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.

Introducing Patricia Bruttomesso, new Archival Collections Project Manager

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Patty BruttomessoWe are very pleased to announce that Patricia Bruttomesso has joined University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston as Archival Collections Project Manager.

Patty needs no introduction for many in the local history and cultural heritage communities in Massachusetts and beyond. For more than twenty years, she has worked in local and regional historical organizations in the Northeast and Midwest, most recently with Mass Humanities and, before that, the Bay State Historical League. Her impressive organizational skills and deep commitment to public local history are evident in the annual Massachusetts History Conference, which Patty has coordinated for a number of years, and which attracts hundreds of attendees from scores of organizations throughout the Commonwealth. The conference features panel discussions and workshops on topics of interest to historical organizations and those who work with them.

In her work at UMass Boston, Patty brings her experience and expertise to bear on managing the University Archives & Special Collections department’s physical collections, including overseeing an extensive renovation project to enhance and expand our collection storage, processing and research facilities – no small task!

Patty received her undergraduate degree in history from Brown University, and a Masters in History from the University of Delaware through the Hagley Program in the History of Industrial America. Her doctoral work in U.S. History at the University of Chicago (ABD) focused on the reciprocity of technological and social change in Iowa’s woodworking industry from 1865 through 1925.

Welcome to UASC, Patty!

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.

Historian and UMass Boston alumnus Anthony M. Sammarco ’79 publishes Lost Boston

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With Lost Boston, historian and UMass Boston alumnus Anthony M. Sammarco ’79 takes readers on a nostalgic journey back in time to visit some of Boston’s  disappeared buildings and places in all their grandeur, before the wrecking ball and decline set in. For information about upcoming book talks featuring Sammarco, click here.

From the 1870s up to the present day, 68 different losses are represented in Lost Boston, including schools, churches, theaters, grand mansions, dockyards, racetracks, parks, stores, hotels, offices, and factories. Organized chronologically starting with the earliest losses and ending with the latest, Lost Boston features much-loved institutions that failed to stand the test of time, along with old-fashioned hotels and sports facilities that were beyond updating or refurbishment. Losses explored include Franklin Place, Boston City Hall, Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Hancock House, Gleason’s Publishing Hall, Fort Hill, Franklin Street, Boston Coliseum, Boylston Market, Merchants Exchange, Haymarket Square, Boston Public Library, Horticultural Hall, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Revere House (Hotel), Huntington Avenue Grounds, Charlestown City Hall, Molasses Tank, Cyclorama, Readville Trotting Park and Race Track, East Boston Airport, Boston Latin School, East Boston Ferries, Braves Field, Massachusetts State Prison, Boston Opera House, Boston Aquarium, The Howard Athenaeum, and Dudley Street Station.

Well known locally for his community service in disseminating local history, Anthony M. Sammarco has donated his archives to University Archives & Special Collections in the Healey Library at UMass Boston. Sammarco intends to donate a copy of Lost Boston, along with his research materials and photographs, to University Archives & Special Collections.

For information about upcoming book talks featuring Sammarco, click here. Books will be available for purchase for $18.95 at these events and will be signed by the author.