Check out the new OSU Archives finding aids uploaded for January, 2010.

********************************************

Archival Podcasts

Can’t get enough of historical research? Living history? Thinking about times past? This list was pulled together for the Society of American Archivists’ Reference, Access and Outreach Section newsletter.

Podcasts are audio broadcasts delivered via an RSS feed or through a website. You can listen to them on your computer, or you can listen to them on a digital audio player, such as an iPod or a Zune. There are usually presented in episode format and are published on a regular basis. There are two primary types of archival podcasts: podcasts that contain digitized audio material from their collections and podcasts of new material that are created by archives in order to promote materials, talk about events, and other similar things. Often, both of these types of podcasts are combined.

Here is a short list of archival podcasts that are available online.

• Presidential Libraries Uncovered: A podcast from the National Archives and Records Administration which takes recorded audio of presidents from Hoover through Clinton talking about major policy initiatives, giving major speeches, or talking informally with friends and advisors. Recent episodes include Nixon talking about his 1972 trip to China, John F. Kennedy creating the Peace Corps, and Lyndon B. Johnson talking about his Great Society.
• The Virtual Gramophone: Podcast from the Library and Archives of Canada which features digitized recordings of 78-rpm records and wax cylinders from their collections.
• Podcasts from the Los Alamos Historical Society: A podcast from the Los Alamos Historical Society which primarily focuses on the Manhattan Project, nuclear technology, the Cold War, and (surprisingly enough) ranching.
• Collections Up Close: A podcast from the Minnesota Historical Society which “tells the stories behind selected items in the Minnesota Historical Society’s collections.”
• Podcasts from the National Archives of the United Kingdom: This podcast “features a mix of lectures from top academics specifically aimed at pupils alongside radio-style investigations of historical topics using primary documents from the National Archives read by actors.”
• Kansas Memory Podcast: This podcast features the stories of people from Kansas, both famous and not, as told through their letters, diaries, and other documents.
• What Endures…: his podcast from the LSU Libraries Special Collections T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History features updates on Center projects and activities as well as featuring audio excerpts from their collections.

What would you like to hear?

*************************************************

Begin at the beginning?

A year of interacting, sharing, and celebrating what we have and what we know. We had a few big “Wow, thanks!” moments in 2009, but this year we want more…

We begin again, appropriately back where we started last February, with images from the Gerald Williams Collection. It’s true—we’re going to have a whole month of weekly releases! And with the first, “Towns & Buildings,” we want to hear from you.

At a loss where to start? You can always begin with the simple browse method, scanning through the images in this Flickr set… But for those who would like a little more direction, those who like “assignments,” those who feel comfortable with a list – here you go!

You can start simple… What can you find about the history or Astoria, Clatskanie, Timber, or Amity Oregon? Or you can dive into this list and let us know what you learn about

• Camp Nehalem

• Great Southern depot and train at Dufur, Oregon

• Eagle Ridge Tavern on Upper Klamath Lake

• “Metola Rest,” Camp Sherman, Oregon

• Shaniko stages at Madras, Oregon

• Second Street, The Dalles, Oregon

• Wizard Falls trout hatchery on the Metolius River

• Fort Stevens

• Salmon Hatchery at Glide, Oregon

• Block House, Grand Ronde, Oregon

• Hotel Moore, Seaside, Oregon

• Seaside beach roundabout

• Neah-Kah-Nie tavern near Nehalem, Oregon

• Oregon Caves

• Monastery and College, Mount Angel, Oregon

Research until you can’t learn any more. Just make sure you include your factoid treasures with us in the comments field. No matter what, share, share, share!

******************************************************

Hats off to Dr. Hedberg!

“The oldest active member of the Chemistry Department, Ken Hedberg, turns 90 today. As an emeritus professor, Hedberg still remains very engaged in his research, which involves the determination of the structures of molecules by analyzing the scattering of electrons by them. Hedberg is acknowledged as the world’s leading expert in his field and his work has been continuously supported by the National Science Foundation for more than 50 years. He received his BS degree from OSU in 1939 and has the distinction of having four OSU athletic letters, as an outstanding tennis player.”