Category Archives: Announcement

Film Fest 2015!

October brings us fiery colors, pumpkins, and fun films about OSU!

This year, we’re highlighting footage of student performances and activities from the 1980s and 1990s that were transferred to SCARC by KBVR-TV and the Memorial Union.

Join us for excerpts from these flashy films:

  • 1987 Mom’s Weekend Fashion Show
  • Indonesia Night, 1994
  • Ms. OSU Pageant, 1992

And did we mention Benny skiing?

Where and when?

  • Wednesday, October 21
  • Willamette Room East
  • Noon to 1:00pm

Snacks and soda will be available.

And stay tuned for more details about the recipe showcase on the 30th!

Hope to see you there!

Index for the Oregon Stater now online!

We are happy to report that Kevin Miller of the Oregon Stater has shared an index his office compiled — essentially the entire run of the magazine beginning in beginning in 1915! And yes, we’ve put the entire thing online.

The web version is linked on various pages on the SCARC website.

This online resource unlocks a lot of potential that has previously been buried in the card catalog. Not only will we be able to use the  Stater more effectively, but the document itself (all 537 pages) provides a great source of searchable text that will enable serendipitous finds by us and our researchers.

Archives of the OregonStater are available on the OSU Alumni Association site from April 2000 to the present; however, they include only excerpts of each magazine until the April 2006 issue and after are full PDF versions of the magazine as published.

Founded in 1915 by OSU alumnus E.B. Lemon, the Oregon Stater is published by the OSU Alumni Association three times a year (Fall, Winter, Spring) and distributed to all alumni households, and non-alumni members of the association.

Limited hours over the term break: December 10 – January 4.

Look out! SCARC will have limited public service desk hours over the term break.

Our reading room will have limited hours from December 10 to January 4. We will be open between 11:00 -5:00, Monday through Friday for archival research, excluding December 24th & 25th and January 1st.

Remember that you can find us online any time at http://scarc.library.oregonstate.edu/ or contact us via email at scarc@oregonstate.edu.

Wondering about the picture? It is from the OSU Military Photograph Collection (P 002) and shows two USAF sergeants looking at radar screen with Santa and reindeer, circa 1960. This was a standard publicity stock photograph used for Christmas Eve reports showing Santa being picked up on military radar… (Yes, a much earlier version of NORAD Tracks Santa).

Best wishes for a safe, happy, and restful break!

SCARC Open House this Weekend!

Terry Baker.

We’re celebrating homecoming by hosting an open house this Saturday, October 20th, from 10:00am to 2:00pm.  Come see us on the 5th floor of the Valley Library in the Special Collections & Archives Research Center reading room.

During your visit you’ll be able to learn about OSU’s unique and historical collections, including the Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Papers; view materials from past OSU Homecoming celebrations; and watch historic football films featuring Terry Baker, OSU’s 1962 Heisman Trophy winner.

We’ll also have a full complement of Beaver yearbooks and Daily Barometers available for those wishing to take a trip down memory lane.

This is the first of three football Saturday open houses that we will be hosting.  The others will be held on Saturday, November 3rd (OSU vs. ASU/Dad’s Weekend) and Saturday, November 24th (Civil War Weekend).  As with this coming Saturday, each of the November events will be held from 10:00-2:00.

For additional information, please contact us at 541-737-2075 or scarc[at]oregonstate[dot]edu

Go Beavs!

A New Online Home for SCARC

It is with great pleasure that we announce the official launch of our new department website!  Please find it at http://scarc.library.oregonstate.edu and be sure to update your bookmarks away from the old University Archives and Special Collections sites, which will no longer be maintained.

Access to Collections

A project some ten months in the making, the new SCARC website is chock full of new features.  Archival materials naturally lie at the heart of what we do and this new site presents at least some mention of all 1,033 (and growing) collections currently under the stewardship of our merged department.  And while full description is not yet available for all of that material, we have created at least collection-level EAD records for more than 900 of them.

An example of the alphabetical sort available for all of our collections.

In addition, all of the SCARC collections are accessible in multiple ways.  There’s the big list of everything as well as the alphabetical view, with easy access to abstracts and other basic information about a given collection. In addition, our materials are also sortable by theme (university history, natural resources, multicultural archives, history of science and local history) and by the genre(s) of materials held within a specific collection (photographs, sound recordings and oral histories, videos and books).

Digital Resources

Over the years, SCARC has placed great emphasis on developing a robust set of online exhibits and digital libraries, and with the new department website, this huge batch of content is now more accessible than ever.  As with one view of our finding aids, SCARC’s digital resources are presented according to collection development theme.  Within this context, users will find a neatly organized treasure trove of materials available 24/7.  Be it the mammoth Best of OSU Archives digital library or our groundbreaking Flickr Commons presence, our massive Linus Pauling Online portal or the rapidly growing Oregon Multicultural Archives digitization program, the Digital Resources component of our work is now on full display. (we have a bunch of online videos too!)

A glimpse of our new University History Digital Resources portal.

And So Much More…

From our homepage you’ll quickly gain a sense of what we do and what’s new – be it our most recent accessions or latest outreach activities, as reported from various points across our social media hub. You’ll also find quick links to more information on some of our specialty work – the Records Management program perhaps or maybe our Rare Books. Nuts and bolts information is easy to find too, from forms to fees to people who are here to help.  Need assistance getting started with your research? We’ve got tutorials and learning curricula for that.  Just need to ask a question?  Fill out our online form and we’ll get back to you soon.

The SCARC website represents a big step forward for us a merged unit.  Over the coming weeks and months, we will be working to refine its effectiveness and add more and more content.  As the process plays out, please don’t hesitate to let us know what you think.  We’ll look forward to hearing from you!

E.E. Wilson, aka “the bicycle guy.” He shows up a lot on our new website.

Treasures of the McDonald Collection: an online exhibit

Loose leaf from a Gregorian chant book, 1400s.

Loose leaf from a Gregorian chant book, 1400s.

Take a break this weekend and peruse one of OSU’s oldest and most intriguing resources with the OSU Libraries’ Special Collections & Archives Research Center’s newest exhibit “Treasures of the McDonald Collection.”

The Mary McDonald Rare Book and Manuscript Collection provides the Oregon State University community with access to a wide range of rare and valuable manuscripts, books, and prints. The McDonald Collection contains items from both the sciences and humanities collected by Mary McDonald and Oregon State University for their historical significance and craftsmanship. This exhibit makes available the collection’s most striking items through a narrative history of the evolution of text production from approximately 3000 BCE to the 20th century and features examples from many of the world’s most important intellectual and technological advances in printing.

Want to know more? Click through and read up!

Note the change! Desk hours during winter break

We’re changing our hours for the 3rd floor Archives and public service desk during winter break, so make sure you make sure you are heading to the right desk to get help!

Monday December 12th through Friday December 16th

  • 3rd floor desk OPEN 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Monday December 19th through Monday January 2nd.

  • 3rd floor desk CLOSED – see below for contact information
  • 5th floor desk OPEN for archival reference assistance 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  • 2nd floor desk OPEN for maps, microforms, government documents, and other reference assistance 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday January 3rd through Friday January 9th

  • 3rd floor desk OPEN 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

For maps, microforms, and government documents reference assistance, please see the staff at the 2nd floor “Ask Here” desk.

For archival reference assistance, please see the staff at the 5th floor public service desk.

Early Oregonians Database now online!

As a legacy to commemorate the sesquicentennial of Oregon’s statehood, the Oregon State Archives announces the launch of the Early Oregonians Database on its website.

This resource uses data from census, death, probate, and other records to help researchers find information and documents about people who lived in Oregon prior to statehood. Volunteers at the Archives have worked on this project for more than five years. The database currently contains over 105,500 entries for individuals who lived in Oregon prior to statehood. Because of limits on available records and documentation, the project can be defined to include people living in Oregon from 1800 to 1860.

If you have any questions or documentation you would like to contribute to the database, please contact the Archives staff.

Want a more detailed description of the project?

Want the FAQ?

Fresh news from the OSU Press!

It’s true, I am a shameless promoter of all things related to the OSU Press…Today the “First Peoples: New Directions in Indigenous Studies” publishing initiative announced the launch of its new website!

What will the website do? Officially, it will “serve as a tool to broaden the reach and audiences for the books they publish on Indigenous studies.”  But really, it’s a great place to go to read their blog, learn about the books, check out their Twitter feed, find upcoming events, and just get lost exploring…

Want the details on the initiative? In January 2009, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded four university presses a grant to established an innovative partnership. Seeking the best and most robust scholarship by junior authors whose publications will contribute to the development of the field, the grant supports both the publication of 40 books over four years and the collaboration of the presses to further scholarly communication in the field of Indigenous studies.

Who is involved? University of Arizona Press, University of Minnesota Press, University of North Carolina Press, and (of course) Oregon State University Press.

Lots of great news coming out of the OSU Libraries this week!

Oregon Spatial Data Library launches in conjunction with national GIS Day

“A powerful new data-access tool for Oregon researchers, students, public agency staff, private industry and the public at large was launched today in conjunction with national GIS Day… The Oregon Spatial Data Library provides easy and convenient ways to find, access and share geospatial data at no cost to the user. Currently, more than 200 datasets can be displayed and downloaded, with more to be added as they become available. Developed in partnership with Oregon State University Libraries, the Institute for Natural Resources and the Oregon Dept. of Administrative Services Geospatial Enterprise Office (DAS-GEO), the Oregon Spatial Data Library features access to all statewide “framework” data available for Oregon.  These are the datasets that serve as “base data” for a variety of GIS applications that support important research, business and public services.” Read more here!

Learn about wetlands online through ‘Oregon Wetlands Explorer’

“A far-reaching, highly interactive Web experience that provides deep, richly illustrated insight on the historic and current states of Oregon’s wetlands is the newest member of the critically acclaimed Oregon Explorer family of sites produced by Oregon State University Libraries, the Institute for Natural Resources and, in this case, The Wetlands Conservancy. Oregon Wetlands Explorer takes users virtually to areas throughout the state, from coastal salt marshes to mountain fens desert salt grass flats and many points in between, providing information on wetland ecology, history, wildlife and restoration opportunities.  Oregon has lost more than half of its wetlands since European settlers arrived in the 1800s, and producers of the site hope the information will be helpful in encouraging protection of the areas that remain.” Read more here!

OSU Library earns grants to support digitization of key pieces of Oregon history

“Oregon State University’s Valley Library is the recipient of two new grants that will support digitization of key images from the state’s past, a new Web-based portal where the images will be publicly accessible and digital archive assistance for cultural institutions around the state that otherwise might not be able to afford such services. The grants and the Oregon Digital Library Project (ODLP) that they’ll help create will enable the Valley Library to build on its critically acclaimed role in preserving material documenting the history of Oregon and its people, said Terry Reese, who holds the Gray Family Chair for Innovative Library Services at OSU.” Read more here!