Special Collections receives a large amount of born-digital material every year—this year, more than 10 terabytes and counting. Special Collections and Born Digital Preservation Lab (BDPL) staff work together to image and process the digital material we receive, with the ultimate goal of making this material available through Stanford’s catalog. Here are some highlights of the digital materials we’ve opened for research over the past year.
Noted British-Australian war photographer Tim Page passed away on August 22, 2022. Page is best known for his powerful photographs documenting the Vietnam conflict, which he covered for Time and Life magazines, U.P.I., Paris Match and The Associated Press. As noted by Seth Mydans in his obituary for Page in the New York Times, Page's "photography was notable for its raw drama and its intimacy with danger, the product of the risks he took to immerse himself in combat."
The Department of Special Collections is thrilled to announce the hire of two new staff members into continuing appointment positions as processing archivists. The positions are funded by the Harold Hohbach Program Endowment, which was created from a gift by the Harold C. and Marilyn A. Hohbach Foundation. These positions will focus on making available collections highlighting the history of science, technology, and those that document changes and developments in Silicon Valley and further afield.
A new addition to the Lorraine Garcia-Nakata papers has been processed and is open for research. The addendum consists of personal and professional correspondence, exhibition catalogs and flyers, postcards, newspaper clippings, and other materials.
Amongst our map team here at Stanford Libraries, we have several part-time members who we just wish so badly were full-time. Their dedication and contributions are invaluable, undoubtedly being the individuals behind the curtain keeping this show on the road.
Brynn Kramer and Meagan Trott have long been two of these employees, and it is with great excitement that the entire map team welcomes and presents them as our project team for processing and cataloging the cartographic portion of the Conrad Collection on Dutch Waterways.
The Judy Yung papers (M2788) are now open for research. The collection documents Yung’s roots in San Francisco’s Chinatown, her advocacy and research on the Angel Island Immigration Station, and her dedication to promoting the voices of Chinese American women. The collection can be accessed through Searchworks and a finding aid can be viewed through the Online Archive of California.
Special Collections is pleased to announce that the Dennis Witmer collection of Alaska as the Measure (MSS PHOTO 0660) is open for research. The collection consists of the 75-plate photograph portfolio “Alaska as the Measure,” a digital version of the same portfolio, and a series of 41 digital artist books made by Witmer.
The Jack Marshall papers and Story Line Press records are now processed and open for research! Both of these collections showcase American poetry in the latter half of the twentieth century with an emphasis on narrative poetry on the West Coast. A highlight of both collections is the extensive correspondence with other well-known poets and writers.