Archives and Special Collections

New Exhibit: The 1968 Poor People`s Campaign: A Visual Memory

2012-02-01T09:32:00.001-05:00

Before becoming an Assistant Professor of Journalism at Ball State, Ken Heinen spent 35 years as a Washington, D.C. photojournalist. In 1968, he visually captured the story of the Poor People’s Campaign in a series of striking photographs that will be on display on Bracken Library’s second floor from February 1 to April 13, 2012.

After photographing the riots and violence that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, Heinen, who was working as a photojournalist at the Washington Star, volunteered for a long-term assignment to cover the Poor People’s Campaign.

Organized in November 1967 by Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Poor People’s Campaign was part of the second phase of the Civil Rights Movement. The campaign’s purpose was to address issues of economic justice, including fair minimum wage and unemployment insurance, education for the poor, and housing. Ten thousand individuals planned to descend upon southern and northern states, as well as Washington, D.C., to spread their nonviolent message. Dr. King hoped this event would pressure the federal government into enacting anti-poverty legislation totaling $30 billion.

After Dr. King’s assassination in April 1968, SCLC decided to continue the campaign in King’s honor. On May 12, the first wave of demonstrators, spearheaded by King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, began what would become weeks of protest in Washington, DC.
On May 13, a wagon train of mule-drawn carts picked up people from numerous states, beginning in Mississippi, to join the other protestors in Washington. According to Heinen, “The contrast between the wobbly mule-drawn wagons and the continual rushing traffic presented wonderfully graphic images.”

During that same time, a temporary settlement of shacks and tents, known as “Resurrection City,” was built on the National Mall in Washington by the protestors. By June, Resurrection City was forced to close and the anti-poverty legislation had not passed. According to Heinen, the government threw out the protesters and destroyed the shanties after giving them warning.

Heinen says, “I heard bullhorns blaring harsh words from the leadership, but I saw desperation mixed with determination in the eyes of the people riding in those wagons. I sensed the fear blended with the hope they were feeling. These were just plain folks who had swallowed their pride while gathering enough courage to show the nation their rage. They had arrived in Washington unsure of what to expect, but had come fully committed to their quest for economic justice.”
The powerful and striking photographs that Heinen took during this period illustrate and illuminate this important event in American history and the people who lived it.

For more information, contact Archives and Special Collections at libarchives@bsu.edu, or 765-285-5078.

Muncie and Delaware County and Ball State Historic Film Collections Now Available Online

2012-01-23T14:09:00.012-05:00

Ball State Homecoming parade, 1952

The Ball State University Libraries is pleased to announce the creation of two new Digital Media Repository (DMR) collections that provide online access to newly-digitized archival film from Archives and Special Collections. The Muncie and Delaware County Films and Videos collection and The Ball State University Historic Films and Videos collection, when completed, will provide access to several hundred unique visual records of Muncie and Delaware County and Ball State history.

The Ball State University Historic Films and Videos collection contains films that document significant campus events, social activities, athletic events, lectures and notable campus visitors, and faculty research projects from the 1950s through the 1970s. You can see University presidential inaugurations, ground breakings and dedications for campus buildings, speeches and interviews of celebrities and other campus visitors, football games (including Ball State’s appearance in the 1965 Grantland Rice Bowl), Homecoming, promotional films for Ball State, and campus scenes depicting student activities and campus life.

White River flood of 1913

The Muncie and Delaware County Films and Videos collection features rare historical film footage of Muncie and Delaware County from the 1910s through the 1970s. The collection documents local businesses and industry, family life, social activities, buildings, and events. For example the Indiana floods from 1913 and the 1930s, the groundbreaking for the Westinghouse plant (now Progress Rail) in 1959, the Delco Remy UAW strike in the 1970s, and a tour of Camp Chesterfield (spiritual camp) in the early 1970s are all documented in these newly digitized films.

After viewing digitized video objects in the DMR, please consider completing this short digital video survey to help the University Libraries understand how to best provide online video content to our digital patrons.

Protests surrounding George Wallace's
1964 campus visit

These two new collections will continue to grow over the next few months as more films are digitized and added. Please visit the DMR often to see what’s new in these interesting and historically valuable collections. You might see someone you know, or even a younger version of yourself.

Daniel B. Crowder Oral Histories Now Availible Online

2012-01-06T09:19:00.006-05:00

P.008-1288, Warner Gear Plant, circa 1931

The Daniel B. Crowder Oral Histories digital collection provides online access to 16 taped interviews from the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW-CIO) Local 287 members of Muncie, Indiana.

The taped interviews in this collection formed the basis for a dissertation by Daniel B. Crowder entitled "Profile in Progress: A History of Local 287, UAW-CIO." Crowder received his Ph.D. in history from Ball State University in 1969. These interviews cover the history of organized labor in Muncie, Indiana, specifically with United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW-CIO) Local 287 members.

The United Automobile Workers of America, affiliated with the Congress of Industrial Organizations, began their organization in Muncie in 1935. On March 25, 1937, the workers of the Warner Gear Division of Muncie were chartered as Local 287.

New Hire: Archives Collections Specialist

2012-01-06T09:07:00.002-05:00

Archives and Special Collections welcomed Stephen T. Jones, Archives Collections Specialist, on December 12, 2011. Before coming to Ball State University, he worked as a processing archivist at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

Stephen has a M.A. in History from George Mason University and a B.A. in History from Taylor University. His first projects include processing the Muncie Civic Theatre manuscript collection and the Ralph Satterlee Indianapolis 500 photograph collection for digitization.

Happy Holidays...

2011-12-23T09:57:00.003-05:00

...from Archives and Special Collections!

Children with Christmas Tree, 1957
Spurgeon-Greene Photograph Collection

New Exhibit: Behind the Lens: Jerry Joschko’s Delaware County, Indiana Photographs, 1969-1978

2011-11-23T14:32:00.002-05:00

As a well-known photographer in Muncie, Indiana, Jerry Joschko`s dedication to photography landed him a job at the Muncie Star during the 1970s where capturing life, art, and news was not only his career, but his passion. Joschko’s Muncie Star photographs were donated to Archives and Special Collections by his wife Eileen Joschko. Many of these captivating images may be remembered by those who grew up in Muncie during the 1970s.

Joschko began his career as a photography assistant in LaPorte, Indiana and went on to work for several major studios. According to his wife, Eileen, Jerry was drafted into the U.S. Army, and “liked to point out that he ‘fought the Cold War’ during his two years at Fort Ord, California, located near Monterey Bay and Carmel—home of Ansel Adams.” He often recalled meeting the iconic photographer and treasured the afternoon spent discussing landscape photography and the early introduction of photography as art.

In December 1969, Joschko was hired by Muncie Newspapers, Inc. His photographs dominated the news, sports and feature pages with photographs depicting horse racing, ballet, historic fires, landscapes, portraiture, and general events and activities in and around the Muncie area.

Joschko passed away on May 30, 2006 of leukemia. Joschko’s legacy lives on through his photography and what Eileen, their family and friends describe as his “mark” on the world.

Photographs featured within display cases 1-5 show a montage of Joschko’s work in Muncie during the 1970s from the Muncie Star. Display cases 6-8 depict examples of Joschko’s portrait work, and display case 9 features artistic photographs that emphasize his aesthetic interpretation of texture and contrast.

For more information on this exhibit, contact Archives and Special Collections at libarchives@bsu.edu or 765-285-5078.

Digital Media Repository provides online access to Muncie City Directories (1876-1922)

2011-11-04T09:03:00.002-04:00

Now available in the Digital Media Repository is the Muncie City Directories digital collection! This digital collection provides access to 13 full-text searchable volumes of city and rural route directories ranging from 1876-1922.

Full-text searching provides researchers with an opportunity to search a name, business or street and compare that search to every word within the document. Researchers will now be able to find a word or phrase (e.g. Ball, George, Patterson Block, Walnut Street) anywhere within the document, as opposed to searching a set of keywords (e.g. index, alphabetic listing).

City directories in this collection are subdivided into four categories:

Alphabetical listing
Street listing
Numerical telephone listing
Classified buyers' guide

The alphabetical listing features individuals who lived in Muncie, Indiana. The street listing features streets where people and businesses were located. The numerical telephone listing functions exactly as our present day telephone directory. The classified buyers' guide lists all types of businesses as well as professions, clubs, societies, associations, hospitals, cemeteries, labor organizations, libraries, parks, playgrounds, and schools. This category acts as the only complete business classification guide in Muncie, Indiana for these dates. Also included within city directories are advertisements for businesses. These advertisements can be found within the beginning of the city directory as well as throughout the alphabetical listing and classified buyers' guide.

A collection of Muncie city directories from 1923 to present can be found in the Archives and Special Collections reading room. For more information, please contact Archives and Special Collections at libarchives@bsu.edu or 765-285-5078.

Delaware County (Greater Muncie) Habitat for Humanity Collection Available Online!

2011-10-14T11:58:00.005-04:00

The Delaware County (Greater Muncie) Habitat for Humanity Digital Collection includes 10 scrapbooks ranging from 1986 to 2001. The scrapbooks contain photographs, newspaper clippings, correspondence and publicity materials documenting the history and activity of the organization.

Since its inception in 1976, the Delaware County (Greater Muncie) Habitat for Humanity, an independently run community-level affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, has partnered with local families, helping them achieve home ownership. The organization collaborates with churches and other organizations and relies on the support of local business, volunteers, and city and county government officials to realize its mission of providing decent, affordable shelter to families in need.

For more information about this collection contact Archives and Special Collections at (765) 285-5078 or libarchives@bsu.edu.

Learn more about our returning graduate assistant, Tye Winker!

2011-09-16T11:39:00.001-04:00

Tye is pursuing a Master`s Degree in History and is a graduate assistant in Archives and Special Collections in Bracken Library. During his tenure at Ball State, his studies are preparing him for a career in public history. His classes have included projects for oral histories, video game design, and the production of an educational video for the George Rogers Clark Memorial in Vincennes, Indiana. He has also completed a graduate minor in Anthropology focusing on archaeological methods, a degree that he began while attending Marquette University.

In the Spring semester of 2011, Tye and three other graduate assistants developed and curated the exhibit titled, Disappearing Muncie: Our Lost Heritage. The exhibit featured photographs, newspaper articles, and artifacts from the Stoeckel Archives of Local History collection, the Drawings and Documents Archive, and the personal collection of Jeff Koenker. Through selecting and organizing historical items for the exhibit, Tye prepared exhibit captions and descriptions for the local community, students, and researchers to view. The research and preparation for the exhibit provided him with a valuable experience that he will be able to apply toward his future career.

During the Fall 2011 semester, Tye will be processing the papers of Charles Sappenfield, the first Dean of the College of Architecture and Planning, as well as working on various University Archives and Stoeckel Archives of Local History projects. As a graduate assistant, he is learning archival methods including More Product Less Process (MPLP), has familiarized himself with digitization processes, preservation, and our content management system Archivists` Toolkit (AT).

Tye will complete his degree in May 2012 and will be seeking a career in either teaching or public history.

Aerial Views of Delaware County Available for Research Online!

2011-09-08T10:07:00.002-04:00

Students and researchers can now access digital aerial photographs of Muncie, Indiana, in the Ball State Digital Media Repository, a project of the University Libraries. The Roger Conatser Aerial Photographs includes over 1,500 aerial views of Muncie and Delaware County, Indiana, taken by Muncie resident Conatser in 2005. Continuing to grow, the online collection eventually will include digitized materials from various formats and will total upwards of 3,000 aerial photographs ranging from 1985-2005.

Documenting Muncie and its surrounding cities in Delaware County, this digital collection allows a new way to view buildings and natural landscapes through images taken from the air. The photographs provide views of topographical changes in areas like the central business district, Ball State University, churches, schools, agricultural areas, shopping centers, the White River, Cardinal Greenway, Minnetrista Cultural Center, industrial sites, and major roadways.

Researchers can use the Conatser collection in conjunction with other Digital Media Repository collections such as the Muncie Sanborn Fire Insurance maps (1883-1911, 1954-1955, 1965) and the Muncie and Delaware County historic maps and atlases (1826-1903) to compare and contrast the city`s landscape over time.

For more information contact Archives and Special Collections at 765-285-5078 or libarchives@bsu.edu.

Ball State University School of Music Concert and Event Programs Now Available Online

2011-08-30T11:25:00.006-04:00

A performance of Brecht and Weill's
The Threepenny Opera, February, 1964
Click here to view item.

Archives and Special Collections is pleased to announce the addition of the Ball State University School of Music Concert and Event Programs collection to the Digital Media Repository.

This collection provides electronic access to programs from concerts and events sponsored by Ball State's School of Music, previously known as the Division of Music and the Music Department. At present, the programs included in this collection date from 1941 to 1980; materials from subsequent years will be added in the future.

Hornist Robert E. Marsh and

pianist Jean Charles Kohler

faculty recital, November 29, 1961.

Click here to view item.

This collection features programs from student and faculty concerts, recitals, and ensemble performances, documenting various styles including classical, concert band, opera, choral, and jazz music. Programs for performances by non-affiliated musicians sponsored by Ball State can also be found. Prominently documented performance groups in this collection include the Ball State Symphony Orchestra, the Ball State Jazz Ensemble, the Ball State Concert Choir, and the Ball State Concert Band.

Materials in this collection are full-text searchable, meaning that users can search for programs from performances by specific individuals or of specific musical works.

For more information about this and other collections in the Digital Media Repository, please contact Archives and Special Collections at (765) 285-5078 or at libarchives@bsu.edu.

New Exhibit: David Patashinsky Muncie, Indiana Photograph Collection

2011-08-23T11:29:00.001-04:00

When driving down Centennial Avenue have you noticed the little truck in the weeds off the side of the road? Have you seen the hole in the wall beside the “Squeeze Me” sign on a building on Granville Avenue? Noticed the flute player at the Minnetrista Farmer’s Market?

In 2010, Professor James Connolly, Director of the Center for Middletown Studies, commissioned photographer David Patashinsky to capture photographs on the changing character of Muncie, Indiana for their “Documenting Deindustrialization Initiative.” According to Dr. Connolly, “David has an excellent eye for detail and composition and the photographs in the collection capture these changes in the physical qualities of the city in provocative ways.”

The resulting project, David Patashinsky’s Photographs of Muncie, Indiana, depict the architecture of Muncie historic homes, the Ball State campus and individual buildings, factories and businesses, architectural design and details, people, and events. The full collection is available in the Digital Media Repository.

Patashinsky, who was born in Moscow, and attended art school in Russia, has resided in the U.S. for the last 12 years, six of which have been spent in Muncie. Concerning the project, Patashinsky says, “Muncie is an interesting town to photograph. It has a rich and unusual history I am trying to show.” His interests include film and digital photography, and darkroom printing. His cameras of choice are Leica and Zeiss Ikon.

For more information on the exhibit, contact Lajmar Anderson, Archives and Special Collections Supervisor, LDAnderson@bsu.edu, or Bethany Fiechter, Archivist for Manuscript and Digital Collections, BCFiechter@bsu.edu.

Images top to bottom: P028-042 Rusted Sanitary car, P028-037 Minnetrista Cultural Center rose garden gazebo.

Virtual 20th Century Ball Brothers Glass Factory makes debut!

2011-08-15T12:12:00.004-04:00

Combining manuscripts, photographs, architectural records, oral histories and advanced 3D technology, the Center for Middletown Studies, Archives and Special Collections, and the Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts, has allowed researchers to view history in a new and dynamic way through Blue Mars.

Blue Mars is a virtual world that allows researchers to explore user-created content as an avatar in a multiplayer platform. This free, online virtual environment will feature portions of the 20^th century Ball Brothers glass factory in Muncie, Indiana. Researchers can witness the work of a glass factory employee, while also having access to primary and secondary research materials including photographs, architectural renderings, oral histories, and manuscripts from the Stoeckel Archives of Local History, Drawings and Documents Archive, and Minnetrista Cultural Center.

This project is a prototype for a much larger “Virtual Middletown” that will include schools, churches, homes, and businesses ranging from the 1920s to 1930s in regard to the Robert and Helen Lynd studies of “Muncie as Middletown.” For more information about this project, please contact Archives and Special Collections at (765) 285-5078 or at librachives@bsu.edu.

A free download of Blue Mars is also available at www.bluemars.com.

Images top to bottom: P20-0325 Ball Brothers Machine, Otto Sellers Photograph Collection;

Lynd, Robert Staughton, and Helen Lynd. Middletown, a study in contemporary American culture . New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1930; Virtual Middletown Project YouTube video.

Introducing Cardinal Scholar 2.0

2011-08-11T08:30:00.000-04:00

Ball State University Libraries is proud to introduce its new and improved institutional repository, Cardinal Scholar 2.0!

The Cardinal Scholar institutional repository is an online space designed to promote the university’s research publishing distribution strategies by providing open access to scholarly work produced by the Ball State University community and electronic records produced by Ball State and affiliated organizations and departments. Designed as a user-deposit system, Cardinal Scholar encourages community members to contribute to its collection of digital assets.

This updated version of Cardinal Scholar uses DSpace digital asset management software to enhance access to resources uploaded to the repository and will encourage further contribution to the repository through its streamlined and simplified upload process. All items that had been previously uploaded Cardinal Scholar 1.0 have been moved to Cardinal Scholar 2.0.

In order to better organize its assets, the new Cardinal Scholar has been divided into two separate communities: Ball State Theses and Dissertations and Ball State University Records and Publications.

The Ball State Theses and Dissertations section contains scholarly works by Ball State students and is subdivided into the following communities:

The Ball State University Records and Publications community is structured according to the colleges, departments, and offices of the university, and includes the following types of items:

faculty scholarship
electronic educational assets
meeting minutes
newsletters
annual reports
promotional materials
presentations
programs
lecture materials
student group records

The Ball State University Records and Publications community serves as the online archival repository for Ball State University's electronic records.

Other improvements to Cardinal Scholar in version 2.0 include:

The ability for Ball State State users to log in to Cardinal Scholar using their Ball State usernames and passwords
A streamlined, simplified upload procedure to facilitate user contribution
A broader list of item type terms to allow for more precise description and searching
An improved repository homepage that includes a built-in advanced search feature
Enhanced ability to conduct advanced searching within any category of assets

For more information about Cardinal Scholar, visit our FAQ page. Interested in contributing to Cardinal Scholar? Visit our Contributor Guide for more information.

Please direct any comments or questions to Michael G. Szajewski, Archivist for Digital Development & University Records, Ball State University Libraries.

The new Cardinal Scholar homepage.

Muncie Chevrolet Plant Photographs Digital Collection

2011-07-20T08:16:00.005-04:00

Archives and Special Collections are pleased to announce the Muncie Chevrolet Plant Photographs digital collection within the Digital Media Repository! This digital collection includes images from Chevrolet Muncie in Muncie, Indiana ranging from circa 1950-1980 regarding the plant`s construction, expansion, machinery, transmission production, company events, and employees.

The Muncie Chevrolet Plant began manufacturing manual transmissions for passenger cars and trucks in 1935. During the 1960s, the company witnessed rapid expansion and growth of operations at the plant. As the United States auto industry felt the effects of foreign competition and labor struggles during the late 1970s and 1980s, Chevrolet Muncie began a long process of layoffs, facility closings, and partnerships. The company once known as Chevrolet Muncie closed its doors on March 31, 2006.

Image: P.259 Muncie Chevrolet Plant circa 1961-1966.

Also found within the Digital Media Repository are the Muncie Chevrolet Plant Architectural Drawings digital collection. This digital collection includes architectural drawings for buildings erected as part of the T. W. Warner Company, later Chevrolet Muncie between 1918 and 1920.

For more information, please contact Archives and Special Collections at (765) 285-5078 or at libarchives@bsu.edu.

Ball State Yearbook Collection Now Available Online

2011-06-27T09:24:00.000-04:00

The Ball State University Orient Yearbooks digital collection is now available in the Digital Media Repository. This collection provides online full-text searchable access to editions of The Orient, the now-defunct yearbook produced by Ball State students. At present, this digital collection features editions of the yearbook dating from 1919 to 1965.

The Orient provides photographic and textual documentation of student life and campus events from Ball State's history, including pages dedicated to student organizations and academic departments. The Orient also documents sporting events, artistic performances, prominent social events and traditions, and significant campus visits.

Like The Easterner, the earliest predecessor to The Ball State Daily News, the yearbook’s name was derived from the fact that the institution was named the Indiana State Normal School, Eastern Division at the time of the inception of The Orient.

The Orient ceased publication after 78 volumes with its final edition in 1996. A complete collection of the yearbooks in print is open for use at Ball State University Archives and Special Collections.

Below is a selection of images that can be found in various Orient yearbooks.

Ball State's undefeated 1949 football team,
from p. 149 of the 1950 Orient

The Ball State Teachers College Band, from p. 216 of the
1941 Orient

Lambda Chi Alpha's Bike-a-Thon Fundraiser,
from p. 125 of the 1965 Orient

Jazz legend Louis Armstrong performs
at Ball State, from p. 58 of the 1961 Orient

A unique find in the Photograph Small Collections!

2011-06-16T13:41:00.018-04:00

Not very often do we find late 19th to early 20th century photographs of our furry friends! This photograph can be found in the Mrs. Robert Richardson small photograph collection. Dated circa 1890-1920, it also features a photographer stamp by J. M. Barnes from Muncie, Indiana.

Over 300 photograph small collections are being digitized on an ongoing basis for the Digital Media Repository. You can find these photograph small collections under the Muncie and Delaware Historic Photographs Collection.

Ladies and Gentleman: Look into these resources!

2011-05-17T16:13:00.021-04:00

For many Hoosiers, the month of May brings the greatest racing spectacle in the world, the Indianapolis 500! Did you know the legendary award for the winner of the Indianapolis 500 is called the Borg-Warner trophy? The trophy is actually named after a United States automotive supplier, Borg-Warner.

In 1928, the Borg-Warner Company merged with three Midwestern auto part manufacturers, including Warner Gear of Muncie, Indiana; Mechanics Universal Joint of Rockford, Illinois; and Marvel Carburetor of Flint, Michigan--to form Borg-Warner. The Muncie Borg-Warner Company had great success in its early-mid years. The plant closed its doors in April 2009 because North American sales were down.

To further document the life of the Borg-Warner Corporation in Muncie, Indiana, Archives and Special Collections and the Center for Middletown Studies have several items available:

The Digital Media Repository Gear-O-G ram Magazine digital collection includes over 160 issues of the magazine published by and for employees of the Borg-Warner Corporation located in Muncie, Indiana. Published from 1944-1972, the magazines include details of employee activities, announcements of service, awards and accolades, and general interest pieces about automobile transmissions.

The Center for Middletown Studies, in conjunction with Ball State`s Institute for Digital Entertainment and Education, has produced the documentary film Changing Gears, End of an Era (V.282). This documentary film explores the significance and impact of the closing of the Borg-Warner auto parts plant in Muncie, Indiana in April 2009. More details on the film can be found here.

For Indianapolis 500 fans, Archives and Special Collections have two photograph collections from prominent Indianapolis 500 photographers, Roger H. Pelham and Ralph Satterlee.

The Roger H. Pelham Photograph Collection (P.066) ranges from 1950-1971. In 1950, Pelham convinced the Indianapolis Star that he could take pictures with his Leica camera better than anyone else at the race could. He would position himself at one of the four turns of the track in order to take action sequence shots of the cars, especially during turns and wrecks. Pelham`s favorite Indianapolis 500 driver was Jimmy Clarke.
The Ralph Satterlee Photograph Collection (MSS.220) ranges from 1949-1972. Ralph Satterlee was editor and photographer of Borg-Warner`s Gear-O-Gram magazine from 1944-1972. In addition to documenting company and community activities, he extensively photographed the Indianapolis 500. Mr. Satterlee covered the presentation of the traditional Borg-Warner trophy to the winner, and shot photographs of activities and people throughout the month of May.

Top image: Ralph Satterlee Photograph Collection (MSS.220), 1965, Jimmy Clark in victory lane with the Borg-Warner trophy.

Bottom image: Roger H. Pelham Photograph Collection, 1973, Tony Hulman had brought Rene Thomas over for the 1973 race. Rene, in a checkered cap was 85 years old. Rene won the Indianapolis 500 in 1914.

For more information, contact Archives and Special Collections at http://www.blogger.com/libarchives@bsu.edu.

New Summer 2011 Intern

2011-05-09T15:55:00.013-04:00

This summer, Elizabeth will be interning at the Ball State University Archives and Special Collections from May 9, 2011 to August 12, 2011. She is from Elkhart, Indiana and has lived locally in Muncie since her freshman year at Ball State in 2008. A senior this Fall 2011 to Spring 2012 academic year, Elizabeth is involved in the Honors College majoring in History.

She became interested in archives earlier this year when John Straw, Assitant Dean for Digital Initiatives and Special Collections, gave a presentation to Dr. Michael Doyle`s History 240 class. After graduation next Spring, she plans to pursue a Masters program in archival studies. She wants to attend graduate school in the United Kingdom and possibly direct her studies there in archives or museums.

Elizabeth hopes to "gain a good foundation in archival work this summer while interning at the archives....and further relate what [she] learns to the field of public history."

Ball State Spring Commencement Speakers and Programs

2011-05-05T15:45:00.001-04:00

Have you ever wondered what noted figures have spoken at Ball State's spring commencement over the years? Are you reminiscing about commencement ceremonies from years past? Ball State University Archives & Special Collections has complied this list of spring commencement speakers dating back to 1926.

Click on the date of the commencement ceremony to access the digitized graduation program available online in our Digital Media Repository. Click on the name of the speaker for biographical information. Visit the Ball State University Commencement Program collection to view our entire digital collection of commencement programs.

June 18, 1926 - George R. Grose
June 10, 1927 - Shailer Mathews
June 15, 1928 - Elmer Burritt Bryan
June 14, 1929 - Willis A. Sutton
June 6, 1930 - Charles Whitney Gilkey
June 5, 1931 - Homer P. Rainey
June 15, 1932 - Alexander Meiklejohn
June 14, 1933 - James Shera Montgomery*
June 13, 1934 - Paul V. McNutt
June 12, 1935- Francis J. McConnell
June 10, 1936 - Rollo W. Brown
June 9, 1937 - Fred G. Bale*
June 18, 1938 - Thomas Vernor Smith
June 7, 1939 - Herbert Agar
June 7, 1940 - Albert Buckner Coe*
June 6, 1941 - Charles Whitney Gilkey
June 5, 1942 - Boyd H. Bode
May 30, 1943 - L.A. Pittenger
May 28, 1944 - Clyde Everett Wildman
June 8, 1945 - John Temple Graves II
June 4, 1946 - Thomas Vernor Smith
June 3, 1947 - Harold Benjamin
June 1, 1948 - James P. Adams
June 6, 1949 - Howard Pierce Davis*
June 6, 1950 - Ordway Tead
June 5, 1951 - Herold C. Hunt
June 3, 1952 - Thomas Vernor Smith
June 2, 1953 - Raymond Walters
June 8, 1954 - Chester M. Alter
June 7, 1955 - David Dodds Henry
June 5, 1956 - Andrew W. Cordier
June 4, 1957 - Harlan Hatcher
June 8, 1958 - Frederic W. Heimberger*
June 7, 1959 - Virgil M. Hancher
June 5, 1960 - William P. Tolley
June 4, 1961 - A. Blair Helman
June 10, 1962 - Robert D. Swanson

June 9, 1963 - Herman B Wells
June 7, 1964 - William S. Carlson
June 6, 1965 - Frederick Lawson Hovde
June 5, 1966 - O. Meredith Wilson
May 28, 1967 - Stanley S. Kresge
May 26, 1968 - Henry H. Hill
June 4, 1969 - Agnes de Mille
June 4, 1970 - John A. Scott*
June 3, 1971 - Elizabeth Duncan Koontz
May 24, 1972 - John J. Pruis
May 25, 1973 - John Brademas
May 17, 1974 - Roger W. Heyns
May 24, 1975 - Sister Jeanne Knoerle
1976 - 1980 - No Commencement Address
May 23, 1981 - Robert P. Bell
May 22, 1982 - James L. Fisher*
1983-1985 - No Commencement Address
May 24, 1986 - Richard G. Lugar
May 23, 1987 - Charles Everett Koop
May 21, 1988 - James M. Buchanan
May 6, 1989 - Charles H. Shaw, Dane Miller, Robert D. Orr
May 5, 1990 - Birch E. Bayh
May 4, 1991 - Carl Allan de Graaf*, Richard C. Notebaert
1992 - 1993 - No Commencement Address
May 7, 1994 - Richard L. Moake
May 6, 1995 - Thomas Huge*
May 4, 1996 - Twyla Tharp, Nicholas Negroponte
1997-2001 - No Commencement Address
May 4, 2002 - David W. Orr
2003-2004 - No Commencement Address
May 7, 2005 - David R. Gergen
May 6, 2006 - David S. Broder
May 5, 2007 - Andrew H. Card Jr.
May 3, 2008 - Diane Auer Jones
May 9, 2009 - Richard G. Lugar
May 8, 2010 - Angela Ahrendts

1933 - James Shera Montgomery, Chaplain to the US House of Representatives from 1921-1950
1937 - Fred G. Bale, Judge, Westerville, Ohio
1940 - Albert Buckner Coe, Minister, First Congregational Church, Oak Park, Illinois
1949 - Howard Pierce Davis, Minister, Observer, and Analyst of World Affairs
1958 - Frederic W. Heimberger, Vice-President in charge of Instruction and Research at The Ohio State University
1970 - John A. Scott, Editor and Publisher, Lafayette Journal and Courier
1982 - James L. Fisher, President, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education
1991 - Carl Allan de Graaf, Associate Professor of Education, Indiana University
1995 - Thomas Huge, Actor and Entertainer, Class of 1982

For select years in the 1980s and 1990s, the individuals listed were guest speakers at ceremonies for individual colleges.

Conservation in the Drawings and Documents Archive

2011-04-29T13:07:00.005-04:00

In the Drawings and Documents Archive, a drawing of the Garfield Park Conservatory, a design for an outdoor amphitheater in Indianapolis, was carefully cleaned of soot and dirt.

For the full blog post, check out the Drawings and Documents Archive Blog!

Disappearing Muncie: Our Lost Heritage Exhibit

2011-04-28T13:24:00.009-04:00

Disappearing Muncie: Our Lost Heritage illustrates the changes in Muncie`s downtown during the first half of the twentieth century. During its peak, downtown was vibrant and bustling with many multi-storied structures, an illustrious courthouse, hotels, and several movie theaters. However, decades of structural decay and an increased need for more parking led many of these structures, including the Delaware County Courthouse, to be demolished.

Richard Greene, Ball State University Archives and Special Collections

The exhibit was made possible by resources from the Ball State University Archives and Special Collections and the Drawings and Documents Archives. Photographs from the W. A. Swift, Spurgeon-Greene, and Otto Sellers collections will be on display, as well as architectural drawings, ephemera, and newspaper articles. For more information on this exhibit, please contact Archives and Special Collections at (765) 285-5078.

Preservation Perspective: Paper Life

2011-04-26T13:07:00.019-04:00

In 2004, I was fortunate enough to take a printmaking class where we made our own paper and sized it accordingly for our artwork. As an archivist today, the process of making paper sheds light on the importance of paper preservation. Technically, paper consists of fibers that have been reduced to pulp, suspended in water, and then matted into sheets. Paper is made primarily from plant fibers (e.g. cotton, wood, flax, straw, and mulberry). Cellulose is the most important constituent of paper and is composed of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen.

The invention of paper is actually attributed to the Chinese dating back to 200 B.C. With the high demand of paper over the centuries, the quality has declined quite significantly. With this decline in quality, an issue of acidity has presented itself. Factors of acidity come from the types of pulp used to make paper, bleaching, inks, fillers and brighteners. These simple chemical changes create a preservation problem for us all.

When looking into acidity levels and preservation, the pH scale is very important. Sitting in design class years ago, the pH scale was introduced and discussed several times. For artists and archivists alike, paper types, inks, paints, you name it, has to be accounted for when thinking and working in terms of preservation.

Below is a diagram of the pH scale. In the archives, we use acid-free paper and boxes which has a neutral or basic pH (7 or slightly greater) level. Acid-free paper and boxes addresses the problem of preserving documents for long periods of time.

Highly acidic materials like newspaper should be completely isolated from other materials in a collection. Acidity migrates from document to document if not properly stored separately.

It is very wise to consult with professionals in regard to preserving paper documents. The University Libraries' Archives and Special Collections and Drawings and Documents Archives work to preserve history. If you have any questions about preserving your items, please contact us for more information!

Happy Preservation Week! -Bethany

For more information about paper and preservation, please visit the Library of Congress Preserving Works on Paper website. For general preservation, check out Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler`s book on preserving manuscripts.