This is the second CIA Newsletter. The
first newsletter was published in August, 1999 and is also posted on the internet web
site. CIA members are encouraged to send news articles and information (which would be of
use to other archival personnel in the state) to the newsletter editor for publishing in
the next newsletter. (See editor’s address at the end of this newsletter.) Next
newsletter will be published in August, 2000, the deadline will be the end of July.
CIA Meeting
When: Thursday--May 18, 2000; 8:30-1:00
Where: Gold Room, Memorial Union, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Agenda:
8:30-9:00: Arrival (coffee and muffins will be available)
9:00-10:30: Repository reports; MAC report; Discussion
10:30-11:30: Tour of ISU Special Collections Department
11:30-1:00: Lunch at Summerfields at the Gateway Center, Holiday Inn (pay
your own)
Please RSVP for the meeting and/or the lunch to:
Tanya Zanish-Belcher
Head, Special Collections Department
403 Parks Library, Iowa State University
515-294-6648
E-mail: tzanish@iastate.edu
Six Articles from CIA Members
#1
State Historical Society Receives Grant
By Matt Schaefer
SHSI Special Collections
Iowa City
The State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI) has been awarded a
$300,000 National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to
process and catalog the Iowa Labor Collection. Two archivists, Janet Clements and Michele
Christian, started work in October and a cataloger and assistant archivist will join the
project in early spring 2000.
Although Iowa is traditionally thought of as an agricultural state, it
can lay claim to a long and rich labor history. This two-year project has been designed to
enhance access to a major labor archive at the State Historical Society of Iowa in Iowa
City. This project has three purposes, all aimed at disseminating knowledge about the
collection to scholars and laypersons. The primary activities include:
1) archival processing of labor manuscripts including creation of
finding aids in html format, 2) creation of microfilm of 1,100 oral history transcripts
along with finding aid or topical index, and 3) cataloging in OCLC for labor collections,
1,100 oral history interviews, and assorted print materials such as contracts and
agreements and other publications.
#2
Time Capsules
By Grace E. Linden
Archival Records Clerk/
CIA Newsletter Editor
Sioux City Public Museum
Time capsules were recently mentioned in the news media, advertised
for sale in department store ads, and even opened in various places across Iowa on New
Year’s Eve. Archivists do have some interest in the topic as questions arise about
how to preserve materials that are placed in time capsules or how to handle materials that
are removed. An article in The Des Moines Register of December 28th
dealt with this issue and the state archivist, Gordon Hendrickson, gave advice about the
type of materials that should or should not be included in time capsules and how to
properly place the materials in the time capsules. The article also listed a web site for
more information about time capsules at the:
Smithsonian Institution’s Conservation Analytical Lab:
www.si.edu/cal/teaching_time.html
Two different time capsule stories surfaced for this issue of the CIA
Newsletter, both in Sioux City, Iowa. The editor of the CIA newsletter, Grace Linden,
recalls the experience of opening a time capsule that had been sealed for 45 years and the
archivist for the Sioux City Diocese (Sister Kevin Cummings) provides information about
the type of artifacts included in the time capsule sealed at the Cathedral of the Epiphany
in 1997. (See also information on time capsules in the article on ICPC later in this
newsletter.)
#3
KCAU-TV Channel 9 Time Capsule
By Grace E. Linden
Arthur J. Smith, Resident Manager of KVTV-TV Channel 9 (now KCAU-TV)
organized a time capsule project in 1955. Mr. Smith sent letters to 249 people requesting
their participation in "guessing" what the world would be like in the year 2000
(or the 21st Century). The television station received 79 letters from
individuals with their "guesstimates". These letters were sealed in a time
capsule within the television station for 45 years. The people who sent replies for the
"21st Century Guesstimate" represented:
National Television Companies; National and Local Businesses;
Government Agencies; Research Institutes; Colleges and Universities; and Churches
Some of the letter writers from Iowa were:
- Herbert Hoover, President of the United States
- Dwight R. Clark, publisher of the Cherokee Daily Times/Courier
- Gordon Gammack, columnist for The Des Moines Register and Tribune
- H. J. Gleason, Postmaster, Sioux City
- Kathryn W. Graham, President, Sioux City Symphony Orchestra Association
- Leo A. Hoegh, Governor of Iowa
- Charles B. Hoeven, Representative from the 8th District of Iowa, Alton
- Thomas E. Martin, Senator from Iowa in the U.S. Senate, Iowa City
- J. S. Russell, Farm Editor, The Des Moines Register and Tribune
- R. F. Starzl, Editor & Publisher, LeMars Globe-Post
The present station manager of KCAU and the Sioux City Public Museum
Director, Craig Olson, opened the capsule on the New Year’s Eve news program at 10:00
p.m., December 31, 1999. They found that the letters, which had been sealed in a metal
box, were in good condition.
The time capsule box and the letters were brought to the museum for
reviewing and preserving. For the next two weeks the archival records clerk and museum
volunteers had the pleasure of actually opening the envelopes and extracting the letters
and other materials which had been enclosed in the envelopes for the past 45 years. Great
care was given during the letter opening procedures (and the subsequent photocopying of
the letters) for the preservation of the letters and envelopes. Of course, the letters
could not be opened without being read! And such interesting reading, too! Topic within
the letters ranged from the following: concerns of a Third World War by the year 2000;
dreams of having atomic power used as our daily power source in homes and businesses;
outrageous predictions of weather control (there would be no more tornadoes or hurricanes
or blizzards!); and also some accurate predictions about new inventions (cell phones,
VCR’s, rockets to the moon, etc.).
Anyone interested in these predictions please contact Grace Linden in
the Museum Archives. The Museum displayed the letters in an exhibit case on the first
floor of the Museum in the 1950s exhibit, "A Whole Lot of Shaking Going On" from
January through March, 2000.
#4
Time Capsule, Cathedral of the Epiphany
By Sister Kevin Cummings, Archivist
Sioux City Diocese
It may seem that 1997 is practically ancient history and as such
has no place in a NEWsletter! A recent article in The Des Moines Register about
time capsules, however, seems to indicate it might be of interest even now.
In 1997 the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Sioux City, Iowa was in the
midst of renovation and restoration. This included a new approach to the front entrance so
that it would be handicapped-accessible. The south end of the entrance had stairs to
climb. The time capsule was to be sealed in the new cornerstone to be placed in the
"wall" made by these stairs and platform. It is intended that this capsule not
be opened until there is once again a need for further renovation in that area.
The following list is the contents of the Cathedral time capsule.
(Author’s Note: In some cases it may look as if we have an original in the capsule,
when in fact, the original was photocopied onto acid-free paper. This list has been
shortened for inclusion in this newsletter. A complete list and also copies of
proclamation responses and poems can be obtained from the Author.)
1. From the Honorable Bob Scott, Mayor of Sioux City – his
message; a lapel pin of Sioux City; Sioux City pencil; Annual Report 1995-1996 (which gave
a good overview of what the city is and stands for); a visitor’s map and a pictorial
tour of the city.
2. Other Memorabilia from the Cathedral (including annual reports,
photos, coins, stamps, yearbooks, historical memorabilia, etc.)
3. Other Messages about the time capsule (including "the
Proclamation of the Birth of Christ" and the mission statement of the Cathedral
Parish written in each of the three main languages spoken by Cathedral parishioners –
English, Spanish and Vietnamese)
4. Articles about the Cathedral (about Cathedral parishioners, fund
drives, Iowa events, Briar Cliff College events)
5. History of the Diocese (including a list of the Bishops of the
Diocese, a centennial history, and a time line of Catholic history in Iowa – written
by the author of this article).
6. Poems honoring Mary and the Holy Family and the Epiphany event.
The Mayor of Sioux City, one of the dozen or so present, gave a short
talk at the time the time capsule was sealed and the Bishop blessed the cornerstone that
contains the time capsule. These words may sum up this experience (taken from a response
to the Christmas Proclamation that was sealed within the time capsule): "There is no
yesterday or tomorrow for God; all is now, so God has no need of reminders. We, God’s
children, however, live in almost constant need of reminders…". This event will
be long remembered by those present for it.
#5
Just Look at the Records: Preserving the History of Rural Iowa Women
By Doris Malkmus
Rural Women’s Project
Iowa Women’s Archives
University of Iowa
"Preserving Women’s History" is the focus of the
Rural Women’s Project of the Iowa Women’s Archives. This initiative, funded
largely by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation with support from the Land O’Lakes
Foundation, seeks to increase the Archives’ holdings on rural women from all corners
of Iowa.
Rural life is changing rapidly; the old ways are fading from the
landscape and memory. Project archivist Doris Malkmus has traveled the state giving
presentations in over fifty Iowa counties to encourage rural women to preserve the
documents of their history. Diaries, letters, scrapbooks, photograph albums, and club
records provide rich, authentic documents of the changes in rural towns and on farms. Many
rural women are enthusiastic about preserving a record of life as they knew it, but local
support and the personal contact of the Project Archivist are often essential to convince
women that their papers are important to history. After hearing the presentation,
one farm woman noted, the Rural Women’s Project "made me feel like my way of
life, the things I do everyday, are important enough to be recorded by history."
The Iowa Women’s Archives has now received over fifty collections
for the Rural Women’s Project. New holdings include the club records of the Freedom
Township Women’s Club in Palo Alto County; the scrapbooks of Dickinson-Emmet County
legislator Josephine Gruhn; additional papers from Denise O’Brien, international
feminist farm activist of Cass County; the records of a toy lending library, TOYS GO
ROUND, founded by day care providers in Decorah; and the women’s auxiliary of the
Iowa Pork Producers. This project has worked collaboratively with the State Historical
Society of Iowa and other regent’s universities to coordinate outreach and collecting
efforts.
The farm crisis of the last year has resulted in increased concern that
moderate-sized family farms will disappear entirely within this generation. The speed of
these changes has inspired the Iowa Women's Archives to seek funding for a follow-up oral
history project to capture the evolution of women's roles in rural families and farm
organizations over the last decades.
The Rural Women’s Project not only seeks to preserve the important
records of Iowa’s history and culture; it increases the visibility of the Iowa
Women’s Archives and The University of Iowa Libraries around the state. A front-page
article in the Today section of the Cedar Rapids Gazette in March reached thousands
in eastern Iowa, and the exhibit at the 1999 Iowa State Fair led to an article in Successful
Farming. Most importantly, with the aid of this program, rural Iowans can proudly
claim their heritage and say, "Just Look at the Records."
Reprinted from the University of Iowa Library Newsletter, NEWS!
Fall 1999. Written May 28, 1999.
#6
Putnam Museum Receives Photograph Collection
By Janice Hall
Chief Curator
Putnam Museum, Davenport
In 1998, the Putnam Museum of History and Natural Science received
the generous gift of a massive photography collection, the equivalent of half the life's
work of a family of photographers. The Davenport Public Library received the other half of
the collection, consisting of the period mid- 1940s to late 1990s. The Putnam's collection
contains approximately 40,000 - 45,000 glass plate and film negatives, produced from 1896
to the early 1940s by the Free Photo Studio in Davenport, Iowa. Frank Free established the
studio and later his son, Frank, then Frank's widow, operated the business, until 1998.
The diverse collection includes 5 x 7", 8 x 10", 11 x
14" and panoramic images, ranging from individual and family portraits, class
pictures, groups and organizations, local street scenes and weddings. The Putnam's
collection comprises a wonderful, invaluable social history of the community during the
first half of the 20th century.
The Museum was awarded a $10,500 grant from the Historic Resource
Development Program of Iowa for the first phase of housing and cataloging the collection.
Contact Eunice Schlichting, Curator of History and Project Coordinator, for additional
information concerning the collection. Phone: 319-324-1933 E-mail schlichting@putnam.org Fax 319-324-6638.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to all of the above CIA members for
these stories. We would all like to hear from more of you for the next newsletter!
Other News Articles
Creating Archival Scrapbooks
By Nancy Kraft
ICPC Board Member and
SHSI Preservation Librarian
Editor’s Note: I sent an e-mail request to Nancy Kraft
concerning the use of retail scrapbook materials (such as those materials from the
"Creative Memories" company) in a workshop on archival preservation and
scrapbook construction at our local history museum. This is her response.
"The products that Creative Memories use are of archival quality.
Each Creative Memories consultant has a notebook with information on the content of every
product sold by Creative Memories. Anyone can ask to see this information and determine
the archival quality for him/herself.
If an organization is considering having a Creative Memories consultant
give a workshop, it would be beneficial to discuss with the consultant the need to provide
information about other suppliers of archival products at the workshop. Try to impress on
the consultant that while you support their product, it is your obligation to let your
customers/patrons know about other archival suppliers. Let them know that you can not
recommend one supplier over another.
Ask the consultant to have samples of scrapbooks or photo album pages,
done the more traditional way -- without all the cropping and stickers – as well as
the creative way. Contact other archival suppliers and ask them to send their catalogs and
samples of some of their products. Most will be happy to provide you with material for
your workshop.
Feel free to distribute the Iowa Conservation and Preservation
Consortium tipsheets on scrapbooks and photo albums and on archival suppliers. Our Web
site: http://www.grinnell.edu/individuals/stuhrr/icpc/icpc.html
Please invite your audience to attend the ICPC/Humanities Iowa workshop
on time capsules over the ICN on April 26, 2-5 p.m. One of the ICN sites will be at the
LeMars Community High School, Room 128. A complete list is on our web site."
Four Area Workshops
#1
Iowa Conservation and Preservation Consortium (ICPC) Activities
- Time Capsule Workshop over the ICN on April 26 from 2 to 5p.m.
- Second Annual Conference in Cedar Rapids at the new Linn County Historical Society
History Center on June 14.
- Microfilming Workshop in Cedar Rapids on June 15 (working with Heritage Microfilm, Inc.
in preparing documents for microfilming)
For more information contact: Lanny Haldy, ICPC President at the Museum
of Amana History, 319/622-3567 or contact ICPC at the State Historical Society of Iowa,
402 Iowa Avenue, Iowa City, IA 52240. 319-335-3916 or fax 319-335-3935.
#2
"Museums and the Web 2000"
Minneapolis, Minnesota
April 16-19, 2000
A workshop on web-related issues for museums, archives, libraries and
other cultural heritage institutions will be held in Minneapolis in April. A book is also
available on this topic, entitled: Museums and the Web 2000: Selected Topics. For
more information: http://www.archimuse.com/mw2000/
MW2000, 2008 Murray Ave., Suite D, Pittsburgh, PA 15217
#3
Upper Midwest Conservation Association Workshops
We Can Work It Out: The Care and Preservation of Print and Negative Photograph
Collections, June 1-2, 2000, Minneapolis (deadline May 1st)
Ideal Conditions: Environmental Monitoring for Museums, Libraries and Archives, July
28-29, 2000, Minneapolis (deadline June 26th)
Care of Textiles, August or September, 2000, various locations
New Materials in Conservation, August or September, 2000, various locations
Stipends are available that reduce the fees by 50%. For more
information contact the Field Service Department at 612-870-3128 or e-mail: UMCA@aol.org
Upper Midwest Conservation Association
2400 Third Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55404
612-870-3120
fax 612-870-3118
www.preserveart.org
UMCA Award Winners in Iowa
The Field Services of the UMCA has announced the winners of the
Subsidized Survey Program. Two sites were chosen in Iowa: Hickman-Johnson-Furrow Library
of Morningside College in Sioux City and the Putnam Museum of History and Natural Science
in Davenport. These institutions will have a survey conducted at their facility for a
fraction of the cost normally charged by UMCA.
Also, the North Lee County Historical Society in Fort Madison, Iowa has
received the Mentorship Award from the Field Services of the UMCA.
#4
Campbell Center For Historic Preservation Studies
The Campbell Center is located in Mount Carroll, Illinois about 30
miles northeast of Clinton, Iowa. The preservation courses offered at the Campbell Center
are in these major areas: Architectural/Historic Preservation; Collections Care (including
historical, archaeological, ethnographic and natural sciences); and Conservation Refresher
Courses. The courses are held throughout the summer and into early fall. Scholarships are
available.
The "2000 Course Catalog" for the Campbell Center for
Historic can be seen online at:
http://www.campbellcenter.org
Contact the Campbell Center for Historic Preservation Studies at 203
East Seminary Street, Mt. Carroll, IL 61053. 815-244-1173, fax 815-244-1619.
Four Miscellaneous Articles
#1
Repositories of Primary Sources
A listing of over 3700 web sites describing holdings of manuscripts,
archives, rare books, historical photographs, and other primary sources for the research
scholar can be found at this web site:
http://www.uidaho.edu/special-collections/Other.Repositories.html
Thanks to Jeffrey Dawson of the State
Historical Society in Des Moines for this site address.
#2
Dear Abby Letter
By Grace E. Linden, Editor
Did everyone see the "Dear Abby"
letter about preserving family history? The letter writer expressed concerns of
"magnetic media" and trying to preserve our history in that manner. The writer
suggested that even though we use audio tapes or computer disks to retain information, we
should also "print out" the information we have and send several copies to other
family members for safe keeping. Abby’s response: "I hope families who are
interested in preserving their family histories will take your advice. Technology has
taken a giant leap in the last 100 years. It’s ironic, however, that the most
reliable way of preserving the information is still on paper – a
‘technology’ that was perfected 2,000 years ago."
Editor’s Note: Does everyone know that
Abby or Abigail Van Buren is actually Pauline Esther Friedman of Sioux City, Iowa? Her
twin sister Esther Pauline Friedman is better known as "Ann Landers". They
attended Central High School in Sioux City and then left the city to pursue their careers.
#3
Research Request for CIA Members
Editor’s Note: I received this research and thought
I’d pass it on to you all.
"January 25, 2000
Consortium of Iowa Archivists
I am doing research for a book about the
practice of matrimonial advertising in 19th century America. I am especially
interested in examples of how these ads were used by pioneer settlers on the Western
frontier. These ads are the equivalent of the ‘personals’ found in newspapers
today. They appeared in the classified sections of regular newspapers, often on Sundays.
There were also special ‘matrimonial papers’, some of which were distributed by
matrimonial bureaus, that also advertised their services in the classified section of
daily, weekly, and monthly newspapers.
I am trying to collect a variety of these
classified matrimonial advertisements from different newspapers, published between 1840
and 1899 and it has been very difficult to locate publications containing them. I have
written to various historical societies around the country and all have replied that 19th
century newspapers are not indexed, making it almost impossible to locate the ads without
going through individual newspapers, edition by edition, page by page. But my project
caught the interest of a few archivists working at these historical societies and
libraries and they have been the source for most of the ads I have found thus far. They
either recalled seeing such ads in the past or, after having read my letter, ran across
them while researching another topic, in either case, they contacted me and provided
invaluable leads.
I would like to reach a larger pool of
archivists and individuals working with historical collections. Would it be possible to
publish an author’s query or a short article about my research in your newsletter
asking your readers to contact me if they have any information relevant to my topic?
I am an independent scholar and author, but
am affiliated with the University Without Walls program at Skidmore College. The book I am
planning to write will be a thoroughly researched work of history intended for a popular
audience."
Sincerely,
Laura Taxel
2954 E. Derbyshire Road
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
216-321-4692
E-mail: lrite@interax.com
#4
Job Openings
There are two positions that are in the
process of becoming available at the Iowa State University Library in Ames, Iowa:
Collections Archivist and University Records Analyst. For more information check out this
web site:
Anyone who works with archival materials in
the state of Iowa can be a member of the CIA. To be recognized as such, we do need your
name and mailing address. We will then add your name to the CIA Membership list on the CIA
Internet web site. You will be notified of CIA workshops and the publication of the CIA
newsletter. For those who do not have Internet access, we will mail these notices to your
business address, otherwise members can read the notices and the newsletter on the CIA
Internet web site.
If you know of other people in the state of
Iowa who work with archival materials and are not currently receiving the CIA newsletter
(or do not know about the CIA Internet web site), please contact the CIA Internet web site
webmaster, Tanya Zanish-Belcher at Iowa State University or contact the CIA newsletter
editor and give us their names and addresses. Thank you.
