Collins Unbound

Every semester, the Archives & Special Collections welcomes students from many classes into the A&SC for specially designed classroom sessions. As the Archivist, I work with faculty members and the liaison librarians to create sessions that use archival materials and rare books to supplement the classroom curriculum. These are fascinating sessions that use the resources of the library to support the teaching that is happening all over campus.

This semester I was given the opportunity to create a new archives session for the History department. The session was titled “Moments of ‘Disruption’ at Puget Sound during the Vietnam Era,” and it investigated four key moments of our history during the late 1960s. With the help of Peggy Burge, the library’s Coordinator of Teaching, Learning, and Digital Humanities, I went through boxes of archival materials to curate the classroom session. We identified four moments of ‘disruption’ during the late-1960s at Puget Sound: the faculty divide in support for the Vietnam War; the presence of the Air Force R.O.T.C. program on campus; the Vietnam Moratorium protests; and the list of three demands students presented to the administration at the end of 1969. All four of these moments highlight campus agency and voice during a tumultuous time in our nation’s history.  The students who participated in this class were able learn about campus history and position those events within a greater national context.

By diving into our campus’ history, the students were able to see examples of campus and local activism. Today, as we see signs of protest and activism all over the news, I think it is important to compare and contrast these expressions of activism. What ties these moments together? What separates them?

If you’re interested in learning more about our campus’ history, please reach out to us by emailing archives@pugetsound.edu.

Student protest, 1967 Tamanawas yearbook, p. 128

(From left): Student call for a Vietnam Moratorium, undated; Advertisement in “The Trail”, October 8, 1971)

The Archives & Special Collections is open Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. or by appointment.

By Adriana Flores, Archivist & Special Collections Librarian

Image from top: The Great Pumpkin, 1978; The Great Pumpkin, 1978

Happy Halloween, Loggers! We’re sure everyone is very excited to see President Crawford’s costume at the campus Halloween party in the Rotunda today, so in honor of our current president’s favorite holiday, we’re looking back at another president’s Halloween celebration – President Phil Phibbs in 1978.

In honor of the holiday, the university’s Tour and Travel Committee sponsored a pumpkin carving contest judged by President Phibbs dressed as the Great Pumpkin. According to the November 3^rd issue of The Trail, the SUB was packed with competitors and onlookers. President Phibbs gave a short speech, presented Academic Dean Tom Davis with a security blanket, and threw candy to the crowd. The Learning Skills Center, the predecessor to the Center for Writing, Learning, and Teaching, won the contest with their pumpkin entitled “Mid-terms”.

The Archives & Special Collections is open Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. or by appointment.

By Julia Masur

Did you know that the Archives & Special Collections is home to over one thousand rare books? These special collections items include truly unique works such as Peter Apian’s Cosmographia, published in 1524, and Plutarch’s Lives, published in 1538.

From Left: 1.) The New Testament, translated to Arabic and inlaid with mother of pearl and abalone. 2.) A cookbook from World War I. 3.) A pamphlet by Gail Hamilton with contributions by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps and Harriet Beecher Stowe.

While these particular tomes are a bit too fragile to be on exhibit, we will be showcasing dozens of our other rare books in an exhibit opening this week in the West Reading Room on the 1^st floor of the library. Come take a look while you are in the library and catch a glimpse of a few items from our collection including The history of the pirates, Indian Melodies, The Woman’s Manual of Parliamentary Law, The Negro in the South, and others! And remember, you can always stop by the A&SC during our Open Hours to view any of our books, including the Cosmographia and Plutarch’s Lives. See you soon!

The Archives & Special Collections is open Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. or by appointment.

By Laura Edgar