Author Archives: edmunsot

Happy Presidents’ Day!

williamsg_ccc_kitchen_crew2.jpgThe big OSU Archives Flickr Commons launch happened Friday evening— and over the weekend we had nearly 8000 views on our photos!

Please join us for our official launch open house celebration today from 2:00PM to 4:00PM in the Autzen classroom on the 2nd floor of The Valley Library. We’ll be there to answer questions about The Commons and the Archives, show off our images, set you up with a Flickr account, and learn from you. Please drop by and introduce yourself!

Hope to see you all this afternoon.

The Flickr Commons

The Oregon State Archives sends out a soggy “hello” to the Flickr world from the Pacific Northwest—it’s good to be here!

Today, as we head home for that most romantic of holidays and Oregon’s 150th birthday celebrations, the Oregon State University Archives will become the 21st institution to join The Commons.

[Yes, it’s true, it really still is Friday the 13th … But rather than court disaster, we’re pretending it’s tomorrow!]

Not only are we joining noteworthy North American institutions like the Library of Congress, Smithsonian, New York Public Library, and George Eastman House, we will sit next to international libraries and museums such as the National Library of New Zealand, the Powerhouse Museum, National Galleries of Scotland, and Bibliothèque de Toulouse. If that wasn’t exciting enough, the OSU Archives is the first university to join The Commons!

Please join us for our official launch open house celebration on Monday, February 16th, 2009 from 2:00PM to 4:00PM in the Autzen classroom on the 2nd floor of The Valley Library. We’ll be there to answer questions about The Commons and the Archives, show off our images, and learn from you—please drop by and introduce yourself!

What will you find here?

Our contribution to Flickr Commons will focus on the history of conservation, natural resources, and agriculture. This is a history OSU is proud to celebrate; a complex story with chapters on forestry, geology, environmentalism, and the people that have inhabited and worked this land. As time passes, the OSU Archives will be digitizing and releasing other images in our collections that showcase some of the amazing items that illustrate the complicated intersection of culture, natural resources, and history.

We’re delighted to start our Flickr Commons adventure with a set of depression era images of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) from the Gerald W. Williams Collection. The photographs in the Williams Collection reflect a range of amazing images, we plan to highlight in the coming months, including the photos of CCC camps and activities; shots of the WWI era Spruce Production Division; Northwest Oregon logging photos taken by John Fletcher Ford; and slides of Celilo Falls taken by Williams’ father, Jack Williams, in September 1956 — only a few months before the falls were inundated by The Dalles Dam.

How did we get here?

In order to celebrate and publicize photographic collections that showcase Oregon State University’s rich heritage, the OSU Archives joined Flickr in the summer of 2008. We found it was a great place for pictures of current events, virtual tours and instructions for using microfilm machines, and assorted historic photos; though after seeing the real impact the historic photographs in The Commons were having on both Flickr users and the larger community, as well as the great personal connections between people and pictures that emerged, the OSU Archives was more than eager to join the project.

We’re always uploading more online images, and Flickr gives us another avenue to share our remarkable collections. You’ll find images specific to forestry and natural resources on our Flickr Commons page, current and historic images related to OSU on our osu.archives Flickr page, and a wonderful assortment of digital collection projects on the OSU Digital Collections page.

Still Can’t Get Enough?

Check out some of our other resources.  We love them — and you just might, too.

NAGARA Launches Online Document Library Where Users May Share Archives Publications

The National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators (NAGARA) has launched an online document library, which allows people to share archives and records management publications. Visit www.NAGARAresources.org to learn about subjects such as accessibility, advocacy, electronic records, disaster preparedness, electronic records, facilities, files management, grants, historical records, inactive records, local government records, microfilm, preservation, legal issues, retention, scanning and digitization, security, storage, training, and miscellaneous. Only documents in the public domain may be uploaded on this site, or copyrighted documents posted by the owner of the copyright. Currently, the library houses nearly 300 documents, with new additions almost daily. As content grows, the site administrators will add new subject categories and/or subdivide existing categories.

The site was built in partial response to a 2008 recommendation of the Council of State Archivists’ “Closest to Home” Task Force on Archival Programs for Local Governments to “develop a coordinated plan for a portal to provide access to web-based resources on local government archives,” but as content expanded, the site has proven to be of interest to archivists from other fields as well.

No registration is required to download documents; however, if you would like to upload documents you must be registered.

New Collection Descriptions for the Month!

The following 12 finding aids for OSU Archives collections have been completed or updated in January 2009. They have been loaded to the NWDA finding aids database and have a PDF on the OSU archives’ website and a catalog record in the OSU Libraries’ catalog, Summit, and Worldcat. Five of these are for collections acquired in 2008; six are for collections for which there was previously no information available online.

We now have 368 finding aids in NWDA.

Agricultural Sciences, College of, Photographs, 1892-2001 (P 036)

  • http://nwda-db.wsulibs.wsu.edu/findaid/ark:/80444/xv14749
  • http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/archives/archive/documents/OREp036.pdf
  • These images (1247 total) depict OSU’s academic and research programs in agriculture; Branch Experiment Stations in Oregon; faculty, students, and alumni; international programs; and special events, conferences, and workshops. Of particular note are images taken in 1913 by bacteriologist Emile Pernot of farms and slaughter houses in Benton County. The largest component of the collection is a group of 900 color slides, many taken in 2001, that depict students and faculty participating in instruction and research activities. This finding aid includes a detailed list of the photographs.

Audiovisual Education Scrapbook, 1930-1939

Borg, Marcus J., Papers, 1969-2000

Foote, Wilson H., Photographs, 1948-1955 (P 268)

  • http://nwda-db.wsulibs.wsu.edu/findaid/ark:/80444/xv68258
  • http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/archives/archive/documents/OREp268.pdf
  • This Wilson H. Foote Photographs consist of 241 color slides taken by Foote during his early years at Oregon State College and depict the OSC campus, students, and athletic events; agriculture and forestry; Oregon landscapes and landmarks; and landscapes of western North America. Of special note are images of football games at Bell Field, construction of the heating tunnels on campus, Native Americans fishing in the Columbia Basin (perhaps Celilo Falls), and the effects of a flood (perhaps the Vanport Flood in 1948). This collection was donated to the Archives in 2008 by Foote’s daughter. This is a preliminary collection-level description.

Home Management House Photograph Collection, 1945-1948 (P 266)

International Research and Development Office Records, 1993-2007 (RG 211)

Jeffersonian Literary Society Records, 1897 (RG 067)

Lloyd, Les, Papers, 1942-1951

McCormick, Alta, Photograph Collection, 1905-1931 (P 113)

Morris, Walter E., Photograph Collection, 1909-1911 (P 122)

Siletz News, 2007-2008

Zobel, Donald B, Papers, 1995-2003

New Archives Column in The Messenger

rook-fire-551.jpgKarl McCreary, of OSU Archives fame, is the author of the new “Did You Know” column in the Winter 2009 issue of The Messenger.

He says “Preserving evidence and knowledge of campus culture at OSU is one of the Archives’ most important missions and one that makes my job as Archivist here a continuous and enriching education in and of itself. So stay tuned for more stories about some of the more colorful items in the Archives and the fascinating history they document in upcoming issues of The Messenger!”

New book: The Best Gift: The History of the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library

mcclintock-library-book-7aaa01_gift.jpg
Historian and retired professor Tom McClintock has written a book on the history of Corvallis library. “The Best Gift” was published by the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library Foundation and all proceeds will go to the Foundation. The book can be found at all city library system branches, Grass Roots Books & Music, and the OSU Bookstore. Mail orders can be directed to the foundation at 645 N.W. Monroe Ave., Corvallis, OR 97330 or to corvallislibraryfoundation at gmail.com.

To read all about the 10 year project, read the Gazette Times article in today’s paper!

New Collection Descriptions for the Month!

book-2571.jpgThe following 6 finding aids for OSU Archives collections have been completed or updated in December 2008. They have been loaded to the NWDA finding aids database and have a PDF on the OSU Archives’ website and a catalog record in the OSU Libraries’ catalog, Summit, and Worldcat. Two of these are for collections acquired in 2008; two are for collections for which there was previously no information available online.

Alumni Association Motion Picture Films and Videotapes, 1942-1988

This collection of 25 films and 8 videotapes includes promotional films; recordings of special events, such as commencement and OSU centennial activities; films of football games; footage honoring Oregon State alumni; and videotapes of alumni award presentations. Of special note are a 1958 production This is Oregon State; a film of the homecoming banquet for the 1942 Rose Bowl team; and a film about the 1964 football season leading to OSU playing in the 1965 Rose Bowl. This finding aid includes a detailed list of the collection contents.

Berg, Helen M. and Alan B., Papers, 1914-2007

The Berg Papers were received by the Archives in early 2008 and document their professional and civic activities at OSU and in the City of Corvallis. Helen and Alan Berg earned degrees at Oregon State and were faculty. They both served on the Corvallis City Council and as Mayor of Corvallis (Alan in 1979-1986 and Helen in 1995-2006). This is a preliminary collection-level description with a link to a preliminary container list.

Journalism Department Photographs, 1930-1984 (P 208)

These photographs (105 total) consist of images created or acquired by the Journalism Department staff for use in publications and displays as well as photographs taken by students for class projects. Subjects include student activities, campus buildings, and Oregon scenic views. This finding aid includes a detailed list of the photographs.

Oregon Native American Language Sound Recordings, 1962-1964 (OH 12)

These recordings (57 audiotapes) were made by Joe E. Pierce (a faculty member at Portland State) as part of his study of Native American languages in Oregon. They include interviews with members of the Coquille and Siletz tribes. This collection is a component of the Oregon Multicultural Archives.

Pass Creek Motion Picture Film Collection, 1968-1993 (FV P 273)

This collection consists of the Pass Creek film, produced in 1968 to document the impact of clearcut logging on the small tributary streams of Oregon’s North Umpqua Basin, and records documenting the production and distribution of the film. The film and related documentation were transferred to the Archives by Jim Hall of the OSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife in 2008. The film is available online as a streaming media file — http://oregonstate.edu/media/zgqpn — and is part of the Umpqua Basin Explorer.

Struve, Marcus, Photographs, 1907-1908 (P 110)

This small photograph collection (4 images) includes images of Struve (a 1908 OAC graduate in pharmacy) with OAC Mandolin Club and Orchestra and other pharmacy students. One of the photographs is available in the Best of the Archives digital collection: http://digitalcollections.library.oregonstate.edu/u?/archives,1072

We now have 356 finding aids in NWDA.

Here, here for context!

google-images.jpgGoogle has announced that they have begun a project to scan and provide access to magazines and journals — from the Official Google Blog (12/09/2008 09:47:00 AM):

” The word “magazine” is derived from the Arabic word “makhazin,” meaning storehouse. Since Daniel Defoe published the world’s first English magazine back in 1704, millions of magazines catering to nearly every imaginable taste have been created and consumed, passed from person to person in cafes, barber shops, libraries, and homes around the world. If you’re wondering what cars people drove in the eighties or what was in fashion thirty years ago, there’s a good chance that you’ll find that answer in a magazine. Yet few magazine archives are currently available online. Today, we’re announcing an initiative to help bring more magazine archives and current magazines online, partnering with publishers to begin digitizing millions of articles from titles as diverse as New York Magazine, Popular Mechanics, and Ebony.”

And yes, you get the ads!