Category Archives: Announcement

New Finding Aids: April – June 2022

SCARC completed eight new finding aids from April to June 2022!

  • Wigrich Ranche Photographic Album (P352): The Wigrich Ranche (sic) was a hops farm located in Buena Vista, Oregon, approximately 3 miles southeast of Independence in an area that was called the “Hop Center of the World” between 1900 and 1940. The Wigrich Ranche (sic) Album documents the operational and worker activities of the farm.
  • Corvallis Lesbian Avengers (MSS CorvallisLesbianAvengers): The Corvallis Lesbian Avengers Collection documents the activities of the Corvallis chapter of the Lesbian Avengers throughout the 1990s. The Corvallis Lesbian Avengers were a local chapter of the national Lesbian Avengers organization. Originally formed in 1992 in New York City, the Lesbian Avengers were a direct-action group focused on issues vital to lesbian survival and visibility. The bulk of the collection is made up of photo albums and scrapbooks containing photographs, news clippings, flyers, artwork, poetry, and other paper material. The collection also includes a small collection of artifacts, an annotated calendar, and 3 issues of the Necessary Friction zine produced by the Corvallis Lesbian Avengers. The entire collection is digital and fully available upon patron request or for use in the SCARC reading room.
  • Fred Milton Papers (MSS Milton): The Fred Milton Papers cover a wide range of topics related to the life of Fred Milton. Fred Milton was an up-and-coming football star at Oregon State University (OSU) in the 1960s. He later left OSU and professional athletics, and led a long career in public service. Topics addressed in this collection include the “Beard Incident” at OSU, where he clashed with his football coach over facial hair rules, the 1969 Black Student Union Walkout, his athletic career, his public service career, and his family. The bulk of the material consists of newspaper clippings and scrapbooks. The entire collection is digital and fully available upon patron request or for use in the SCARC reading room.
  • The History of Atomic Energy Collection (MSS Atomic): The History of Atomic Energy Collection is the largest collection related to nuclear history in SCARC. All topics related to the nuclear era appear in this collection across a range of material types.
  • Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine Records (MSS LPISM): The Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine Records detail the research and administrative activities of LPISM from the time of its founding in 1973 to its move to Oregon State University and rebranding as the Linus Pauling Institute in 1996, and later dissolution as a formal legal entity. Based in Palo Alto or the surrounding area for its entire history, the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine was primarily dedicated to the study of orthomolecular medicine and, in particular, the potential therapeutic use of vitamin C in the treatment of conditions ranging from the common cold to cancer. The Institute’s scientific pursuits are documented through research notebooks, laboratory data, scientific photographs, patent files, grant applications and more. LPISM’s administrative work is likewise chronicled through, among other material types, board meeting minutes, correspondence, legal records, donor files, annual reports, audiocassette recordings and biographical data.
  • President’s Office Subject and Correspondence Files (RG 013 – SG 11): The President’s Office General Subject and Correspondence Files consist of microfilmed records documenting the administration and functioning of Oregon State University — primarily during the 1950s and 1960s.
  • President’s Office General Subject File (RG 013 – SG 06): The President’s Office General Subject File consists of microfilmed records documenting the administration and functioning of Oregon State University – primarily during the 1920s through 1940s, and including materials pertaining to World War II.

Three New SCARC Finding Aids Added in December 2019

The three new collections added were received by SCARC in 2015 and are now available to researchers through the Archon finding aid database. Additionally, two out of these three new collections are electronic, as they were born-digital and digitized, representing 38.4 Gigabytes of new archival material. The addition of these finding aids brings the total number of collections available through the Special Collections and Archives Research Center to 1,026 as of January 1, 2020.

Read more about these new collections below:


Raul Peña Collection, 1968-2005 (MSS Peña)

The Raul Peña Collection consists of Peña’s personal scrapbook and a compilation of video-recorded news stories depicting the struggles of migrant farm workers in Oregon during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Peña served in the U.S. Army and Oregon Army National Guard in the 1970s and 1980s, and advocated for migrant worker rights through his work for the Bureau of Labor and Industries in the late 1980s and 1990s.  This collection consists of digitized versions of the scrapbook and video content.

Roy Philippi and Beth Miller Philippi Scrapbooks, 1915-1943 (MSS Philippi)

The Roy Philippi and Beth Miller Philippi Scrapbooks were assembled by Oregon Agricultural College student Roy Philippi and his daughter-in-law, Beth Miller Philippi, herself an alumna of Oregon State College. The scrapbooks document student life at Oregon State College during World War I and the beginning of World War II, primarily through candid snapshots and newspaper clippings.

The Beth Miller Philippi scrapbook is in fragile condition and a digital surrogate should be consulted as a primary source of access. This surrogate is available in the Special Collections and Archives Research Center Reading Room, or remotely upon request.  The collection includes 232 photographs.

Oregon State University Libraries and Press Oral History Collection, 2018-2019 (OH 041)

The Oregon State University Libraries and Press (OSULP) Oral History Collection primarily consists of audio-recorded interviews conducted with current employees of the OSU Libraries and the OSU Press, all of which were structured using a set script of interview questions. A smaller subset of the collection is comprised of more individually tailored interviews with former employees of the OSU Libraries. Members of each OSULP branch and department are represented in the collection, which includes interviews with library faculty, staff and student workers. Online access to the interviews, as well as a promotional video, is provided through a dedicated project homepage.  The collection includes 50 oral history interviews.

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?