The OSU Libraries Special Collections and Archives Research Center is pleased to announce the release of two new websites devoted to the life and work of the influential historian William Appleman Williams (1921-1990), a former OSU professor remembered today as a founder of “revisionist history.”

William Appleman Williams near his home at Waldport, Oregon, circa 1970s. Source: William Appleman Williams Papers, 5.004.25.

The first project is “A Good Life and A Good Death: A Memoir of An Independent Lady,” a comprehensive biography written by Williams about his mother, Mildrede Williams. And while Mildrede remains the central character of the remembrance, the piece likewise reveals a great deal about Williams’ early life as well.  The memoir, which was never published, was used extensively by authors Paul Buhle (who provides an introduction to the two new websites) and Edward Rice-Maximin in their 1995 biography William Appleman Williams: The Tragedy of Empire.  The web version of this resource is available at:  http://scarc.library.oregonstate.edu/coll/williams/goodlife/index.html

The second project is “Unpublished Manuscripts,” a collection of speeches, lectures, book proposals and essays previously available only to scholars visiting the Williams Papers at OSU Libraries. The full text of thirteen manuscripts, spanning the years 1970-1990, comprise this digital collection. Its contents include topics familiar to students of Williams’ unique perspective on American history – politics, democracy, foreign policy, the Cold War, Karl Marx, the importance of higher education, and the future of America.

William Appleman Williams was a renowned author and historian who rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s for a collection of writings highly critical of U.S. foreign and economic policy. His essay “A Second Look at Mr. X” was published in the journal Monthly Review in 1952, and proved to be highly influential.  Two books that followed, The Tragedy of American Diplomacy (1959) and The Contours of American History (1961) are considered to be classics of revisionist historical analysis.  In addition to his often scathing critiques of American foreign policy, Williams also wrote extensively on American history, Russian history, U.S.-Russian/Soviet relations, and maritime history.

An Iowa native, Williams enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a university professor, working primarily at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1957-1968) and Oregon State University (1968-1986). A past President of the Organization of American Historians (1980), Williams retired from OSU in 1986 and his papers are held in the OSU Libraries.

Contact Chris Petersen at 541-737-2810 for more!

Last week we had a reading room full of people, including one researcher who unpacked a bag full of branches to use in consultation with this Royal Horticultural Society Colour chart. We had fun watching him classify the colors for the long, drooping catkins.

Protected in this solid green box and stored in the shelves of the McDonald Collection, there are four volumes of colored charts that were originally published in 1938 by the British Colour Council.

What is it? From the RHS site:

The RHS Colour Chart is the standard reference for plant colour identification. Used by the RHS, the chart is indispensable to gardeners who value accuracy in the identification of plant colours. But it is not just gardeners that value the chart – it hasbeen used by food manufacturers to standardise food colourings, chemical engineering companies and fabric designers.

Every day is an adventure on the reference desk!

Collections archivist Karl McCreary is spending his morning talking to students about some interesting aspects of OSU history, especially those that pertain to student life in days of yore… In addition to the yearbooks and assorted pamphlets, before he left he shared a couple of fun finds with me.

The first is the “Fussers Guide.” For those of you not in the know, “fussing” is the same as dating. And as this guide is actually a student directory, you can take the linguistic leap to see that the student directory was actually called the “dating directory.” Another fun tidbit is that faculty & staff are also included — and the directory is sure to note if they are married…

The “Coed code,” an indispensable guide for OSU’s female students in those same days of yore, was helpful for guiding behavior. It provided the rules for all sorts of things, including calling hours for male visitors and curfew times. Back by 10 p.m. on weeknights or face staff penalties!

This fall, Professor Yuji Hiratsuka taught the first Book Arts class offered at OSU. In “Continuum of Inspiration: Student Projects from ART 399,” I hope you’ll see how really wonderful and inspirational their own creations are!

In partnership with Hiratsuka, SCARC staff Anne Bahde and Ruth Vondracek worked with the twelve students to share our book art collections and learn more about book arts generally.

Bahde writes

As students learned different binding styles and methods, they began to explore the creative possibilities offered by combining book forms, artistic media and techniques, and the printed word. Throughout the course, there were exercises and discussions about the creative processes used to conceptualize and transform ideas into paginated visual form.

Using techniques such as printmaking, painting, digital art and printing, letterpress, and photography, students created works that draw readers in, invite them to engage, and drive them to think. Students were inspired by a visit to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center to explore historic book forms, learn about the history of the book, and to see examples of modern fine press and artists’ books.

Stop by the 5th floor of Valley Library through January 31st to see these lovely pieces of book art.

Those who have visited our reading room know that the space is delightful, with a sweeping view of the Library quad, light even on a cloudy day, and really wonderful bamboo floors. And it’s those floors that are getting a face lift this week!

We’ve moved all the reading room furniture into the entryway and are having a grand old time watching the sanding and shining. We’ll be open for business again on Tuesday morning  8:15 sharp, once the floors have finished curing. Because, really, nobody wants to do historical research on sticky floors…

SCARC student worker Susanne was drawn into a new accession this week that was chock full of home design and fashion fun… The collection of alumna Dona Dinsdale Papers (1942-1947).

Coming to Oregon State College in 1943 from Portland, Dona Shirley Dinsdale majored in business with a focus on secretarial science. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in 1947 and her 0.75 cubic foot collection if full of materials created and collected by Dinsdale during her time as a student at Oregon State College. Mostly made up of course materials, class notes, and term papers, you’ll also find items such as circular letters, event programs, grade reports, newspaper clippings, receipts, student identification cards, publications, and a scrapbook. The latter is a treasure trove! Assembled by Dinsdale for a class in house furnishings, the scrapbook contains images clipped from magazines and samples of furniture fabric. Not to be forgotten, the publications she collected included Oregon Stater alumni magazines, copies of the Beaver Snuffer student monthly publication, and annual college fashion previews published by the Meier and Frank Company.

Why does she love these sorts of collections? Susanne says “I am not a fashionable person but looking at how fashion has changed (hopefully for the better) makes me feel fashionable. It is worth the smile and giggle.” She goes on to say that “somebody put a large amount of thought and care into designing a fashionable/stylish home (as seen in that scrapbook even down to the clothing swatches) that with the turning of the ever turning tide of trends most people would not want to be caught dead in. Fashion royalty soon turns to fashion victim with the steadily unchanging hands of time.”

Want to know more? We have plenty of collections for you to explore your inner designer!

• College of Home Economics and Education Records, 1913-2000 (especially Series 20: Architectural drawings/book plans 1920-1976)
• Apparel, Interiors, Housing, and Merchandising Department Records, 1918-1967
• College of Home Economics Photograph Collection, 1925-1998
• Home Economics Extension Photographs, 1939-1998
• Maud Wilson Papers, 1929-1950

You may know that we have great History of Science archival collections and great book collections, but do you know about our book collections?

Granta 16: Science.

I was reminded again this week of how awesome the “History of Science Books and Dissertations Collection, 1575-2002” and “History of Atomic Energy Collection, 1896-1991” are is as I watched our resident scholar pore over stacks of books in our reading room.

Cart full o’ books

The History of Science collection documents the development of science and technology within the past 150 years, with a particularly strong focus on quantum physics and chemistry. Highlights of the collection include Niels Bohr’s doctoral thesis; the first edition of Marie Curie’s Traite de Radioactivite; and the first and only edition of Avogadro’s Hypothesis.

• How big is it? 237 linear feet — 2,512 items — and still growing!

The History of Atomic Energy Collection, containing more than 3,000 items, is a valuable resource for research on the development of nuclear technologies in the twentieth century. Highlights of the collection include the first published account of the discovery of radioactivity in 1896 by Nobel Prize winning physicist Henri Becquerel; writings on the Manhattan Project; materials concerning the congressional hearings of J. Robert Oppenheimer; and formerly classified government reports. Cultural aspects of the atomic age are also explored through fictional works, poetry, drama, and music.

• How big is it? 231 linear feet — 3,108 items — and still growing!

If you don’t go through our Rare Books portal, you can find most of these books in the OSU Libraries’ online catalog. When you search for a title look for a location that says “Valley SpCol HistSci” or “ValleySpCol Atomic Energy” [see below for a visual aid].

Catalog record with “Valley SpCol HistSci” location