Monthly Archives: December 2014

2nd Annual OSU Book Collecting Contest!

The OSU Valley Library is proud to announce the second year of our sponsored Book Collecting Contest!

Sponsored in association with the Himes & Duniway Society, a group of book collecting enthusiasts in Oregon, this contest is intended:

  • to encourage students in the collection and enjoyment of their own personal libraries,
  • to aid students in developing an appreciation for the special qualities of printed or illustrated works, and
  • to encourage students to read, research, and preserve these works for pleasure and scholarship.

The collection can focus on any subject, and the contest is open to all full-time students.

Prizes:

Three prizes will be awarded to student winners:

1st prize: $1,000
2nd prize: $500
3rd prize: $250

Prizes are generously funded by the Himes & Duniway Society.

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE Friday, March 13, 2015 by 5:00 PM.

How Do I Enter?
The Application Package should include the following:

  • The application form;
  • The essay, which should be at least two and no more than four pages in 12-point type with lines double-spaced describing how and why the collection was assembled;
  • bibliography of the collection preferably using the MLA Bibliography format with each individual title numbered and annotated. The annotations should reflect the importance of each item to the collection as a whole
  • An annotated wish list of up to five other book titles that you would like to add in the future to complete or enhance your existing collection; and
  • digital images of at least 5 representative items in the collection, with 10 or more images being preferable.

You can submit your application in one of two ways:

1. Email your application package to Anne Bahde at anne.bahde@oregonstate.edu

2. Drop off your application package to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center, 5th floor of Valley Library.

What’s a “Collection?
A collection

  • Consists of items that a student has come to own following a particular interest, or passion, which may be academic or not
  • May consist of all books or a combination of books and other formats. For instance, a collection on a geographical topic may include a map, a collection on a playwright may include a poster or playbill, or a collection about an historical event may include ephemera.
  • Consists of not less than 15 items or more than 30 items of which the majorityshould be books, but related materials such as photographs, illustrations, maps, ephemera, CDs, music scores, posters etc. may be included.
  • Can be on any topic; subjects can be contemporary or historical and may stress bibliographical features such as bindings, printing processes, type, editions, illustrations, etc. Rare books are not expected. Comic books and graphic novels are acceptable; ephemera alone if of historical interest is acceptable; historical–not current–textbooks may be included.

Example Topics:

  • Vampires
  • Comic books or graphic novels
  • Jane Austen
  • The Beat Poets

Previous Sample Entries:

  An Interdisciplinary Survey of 20th Century Propaganda – Andrew Fink

  Words of the Waves: A Nautical Collection – Emily Selinger

  How To Be Alone – Mack Sullivan

How Do I Win?
Criteria for selection:

  • Clearly state the purpose or unified theme of the collection;
  • Explain the extent to which the collection represents the stated purpose;
  • Evidence of creativity in building the collection;
  • Originality, innovation, and uniqueness;
  • Quality of the collector’s essay describing the collection

A team of judges from campus and The Himes & Duniway Society will determine the contest winners.

The Fine Print:

Students are limited to one entry. The student must be a full time student and the sole owner of the collection. The winners may be eligible for entry into The National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest supported by the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA), the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies (FABS) of which The Himes & Duniway Society is a member, the Center for the Book and the Rare Books and Special Collections Division (the Library of Congress) with major support from the Jay I. Kislak Foundation. http://hq.abaa.org/books/antiquarian/abaapages/contest

If you have questions about book collecting or this contest, contact Anne Bahde at anne.bahde@oregonstate.edu or 541-737-2083.

The Orange Owl ~ flying to a screen near you

It’s ripe for a pun, don’t you think?

Orange Owl, October 1925

We’ve digitized the whole run of the Orange Owl, and you can see all the issues online in The Orange Owl Digital Collection ~ keyword searchable and available in full.

What’s the Orange Owl? It was a college humor magazine published by the Orange Owl Chapter of the Hammer and Coffin National Honorary Society at Oregon Agricultural College during the 1920s. The magazine included humorous and satirical pieces as well as cartoons and pen sketches created by students.

The first issue of the Orange Owl appeared for Junior Weekend in May 1920. In 1921-1922, the humor magazine was published by the Orange Owl Club, which became the Orange Owl Chapter of the Hammer and Coffin Society at Oregon Agricultural College (OAC) in 1922. The Orange Owl promoted creative talents among students in wit, humor, cartooning, and sketching. A broad representation of OAC students were involved in writing, editing, and publishing of the magazine. In the 1926-1927 academic year, more than 40 students contributed materials and more than 35 worked on the managerial and circulation staffs. The magazine was funded by advertising as well as subscriptions.

M. Ellwood Smith and Edwin T. Reed served as faculty advisors for the publication and were referred to in some issues as the “Shock Absorbers”.

Orange Owl, January 1925

According to the 1928 Beaver yearbook, “… the Orange Owl represents the fun and frolic of the students and shows that college life is more than a wearisome grind. It might be called the carnival representative of Oregon State”.

The Hammer and Coffin Society originated at Stanford University to promote literary and artistic talents of students as expressed in wit and humor. In the mid 1910s, the Society transformed into a national collegiate humor organization with 25 chapters.


Five or six issues were published per academic year beginning with volume 3 in 1921-1922. Most issues are 32 pages; as many as 3000 copies were printed and distributed on campus and in the Corvallis community.

The purpose of the magazine was to promote creative talent among students in humorous writing as well as cartooning and sketching. The magazines include poems, jokes, short humorous stories, satire, plays, limericks, cartoons, sketches, and colorful covers. All issues include local and national advertisements. Some material was reprinted by College Humor and other college comic magazines around the country and the Orange Owl also reprinted exchanges from college comic magazines published by other chapters of the Hammer and Coffin Society.

In 1923 and 1927, women students had full responsibility for publishing one issue of the magazine.

This collection includes 43 issues of the magazine, all of which are available online. The collection includes duplicate copies of many issues; however, one issue (volume 2, no. 3 for May 1921) is only available on microfilm and online.

Orange Owl, January 1923

 

A bit late… New finding aids from October & November

Looking for a winter break research project? You might just find inspiration here.

The following is a list of 12 finding aids for SCARC collections that were completed or revised during October and November 2014. All are available through the NWDA finding aids database as well as on the SCARC website. MARC records for these collections are not available through the OSU Libraries’ Catalog, Summit Navigator, and Worldcat — yet.  Creation of MARC records has been placed on hold during the migration to the new library catalog and discovery system.

This month’s batch includes guides for 5 “new” collections that were received in 2013 or 2014, one maps collection, and 3 collections for which we previously had only minimal information available online. In addition, three guides were revised during October and November to reflect additions to the collections and incorporate links to materials that are now available online.  As of November 30, 2014 the OSU Special Collections & Archives Research Center had 795 finding aids in NWDA.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the preparation and review of these new guides – this work is definitely a group endeavor!

New collections received in 2013 or 2014:

Cooley, Roy M., Photograph Album, 1907-1911 (P 302)

This photograph album consists of postcard prints assembled by Cooley during his student years at Oregon Agricultural College (OAC).  Cooley attended OAC in 1909-1911.

 

Crop Science Club Records, 1965-1991 (MSS CropClub)

These records document the membership, programs, and activities of the Crop Science Club at Oregon State University.  The Crop Science Club was established at Oregon State in 1955.  The collection includes 58 photographs.

Norris, Marie, Collection, 1974-2004 (MSS Norris)

The Norris Collection documents Norris’ life and work as a Native American activist, storyteller, and historian and consists of materials created by Norris and assembled by Roger Weaver.  Marie Norris pursued a life of active service to her Klamath community until her death in 1981.  Roger Weaver met Norris in 1974 and was inspired by her to develop a course on Native American literature at Oregon State University, where he was a faculty member in English from 1962 until his retirement in 1996. The collection includes one audiocassette.

Political Identities Project Records, 2010-2011 (RG 256)

These materials document the preparation of sound recordings of student papers prepared for a class assignment on personal political statements.  The Political Identities Project was a joint effort of the Associated Students of Oregon State University (ASOSU) and the Division of Student Affairs.  The records consist primarily of born-digital electronic records.

Rockwell, Theodore, Papers, 1915-2013 (MSS Rockwell)

The Rockwell Papers document the life and career of Ted Rockwell, a member of the Manhattan Project, technical director for the U.S. Navy’s nuclear propulsion initiative under Admiral H.G. Rickover, and co-founder of engineering firm MPR Associates, Inc. and nuclear advocacy group Radiation, Science, and Health, Inc.  The collection also documents Rockwell’s interest in parapsychology and includes extensive research materials on consciousness studies, telekinesis, dowsing, extraterrestrials, and other phenomena.  The papers include photographs, microfiche, sound recordings, and born-digital materials.  A detailed list of the contents of the collection is part of this guide.

Maps collections:

Corvallis and Benton County, Oregon, Maps, 1859-1991 (MAPS Corvallis)

This collection consists of 236 maps depicting Corvallis and Benton County, including road and street maps, land use and comprehensive planning maps, and plans for city parks.  The maps depict roads, parks, schools, public buildings, and natural features.  The maps were prepared by numerous organizations and individuals.  An item-level list of the maps is included with this guide.

Collections that previously had minimal information available online:

Corvallis, Oregon, Photograph Collection, 1902-1964 (P 051)

These photographs (about 50 total) document Corvallis and vicinity in the early and middle 20th century.  A variety of formats are represented in the collection, including panoramic prints, nitrate negatives, hand-tinted prints, and large mounted mural-size prints.  The photographs were assembled from a variety of sources.  An item-level list of the images is part of this guide.

Price, Frederick Earl, Photograph Collection, 1965 (P 073)

This collection consists of photographs of the retirement dinner for Price and includes images of Price’s family and Oregon State University administrators.  Frederick Earl Price was a faculty member at Oregon State and served as Dean of Agriculture and Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station and Extension Service from 1950 until his retirement in 1965.  A detailed list of the 33 images in the collection is included in this guide.

Smith, Clifford L., Photograph Collection, 1916-1919 (P 037)

This small collection of 33 photographs was assembled by Smith and document student life at Oregon Agricultural College in the late 1910s.  Smith earned a BS from Oregon State in 1929 and joined the faculty in the early 1940s.

Updated finding aids:

Engineering, College of, Moving Images, circa 1980 – 1996 (FV P 069)

This collection consists of 2 videotapes and a motion picture film documenting the academic programs of the College and the Multiple Engineering Cooperative Program (MECOP). They also include footage of College of Engineering faculty and students and are available online through links within the finding aid.

Hatfield Marine Science Center Videotapes, 1968-1998 (FV P 254)

These 12 videotapes document the research activities and public programs of the Hatfield Marine Science Center.  Oregon State University established the Marine Science Center in Newport, Oregon, in 1954 as a marine laboratory.  All of the videotapes are available online via links in the finding aid.

United States Forest Service Video Workshop Videotapes, 1988-1989 (FV P 264)

These videotapes (6 total) were generated as part of Forest Service workshops held at Oregon State University.  The productions were intended for a general audience and address reforestation, debris burning, log exports, logging careers, and tree diseases and pests.  All of the videotapes are available online via links in the finding aid.

That’s a lot of video tapes! New additions from KBVR

Several days ago collections archivist Karl McCreary rolled in a dolly of boxes. He left and returned with another dolly of boxes. What’s in the boxes? A whole lot of videotapes!

KBVR, OSU’s student-run tv station is preparing for the closing of Snell Hall and move to the (nearly done!) new Student Experience Center. Karl’s always busy, but the relocation of many student groups and programs over winter break will lead to more accessions from KBVR (e.g. music shows with live bands). He’s also expecting additions from Greek Life and possibly from the Panhellenic Educational Activities Committee.

What’s in the boxes?

Several different formats (VHS, Beta, U-Matic) that are mainly from the 1990s, and a total 8 cubic feet of programs ranging from news programs to music shows, faculty conversations with Gov. Barbara Roberts, ASOSU senate, and nightly news. One to watch for sure is the Ms. OSU pageants, which ended their run in 1993.

I love this label from 1992, which warns us that removing this particular pageant recording from the facility is a no go. It’s okay though, we’re archivists.

I’ll also admit that these two were my favorites of those I saw. I think you’ll see why…

Give us a bit to get these accessioned before storming the gate to get a viewing. If you are anxious just email scarc@oregonstate.edu before making the trip to see if they are available.

Josh McGuffie, Resident Scholar

Many may not know this, but we have a fabulously robust resident scholar program here in SCARC. Joshua McGuffie has been with us for several months and recently gave a talk, which is summarized in this blog post by our student volunteer Anna Mitchell. We thank Mina Carson (professor in the School of History, Philosophy, and Religion) for this photo.

Josh McGuffie, a Resident Scholar in the Special Collections & Archives Research Center, and a Masters candidate in OSU’s History of Science Program, recently reported out on research that he is conducting concerning three distinguished scientists who worked at the Hanford Nuclear Site in eastern Washington. In his talk, he focused on the site during the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. McGuffie researched Hanford scientists Herbert Parker, Dick Foster, and William Rickard, and sought to understand how their narratives pertain to the one of the nation’s most polluted place that was once declared safe.

McGuffie described Herbert Parker’s era as one of “needful vigilance.” Parker came to Hanford to lead in the radiation protection program, and headed up the Health Instruments Division. McGuffie stated that Parker felt a responsibility to protect people from radiation, but also thought that the word “radiation” was dirty and a classified term. McGuffie argued that Parker, “wanted to control radiation and not hide it under a bushel.”
McGuffie found that while staggering amounts of Plutonium spewed from Hanford, Parker held a two-fold goal for himself and for the physicists working with him. First, he wanted to avoid or at least competently handle any radiation to which workers at Hanford might be exposed. Second, he aimed to understand the local population’s chronic exposure to radiation and not allow it to become a problem. McGuffie noted that the second goal has been seen as a failure by many people. Most specifically, in 1949 superiors at the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) conducted a test at Hanford called “The Green Run” that purposefully released up to 80,000 curies of radio iodine and up to 16,000 curies of radio xenon in a single night. At the time of the test, forceful winds blew plumes of radio iodine over Hanford and through the Tri Cities area. Despite ample reason to believe otherwise, Parker continued to argue that the tests should show no explicit danger to human lives.
Next, McGuffie analyzed Hanford scientist Dick Foster, who described Hanford as “safe by any name.” In his talk, McGuffie stated that, “If Herb Parker argued that Hanford was by nature an environmental place, Dick Foster argued that it was a safe place.” Foster grew up in Washington and studied in the School of Fisheries at the University of Washington. Later, he moved to the fish lab at Hanford, where he exposed salmon and white fish to the site’s effluent reactor.

Needed as a coolant, the Columbia River’s water was passed through the reactor and back into the river, after having sat in cooling trenches for hours. In its review of this system, the AEC asked Foster about the effects of a potential reactor failure on the Columbia River. Foster acknowledged this as a problem but noted that, “many of the organisms in the Columbia would be afforded considerable shielding by the riverbank and the typography of the land and depth of water. In the worst case scenario, should the Columbia’s food chain be disrupted by a lower aquatic organism dying in mass from radiation, nearly normal conditions would probably be restored in one years’ time from reseeding and migration.” Foster also claimed that the radiation from effluent found in the Columbia and picked up by fish was not at all hazardous. He was certain that because the amount of released radiation was well within guidelines established by the government, that people and aquatic life would remain completely safe. He believed further that the radioactive landscape was totally natural and safe, and that Hanford could coexist with normal, everyday human life.

The last scientist that McGuffie discussed was Bill Rickard, who described Hanford as “a pristine island.” Rickard had a background in terrestrial research at Washington State University, and in 1960 he was hired at Hanford to conduct both basic and applied radio ecology in the biology department. To Rickard, Hanford represented unlimited field research possibilities that were much more fascinating to him than was classroom teaching at the university level.

Three administration events took place in Rickard’s first decade at the site. The first was in 1962 when, under Herb Parker’s suggestion, 120 square miles of the site were fenced off and set aside for future use. Then, in 1964, the site’s first ecology lab burned down, causing a shift from lab-based research to land-based research. Lastly, in 1968 the biology department was broken apart to create a separate and independent ecosystems department. These three events helped Rickard to develop research in the 120 square miles of land that had been fenced off by Herb Parker.

This land was called the Arid Land Ecology Reserve (ALE) and was designated for desert and grassland biome studies. McGuffie noted that because of ALE, Hanford received funding from the National Science Foundation to participate in the International Geophysical Year, which looked to take a snapshot of the world’s ecosystems. In 1972, twenty-six discrete ecological studies were conducted at ALE. Rickard and his colleagues studied the land as they walked amongst it: they mapped soils and geological features, defined the water table, and studied the ground water flows emerging from ALE’s two perennial springs. Rickard was particularly interested in beetle studies and the study of energy transfer through biomass. McGuffie’s analysis indicates that Rickard’s narrative was the first to focus on the land itself rather than the land in relation to radio nuclides.
McGuffie’s research sheds important light on the different ways in which three scientists vital to Hanford’s story went about approaching radioactivity and the area’s ecology.

Herbert Parker saw himself as a real environmentalist, because he had protected a landscape characterized by atomic risk. Dick Foster saw the radioactive landscape as a safe place, because it was protected within the standards accepted by the social and scientific communities for atomic responsibility. Finally, Bill Rickard saw the land as pristine because it kept intact the biotic communities, even though it sat in the midst of a radioactive landscape.