September 12, 2017
by special collections & archives
Comments Off on Fun with History 205-Public Presentations in Cline Library

Fun with History 205-Public Presentations in Cline Library

Bessie Hyde in boat below Tuckup Canyon, Grand Canyon Mile 165 on 11/27/1928

Every semester Dr. Linda Wood’s History 205 learns about historical research by investigating the disappearance of Glenn and Bessie Hyde. To facilitate this, Special Collections and Archives participates by providing mass access to:

MS 33 The Glen Hyde Collection
MS 77 The Martin Anderson Collection, Series 8, Box 13, the Hyde Mystery
MS 318 The Bones in the Boathouse Collection
NAU.PH.2001.11.1-4 Glen Hyde photo albums
Map 247.01 Scroll Map of the Colorado River
F788.D556 2001 Dimock, Brad, Sunk Without a Sound: The Tragic Colorado River Honeymoon of Glen and Bessie Hyde
In addition, the students get to see the Kolb movie that documented the finding of the Hyde’s boat

It is a nice mix of primary and secondary source students consult so that they can complete their assignment- which is to create a prototype for a sign to be installed where the Hyde boat was found, to explain the event to people on the river. The student presentations are this week, Sept. 14, 11:10-12:30 in Special Collections. The student’s works are always entertaining!

Also related to HIS 205 is a talk to be given by local historian John Westerland to Dr. Wood’s class on his research into the Mt. Elden gravesite, and the commonly known story behind the grave. This is Dr. Westerlund’s trip through history to attempt to verify the story behind the murder of little John Edlen Jr. Dr. Westerlund’s talk will be in Cline Library rm. 200, September 28 at 11:10am.

Who says the Historical Method isn’t fun!

July 21, 2017
by special collections & archives
Comments Off on The Day Louie the Lumberjack Visited Special Collections and Archives

The Day Louie the Lumberjack Visited Special Collections and Archives

It isn’t often we get celebrities in the archives, but we had a special one on Monday July 1th. He came striding in, Ax in hand just like he owned the place!

He blew in the doors like he owned the place!

The pensive Louie contemplating the wonders of the Pine.

Louie the Lumberjack came to the Cline Library, Special Collections and Archives on Monday morning to check out our holdings of the alumni magazine, the Pine, and to film a little video footage. Like all celebrities, Louie did have a small entourage with him.

Louie reading select issues of the Pine while the camera crew, director and handlers look on…

Louie also meets the historic 1933 mascot: the 25 lb. copper Lumberjack ax!

In reality, the filming was being done to create a video (that will go out to alumni) to promote the news that the Pine is coming back as a paper periodical(!). From as nearly as we can tell, one of the first issues of the Pine came in October 1957 to promote Arizona State College news and events around homecoming that year-unfortunately we don’t know when volume 1 was printed. The Pine may have been a little episodic until 1961, but the had a solid print publication history until the late 2000s when it became a digital publication. The Pine then to a little hiatus after the Fall 2015 issue. The Pine as a title has a very long history at our university. It was first used as the title of the student newspaper (before the Lumberjack). Welcome the Pine back!

Meanwhile for other campus-related publications and history, know that the Special Collections and Archives website provides full-text, online access to the Pine and Lumberjack student newspapers, the La Cuesta yearbook, and to commencement programs.

Visit the archive online or in person to see these treasures. Even Louie thinks its fun!

May 16, 2017
by special collections & archives
Comments Off on Announcing the 2017 Elizabeth M and PT Reilly Intern – Shannon Sassone

Announcing the 2017 Elizabeth M and PT Reilly Intern – Shannon Sassone

Shannon Sassone, Cline Library’s 2017 Reilly Intern.
Photo courtesy of Kris Karlson

The Cline Library Special Collections and Archives is excited to announce Shannon Sassone as the 2017 Elizabeth M and PT Reilly intern. Some of you may remember Shannon as a Cline Library student assistant a few years ago when she was an undergraduate at NAU. Shannon is now a second-year master’s student in communication and documentary studies, set to graduate later this summer. She has been teaching post production for the creative media and film majors in the School of Communication and was recently awarded the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant for the 2016-2017 school year. She worked previously as a creative services producer for New 4 Tucson, the NBC affiliate out of Tucson, Arizona for two years following a promotion as a studio production assistant. Her freelance filmmaking career began immediately upon finishing her undergraduate degree in electronic media and film from NAU and she was fortunate enough to travel extensively with Clubhill Media, a production company based in Washington DC. Shannon has been filming since she was 12 years old and remains passionate about all aspects of the filmmaking process. Her academic and professional career allow her to continually learn and grow and she looks forward to working with the Sue Bennett collection this summer.

As the Elizabeth M and PT Reilly intern, Shannon will work closely with the staff of Special Collections and Archives to develop both a virtual and physical exhibit showcasing the life and work of Sue Bennett, a Flagstaff photographer who was tragically killed in an automobile accident in 2003 at the height of her creative powers. Shannon will interview former friends and colleagues to better understand Sue, her work, and how Sue contributed to and nurtured the photography community of Flagstaff. Shannon will develop the storyline for the exhibits by making selections from Sue’s collection that will convey the arc of Sue’s life and work. This exhibit will be more than just beautiful pictures, Shannon will weave in the voices of Sue’s friends to help tell the story of Sue as a friend, mentor, and photographer. At the end of the summer, Shannon will have completed the virtual exhibit and prepared the physical exhibit to be installed in the fall.

March 21, 2017
by special collections & archives
Comments Off on 2017 Elizabeth M and PT Reilly Summer Internship – Deadline Extended to Friday, April 7th

2017 Elizabeth M and PT Reilly Summer Internship – Deadline Extended to Friday, April 7th

The Cline Library at Northern Arizona University has extended the application deadline for the Elizabeth M. and P.T. Reilly Summer Internship to Friday, April 7, 2017.

Sue Bennett Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Utah
John Running Photograph (NAU.PH.4.1.30.10.64)

The 2017 Reilly intern will work closely with Cline Library’s Special Collections and Archives staff to develop physical and virtual exhibits focused on the life and photographic work of Flagstaff photographer Sue Bennett (1948-2003). Bennett moved to Flagstaff in the mid-1970s because of her love of the Southwest and to attend NAU; she graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science. She subsequently became a well-known and highly successful commercial photographer at the regional, national, and international levels. In addition to her significant talent, Bennett fostered other local photographers’ creativity and built community with fellow Flagstaff artists.

Sue Bennett, Zion National Park
John Running Photograph (NAU.PH.2013.4.1.30.8.68)

In 2013 John Running, Bennett’s long-time partner, donated her work to Special Collections and Archives. Approximately 150,000 color slides, black-and-white negatives/prints, and prints form the bulk of the collection. Detailed diaries and journals provide additional contextual insight into her work and personal life.

The department envisions the exhibit as a contextual and intimate chronology of Bennett’s life through the progression of her photography. A careful balance between photographs as objects of art and as sources of meaningful context will underpin the exhibit.

Duties and Opportunities: The 2017 Reilly intern will assume primary responsibility for the virtual (web-based) exhibit. The intern will also provide significant support for development of the physical exhibit, from its interpretive text to design and fabrication.

The internship offers the opportunity to gain practical experience in:

*Research
*Synthesis of primary and published sources
*Exhibit Planning (team-based)
*Storyline development and content interpretation
*Web page design, creation, and digital storytelling
*Public speaking (presentation to library staff upon completion of the internship)

The Reilly intern will work 40 hours per week for ten consecutive weeks. The successful candidate will select a preferred ten-week block between May 15 – August 8, 2017. The workweek schedule offers some flexibility.

Stipend and Housing: $4,500 (no benefits included) total. The Reilly intern will be paid in bi-weekly installments to reach the total of $4,500. On-campus housing is subject to availability. For more information, please consult https://nau.edu/Residence-Life/Housing-Options/Summer-Housing/. Renting a room in the community is also a possibility. The successful candidate must be willing to relocate to Flagstaff for ten weeks and underwrite his or her own food, lodging, transportation to work, and parking.

Qualifications: The preferred candidate will be a graduate student in information science or museum studies working toward a career in a library, museum, or archives setting. Graduate students should be currently part of a program with an anticipated completion date of August/September 2017 or later. Undergraduate (junior or senior) students are also encouraged to apply.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities Required:

*Strong ability to write creatively while employing advanced research skills
*Demonstrated experience with web design
*Advanced communication skills (oral, written)
*Familiarity with video and audio software tools, HTML editing, and the Adobe Creative Suites products
*Ability to work as part of a team
*Basic experience with Microsoft Office products

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities Preferred:

*Knowledge of Colorado Plateau and Southwest history
*Understanding of photographic and print making processes
*Familiarity with archival practice

Application Deadline: April 7, 2017. To apply, submit the following documents to: Peter Runge, NAU Cline Library, Box 6022, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-6022 or email Peter.Runge@nau.edu:

*Résumé or vita
*Letter of application addressing your qualifications, including hyperlinks to any previous online exhibits or products that you may have created/designed
*Copy of current transcript
*Names and contact information for three references

For more information, contact Peter Runge via email at peter.runge@nau.edu or phone at (928) 523-6502.
The mission of Cline Library’s Special Collections and Archives Department is to collect, preserve, and make available archival materials that document the history and development of the Colorado Plateau. Interdisciplinary in nature, the collections include 7 million manuscripts, 1 million photographs, 35,000 books, 2,000 maps, and 1,300 oral histories. Learn more at http://archive.library.nau.edu.

Flagstaff is a city of 67,000 at the base of the San Francisco Peaks surrounded by the Coconino National Forest. Approximately 80 miles from Grand Canyon and 140 miles from Phoenix, Flagstaff enjoys a four-season climate at an elevation of 7,000 feet. NAU has a growing and diverse student population and is a committed Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution and Employer of National Service. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.

March 14, 2017
by special collections & archives
Comments Off on Lake Mary Runneth Over

Lake Mary Runneth Over

In the middle of a workday in the middle of last week you could find a crowd of people gathered at Lake Mary to witness a rare sight; the spillway was overflowing. To non-locals this might sound like a ridiculous reason for celebration, but in this dry climate we tend to get excited about water and this year we’ve seen more of it than usual. According to Meteorologist, Lee Born, as of the last day of February Flagstaff had passed 150% of its annual total for the water year which begins in September. The snowfall total for this winter is 10 inches above the average.

Following a severe drought in 1897 and 1898 that caused the death of hundreds of head of livestock and raised great concern among people in the Flagstaff area, Timothy Allen Riordan decided he would build a dam to ensure water for the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company as well as for livestock. In 1904 he began building the dam and named it and the lake it created after his eldest daughter, Mary. In 1918 the lake flooded as you can see in the image below. Later the lake was stocked with fish and it became a popular recreation area. In 1935 the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company gave the land and the lake to the U. S. Government so that it could remain a public recreation facility.

Lake Mary flooding in 1918. Image Courtesy of the Arizona Historical Society/ Flagstaff’s Housley Collection AHS.0409.00003

Today the surface water collected from Lake Mary represents the second largest source of Flagstaff’s water supply. According to the City of Flagstaff, 2.7 billion gallons of water are used by our citizens in a single year. The Lake Mary water treatment plant is capable of treating up to 8 million gallons of water per day. The last time Lake Mary overflowed its spillway was more than a decade ago during the winter of 2004-05. Check out the photos below that compare the spill over in 2004-2005 with the flow last week.

Image from the NAU General Photograph Collection Lake Mary and spillway, Winter of 2004-2005 NAU.PH.2005.11.11

Image Courtesy of Karen Underhill, 2017

February 22, 2017
by special collections & archives
Comments Off on Sue Bennett Photographs now Digitized and Online!

Sue Bennett Photographs now Digitized and Online!

It’s only a start, but Special Collections and Archives has digitized a wonderful selection of 38 photographs from the Sue Bennett Collection. Bennett (1948-2003) was a highly successful (regionally, nationally, and internationally renowned) commercial photographer in Flagstaff; SCA received her entire life’s work in 2013. Since then, SCA has made significant progress on describing the materials in a finding guide (see previous link) but until now has not displayed any of her work visually. The 38 selections SCA has made (thus far) come from Bennett’s self-described and separated ‘Super Super Selects.’ Below are a couple of examples. In the coming weeks SCA will be adding rich contextual descriptive metadata to these images in order to facilitate enhanced access to them. Stay tuned as we add more amazing images from Bennett’s collection to our digital archives!

Grand Canyon – Little Colorado River, 1986. NAU.PH.2013.16.6.3.2.48

Sheep in Italy, 1993. NAU.PH.2013.16.6.3.2.78.

February 15, 2017
by special collections & archives
Comments Off on Internship Opportunity 2016-2017

Internship Opportunity 2016-2017

Northern Arizona University
Cline Library
Archival Internship Announcement
2017-2018 Collier Internship

The Cline Library at Northern Arizona University invites applications for The Collier Internship.

The 2017-2018 Collier intern will inventory, digitize, and describe photographs (transparencies, negatives, prints, digital) created by physician and photographer Michael Collier. Collier has been photographing regionally, nationally, and internationally at significant locations since 1970 and has amassed a significant body of work that speaks to his passion and strengths as a photographer. Highlights include photographs of numerous national parks (such as Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and Death Valley); geologic features (such as Alaska glaciers, California faults, and Mount St. Helens); and portraits of individuals.

Duties and Opportunities: The 2017-2018 Collier intern will work closely with Collier and Cline Library’s Special Collections and Archives (SCA) staff to assist in the preparations for the eventual transfer of Collier’s photographic legacy to SCA. Tasks will include inventorying physical collections (slides, negatives, and prints) in Microsoft Excel; digitizing and editing a selection of transparencies; and enhancing descriptive metadata (locations, subjects) using Library of Congress-approved authorities.

This internship offers the opportunity to gain practical experience in:

• Archival arrangement and description and the use of controlled vocabularies
• Contextual research and effective communication of Collier’s work to others
• Digitization and use of related hardware/software
• Photographic creation, editing, and organization
• Independent and collaborative projects

Most work will take place at Collier’s office in downtown Flagstaff, with periodic work at Cline Library. Transportation to Collier’s office is the responsibility of the intern.

The Collier intern will work 364 hours over the course of the academic year (or 36 weeks) and on average 10 hours/week. Hours can be flexible. The intern will earn $12/hour, paid bi-weekly through the academic year.

The internship is expected to begin early in the Fall 2017 semester. Depending on financial resources and/or project success during the first year, the internship may be extended an additional year.

Qualifications: Currently enrolled NAU students (undergraduate and graduate) are encouraged to apply. Candidates should have a demonstrated interest in photography, communications, geography, information science, or another related area.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities Required:

• Strong ability to analyze visual data while employing advanced research skills
• High level of detail and organization
• Advanced communication skills (oral, written)
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Basic experience with Microsoft Office products

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities Preferred:

• Demonstrated experience with digitization hardware and software
• Knowledge of Colorado Plateau and Southwest history
• Understanding of photographic and print making processes
• Familiarity with archival practice

Application Deadline: Open until filled or the end of the spring 2017 semester. To apply, submit the following documents to: Peter Runge, NAU Cline Library, Box 6022, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-6022 or email Peter.Runge@nau.edu:

• Résumé or vita
• Letter of application addressing your qualifications
• Copy of current transcript
• Names and contact information for three references

For more information, contact Peter Runge at peter.runge@nau.edu or (928) 523-6502.
The mission of Cline Library’s Special Collections and Archives Department is to collect, preserve, and make available archival materials that document the history and development of the Colorado Plateau. Interdisciplinary in nature, the collections include 7 million manuscripts, 1 million photographs, 35,000 books, 2,000 maps, and 1,300 oral histories. Learn more at http://archive.library.nau.edu.

NAU has a growing and diverse student population and is a committed Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution and Employer of National Service. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.

February 9, 2017
by special collections & archives
Comments Off on Victor H. Green’s Negro Travelers’ Green Book

Victor H. Green’s Negro Travelers’ Green Book

Green Books and Maps

Usually when I sit down at the keyboard to add a story to this blog, the story focuses upon a collection, or the status of an exhibit or it is something vaguely humorous (archival humor, that is). What I present today really falls into a whole other sort of set of categories. I’ll elaborate-

A few years back, we became re-acquainted with a title that in some ways was a relic of a happily lost past- Victor Green’s Negro Motorists’ Green Book (and the subsequent Negro Travelers’ Green Book) through some inquiries made by National Park Service researchers who were looking into the status of historic businesses along Route 66 here in Flagstaff. The little guide books listed places in cities and towns all across America that would accommodate African American travelers. As Mr. Green stated: “it has been our idea to give the Negro traveler information that will keep him from running into difficulties, embarrassments and to make his trips more enjoyable.” A very loaded statement given the timeframe in which the Green Book was published and used.

Given Special Collections and Archives’ interest in travel and tourism in the Colorado Plateau region, the Green Book then was a very particular lens through which we could view tourism within the region- and we wanted copies. Unfortunately beyond the very rare and expensive copy or two that slid through E-bay, none could be had at any price we could afford.

You can imagine the collective excitement when while searching for new books for our collection, I ran across a new reprint copy of the 1941 edition on Amazon, put out by About Comics. I decided to e-mail About Comics with a couple of questions- why did they elect to reprint the Green Book (and why 1941?), and could we expect more editions in reprint? My first discovery was that About Comics was really one man, Nat Gertler, and here was his response:

“I think the Green Book is a great thing to have available because its very existence tells a piece of the sad history of America. The fact that in a nation filled with places to stay and to get a meal, the African-American traveler needed to have this sort of list, of places that would accept their money which was as green as anyone else’s, speaks to the problem of the time. When you read a copy of the Green Book, you’re kind of hoping that it would be filled with explanations of why there are such limitations, what’s going on, and angry invective railing against the injustice, but when you see it with its simple listings, ads, and little articles, you realize that it is far fiercer indictment without those things. To expect this book to announce the injustice of it all is like expecting a fish to say “I was swimming, in the water.” The water doesn’t need to be mentioned. The water is everywhere, it is assumed. There was not a single person who bought the Green Book back in 1940 who didn’t know why it was needed; they were just glad to have it available.”

He continues:

“As to why About Comics, a company that as its name suggests specializes in books of comics and books about comics, is reprinting it: About Comics is a one-man operation, strictly small time and kept that way on purpose. If About Comics is doing anything, it’s me, Nat Gertler, doing it. When I publish something, it’s generally just because I find it interesting, and reckon that if I do, perhaps others will as well. Sometimes I’m wrong. When I first heard about the Green Book, I knew that I wanted to have a copy, and perhaps I was not the only one. This time, I was right.”

About more releases:

“The 1954 edition of the Green Book (by then, its name was changed to The Negro Travelers’ Green Book) should be available within a couple days. I picked that year because it was far enough from the first edition we reprinted, 1940, that the material would have evolved… and also that was the year of Brown v. Board of Education, which was of course a key point (if far from the final one) in curtailing the segregation of America. I may well continue to reprint various volumes if the market shows demand, although I think that for a lot of people simply having one will be enough. There were also similar travel guides for American Jews, and it would be good to bring one of those back in print. Beyond that, I really don’t have any long-term plans for anything. We’ll see where inspiration and suggestions (I’m always open to ideas) take me.”

So, come on by and see these two books that we now have in SCA, they are at the same time historic, and seemingly relevant once again. I will guarantee you’ll never look at travel in our nation quite the same way again.

Thanks, Nat for putting these books into our hands (and the hands of our researchers) again.

January 20, 2017
by special collections & archives
Comments Off on Snow, Snow, Snow…Let It Snow.

Snow, Snow, Snow…Let It Snow.

As the snow falls this weekend in Flagstaff, we wish you a safe and fun weekend.

Photograph_of_snowmobile_on_snow_storm_aftermath_in_Flagstaff_Arizona_December_19_1967

Image courtesy of the Fronske Collection, circa December 1967.

Image courtesy of the NAU Cline Library, date unknown.

San_Francisco_Peaks_Skiing_Arizona_Snow_Bowl_near_Flagstaff_View_from_San_Francisco_Pks_3_Skiers_Caption_by_Josef_Muench

Image Courtesy of the Josef Muench Collection, circa 1960

January 17, 2017
by special collections & archives
Comments Off on Sue Bennett Collection Finding Guide Now Available

Sue Bennett Collection Finding Guide Now Available

Sue Bennett Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Utah John Running Photograph (NAU.PH.4.1.30.10.64)

Sue Bennett Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Utah
John Running Photograph (NAU.PH.2013.4.1.30.10.64)

Special Collections and Archives is pleased to announce the creation and release of the Sue Bennett finding guide.

Sue Bennett was born in Pasadena, California in 1948. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Southern California in 1972 then moved to Flagstaff, Arizona where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in 1975. While attending the Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff she enrolled in many photography classes where her photographs of athletes impressed local photographer John Running. She did an internship for Mountain Bell taking marketing photos and later worked for the Arizona Tourism Board. Around this time, she started a freelance photography business called Sue Bennett Photography Inc.

Bennett was a masterful business woman, marketing herself and her work. In her later career, she was sought after by top agencies to shoot ad campaigns for clients such as Dupont, Olympus, Nikon, IBM, American Express, and many others.

In May of 2003, Sue died tragically in a car accident near Palm Springs California. She was remembered by friends and colleagues not just for her remarkable photography, but as a fun loving, kind and generous person.

In 2013 John Running, Bennett’s long-time partner, donated her work to Cline Library Special Collections and Archives. Approximately 150,000 color slides, black-and-white negatives/prints, and prints form the bulk of the collection. Detailed diaries and journals provide additional contextual insight into her work and personal life.

Special Collections and Archives will be developing an exhibit featuring Sue’s work that will open in October 2017. The department is receiving applications for the Elizabeth M and PT Reilly Summer Internship until February 17, 2017. The Reilly intern will be responsible for developing the physical and virtual exhibit under the supervision of an archivist. See the internship announcement here.