Did you know February is considered UAA’s birthday month? I’m not sure how official that is, but in the spirit of it, I have a documentary puzzle for you. The first Anchorage Community College commencement ceremony was held in 1956. One graduate: Vincent Demarest. Here’s the puzzle: we don’t have…
As archivists, we don’t often tell people how to create their documents. Unless asked, of course, then the gloves are off. But on this St. Valentine’s Day Eve, I’ve found a nice little nugget in the 1885 Gay’s Standard Encyclopedia on how to write a love letter and I’d like…
In January we said we’d be highlighting one of our favorite rare books throughout the year so here we go. The Gay’s Standard Encyclopedia and Self-Educator from 1885. Let me take a brief detour. We have this clock in one of the staff areas. I took a picture of it…
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of receiving a phone call to set up a meeting with a long-time Anchorage resident, Loren Taft. I was told he had a lot of photographs. And then I went to his house. And he did indeed have a lot of photographs.…
I’d like to introduce you to a volume in our Rare Books collection. It’s the very first book on the very first shelf of our Rare section. This book has found a fond spot in our hearts here in A&SC and we find it woefully underused. It’s full of all…
Periodically I’ll receive a call from a legislator’s office to begin the conversation of what of their legislative records might be appropriate for an archives to take in. I often try to dodge providing lists, because any list I might provide should be regarded not as prescriptive (i.e. throw everything…
This past Thursday night, we hosted our third Archives Month event of this October, “Reel Life Alaska,” a screening of archival film footage from our collections here at UAA Archives & Special Collections. A small but lively crowd gathered in Room 307 of the Consortium Library to munch on popcorn,…
Join us for “Reel Life Alaska: Films from UAA Archives & Special Collections,” a showing of archival film footage from our collections! WHEN: 7pm – Thursday October 18, 2012 WHERE: UAA/APU Consortium Library, Room 307 WHAT: We will be opening up our film collection and screening some choice gems, including:…
One of my standard instructional statements when helping students learn about how to find primary source materials is: Who would have had a reason to document what it is you’re trying to study? Find the who, find the record. Find the who and the why, and you can learn a…
Every so often we get a phone call, email, visit, from somebody looking for information about a specific ship that might have sailed in Alaska waters. While we may or may not have archival materials related to that ship, my first suggestion to the researcher is usually not part of…
