Author Archives: Meghan Bailey

Archival collection documents 50 years of UMass Boston

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IMG_1068UMass Boston has come a long way since first opening its doors to students in 1965 — something we were thrilled to see highlighted in a recent Boston Globe article about the opening of the Integrated Sciences Complex.

But there’s so much more to the story of UMass Boston. To that end, University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library is pleased to announce that the records of the Office of Institutional Research and Planning (1964-2012) are now open for research. The bulk of this collection contains long-range plans and five-year plans from 1964 to 1989 and enrollment reports from 1982 to 2000. Formats and document types range from photocopies and reports to correspondence and memoranda.

Though spanning only one linear foot, the contents of this collection document the founding objectives and activities of the university and are of particular significance as we look back on fifty years of UMass Boston. One highlight within the records includes the “Original UMB Plan 1964” from September 1964, which was prepared by the Office of the Director of Planning. The plan indicates the need to establish a new Boston-area campus to “meet the educational needs of the metropolitan area for the next fifty to sixty years” and “accommodate 10,000 to 20,000 college students within a decade or two.” This document outlines proposed curricula, evaluation of enrollment projection, a list of site locations for the new university, and space requirements for faculty and students. The plan also includes minutes of various committees and subcommittees. The original plan was for the university to be open for 1,000 students by September of 1965. The records within the folder entitled “Who Are Our Students? 2002-2012” indicate that by fall 2012,  15,874 students were enrolled, an amazing mark of progress for the university!

If you have any questions or if you would like to schedule a time to explore this or any of our collections, email library.archives@umb.edu or call 617-287-5469.

View the finding aid for this collection here.

University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston collects materials related to the university’s history, as well as materials that reflect the institution’s urban mission and strong support of community service, notably in collections of records of urban planning, social welfare, social action, alternative movements, community organizations, and local history related to neighboring communities.

University Archives & Special Collections welcomes inquiries from individuals, organizations, and businesses interested in donating materials of an archival nature that that fit within our collecting policy. These include manuscripts, documents, organizational archives, collections of photographs, unique publications, and audio and video media. For more information about donating to University Archives & Special Collections, click here or email library.archives@umb.edu.

Publications Office photographs now available for research, online and in person

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Chancellor Carlo Golino greeting students as they arrive on campus. UASC-UAPHO-0004-0293-0006

Chancellor Carlo Golino greeting students as they arrive on campus, circa 1974-1975. UASC-UAPHO-0004-0293-0006

University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston is excited to announce that the University of Massachusetts Boston Publications Office photographs, ca. 1966-2000, are now open for research. Additionally, a number of photographs from the collection have been digitized and are available online at openarchives.umb.edu.

The UMass Boston publications office produced the majority of the university’s publications for many years. On August 1, 1998, Chancellor Sherry H. Penney reorganized several departments at the administrative level, creating one unit that was responsible for enrollment and communication services.

This collection includes photographs and slides from the publications office at UMass Boston from 1966 to 2000. The images in this collection deal broadly with issues related to the university, such as student and staff life, campus buildings, and events. Most people in the photographs are unidentified, though several individuals have been identified, including James Blackwell, Bernard Kramer, Governor Francis W. Sargent, Roger Prouty, Daisy Tagliacozzo, Herbert Lyken, Barbara Buchanan, and Bettina Harrison. Additional photograph subjects include Edward “Ted” Kennedy, Thomas P. (“Tip”) O’Neill, Martin Luther King III, and President Bill Clinton. Photographs of university events include the dedication of Phillis Wheatley Hall and an image from the Founding Day Convocation in 1966.

In the Special Arts Festival (1978) folder is a photograph of Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis presenting a document proclaiming the weekend of May 6-7, 1978, to be Arts Festival Weekend. In the photo, Governor Dukakis is pictured with Dean Michael Richards, Joan Hobson, and … a mime?

Promotional photographs of performers at the Harbor Festival in 1980 include the Children’s Ethnic Dance Co. of the Elma Lewis School, Krakowiak Polish Dancers, Boston punk band The Neighborhoods, choreographer Danny Sloan, performer Mr. Slim, and the Old Time Music and Vaudeville Revival.

We invite you to assist us in identifying faculty, staff, students, community members, and events by commenting on digitized photographs from the collection or by emailing library.archvies@umb.edu with information.

View digitized photographs from this collection here and view the finding aid for this collection. To make an appointment to view the collection, email library.archives@umb.edu.

These records were processed as part of University Archives & Special Collections’ Save Our History! campaign. As part of UMass Boston’s 50th anniversary, University Archives & Special Collections is calling for the transfer of founding documents and organizational records from all units on campus. These units include (but are not limited to) academic departments, administrative units, institutes, centers, and student groups. Read more about transferring University records to UASC.

Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R) records: Now available for research

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PRIM&R 20th Anniversary poster

PRIM&R 20th Anniversary poster, 1984

University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston is pleased to announce the availability of the Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R) records (1972-2008) for research.

Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R) is a non-profit organization that was formed in 1974 in response to increasingly complex and sensitive problems facing research and related clinical practice, such as the indictment of four doctors conducting fetal research at the Boston City Hospital, the Controlled Substances Act, and the United States Public Health Services Syphilis Study at Tuskegee, resulting in the passage of the National Research Act in 1974 and enacting regulations governing the protection of human subjects and mandating institutional review boards (IRBs).

This collection, spanning 39 linear feet, documents the activities of PRIM&R and the organization’s longtime executive director (from 1975-2014), Joan Rachlin, covering the years 1972 through 2008. In particular, the material in this collection documents the planning and arrangement of conferences, including research and the study of relevant topics such as the ethics of medical study and research on human subjects and animals. The collection also documents the member activities of ARENA, the board of directors of PRIM&R, and WISH-net.

The PRIM&R collection includes original documents, correspondence, photocopies, notes, conference proceedings, newsletters, pamphlets, books, serials, posters, floppy disks, CDs, DVDs, Betacam tapes, cassettes, mini-DV cassettes, and micro cassettes. The resource PRIM&R Through the Years: Three Decades of Protecting Human Subjects, which consists of almost thirty years of key talks from PRIM&R conferences, can be found in the special collections of the University Archives & Special Collections department, and in the Healey Library main stacks.

If you have any questions or if you would like to schedule a time to explore the collection, email library.archives@umb.edu or call 617-287-5469.

View the finding aid for this collection.

University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston collects materials related to the university’s history, as well as materials that reflect the institution’s urban mission and strong support of community service, notably in collections of records of urban planning, social welfare, social action, alternative movements, community organizations, and local history related to neighboring communities.

University Archives & Special Collections welcomes inquiries from individuals, organizations, and businesses interested in donating materials of an archival nature that that fit within our collecting policy. These include manuscripts, documents, organizational archives, collections of photographs, unique publications, and audio and video media. For more information about donating to University Archives & Special Collections, click here or email library.archives@umb.edu.

College of Liberal Arts, Dean’s Office records: Now available for research

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College of Liberal Arts, Dean’s Office: records, 1971-2009

College of Liberal Arts, Dean’s Office: records, 1971-2009

University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston is pleased to announce that the College of Liberal Arts, Dean’s Office records, 1971-2009, are now open for research.

This collection, spanning 14.5 linear feet, documents the development and growth of the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Massachusetts Boston from 1971 to 2009, particularly the activities of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Senate, as well as course and program development. Records include carbon copies, photo copies, notes, reports, correspondence, memos, resumes, budgets, strategic  plans, accreditation information, enrollment status reports, program and regents’ reviews, self-studies, statistics, class scheduling, and agenda and meeting minutes for the Faculty Council and the CLA Senate.

Series I includes files that were maintained by Dean Louise Smith, dating from 1971 to 2006. Records from Series V were most likely maintained by Edna Seaman, Associate Dean from 1980 to 1992. Items of note include records for the Writing Proficiency Exam review by the Office of Civil Rights, Senate Actions to improve the exam from 1988 to 1993, and the diversification plan from 1975 to 1979. Also of note is information pertaining to the development of a Black Studies department at UMass Boston from 1974 to 1980.

If you have any questions or if you would like to schedule a time to explore the collection, email library.archives@umb.edu or call 617-287-5469.

View the finding aid for this collection.

These records have been processed as part of University Archives & Special Collections’ Save Our History! campaign. As part of UMass Boston’s 50th anniversary, University Archives & Special Collections is calling for the transfer of founding documents and organizational records from all units on campus. These units include (but are not limited to) academic departments, administrative units, institutes, centers, and student groups. Read more about transferring University records to UASC.

Notes from a Processing Archivist: Playlists from the WUMB-FM Records, 1969-2012

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WUMB Playlist (ca 1971-1972)

WUMB Playlist (ca 1971-1972). Click to view larger image.

As part of my work as the Processing Archivist in University Archives & Special Collections, I’ve been processing 175 linear feet of records and other materials related to UMass Boston’s WUMB-FM radio station. For those unfamiliar with the term, “processing” a collection means conducting research and arranging and describing collection materials in an effort to facilitate access for researchers, historians, scholars, students, and the public. This also includes stabilizing the documents for the long-term preservation of the records. To put it simply, a collection should be organized to help researchers find what they’re looking for by using what archivists call a finding aid, which is like a table of contents for a collection.

WUMB Playlist (1971-04-07). Click to view larger image.

WUMB Playlist (1971-04-07). Click to view larger image.

This may sound like a daunting task, but once I’d surveyed the collection and created a processing plan, I saw a clear view from start to finish. I started processing the WUMB collection in January and have at this point “conquered” most of the paper records. What remains to be dealt with are audio and visual recordings, as well as photographs and ephemera from the radio station. The audio and visual recordings include in-studio interviews and performances as well as recordings of WUMB’s programs. It’s been an enjoyable experience to learn how the radio station is run and sustained – from its humbler beginnings in 1968 to the present.

With this blog entry, I’d like to share some gems I found while processing the WUMB collection. The playlists from the early 1970s are fun and capture the feeling of the time period through the drawings in the margins, which include comic book characters, a talking microphone called Monty, and radio station announcers. The artist, who signed his name as Dave FitzPatrick, was likely a student working at the radio station. Students have had the opportunity to work in the radio station throughout much of its history and these drawings are an example of the energy these students brought to the station.

WUMB Playlist (1971-12-06). Click to view larger image.

WUMB Playlist (1971-12-06). Click to view larger image.

I also want to mention that many of the playlists and staff memos in the WUMB collection were created with a Ditto machine. The Ditto machine (also called a “spirit duplicator” because of the presence of alcohol in the ink)was used to print copies. The Early Office Museum describes that full process here (scroll down to “Hektograph and Spirit Duplicators”).

The solvent used in the Ditto machine makes the blue ink unstable and is a concern for archivists. The ink is sensitive to ultraviolet light and will fade over time if not properly stored. The paper itself is also acidic and will yellow and crumble over time. To prevent the loss of information on the Ditto copies, I’ve photocopied each page onto archival bond paper, which is acid-free and pH neutral. These photocopies are now in the collection as access copies while the originals have been stored in boxes away from sunlight.

Since I am not only an archivist but also an artist, you can see why I am attracted to these drawings. I hope you enjoy these images as much as I do. Please stay tuned for updates on the WUMB collection as work progresses and contact us if you are interested in exploring the WUMB collection, or if you’d just like to learn more about the holdings in University Archives & Special Collections.

University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston collects materials related to the university’s history, as well as materials that reflect the institution’s urban mission and strong support of community service, notably in collections of records of urban planning, social welfare, social action, alternative movements, community organizations, and local history related to neighboring communities.

University Archives & Special Collections welcomes inquiries from individuals, organizations, and businesses interested in donating materials of an archival nature that that fit within our collecting policy. These include manuscripts, documents, organizational archives, collections of photographs, unique publications, and audio and video media. For more information about donating to University Archives & Special Collections, click here or email library.archives@umb.edu.