Collins Unbound

College of Puget Sound Faculty Portrait, 1940

Stop by and explore the treasures of the Archives & Special Collections.  In addition to documenting life at the University, the collections represent regional, national and international issues.  For research assistance, developing a class session, or scheduling a class visit, please contact archives@pugetsound.edu.

I’m pretty bad at endings. The conclusion is always the hardest part of a paper for me to write. I’m rubbish at goodbyes. This blog post has taken me the longest to write.

But, I still have to deal with them.

This summer has been absolutely incredible. I have had such a blast working here in the Archives & Special Collections, and I’m sad to see the end of it. I loved getting to learn about indexing methods, getting really familiar with Excel, solving mysteries, doing an oral history, finding weird advertisements, and dealing with the Library of Congress website (I may or may not have used the list of my earlier blog posts to make that list).

There were some frustrating aspects. Technology was sometimes less than cooperative. I was stuck inside for 8 hours a day yearning to be outside in the stunning Tacoma sun. It often felt monotonous—not in a bad way, just that it involved a lot of doing the same thing over and over again.

All and all, I’m so pleased with how my project has turned out (I’m still working on the finishing touches of putting it online) and I cannot think of a better way to have spent my summer. The most valuable thing about the summer, though, is that it gave me a look into the career possibilities in libraries and archives. As a recent college graduate, I’m still trying to figure out what it is I’ll end up doing with my life but this summer has allowed me to experience working in an archives which I’m now thinking I’d like to do in the future.

Archives & Special Collections, you’ve been good to me. Thanks for a fantastic summer!

Students leaving Collins Memorial Library, circa 1965

By: Jillian Zeidner

Those following the blog this summer will be aware of the work Jillian has been doing.  If you would like to hear more about Jillian’s project, please join us on Friday, August 9 at 10:00am, in the new Archives & Special Collections space outside of room 211.  Jillian will provide an overview of her work and findings from the student newspaper, The Trail.  Light refreshments will be served.

Stay tuned for next week when Jillian will be back on the blog to share her conclusions on her summer work.

I was out of town AGAIN this past week so I don’t have too much to report. But here, have another funny ad! This is for the 1965 Dodge Coronet.

The smaller text says:

“Chuck’s a swinger,” says she. “His Coronet is quick and clean, with a lean and hungry look. It’s equipped with a 426 cubic inch mill that will mock your turtle at the strip or on the street. He’s got four-on-the-floor, buckets, belts, carpets, console, spinners, and a padded dash. And he said that everything but the four-speed stick and the 426 was standard.” The she broke his back by asking, “Didn’t you pay extra for some of that jazz?” Don’t let the truth hurt you. Better see the all-new, hot new Dodge Coronet before you buy a (cuckoo), a (cuckoo-cuckoo), or even a (cuckoo-cuckoo-cuckoo).

Car ads have always been weird.

By: Jillian Zeidner