In the midst of beautiful fall leaves and the traditional Beaver orange & black, the Library quad was all pink & blue, Flickr-style. It was a lot of work, but from beginning to end it was also a lot of fun! Want to see how fun? Check out the “Common Ground 2009” set in the osu.archives Flickr account.

We had the chance to talk to many many passersby in the afternoon while Media Services and Facilities Services worked their magic with a crane, big screen, and patience during an enormous downpour. Many great conversations were sparked by the prompt “Do you want to know why there’s a big crane?”

The Gazette-Times wrote a great article, “Projecting a Northwest Image,” and indicommons has a complete global debrief from ALL the Common Ground events Friday and Saturday nights.

Sad that you missed the fun? Short on a time machine? You still have two options! You can view all the images selected for Common Ground on this indicommons page or scroll through all the images on Flickr.

Hard to believe that after all my posts, the day for Common Ground has arrived… We’ll all be in the Library Quad tonight from 5:00 – 9:00, projecting onto the side of Kidder Hall. And no, it won’t be us on the big screen! You’ll see wonderful, historic pictures from all 27 Flickr Commons member institutions.

Can’t wait and want to see it now? Can’t make it but you still want to see it later? All the images have been tagged tagged in Flickr, so you can view the whole show here. You can run this as a slide show, choose whether you want it sorted by relevancy, recent, or interesting, and then click the slide show icon on the right of the page, sit back, and enjoy. You can also view just OSU Archives’ photos in the show by clicking here.

• Want to know more about our event?
• Want to know more about Common Ground?
• Want to know more about The Commons?

October 1st means it’s time to wish you all a happy Oregon Archives Month!

The big Flickr Common Ground slide show is tomorrow from 5:00pm to 9:00pm! You can find out more on our Common Ground site. If you are interested in attending, see you on the south side of Kidder – look for us under the big rain tent (which will be used, undoubtedly, to shield us from moonbeams instead of raindrops). If you can’t make it but know someone who would love to, please pass this on. And yes, we will be raffling off Flickr goodies… For questions, contact Tiah Edmunson-Morton at tiah.edmunson-morton@oregonstate.edu.

If you can’t make it, fear not… There are 3 other events happening throughout October to commemorate Oregon Archives Month!

Glenn Klein and the 1959 4-H Oregon Wagon Trek

Imagine a 225-mile journey from Jacksonville to Corvallis on foot, on horseback, and in a conestoga wagon. Hear the story of how the Jackson County 4-H Empirebuilders Club made this 13-day trek in observance of Oregon’s Centennial in 1959. Glenn Klein, Jackson County 4-H Agent and chief organizer of this amazing event, will talk about his adventures “on the road” and show film footage and a slide show of images from the actual trek fifty years ago! Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 8th at noon to 1:00 in the Willamette Room to hear more about this memorable journey.

A recital showcasing OSU student and faculty poets

Hark! Hear the poetic musings of Beaver wordsmiths in a recital of selected poems penned by OSU students and staff. Originally featured in early yearbooks, at roasts of retiring faculty, and department holiday parties, these will be read by volunteers in the Willamette Room on Wednesday, October 14th from noon to 1:00. We encourage anyone interested in participating in this oratorical opportunity (especially as a speaker!) to check out a sampling of poems featured in the PDF document below. If something inspires you to join us with your voice, please let us know! Check the OR Archives Month event site for pdfs of poems.

Historical Recipes Showcase – the 3rd year of the “Taste of the ‘Chives”!

Fools, trifles, syllabubs and other culinary creatures from the 19th century will be highlighted on Wednesday, October 28th in a showcase of historic recipes featured in cookbooks in the Library’s collection dating from 1814 to 1899. This celebration of the pioneer palate will be held from 12:00 to 1:00 in the East Willamette Room on the third floor of the OSU Valley Library. All dishes will be prepared by volunteers and will be available for sampling. Check out the OR Archives Month event site for recipes.

For more on these activities, visit the 2009 OSU Archives Oregon Archives Month Events page.

It’s true, it’s happening, it’s in one week! And we can’t wait to meet you…

As a Commons member institution, we will show our Common Ground slide show on the south side of Kidder Hall, the building on the north side of the Library Quad on Friday October 2nd. The event time is 5:00pm to 9:00pm. If you want to know more, please check out our Common Ground web page.

Kidder was the site of the library until 1963! Anyone know the answer to this trivia question: where was the library before it was in Kidder? If you know, send me an email to tiah.edmunson-morton@oregonstate.edu

Want to see us? Check out the new Flickr set… It’s full of Dot heads…

What to expect? What’s happening? Want the specifics? Want ideas?

This is an open and free event similar to an open-air cinema experience — think drive-in without the sound, or cars, or a motion picture.

You need to bring something comfortable to sit on if you’d like to stay for the whole loop — 25 images from 27 Archives, Libraries, and Museums from around the world.

Hungry? Check out food options on campus or local eateries on Monroe Avenue.

We’re Oregonians! If it rains on the night the event will still happen, so look for us under the rain tent!

So what is The Commons again?

It’s hard to imagine there are some out there who might not know given how often I write about Flickr, but The Commons is a program with two main objectives: to increase access to publicly-held photography collections and to provide a way for the general public to contribute information and knowledge to these collections. To learn more, please visit The Commons page at http://www.flickr.com/commons/.