Category Archives: Collections

Posts about our collections.

Mass. Memories Road Show in the news, accepting applications for 2015

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Carolyn Goldstein, interviewed on Chronicle for the Mass. Memories Road Show.

Carolyn Goldstein, interviewed about the Mass. Memories Road Show as part of an episode about UMass Boston for WCBV Boston’s Chronicle. Click the image to view the video.

The Mass. Memories Road Show was featured last week on WCBV Boston’s Chronicle as part of a segment produced on the occasion of the university’s 50th anniversary. The episode included photographs from the collection and recorded footage from a number of Mass. Memories Road Show events, including last year’s stops in Lexington and Provincetown.

Are you interested in bringing a Road Show to your community? We are now seeking applications for events to be held in 2015. The deadline to apply is July 25, 2014, and applicants will be notified in early September. Click here for information about how to apply, or email carolyn.goldstein@umb.edu with any questions.

Volunteers and contributors at the Lexington Mass. Memories Road Show

Volunteers and contributors at the Lexington Mass. Memories Road Show, March 2013

Mark your calendars for our next two events in two Boston neighborhoods:

Allston-Brighton Mass. Memories Road Show
Veronica B. Smith Multi-Service Senior Center
20 Chestnut Hill Avenue
Sunday, October 26, 2014

West End Mass. Memories Road Show
West End Museum 
150 Staniford Street
Saturday, November 15

 

The Mass. Memories Road Show is a statewide digital history project that documents people, places and events in Massachusetts history through family photographs and stories. In partnership with teams of local volunteers, we organize public events to scan family and community photographs and videotape “the stories behind the photos.” The images and videos are indexed and incorporated into an online educational database. Since its launch, the project has gathered more than 8,000 photographs and stories from across the state. It is supported in part by the Patricia C. Flaherty ’81 Endowed Fund at UMass Boston.  

University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston was established in 1981 as a repository to collect archival material in subject areas of interest to the university, as well as the records of the university itself. The mission and history of UMass Boston guide the collection policies of University Archives & Special Collections, with the university’s urban mission and strong support of community service reflected in the records of and related to urban planning, social welfare, social action, alternative movements, community organizations, war and social consequence, and local history related to neighboring communities. To learn more, visit blogs.umb.edu/archives.

 

Happy 50th Anniversary, UMass Boston!

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bill-signing-for-blog

We are excited to share this historic photograph from the University Archives in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Governor Endicott Peabody signing the legislation establishing the University of Massachusetts Boston on June 18, 1964. The Massachusetts Legislature passed the bill establishing a Boston campus of the University of Massachusetts system on June 16, 1964.

In this photograph are Frederick S. Troy, University of Massachusetts President John W. Lederle, Joseph P. Healey, Robert D. Gordon, Hugh Thompson, and Louis M. Lyons (standing, from left to right), and Massachusetts Governor Endicott Peabody (seated). The photograph was taken in the Office of the Governor in the Massachusetts State House on Beacon Hill in Boston, Massachusetts.

View more photographs from UMass Boston’s history here.

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.

Ring Them Bells! UMass Boston, Park Square, and Elevators

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100 Arlington Street, UMass Boston's first home in Park Square. UASC-UAPHO-0001-0112

100 Arlington Street, UMass Boston’s first home in Park Square. UASC-UAPHO-0001-0112

The Massachusetts Legislature established the University of Massachusetts Boston in 1964 and the university opened its doors in 1965 at a renovated building in Park Square. That building, located at 100 Arlington Street and built in 1927 to serve as the corporate headquarters for the Boston Consolidated Gas Company, was the primary home to UMass Boston until the university moved to Columbia Point in 1974.

100 Arlington continued to be used by UMass Boston for a number of years and, from 1995 to 2010, was home to the Boston Renaissance Charter School, one of the first 14 charter schools approved to operate as public schools by the Massachusetts Secretary of Education in 1994. Earlier this year, though, the building at 100 Arlington began a new life after being repurposed into retail space and 128 luxury apartments. A one bedroom/one bathroom apartment in the newly renovated building leases for $3,800/month.

A discussion of Boston real estate costs aside, something I enjoyed seeing on the website for this new apartment and retail complex was a picture of the lobby elevators – elevators I’ve read about and seen photographs of in our University Archives collections.

Students outside the elevators at the Arlington Street building in Park Square. UASC-UAPHO-0001-0097

Students outside the elevators at the Arlington Street building in Park Square in 1966. UASC-UAPHO-0001-0097

There are a few photographs that we’ve digitized as part of our 50th anniversary photo indexing project that show UMass Boston students, faculty, and staff outside the lobby elevators at 100 Arlington in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Much has changed, but if you look closely at the newly renovated lobby and the photographs on our digital collections site, you’ll notice that a few telling characteristics remain.

A mail chute between two of the lobby’s five elevators. Pillars along the wall leading up to the elevators. A building directory frame that, in the redesigned lobby, now frames a large mirror.

People outside the elevators in the lobby of the Arlington Street building in Park Square. UASC-UAPHO-0001-0096

People outside the elevators in the lobby of the Arlington Street building in Park Square in 1966. UASC-UAPHO-0001-0096

But more than these photographs, there are snippets of information in our collections, contributed by UMass Boston community members, about the elevators in the lobby of 100 Arlington.

In one story, Linda Dittmar, an early faculty member in the English Department, describes the “lurching elevator that ferried us up and down [and how the elevators] still had a live operator announcing each floor …”

In another story, UMass Boston alumnus Joe Szocik writes about how the elevators helped create a more social environment: “… waiting for an elevator and riding the elevator provided many opportunities for talking to people from different classes.”

And in an interview conducted in the fall of 1998 as part of an oral history project, an early faculty member in the Music Department, Nicholas Tawa, talks about trying to hold concerts in the Arlington Street building’s lobby and “having to muffle the elevator bells because they kept on ringing.”

A lot in the newly purposed building at 100 Arlington has certainly changed, but at least those bells are still ringing.

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.

Who’s Who? — Honorary degree recipients and faculty members at 1999 Commencement

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As part of UMass Boston’s 50th anniversary celebrations, students working with University Archives & Special Collections have been digitizing, describing, and making available photos from the school’s past. View our collection of University Archives Historic Photographs.

While every effort is made to identify individuals and events pictured, we can always use your help filling in some of the gaps! Every week we will post a new photo with missing information, and if you recognize the people or event simply make a comment below or email library.archives@umb.edu telling us what you know. With your help we can create an even better record of UMass Boston’s history!

In this photograph from 1999 Commencement, honorary degree recipients Judith Jameson, Chris Patten, John Lewis, Daniel Goleman, and Donald E. Rodman stand with four UMass Boston faculty members (in black robes).

If you can help identify these UMass Boston faculty members, please comment below or email library.archives@umb.edu.

Judith Jameson, Chris Patten, John Lewis, unidentified woman, unidentified man, unidentified woman, unidentified woman, Daniel Goleman, Donald E. Rodman. University Archives & Special Collections, University of Massachusetts Boston: UASC-UAPHO-0002-0117-0003.

Judith Jameson, Chris Patten, John Lewis, unidentified woman, unidentified man, unidentified woman, unidentified woman, Daniel Goleman, Donald E. Rodman. University Archives & Special Collections, University of Massachusetts Boston: UASC-UAPHO-0002-0117-0003.