Just Visiting: Idaho’s Protected Wilderness

New Digital Collection and Window Exhibit at Albertsons Library

2014 marks a big year for the United States ~ the Wilderness Act is turning 50! In 1964, with a few swishes of President Lyndon Johnson’s hand, the President acknowledged the intrinsic value of wild and unspoiled spaces and almost 10 million acres of federally owned land were afforded the highest level of conservation and preservation. In fact, the law states that a wilderness is “where a man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” At the time, the new law created the most restrictive land-use policy for public land in the world, because of its constraints on logging, mining, road construction and the use of motorized vehicles.

Can you imagine the controversy and negotiations which were necessary in the decade leading up to the 1964 signing? Since the Wilderness Act impacted both the current and future uses of the land, almost everyone had an opinion and you can bet that very few agreed on much. From what areas to include and which activities should be allowed or prohibited in those areas, the topic was a hot one. Idaho’s political figures spent a good deal of time in Washington D.C. and back home listening to constituents and drafting legislation to build a responsible system for wilderness.

Today, the State of Idaho’s designated wilderness areas have increased to 4.5 million acres (3rd most in the country) and in the fifty years since the Wilderness Act was passed, the debates rage on - pitting ATV enthusiasts against backpackers, mining companies against conservationists, and states against the federal government...and that’s just the short list! Does federal control of land in Idaho trample state rights or does federal control of the land protect Idaho’s public land from economic exploitation? Does the desire to have a space as natural and wild as possible unnecessarily limit the outdoor enthusiasts’ ability to enjoy that
space? Who decides how to manage public land?

 

To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act, Special Collections and Archives recently published a new online Wilderness Collection. We also have a wonderful new window exhibit created by Mandy Moncur (a graduate student in the history department who interned with Special Collections and Archives this summer). The new exhibit highlights key people and places associated with the Wilderness Act
in Idaho.

Interested in learning more about the Wilderness Act? Here’s how—browse the newly created online collection, view the new exhibit on the 2nd floor of Albertsons Library, or visit Special Collections (open 9-5, M-W). We have letters, speeches, government reports, photographs, diaries and much more available for research. We invite you to discover the pleasure of studying national policy at the most intimate level - first hand from the people who helped to create and shape it!

The digital collection contains material from the collections of Frank Church, Cecil D. Andrus, Len B. Jordan, Larry LaRocco, Gracie Pfost, Ted Trueblood and others.

Jennele Estrada & Jim Duran,
Special Collections and Archives

Construction Update in Albertsons Library

Summer time may be synonymous with beach reads, cold drinks, and floating the river--but it also means construction projects! 

The library elevator renovation project is about half way completed. Contractors continue to work on the elevator motor and refurbishing the cabs. Renovation is projected to be completed just after the start of Fall 2014 semester. 

Starting Friday, July 11 construction will commence on relocating Starbucks’ entrance. The door will be moved to the vestibule to improve traffic flow in and out of the coffee shop. The project is slated to be completed in less than 10 business days. Starbucks will remain open throughout the duration of the construction so your iced latte addiction can continue unimpeded.

If you have any questions about construction and access to the building and collections during the project, please contact Mary Aagard at maryaagard@boisestate.edu or 426-4025.

Freedom Summer

Photo from the Frank Church Collection in Boise State University, Albertsons Library’s Special Collections

Idaho Senator, Frank Church, advises then President Lyndon Johnson during the creation of the Civil Rights Voting Act of 1965. This bill was conceived in response to demonstrations and violent reprisals against demonstrators throughout the South during the early sixties.

The summer before the bill was signed into law more than 700 university students, black and white, journeyed to Mississippi to assist the locals in registering to vote. It was thought by the organizers, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), that the participation of these students would draw greater attention to the lack of not only voting rights, but the general poor standard of living of the black citizens of Mississippi. Within a day of the students’ arrival, three of them went missing. Their bodies were not found for six months. This time in American history is known as Freedom Summer.

An American Experience documentary on Freedom Summer recently premiered on PBS. You can still watch it online http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/freedomsummer/ or learn more about this momentous time in American History through a number of resources at Albertsons Library including:

The print book Freedom Summer by Doug McAdam looks at the impact of Freedom Summer on volunteers’ political, professional and personal lives

http://boisestate.worldcat.org/oclc/17676678

John Dittmer’s Local People: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi examines the experiences of the local black communities during Freedom Summer and beyond 

http://boisestate.worldcat.org/oclc/29184630

Another print book, Faces of Freedom Summer, presents the event from the viewpoint of photographer Herbert Eugene Randall, who documented the experience

http://boisestate.worldcat.org/oclc/44454539

The ebook, After Freedom Summer, examines how the event changed the political landscape of Mississippi http://boisestate.worldcat.org/oclc/757826249

The video Freedom Summer, produced by A&E, is available online in a streaming format http://boisestate.worldcat.org/oclc/677927121

This blog post is the first in a series, produced in coordination with the celebration of Albertsons Library’s 50th Anniversary.

Elizabeth Ramsey,
Assistant professor, Librarian

Celebrate Idaho!

 "Idaho" by w i n t e r t w i n e d  is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

124 years ago, the state of Idaho was welcomed as America’s 43rd state. I grew up in south-central Idaho and have a deep love for the Gem State. Every year on this day, I like to sing the Idaho state song and the Idaho centennial song. 

I was in 4th grade during the Centennial year, and in 4th grade you study Idaho history. Not only did I learn the state song and the county song, I also learned the song chosen to commemorate the centennial, “Celebrate Idaho.” You can hear a recording of this song, along with other Idaho centennial songs on this cassette tape, “Celebrate: A Selection of Idaho Centennial Songs” found in the library’s Curriculum Resource Center.

If you are not an Idaho native, or if you haven’t had a chance to travel to all of the Idaho places you wish to go, check out “Northwest Getaways: Trips in Idaho and Beyond,” published by the Idaho Statesman. The Library collects topographical maps of the various parts of the state so if you are looking for new hiking trails, fishing spots, or public land to camp on--you can check out these maps for 2 weeks at a time. Though I grew up here, there are still plenty of places for me to explore. As you travel the state, use the hashtag  #IDBucketList to let us all know about your adventures.

Singing of Idaho…  Mary Aagard

Library Closed on July 4th

The Albertsons Library, along with the rest of campus, will be closed on Friday, July 4th. Regular hours resume on Saturday, July 5th, but our online resources are available to you 24/7.

Have a safe & happy Independence Day!

Meet Deana, one of our new librarians!

Hello, I’m Deana Brown, the newest Librarian and Assistant Professor at Albertsons Library, and I'm super excited to be at Boise State! I’m from Oregon, but have also lived in New Mexico, and could have ended up in Kazakhstan. That’s a story for another time. I have been working in both public and academic libraries since 2004, and came to Boise State after serving as the Reference/ Instruction Librarian at Santa Fe Community College in New Mexico.

You might know me from such blog posts as, “Yarn bomb the Library!” I believe, and research shows, you retain more of what you learn when you’re having fun, and what better place to learn than the library? I have a B.S. in Fine and Applied Arts (Photography and Visual Design) with a minor in Arts Administration from the University of Oregon, and a Masters of Library Science from Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas. This might seem like an odd combination, but I see them as a perfect fit. Art is all about problem solving and telling stories, and so are libraries!

I look forward to helping students navigate the library's resources while achieving their academic goals, and serving as the liaison to the Philosophy and Psychology Departments. I’m interested in breaking down physical and mental barriers to access, developing instruction tools that effectively incorporate technology, and discovering areas where art and design intersect with librarianship. I don't know everything, but will go to the ends of the earth to help you find it!

Another long story is my name. I’m going to guess about half of you pronounced it wrong in your head upon reading it above. So, since I have you here, I thought I'd clarify, in hopes of helping you avoid that awkward moment when you aren't sure how to spell/ pronounce it.

It is indeed spelled with one "N". Two N's would be De-anne-a.
It is pronounced - Dee-na. Alternately, Dean (like a man's name) and then "uh" (as in, "Uh, you have food stuck in your teeth.")

Don't worry if this doesn't stick, we'll just keep working on it.

I’m looking forward to seeing you around campus and at the reference desk!
- Deana

Meet Elizabeth, one of our new librarians!

In a crazy coincidence all three of the careers I’ve had have been involved with the organization and presentation of information: graphic artist, English as a second language instructor, and now, academic librarian. Although I loved my first career, I could see the huge impact technology was starting to have, and knew I would have to retrain whether or not I stayed in the field. I started taking Japanese language lessons, thinking a new language could be the key to new possibilities, and ta-daa, in less than a year I was living in Japan and teaching English to high schoolers.

I continued as an ESL teacher when I came back to the states, but eventually decided to go back to school to complete my graduate degree, finishing not long after the Great Recession – what great timing! I count myself lucky to have found a new job within a year, and even luckier to have eventually made my way to Idaho and Boise State. This area was never on my radar, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by all there is to see and do.

I’m currently liaison to political science, public policy, community and regional planning as well as outreach coordinator for the library. My research interests tend toward issues of diversity, inclusion and cross cultural competence, so I’ve enjoyed working with International Student Services and various diversity initiatives across campus. From my career overview you can see that I’m dedicated to the proposition that I’ll be a lifelong learner. It’s led me to some great adventures, including this latest at Boise State. I look forward to all that it’s sure to teach me.