October is American Archives Month!

What is an archives? An archives is a place where people go to find information. But rather than
gathering information from books as you would in a library, people who do research in archives
often gather firsthand facts, data, and evidence from letters, reports, notes, memos, photographs,
audio and video recordings, and other primary sources.

MSS 006 52-002 - Len Jordan and Dwight Eisenhower,
Western Governors Conference in Boise, 1952

Why do archives exist? In the course of daily life, individuals, organizations, and governments
create and keep information about their activities. Archivists are professionals who assess,
collect, organize, preserve, maintain control of, and provide access to the portions of this
information that have lasting value. Archivists keep records that have enduring value as reliable
memories of the past, and they help people find and understand the information they need in
those records.

Boise State University Special Collections and Archives in Albertsons Library holds more than 300 manuscript collections of letters, journals, diaries, scrapbooks, photographs, and other
primary-source materials that document Idaho history, particularly the Boise and Southwest Idaho, Idaho’s past and present political and environmental history, and the literary history of the state. Research topics include politics, environment, Basque culture, filmmaking, literature, ethnicity, gender, music, geosciences, and many others.

MSS 062 p11 - Article about the opening of the new student union
at Boise Junior College, 1942

The University Archives is the repository for university publications and the official records of the President, Faculty Senate, ASBSU, administrative offices, and academic departments. Materials include the student newspaper, university catalogs, budgets, yearbooks, photographs, audio and video, books, posters, and other ephemera. Research topics include faculty, students, campus life, buildings, academic departments, athletics, student organizations, and university departments.

Everyone is welcome to do research or just look at something you find interesting. We welcome students, staff, faculty, and anyone from the community. We hope you come visit!

Cheryl Oestreicher,
Head, Special Collections and Archives

The One Way Club

Figure 1. A Wooden boat for floating the Salmon River. Marshall.
Edson Collection.

September is National Wilderness Month and the library has lots of resources for those interested in Idaho’s wilderness. You can learn more about the dangers and thrills you can find when visiting Idaho’s wilderness areas by stopping by the Special Collections and Archives (Room 222). Idaho’s Salmon River, one of America’s wildest rivers and is often called “The River of No Return.” Today, both the Middle Fork and the Main Salmon rivers are popular destinations for whitewater rafting and kayaking. This sport gained popularity after World War Two when the Army and Navy sold off its surplus of rubber rafts. Before then, the primary way to float a river was in a wooden boat called a skiff.

Figure 2. Marshall Edson (left) and another crew member operate
two large oars for maneuvering the boat. Edson collection.

Figure 3. The One Way Club navigates white water on the
Salmon River.  Edson collection.

You can find a perfect example of the end of the wooden skiff era for river rafting in the Marshall C. Edson Papers. In 1946, Edson and a crew of five other rafters took a trip down the Main Fork of the Salmon River – they called themselves the “One Way Club”. While they were not the first to accomplish this – in fact Lewis and Clark made a similar trek over 140 years earlier, but Edson’s trip was rare enough to make local news. Edson worked for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and the goal of his trip was to document the variety and quantity of big game along the river. The wooden boat had two oars on front and back, a gasoline motor to navigate flat water, and even a small refrigerated box to preserve food. The trip took about two weeks and provided some publicity for the growing tourism industry in Idaho’s central mountains.

Edson’s trip down the Salmon River was in many ways an indicator of what was to come for Idaho’s wilderness. The recreation industry was slowly growing in Idaho’s mountains, while at the same time mining, timber, and conservation groups debated proper use of Idaho’s land. The 1964 Wilderness Act defined wilderness to be “where man himself is a visitor, who does not remain,” which essentially reserved select areas exclusively for conservation and non-motorized recreation. Sixteen years later, Congress added the River of No Return Wilderness to the list of protected wilderness areas. In 1984, it was renamed the Frank Church – River of No Return Wilderness. To view Marshal Edson’s scrapbook of his trip down the Salmon River, request MSS 155 from Special Collections and Archives.

Figure 4. The One Way Club give the hand signal for “everything okay.”
Edson collection.

Jim Duran,

Special Collections & Archives 

Student Research Initiative Fellowships

Developed by Boise State students who wanted to expand research opportunities, the Student Research Initiative (SRI) fellowships provide money for both undergraduates and graduates to pursue their own research projects.

Unlike many funding opportunities, the SRI fellowships are open to all academic disciplines, and provides research opportunities to students who wouldn’t typically have the opportunity to engage in this kind of scholarship. Additionally, participants are given the opportunity to develop their presentation and publishing skills, while also engaging in interdisciplinary networking.

Since the launch of the program this past spring, students have done research on identifying isotopes in fossil bones, immigrant brides in Taiwan, chemical warfare agents in plants, and neoliberalism in universities. A collection of presentation abstracts and final reports can be found in ScholarWorks in the Student Research Initiatives collection.

Students who are interested in participating in the fellowship program can complete an application by October 25^th. For complete information, please visit the Student Research Initiative website.

Michelle Armstrong,

Assistant Professor, Librarian

Check Out What’s Happening at the Circulation Desk

Fall 2013 is in full swing and if you haven’t taken advantage of everything that the Circulation Desk has to offer you might be missing out on some very valuable resources!

Technology
Did you know that the Circulation Desk has more than 50 laptops available for checkout? As well as computer and phone chargers, iPads, headphones, microphone headsets, and even calculators. Although most items must remain in the library, our lending policy has recently changed and many items can now be checked out until 30 minutes before closing with no need to renew! We’ve also eliminated the $0.50 per minute fine in favor of a 3-strike policy. Return technology items late 3 times in one semester and you’ll lose technology lending privileges until a new semester begins. Visit the Circulation Desk to find out about all available items!

Reserves
You’ve ordered your textbook, but it hasn’t arrived. Maybe you just don’t want to haul around ten
pounds worth of Chemistry. Perhaps finances are tight. Whatever the reason may be, course reserves can be a wonderful resource for many students. Textbooks and required reading books are kept on special shelves behind the Circulation Desk and check out for shortened periods, usually for in-Library use only. This allows multiple students to have regular access to the materials without having to purchase them. Unfortunately, the library is not able to carry every book that is required for every class and professors must request that specific items be added to the reserve shelves, so check with your professor or the Circulation Desk to find out what materials may be available. Reserve items are arranged alphabetically, so knowing the title of the book will help us find it for you the fastest. 

Clint the Bald Eagle
Our beloved scarlet macaw had to fly away at the end of the Spring 2013 semester, but happily a new friend swooped in to take his place. Clint the Bald Eagle is currently soaring through the stacks. Find him and bring him to the Circulation Desk to choose something special from our prize box! There’s no limit to the number of times you can find our feathered friend.

Heather Grevatt
Access Services

It's the Library's Birthday Today. Get Some Cake!

It's the Library's birthday today and you're invited to celebrate with us by getting some cake! We'll be giving away cake slices on the front steps of the library from 1:00PM to 3:00PM (or until the cakes are gone).

In 1990 J. A. and Kathryn Albertson and Albertsons, Inc. donated six million dollars to enlarge and remodel the library (completed in 1995) to what you see today. We've come a long way since, so stop by the library and get yourself a treat!

The History of Labor in Idaho

Minutes from the first meeting in 1890, From the Boise City Typographical Union Records

Labor Day receives much national attention, but what about the history of labor in Idaho? Special Collections and Archives has several collections that help document this history. 

Boise City Typographical Union Records: In 1890, there were three daily newspapers in Boise, at least two printing shops, and enough individual members of the International Typographical Union working in the city to form the nucleus of a union local. They applied to the ITU for a charter, which was granted in November 1890.

Morrison-Knudsen Company Labor Relations Records: Morrison-Knudsen (also known as M-K) was an engineering and construction firm founded in Boise in 1912. M-K is mostly known for their participation in the construction of the Hoover Dam, San Francisco Bay Bridge, Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center and 153 miles of the Trans-Alaskan pipeline.

Henry K. Doll Correspondence with the Banner Mining and Milling Company: 80 handwritten letters and a few printed documents received by Henry K. Doll between 1909 and 1923 relating to the operation of the Banner Mine, a silver mine in Silver City, Idaho, operated by the Banner Mining and Milling Company of Silver City and Boise.

Several politicians had involvement in labor relations, including U.S. Senator Len Jordan, Idaho Congressman Larry LaRocco, Governor Cecil Andrus, and U.S. Senator Frank Church. We also have collections about Idaho farmworkers, including the Idaho Farmworker Policy Research Project and Patricia K. Ourada Collection on Migrant Workers in Idaho.

For more information about Special Collections and Archives, please visit our website: http://library.boisestate.edu/Special/.

Cheryl Oestreicher,
Head, Special Collections and Archives