Oregon State University Libraries and Press Oral History Collection, 2018-2023

Predominant Dates: 2018-2019

The Oregon State University Libraries and Press (OSULP) Oral History Collection primarily consists of audio-recorded interviews conducted with current employees of the OSU Libraries and the OSU Press, all of which were structured using a set script of interview questions. A smaller subset of the collection is comprised of more individually tailored interviews with former employees of the OSU Libraries. Members of each OSULP branch and department are represented in the collection, which includes interviews with library faculty, staff and student workers. Online access to most of the interviews, as well as a promotional video, is provided through a dedicated project homepage.

Creators

ID: OH 041

Extent: 44.05 gigabytes

More Extent Information

Scope and Content Notes

The Oregon State University Libraries and Press (OSULP) Oral History Collection consists, in large part, of audio-recorded interviews conducted with library and press employees, both current and former, who participated in the OSULP Community Interviewing Project. This initiative sought to collect institutional knowledge about OSULP while also building community among the libraries and press staff. Nearly all of the interviews were conducted by Tyger Gruber, an OSU undergraduate in Kinesiology, who led interviewees through a series of pre-scripted questions focusing on academic trajectories, paths to work in the library profession, and dreams for the organization and OSU writ large. Some of these interviews were lightly edited for continuity and all were made available for streaming and download via a dedicated project homepage.

Gruber also conducted individually tailored interviews with three retired librarians - Susan Gilmont, Ruth Vondracek and Loretta Reilly - that sought to collect a more detailed overview of each narrator's life. Project director Chris Petersen prepared and conducted a similar set of interviews in Fall 2019 with four current and former employees of OSULP: Brandon Straley, Sami Kerzel, Rick Stoddart and Sara Thompson.

Fifty interviews were collected in total for this project, representing the Valley Library (Corvallis, Oregon) as well as the Guin Library (Newport, Oregon) and OSU-Cascades Library (Bend, Oregon). Current faculty (20), classified staff (14) or student workers (7) from all of the Valley Library's departments participated in the project. These departments are as follows: Emerging Technologies and Services (ETS); the Library Experience and Access Department (LEAD); Library Administration; the OSU Press; Resource Acquisition Services (RAS); the Special Collections and Archives Research Center (SCARC); and the Teaching and Engagement Department (TED). Interviews with an OSULP Diversity Scholar and the Oregon Explorer program director were likewise included, as were sessions with six past employees. Two of the interviews - with Susan Gilmont and Chris Petersen - have been transcribed and made available online. None of the remaining project interviews have been transcribed.

All interviews were recorded to *.wav format with *.mp3 derivatives stored both locally and online for researcher access. In addition to these audio files, the collection also includes one *.mov video file - a promotional film created by Gruber and consisting of footage of the Valley Library that he shot as well as audio clips from the collection that he curated. The clips used in the film consist of selected participant responses to the question, "what is your dream for the OSU Libraries and Press?"

Two additional video recorded interviews with archivist Larry Landis were conducted by Chris Petersen in 2023.

Paper permission forms signed by each interviewee have been scanned to .pdf and are stored with a given interview's access files on the SCARC file server. The original paper forms have been retained and are held in the SCARC central files as well.

Biographical / Historical Notes

Libraries have been integral to both the intellectual life and the social fabric of Oregon State University since the institution's inception. The first campus library was housed in the Administration Building (present-day Community Hall) and remained there until 1918, when a new and dedicated library building - named the Kerr Library in 1954 and known today as Kidder Hall - was completed. In 1963 the library's collection was moved south across the quad to a new iteration of the Kerr Library. This building was renovated and expanded in the mid-1990s, and renamed the Valley Library in 1998.

The Hatfield Marine Science Center Library at Newport, Oregon came into being in 1976 and was dedicated to the memory of its first librarian, Marilyn Potts Guin, in 1990. The OSU-Cascades Library was opened as a component of the Bend campus' Tykeson Hall when the building was completed in 2016. The Oregon State University Press, which was founded in 1961, became an administrative unit within the OSU Libraries in 2007 and is physically housed in the Valley Library as well.

When the OSULP Community Interviewing Project took place in 2018-2019, the OSU Libraries and Press were led by University Librarian Faye Chadwell, and Associate University Librarians Anne-Marie Deitering and Cheryl Middleton. OSULP was funded by an annual budget of $12.7 million and run by 58 FTE of professional staff and 41 FTE of student assistance. The libraries provided access to about 2 million books and nearly 69,000 electronic journal titles, and hosted around 35,000 patrons every week.

The OSULP Community Interviewing Project was funded by a $3,000 budget allocation from the Gray Family Chair for Innovative Library Services. It was motivated by a desire to collect institutional memory and build community within OSULP, and was further spurred by OSULP In-Service feedback indicating interest in digital storytelling. More details about the project's design and execution are available in ScholarsArchive@OSU.

Author: Chris Petersen

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research. Access to the Patrick Layton interview is restricted. Permission for access may be granted only by Patrick Layton. All requests for access to this material should be directed to the University Archivist.

Arrangement

Preferred Citation: Oregon State University Libraries and Press Oral History Collection (OH 41), Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries.

Acquisition Note: All interviews were conducted by Tyger Gruber or Chris Petersen for deposit with the Special Collections and Archives Research Center.

Languages of Materials

English

Other

Container List

Series 1: Interviews, 2018-2023 Add to Shelf

All of the collection's interviews are organized into Series 1, arranged chronologically and linked to their online representation within OSU MediaSpace. Each narrator's title and departmental affiliation are noted as well.

Extent: 50 audio files

Digital File 1: Mike Dicianna, July 23, 2018 Add to Shelf

Master's candidate in History and Lead Reference Student, SCARC.

Extent: 0:16:27

Digital File 2: Valery King, July 25, 2018 Add to Shelf

Business and Government Information Librarian, TED and LEAD.

Extent: 0:19:07

Digital File 3: Marisol Moreno Ortiz, July 30, 2018 Add to Shelf

OSULP Diversity Scholar.

Extent: 0:40:05

Digital File 4: Laurie Bridges, July 31, 2018 Add to Shelf

Emerging Technologies and Instruction Librarian, TED.

Extent: 0:26:29

Digital File 5: Janine Salwasser, July 31, 2018 Add to Shelf

Program lead for Oregon Explorer and the Integrated Landscape Assessment Project coordinator at OSU's Institute for Natural Resources.

Extent: 0:16:09

Digital File 6: Lori Hilterbrand, August 1, 2018 Add to Shelf

Circulation Services Supervisor, LEAD.

Extent: 0:32:41

Digital File 7: Kristin Swetland, August 1, 2018 Add to Shelf

Library Technician 3, LEAD.

Extent: 0:13:57

Digital File 8: Uta Hussong-Christian, August 7, 2018 Add to Shelf

Science Librarian, LEAD.

Extent: 0:14:13

Digital File 9: Tiah Edmunson-Morton, August 13, 2018 Add to Shelf

Archivist for Instruction and Outreach, and curator of the Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives, SCARC.

Extent: 1:01:19

Digital File 10: Jane Nichols, August 13, 2018 Add to Shelf

Department Head, TED.

Extent: 0:21:37

Digital File 11: RESTRICTED Patrick Layton, August 14, 2018 Add to Shelf

Library Technician 2, RAS.

Access to the Patrick Layton interview is restricted. Permission for access may be granted only by Patrick Layton. All requests for access to this material should be directed to the University Archivist.

Extent: 0:26:14

Digital File 12: Karl McCreary, August 14, 2018 Add to Shelf

Collections Archivist, SCARC.

Extent: 0:35:12

Digital File 13: Kelly McElroy, August 14, 2018 Add to Shelf

Student Outreach and Community Engagement Librarian, TED.

Extent: 0:26:00

Digital File 14: Bryan Feyerherm, August 17, 2018 Add to Shelf

Library Technician 3, LEAD.

Extent: 0:14:50

Digital File 15: Margaret Mellinger, August 17, 2018 Add to Shelf

Department Director, ETS.

Extent: 0:13:13

Digital File 16: Richard Sapon-White, August 17, 2018 Add to Shelf

Head of Cataloging and Metadata Services, RAS.

Extent: 0:40:16

Digital File 17: Ian Scofield, August 17, 2018 Add to Shelf

Library Technician 3, RAS.

Extent: 0:41:33

Digital File 18: Faye Chadwell, August 19, 2018 Add to Shelf

University Librarian and OSU Press Director, Library Administration.

Extent: 0:31:10

Digital File 19: Hannah Rempel, August 22, 2018 Add to Shelf

College of Agricultural Sciences Librarian and Graduate Student Services Coordinator, TED.

Extent: 0:14:33

Digital File 20: Larry Landis, August 24, 2018 Add to Shelf

Department Director, SCARC.

Extent: 0:26:38

Digital File 21: Chris Petersen, August 24, 2018 Add to Shelf

Senior Faculty Research Assistant, SCARC. Transcribed audio available online.

Extent: 1:47:41

Digital File 22: Don Frier, August 27, 2018 Add to Shelf

Executive Assistant to the University Librarian and Press Director, Library Administration.

Extent: 0:11:53

Digital File 23: Jessee Layton, August 27, 2018 Add to Shelf

Library Technician 3, RAS.

Extent: 0:14:35

Digital File 24: Vance Woods, August 27, 2018 Add to Shelf

Library Technician 3 in Cataloging and Metadata Services, RAS.

Extent: 0:19:22

Digital File 25: Ryan Wick, August 30, 2018 Add to Shelf

Analyst Programmer 2, ETS and SCARC.

Extent: 0:24:45

Digital File 26: Deborah Carroll, September 5, 2018 Add to Shelf

Library Technician 2, RAS.

Extent: 0:37:55

Digital File 27: Susan Gilmont, September 17, 2018 Add to Shelf

Retired -- clerical specialist in the Serials Department at the Kerr Library from 1980-1988; Library Technician 3 at the Guin Library from 1988-2015. Transcribed audio available online.

Extent: 1:17:57

Digital File 28: Anna Dvorak, September 19, 2018 Add to Shelf

Ph.D. candidate in History of Science and Lead Student, SCARC.

Extent: 0:27:50

Digital File 29: Elizabeth Nielsen, September 19, 2018 Add to Shelf

University Archivist, SCARC.

Extent: 0:24:17

Digital File 30: Aradia Farmer, September 21, 2018 Add to Shelf

Undergraduate in Geography and Geospatial Science and student assistant, RAS.

Extent: 0:11:08

Digital File 31: Natalie Pilar, September 21, 2018 Add to Shelf

Undergraduate in Electrical and Computer Engineering and student assistant, LEAD.

Extent: 0:09:17

Digital File 33: Trevor Sandgathe, September 26, 2018 Add to Shelf

Public Services Archivist, SCARC.

Extent: 0:17:10

Digital File 34: Alice Mang, September 27, 2018 Add to Shelf

Library Technician 2, RAS.

Extent: 0:23:07

Digital File 35: Bradi Van Atta, October 5, 2018 Add to Shelf

Undergraduate in Human Development and Family Sciences and student assistant, LEAD.

Extent: 0:06:52

Digital File 36: Melissa Hartley, October 10, 2018 Add to Shelf

Serials Cataloging Specialist, RAS.

Extent: 0:23:13

Digital File 37: Anne-Marie Deitering, October 12, 2018 Add to Shelf

Associate University Librarian for Learning Services, Library Administration.

Extent: 0:32:49

Digital File 38: Abby Mason, October 18, 2018 Add to Shelf

Undergraduate in Business Information Systems and student assistant, RAS.

Extent: 0:08:59

Digital File 39: Sarah Steinbrugge, October 19, 2018 Add to Shelf

Undergraduate in Industrial Engineering and student assistant, LEAD.

Extent: 0:13:30

Digital File 40: Sarah Schuck, October 29, 2018 Add to Shelf

Library Technician 2, LEAD.

Extent: 0:09:48

Digital File 41: Meggie Zamora Saunders, October 29, 2018 Add to Shelf

Acquisitions Unit Manager, RAS.

Extent: 0:18:30

Digital File 42: Ruth Vondracek, October 30, 2018 Add to Shelf

Retired -- Natural Resources Archivist and Oregon Explorer Librarian, SCARC.

Extent: 0:47:24

Digital File 43: Loretta Reilly, November 14, 2018 Add to Shelf

Retired -- Head of Reference and Instruction; Arts and Humanities Librarian.

Extent: 0:25:45

Digital File 44: Cheryl Middleton, November 30, 2018 Add to Shelf

Associate University Librarian for Research and Scholarly Communication, Library Administration.

Extent: 0:36:57

Digital File 45: April Zeller, December 28, 2018 Add to Shelf

Library Technician 3, LEAD.

Extent: 0:12:10

Digital File 46: Tom Booth, January 18, 2019 Add to Shelf

Associate Director, OSU Press.

Extent: 0:32:29

Digital File 47: Brandon Straley, October 11, 2019 Add to Shelf

Analyst Programmer 2, ETS.

Extent: 1:04:59

Digital File 48: Sami Kerzel, November 8, 2019 Add to Shelf

Community Librarian at the Deschutes Public Library. Formerly an information specialist at the Valley Library (LEAD, 2014-2016) and a support specialist and librarian at OSU-Cascades (2016-2018).

Extent: 1:14:36

Digital File 49: Rick Stoddart, November 19, 2019 Add to Shelf

Library Dean at Lane Community College. Formerly an Assessment Librarian at the Valley Library (Library Administration, 2012-2014).

Extent: 1:31:29

Digital File 50: Sara Thompson, November 26, 2019 Add to Shelf

Adult Services Librarian at Deschutes Public Library. Formerly Branch and Ecampus Coordinator at the Valley Library (RAS, 2003-2006) and Librarian at OSU-Cascades (2012-2017).

Extent: 1:24:40

Digital Folder 51: Larry Landis, June 27, 2023 Add to Shelf

Video recorded interview conducted by Chris Petersen. In this, the first of two interviews, Landis focuses on his upbringing in Indiana, his educational experiences in Texas, his first archival jobs, his move to Oregon State University and the history of the University Archives through the end of the 1990s.

Extent: 2:28:20

Digital Folder 52: Larry Landis, August 22, 2023 Add to Shelf

Video recorded interview conducted by Chris Petersen. In interview two, Landis recounts the move of the University Archives to the OSU Libraries, the formation of the Special Collections and Archives Research Center, many of the activities undertaken by the archival units at OSU, his organizational affiliations, and his activities in retirement.

Series 2: Promotional Film, 2019 Add to Shelf

Series two consists of the OSU Libraries and Press Community Interviewing Project promotional film. Created by Tyger Gruber, the film consists of footage of the Valley Library and its exterior that was shot in Spring 2019, and an audio collage of project participants responding to the question, "what is your dream for OSU Libraries and OSU Press?"

Extent: 1 video file

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