INF 386E: Understanding and Planning Exhibits is pleased to announce the opening of On My Desk Stat! Paper Copying in a Changing Workplace, an exhibition curated by information science graduate students about the social history of office copying technologies. The exhibition is open to the general public as well as UT Austin students, staff, and faculty, and can be found on the first floor of the iSchool (UTA), classroom 1.506, 1616 Guadalupe St, Austin TX, 78701.
Have you ever lived in a world where it took hours or even days to make a single copy of a document? The mechanics of creating copies have been at play for centuries, from letterpress books to the earliest typewriters, and there is one location where we can see those fast-moving technological changes in real-time: the workplace. Offices throughout the 20th century were host to a vast range of copying processes, and this exhibition showcases primary materials copied using a wide range of techniques, from the more widely known Photostats, carbon copies, or inkjet printers, to the now nearly extinct processes like dry silver and spirit duplication.
Paper copying in the workplace is not just about the processes used; it’s about how people’s lives changed alongside the rapid-fire developments in technology. The exhibition centers around three key themes: environment and waste, gender and women’s role in the workplace, and the office’s increased productivity. Each part of the exhibit focuses on the human relationship to the materials featured, asking visitors to reflect on topics like consumerism, health and safety, misogyny, advertising, and the hidden human costs of a more productive workplace.
There will be an opening reception for the exhibit held at 3 PM on April 15, 2022, also at UTA 1.506. The reception will include free food, iSchool swag giveaways, trivia, and other games and activities to help visitors make connections between their daily lives and the use of copying technologies over the decades.
More information on the exhibition can be found on the course’s Instagram page as well as an online version of the exhibit materials. Questions can be directed toward Courtney Welu: courtneywelu@utexas.edu.
