently due to interruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The library team at Texas A&M dry cleaned, mended and converted to digital all of the items in the collection. In addition, documents were rehoused for longevity, and Texas A&M provided recommendations for future storage at the SEC office, along with building custom boxes for the SEC’s bound newspaper collection.

“We were delighted to be able to assist the SEC with its private special collection,” Interim Dean Mosbo Ballestro said. “When I visited the SEC offices, I realized quickly that the information they had was important, but it needed some care and attention. The fact that Texas A&M was able to use its expertise in this area to help our athletics conference was a treat for our team.”

About Texas A&M University Libraries

The Texas A&M University Libraries are the indispensable hub of discovery, learning and creativity at Texas A&M. It is built on a distinguished collection of information resources unbounded by place and preserved for future generations; a suite of robust services and a team exceeding customer expectations; an inspirational environment that delights and invites use; and an organizational culture celebrated for its trust, openness to risk and strengthened by its collaboration and diversity.