Monthly Archives: February 2011

Happy Commonsversary to us!

Couple of children with hops baskets

It started as a leap of faith… Two years ago we were sure that the OSU Archives Flickr Commons project would give us a new way to interact with new users, a mine of limitless user-generated information about our photo collections, a fabulous history research resource for the OSU community … Did I mention that it would also ensure fame and fortune?

A lot of work, but oh so much fun.

What started off as a place for us to showcase “natural resources and forest history” has become a delightful nod to the hodgepodge of history and photographic treasures in our midst… So on our 2nd anniversary – sorry, our 2nd Commonsversary — we’re celebrating a couple years in the Flickrverse with a new set that is a few more than a couple dozen couples. Huh? “Couple of people doing stuff in the Commons” is a fun set of 30 images that show a couple of people doing a bunch of different stuff. It’s a great look at our eclectic collections! From the Best of the Archives, to the Oregon Multicultural Archives Collections, to the Gerald W. Williams Collection, it’s full of younger people, older people, romantic couples, laborers, dancers, and (of course) a lot of “standers.”

So we’ve loved traveling with you, logging with you, laughing with you. See for yourself! While you are there, make sure you spend some time and explore the rest.

Who knows what we’ll think of next?

It’s Italy — and it’s wonderful

Pleaced Allee

Boboli Firenze – Pleached Allee

Mix and match — and what do you get? Niches, seals, and terrace gardens? What about pots full of citrus, oleander, azaleas, and oranges baking in the sun? What about the Vatican? And what in the wonderful world is a pleached allee!

Delightful and inspiring, yes, it’s a new set for Flickr Commons full of slides from Italy… So take a tour if you love a gorgeous grotto c/o Michelangelo, box hedges in Boboli, fountains in Firenze, Pitti palace palazzo.

The OSU Black Student Union Walkout of 1969

Black History Month Display

Class boycotts, rallies, a walkout — what was happening at OSU during winter term of 1969? In February of 1969 OSU’s head football coach Dee Andros told Fred Milton, a black athlete, to shave his facial hair. Milton’s refusal sparked a local controversy and ignited students to fight for their rights!

Want to know more? Come see the display in the Archives Reading Room and check out the Digital Collection in Flickr!

Want to learn more? Contact Oregon Multicultural Librarian Natalia Fernández at natalia.fernandez@oregonstate.edu

Exhibit co-curated by OSU University Archives Student Workers Ingrid Ockert, Kelsey Ockert, and Daniel Pearson