Collins Unbound

Did you know that you can access almost every issue of The Trail online? Although a full physical collection lives in the Archives & Special Collections, this digital collection is a great resource for students who have trouble finding a time to access the materials in person, or for anyone who just wants to browse through university history in their spare time.

UPS’s student newspaper, now The Trail, was originally published as Ye Recorde. That name lasted from 1895 to 1903, when the name changed to The Maroon. The name The Maroon was also short-lived; in 1910, the newspaper was renamed The Trail, and has used that title ever since. Although almost every issue is available online, some issues are only available in person in the Archives & Special Collections because they are too delicate to scan. There are no access restrictions for research involving The Trail, meaning that you can come in and take a look without setting up an appointment.

The Trail is a rich resource for understanding student life at UPS. Reading it is a great way to get a sense of how students on our campus reacted to important events. The Trail’s coverage ranges from events of national importance, like the Vietnam War and 9/11, to events that matter mainly to our campus community, like the selection of President Crawford and UPS’s decision to leave NAIA and join the NCAA. It also gives us an idea of what students prioritized at that point in time, what issues the student body cared about, and what they liked to do for fun.

The Archives & Special Collections is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 12:00-3:00 p.m. or by appointment.

By Julia Masur

Greetings Loggers!

Feel like you’ve been lacking some inspiration lately? Well, you can only blame your shelf! That is why I am here to spread some shelf-awareness about the art-landish art-ifacts we have on our shelves here in the Archives & Special Collections! How do you define a “book”? Our artists’ book collection really pushes the bound-ries of definition with the wacky, zany, creative surprises held within.

The Smithsonian Libraries define an artists’ book as “a medium of artistic expression that uses the form or function of ‘book’ as inspiration,” and boy will these books make you an author you can’t refuse!

From books that look like lunch to books that can really ruffle your feathers, you’ll find everything from pop-ups to poetry, peek-a-boos to boxes, even glitter and glamour, colors and cut-outs! So lettuce celebrate while you ketchup on what’s inside “Bread and Butter” by Minali Chatani, or it’s sure to be a pheasant surprise if you decide to take “Birds Everyday” by Dorothy McCuistion under your wing!

These artists certainly draw a crowd, so please come take a sneak peek, or take it to the next level and come see any of the other exciting materials we have here in our collections.

The Archives & Special Collections is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 12:00-3:00 p.m. or by appointment.

By Monica Patterson

When I got assigned to work with the Ephemera collection I really had no idea what ‘ephemera’ was. Two years ago I was given the job of re-foldering, re-boxing, and scanning the University of Puget Sound Ephemera collection. It didn’t take long to learn that ephemera are the things that existed or were used for only a short amount of time. We have almost thirty boxes of invitations, programs, pamphlets, calendars, and many other things dating all the way back to 1888. So all of that stuff you usually throw away are actually interesting and insightful pieces of history.

Over the years, I’ve come across some pretty unique things. Some of my favorite items are the fraternity and sorority dance programs. They are little booklets that describe the dance and they also provide a place to write in people you dance with. They are also very nicely put together and look more like a piece of art than a program. More recently, I’ve come across a pamphlet that says SURVIVAL on the front. Of course I was curious. The pamphlet outlines all of the resources on and off campus for any mental or physical health needs. Today, we have all of those resources and more but I do not think they advertise them as ways in which one would survive.

There are many other interesting things in the Ephemera collection. There are menus for banquets that usually have strange food items on them and sports programs that have great photos of the athletes. Check out the Ephemera Collection online or stop by the Archives and Special Collections to get a better look!

The Archives and Special Collections is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 12:00-3:00 p.m. or by appointment.

By Sierra Scott

American Paradox: The Conflict of Thought and Action by Merle Curti is a book in the Archives and Special Collections about the tradition of anti-intellectualism in the United States. It highlights the ironic relationship between how America highly prioritizes education, but continually distrusts the word of intellectuals. Merle Curti was a scholar and teacher, who was committed to the ideals of peace and democracy. He taught both at Columbia University and the University of Wisconsin. Curti actually wrote this book as an expansion of the Brown and Haley lectures that he gave at Puget Sound. Since even now, we are living in a highly volatile political climate, American Paradox might be a good read for anyone trying to gain a context of our nation’s politics and social phenomena. Come check it out!

The Archives & Special Collections is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 12:00-3:00 p.m. or by appointment.

By Laure Mounts