By Finding aid prepared by Chris Petersen.
Collection Overview
Title: Oregon State University Libraries and Press Oral History Collection, 2018-2023
Predominant Dates: 2018-2019
ID: OH 041
Primary Creator: Gruber, Tyger Lake
Extent: 44.05 gigabytes. More info below.
Arrangement: The collection is arranged into two series: 1. Interviews, 2018-2023; 2. Promotional Film, 2019. The interviews arranged into series 1 have been organized chronologically.
Languages of Materials: English [eng]
Abstract
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.
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
Administrative Information
More Extent Information:
49 audio files and 3 video files born digital
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.
Physical Access Note:
All interview materials are also available for download via the project's dedicated homepage.
Acquisition Note:
All interviews were conducted by Tyger Gruber or Chris Petersen for deposit with the Special Collections and Archives Research Center.
Related Materials:
Other oral history interviews with OSU LIbraries and Press employees are held in the Voices of Oregon State University Oral History Collection (OH 009), the History of Science Oral History Collection (OH 017), and the Oregon State University Sesquicentennial Oral History Collection (OH 026).
Further documentation of the history of libraries at Oregon State University is held in the Library Records (RG 009), the Libraries Moving Images (FV 083), and the Library Photograph Collection (P 083), as well as the Friends of the Library Records (RG 002), the Library Gifts and Exchange Department Records (RG 261), the William H. Carlson Papers (MSS Carlson), the Rodney Waldron Papers (MSS Waldron), the Bertha Herse Collection (MSS Herse), and the Oregon State University Memorabilia Collection (MSS MC).
A great many photos of OSU's libraries have been digitized and made available via Oregon Digital, and a full run of the OSULP development magazine The Messenger can be accessed virtually through ScholarsArchive@OSU.
Preferred Citation:
Oregon State University Libraries and Press Oral History Collection (OH 41), Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries.
Creators
Gruber, Tyger Lake
Petersen, Chris (Christoffer)
People, Places, and Topics
Academic libraries--Oregon--History.
Guin Library
Librarians--Oregon--Corvallis.
Library employees--Oregon--Corvallis.
Oregon State University--Employees.
Oregon State University--Faculty.
Oregon State University--Students.
Oregon State University. Libraries
University History
Forms of Material
Born digital.
Digital audio formats.
Oral histories (literary genre)
Video recordings (physical artifacts)
Box and Folder Listing
- Series 1: Interviews, 2018-2023
- 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
- Master's candidate in History and Lead Reference Student, SCARC.
- Extent: 0:16:27
- Digital File 2: Valery King, July 25, 2018
- Business and Government Information Librarian, TED and LEAD.
- Extent: 0:19:07
- Digital File 3: Marisol Moreno Ortiz, July 30, 2018
- OSULP Diversity Scholar.
- Extent: 0:40:05
- Digital File 4: Laurie Bridges, July 31, 2018
- Emerging Technologies and Instruction Librarian, TED.
- Extent: 0:26:29
- Digital File 5: Janine Salwasser, July 31, 2018
- 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
- Circulation Services Supervisor, LEAD.
- Extent: 0:32:41
- Digital File 7: Kristin Swetland, August 1, 2018
- Library Technician 3, LEAD.
- Extent: 0:13:57
- Digital File 8: Uta Hussong-Christian, August 7, 2018
- Science Librarian, LEAD.
- Extent: 0:14:13
- Digital File 9: Tiah Edmunson-Morton, August 13, 2018
- 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
- Department Head, TED.
- Extent: 0:21:37
- Digital File 11: RESTRICTED Patrick Layton, August 14, 2018
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
- Collections Archivist, SCARC.
- Extent: 0:35:12
- Digital File 13: Kelly McElroy, August 14, 2018
- Student Outreach and Community Engagement Librarian, TED.
- Extent: 0:26:00
- Digital File 14: Bryan Feyerherm, August 17, 2018
- Library Technician 3, LEAD.
- Extent: 0:14:50
- Digital File 15: Margaret Mellinger, August 17, 2018
- Department Director, ETS.
- Extent: 0:13:13
- Digital File 16: Richard Sapon-White, August 17, 2018
- Head of Cataloging and Metadata Services, RAS.
- Extent: 0:40:16
- Digital File 17: Ian Scofield, August 17, 2018
- Library Technician 3, RAS.
- Extent: 0:41:33
- Digital File 18: Faye Chadwell, August 19, 2018
- University Librarian and OSU Press Director, Library Administration.
- Extent: 0:31:10
- Digital File 19: Hannah Rempel, August 22, 2018
- College of Agricultural Sciences Librarian and Graduate Student Services Coordinator, TED.
- Extent: 0:14:33
- Digital File 20: Larry Landis, August 24, 2018
- Department Director, SCARC.
- Extent: 0:26:38
- Digital File 21: Chris Petersen, August 24, 2018
- Senior Faculty Research Assistant, SCARC. Transcribed audio available online.
- Extent: 1:47:41
- Digital File 22: Don Frier, August 27, 2018
- Executive Assistant to the University Librarian and Press Director, Library Administration.
- Extent: 0:11:53
- Digital File 23: Jessee Layton, August 27, 2018
- Library Technician 3, RAS.
- Extent: 0:14:35
- Digital File 24: Vance Woods, August 27, 2018
- Library Technician 3 in Cataloging and Metadata Services, RAS.
- Extent: 0:19:22
- Digital File 25: Ryan Wick, August 30, 2018
- Analyst Programmer 2, ETS and SCARC.
- Extent: 0:24:45
- Digital File 26: Deborah Carroll, September 5, 2018
- Library Technician 2, RAS.
- Extent: 0:37:55
- Digital File 27: Susan Gilmont, September 17, 2018
- 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
- Ph.D. candidate in History of Science and Lead Student, SCARC.
- Extent: 0:27:50
- Digital File 29: Elizabeth Nielsen, September 19, 2018
- University Archivist, SCARC.
- Extent: 0:24:17
- Digital File 30: Aradia Farmer, September 21, 2018
- Undergraduate in Geography and Geospatial Science and student assistant, RAS.
- Extent: 0:11:08
- Digital File 31: Natalie Pilar, September 21, 2018
- Undergraduate in Electrical and Computer Engineering and student assistant, LEAD.
- Extent: 0:09:17
- Digital File 33: Trevor Sandgathe, September 26, 2018
- Public Services Archivist, SCARC.
- Extent: 0:17:10
- Digital File 34: Alice Mang, September 27, 2018
- Library Technician 2, RAS.
- Extent: 0:23:07
- Digital File 35: Bradi Van Atta, October 5, 2018
- Undergraduate in Human Development and Family Sciences and student assistant, LEAD.
- Extent: 0:06:52
- Digital File 36: Melissa Hartley, October 10, 2018
- Serials Cataloging Specialist, RAS.
- Extent: 0:23:13
- Digital File 37: Anne-Marie Deitering, October 12, 2018
- Associate University Librarian for Learning Services, Library Administration.
- Extent: 0:32:49
- Digital File 38: Abby Mason, October 18, 2018
- Undergraduate in Business Information Systems and student assistant, RAS.
- Extent: 0:08:59
- Digital File 39: Sarah Steinbrugge, October 19, 2018
- Undergraduate in Industrial Engineering and student assistant, LEAD.
- Extent: 0:13:30
- Digital File 40: Sarah Schuck, October 29, 2018
- Library Technician 2, LEAD.
- Extent: 0:09:48
- Digital File 41: Meggie Zamora Saunders, October 29, 2018
- Acquisitions Unit Manager, RAS.
- Extent: 0:18:30
- Digital File 42: Ruth Vondracek, October 30, 2018
- Retired -- Natural Resources Archivist and Oregon Explorer Librarian, SCARC.
- Extent: 0:47:24
- Digital File 43: Loretta Reilly, November 14, 2018
- Retired -- Head of Reference and Instruction; Arts and Humanities Librarian.
- Extent: 0:25:45
- Digital File 44: Cheryl Middleton, November 30, 2018
- Associate University Librarian for Research and Scholarly Communication, Library Administration.
- Extent: 0:36:57
- Digital File 45: April Zeller, December 28, 2018
- Library Technician 3, LEAD.
- Extent: 0:12:10
- Digital File 46: Tom Booth, January 18, 2019
- Associate Director, OSU Press.
- Extent: 0:32:29
- Digital File 47: Brandon Straley, October 11, 2019
- Analyst Programmer 2, ETS.
- Extent: 1:04:59
- Digital File 48: Sami Kerzel, November 8, 2019
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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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