Many Paths, Many Voices: Oral Histories

The University of Washington Special Collections began collecting oral histories in the 1960s as part of an effort to document the history and culture of our regional ethnic communities. Oral historians recorded interviews with members of the Scandinavian American, African American, Japanese American, and Jewish communities in Seattle and Washington State. Later, this effort broadened to document the Northwest arts community and spawned new projects such as the North Cascades History Project. Today, these oral histories represent the bulk of an ever-growing collection and stand as a rich resource for researchers from a variety of fields.

http://content.lib.washington.edu/ohcweb/index.html

Roots and Reflections: South Asians Map the Pacific Northwest

Amy Bhatt, Assistant Professor of gender and women's studies at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, and Nalini Iyer, Professor of English at Seattle University, worked with the University of Washington Press on a manuscript based on the South Asian Oral History Project.

The book, entitled "Roots and Reflections: South Asians Map the Pacific Northwest," uses oral history to show how South Asian immigrant experiences were shaped by the region and how they differed over time and across generations. It includes the stories of immigrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka who arrived from the end of World War II through the 1980s. 

Media Coverage includes:

• International Examiner article - "Roots & Reflections" Adds Voices of South Asian Settlers to History of the Pacific Northwest 
• UWTV 360 segment about the Oral History project and the book. 
• University of Washington Press book release description and the "Roots and Reflection" video trailer.

The Alaska Engineering Commission and the Building of the Alaska Railroad

1914 Reconnaissance Survey for the Alaska Railroad 

James L. McPherson's Kuskokwim Reconnaissance Collection

View the survey trail and select photographs taken along the route.

Women Who Rock

The Women Who Rock Oral History Archive is now live!

content.lib.washington.edu/wwrweb/

Public Exhibit: Art & Artists' Books by Margery Hellmann

There is No Frigate Like a Book: Art & Artists' Books by Margery Hellmann 

This exhibition features the lengthy career of Seattle artist Margery Hellmann as a marbler, collage artist, papermaker, printmaker and creator of letterpress printed artistsʼ books and broadsides.  Margery, known for her love of literature, quiet insight and many creative talents, was a founding member of the Book Arts Guild. The diversity of her work is amazing, spanning decades and culminating in her artistsʼ books begun in 1993. Margery worked tirelessly to create a melding of text and structure to complement and expand meaning.  Her work is held in collections around the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Britain. The UW Libraries contains the best single collection  of her work.

Special Collections Reading Room, Allen Library South Basement | through November 19

150 Years of UW and Seattle History

Would Washington be a state if it wasn't for UW? We'll find out as University of Washington celebrates 150 years.

by KIM HOLCOMB / Evening Magazine

Men's dormitory, 1905

http://www.king5.com/on-tv/evening-magazine/150-Years-of-UW-and-Seattle-History-152596155.html

Pacific Fisherman

Pacific Fisherman Journal, 1903-1911

The first half of the twentieth century saw critical events in the fishing industry. Questions of natural resource utilization and conservation, relationships with the Federal government, Indian tribes and other countries, marine engineering, and marketing are all discussed in Pacific Fisherman. The journal has a broad base of appeal; scientists looking for long-term salmon population data, genealogists and regional historians will all find something to intrigue them.

http://content.lib.washington.edu/pacfishweb/index.html