Harold B. Lee Library. Department of Archives and Manuscripts
Dates
- Existence: 1974 - 1991
Administrative History
The Department of Archives of Manuscripts (1974-1991) was an administrative unit in the Harold B. Lee Library. It was divided into many areas of research including Photo Archives, Arts and Communication Archives, Archives of the Mormon Experience, Utah and the West Archives, Women's History Archives, Mesoamerican Archives, and Literary Archives. Primary source materials were collected, preserved, and arranged in all of these areas of focus. These materials were made available to patrons.
The J. Reuben Clark Jr. Library Archives department and the non-University Archives/Manuscripts department were formally united administratively in 1974 after the Library's name was changed to the Harold B. Lee Library in 1973. The department was then known as the Harold B. Lee Library, Archives and Manuscripts Department. In the 1980's a financial crisis hit private schools, resulting in a loss of support staff at the archives. The Chair or Head of the Department was Dennis Rowley (1974-1991) and the Curator of Special Collections was Chad J. Flake (1973-1991). In February 1991 Special Collections merged with the Department of Archives and Manuscripts to form the Department of Special Collections and Manuscripts.
Patrons who wished to use the materials within the Archives and Manuscripts department were required to complete an application form, with a statement of intention and photo ID, as well as have an interview with a full time staff member. There were three levels of access to Archives and Manuscripts: Single Access in which beginner level researchers were given approval for the use of one item at a time. Single Access patrons needed separate approval for each new collection requested. Next was Limited Access where more experienced patrons could use any unrestricted collection related to their topic without additional approval, and last was Open Access where mature scholars from BYU's faculty or other institutions were given approval to use any unrestricted collection regardless as to whether it related to their topic or not. Every patron's research was recorded on that patron's permanent registration and application form.
A limited Records Management program continued to function within the Department of Archives and Manuscripts, soliciting, collection, storing, and disposing of records from various University departments. In 1978 because of a shortage of space, the Records Center was moved outside the library, into the Heber J. Grant Building. It still functioned under the direction of the University Archivist. The Curator of Archives and Manuscripts reported to the Curator of Special Collections under the Director of Libraries. Full-time staff consisted of: the Curator, two University Archives people, the University Archivist, an Assistant to the University Archivist, a Union Pacific Micrographics Center coordinator, a cataloging and accessioning professional, two subject archives professionals, and one departmental secretary/office manager. Part-time staff consisted of 43 students who assisted in multiple divisions of the Archives department.
Citation:
BYU organizational history project, via WWW, Feb. 6, 2013: Harold B. Lee Library. Dept. of Archives and Manuscripts (Department of Archives of Manuscripts; 1974-1991; collection, preservation, and arrangement of primary sources; formed in merger of Univerity Archives and Manuscripts Department in 1974; chair, Dennis Rowley (1974-1991); in Feb. 1991 Special Collections merged with the Department of Archives and Manuscripts to form the Department of Special Collections and Manuscripts; included records management function until 1982)Found in 21 Collections and/or Records:
Brigham Young University faculty music collection
Collection includes published and handwritten unpublished musical selections written and arranged by Brigham Young University faculty members.
BYU centennial flashbacks
Collection of newspaper articles from the Daily Herald pertaining to events on campus since the time of its creation. Includes stories about various presidents of Brigham Young University, accomplishments of students and athletes, groups and clubs, and photographic images of Brigham Young Academy as well as significant persons in the university's history.
Department of Archives and Manuscripts collection
Contains research materials, data from deeds, plot maps, and quotes from journals and oral history interviews, concerning the origin of the name "Temple Hill" in the 1870s, the area subsequently occupied by Brigham Young University (13 items). Includes song, "A Temple at Brigham Young University."
Department of Archives and Manuscripts collection of university and institutional brochures, 1957-1985
The materials included are brochures collected as references to the creators of the brochures of the Harold B. Lee Library University Archives. They come from various universities, research archives and centers from around the United States. Examples include: University of Utah, Harvard College, Indiana University, The National Archives in Washington D.C., the Library of Congress and the Genealogical Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Department of Archives and Manuscripts records
Collection contains files labeled "Dead Files" documenting department business and consists largely of correspondence.
Developmental influences and relationships in oral history programs at Brigham Young University
Typed thesis on the development of the oral history collections in the Department of Archives and Manuscripts, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University. The study describes developmental influences and relationships of the Manuscripts Oral History Collection (MSS OH) and the University Oral History Collection (UA OH) and identifies research uses related to each.
Department of Archives and Manuscripts publicity brochures
Collection contains brochures designed for the Harold B. Lee Library University Archives in the 1980s. Included in the collection are brochures from the colleges at Brigham Young University and universities and institutes around the United States that were assembled as reference materials. These brochures show several different styles from the 1950s to the 1980s. Included among the material are the rough drafts and revisions of the Harold B. Lee Library University Archives brochures.
Manuscript library questionnaires
Collection includes 79 questionnaires concerning policies and procedures followed in United States' state historical societies and university libraries in regard to their manuscript collections. A paper for the Research Project Seminar under the direction of Merle Lamson and Victor Purdy, Department of Library and Information Science. A summary of results may to found in "Policies governing the access to and use of manuscript collections in the United States," in LIS Projects, 1976.
Oral history interview with Earl Wesley Bascom
Transcript of oral history conducted as part of the Brigham Young University Archives Joint Oral History Project of the Brigham Young University Alumni Association Emeritus Club. Bascom tells about his life in Vernal, Utah and in Alberta. He also talks about his various careers including that of an artist and that of a cowboy. Bascom also comments on various other artists.
Oral history interview with Hollis Scott
Interview by Reed Hansen with Hollis Scott, discussing the function and purpose of the Brigham Young University Archives. Includes transcripts and sound recordings.