Western Libraries News

Local History & Primary Source Research

As one of the three Heritage Resources programs at Western Libraries, the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies provides a wealth of local & regional resources for primary source research.

CPNWS holdings include a wide variety of resources about the regional commercial fishing industry. Pictured here is a digitized letter from the Archie W. Shiels Papers, in which Filipino workers protest conditions at the Pacific American Fisheries cannery in Nushagak, Alaska (letter dated June 15, 1933). Archie W. Shiels was then President of the Pacific American Fisheries, a major salmon fishing and packing operation headquartered in Fairhaven, Washington.

Additional CPNWS holdings related to fish and fishing include the Pacific American Fisheries Records, Alaska Packers Association Records, Northwest Ethnohistory Collection, Women in the Commercial Fishing Industry Research Collection and the holdings of Galen Biery, a long-term PAF employee and one of Bellingham’s best-known historians.

Western Libraries houses additional primary sources about the regional fishing industry & canneries, including Filipino American newspapers on microfilm such as the Alaska Fish Cannery Workers Union of the Pacific. The Washington State Oral/Aural History program (available on microfilm at CPNWS and at the main library) meanwhile contains transcripts from interviews conducted in the 1970s, documenting lives and experiences of African Americans and Filipinos in Washington State.

If you're seeking primary sources about campus, local or regional history, consult Western Libraries and the Heritage Resources staff and archival collections: these are the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries' Special Collections, and/or the WWU Archives and Records Center. Links to additional and useful primary source repositories are also included in the Library Guide "Resources for Researching Local and Regional History".

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Wish Tying, Special Collections selection for April

Author: 
Seiko Atsuta Purdue
Publication Information: 
Bellingham, Wash. : S. A. Purdue, c2005
Location: 
Special Collections -- The Western Collection and Wilson Library 4 West
Call Number: 
Purdue, S. A.
April, 2011

Wish TyingSpecial Collections Book of the Month for April is Wish Tying by Seiko Atsuta Purdue, a Western faculty member in the Department of Art. 

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Japan Crisis: U.S Gov. & International Online Resources

Resources related to the 2011 Japan Crisis

Google Crisis Response

"This page is being updated continuously to provide the latest information about this crisis, resources for those affected, and ways to contribute to relief efforts in Japan."

U.S. Federal Environmental Websites

This site includes links to information on the Japan emergency.
Prepared by Robert Lopresti, Government Documents Librarian, Western Libraries

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National Women's History Month

Writing Women Back into History

Suffrage Centennial 1910-2010

2010 marked the 100th anniversary of when most Washington women permanently achieved the right to vote. The Washington Women’s History Consortium leads the commemoration and invites people all over Washington to learn about this important history.

During National Women's History Month, visit 1000memories to recognize the women who made a difference in your life. 1000memories has partnered with the National Women's History Project and the Internet Archive to remember the contributions of women in history - those whose lives shaped and were shaped by history. The website offers a space to collect and tell the stories of women throughout history, famous or not.

The Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Washington University, contributed two "digital collections" to the WHC Digital Library:

Washington Women's History Consortium - Images and Washington Women's History Consortium - Oral Histories contain primary source materials that were digitized as part of CPNWS's commitment to the Washington Women's History Consortium project (funded by the Washington State Legislature). Drawn from a variety of different archival collections at the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, these digital resources include photographs, manuscripts and oral history interviews documenting the history and achievements of women in Washington State.

Western Washington University's WHC Oral Histories Collection comprises oral histories collected as part of the statewide Washington Women's Heritage Project. The collection includes interviews of women active in the commercial fishing industry and interviews of Bellingham residents who discuss a broad range of topics including local environmental issues, healthcare, entertainment, Native American issues and other ethnic and race relations, industry and businesses, transportation, and education.
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Celebrate Women's History Month!

We welcome campus and community members to discover and enjoy the rich "women's history" collections and archival resources available at the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies and Western.

A present display in Haggard Hall features images selected from records of the myriad women's organizations archived at CPNWS. Contact CPNWS or browse our website to find out more about records of groups including the Monday and Aftermath Clubs, AAUW (Washington), the YWCA of Bellingham and the Bellingham Woman's Music Club. CPNWS also houses collections including oral histories and personal papers from women including Ella Higginson, Jane Hovde, June Burn and Lois Garlick. 

Additional materials relating to the history of women on Western's campus can be accessed through Western Libraries Special Collections and the WWU Archives and Records Center.

Researchers are also encouraged to explore three Digital Collections focusing on the experiences and achievements of women: these are the Washington Women’s History Consortium Oral Histories and Image Collections (digitized from CPNWS holdings), and the Western Women in Sport Collection (featuring images from Special Collections). All three collections were developed through partnership with and funding from the Washington Women's History Consortium.

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Children's Literature Class Visit

Special CollectionsChildren's Literature for the Elementary and Middle School Teacher (ENG 441) students visited Special Collections recently with their instructor, Sylvia Tag.

Tamara Belts and Peter Smith welcomed the class into the Research Room and presented information about the collections, including the Helene Whitson Collection of pop-up books, the Special Collections Children's Collection, original manuscripts by Steve Raymond from the Fly Fishing Collection, and photographs from the Campus School Collection.

After looking at items on the Research Room tables, students walked through the Storage Area and the Work Area. Lesley Lowery talked with students about the Western Student Newspaper digitization project, showing the brown, brittle pages of the original newsprint.

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Special Collections Book of the Month: My Impossible Dream

Author: 
Chuck Randall as told to Barbara Kindness
Publication Information: 
Bothell, WA: Book Publishers Network, 2008
Location: 
Special Collections - The Western Collection
Call Number: 
Randall, C.
March, 2011

My Impossible DreamMarch madness is upon us. Currently the WWU Vikings are working their way through the post-season conference title competition, hoping to host the women's regional championships and more. With that in mind what a great time to read, My Impossible Dream, by WWU Men's Coach of the Century (1900-1999), Chuck Randall.

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Special Collections Book of the Month: The Winemaker's Daughter

Author: 
Timothy Egan
Publication Information: 
New York : Vintage Books, 2005
Location: 
Special Collections -- Northwest Collection
Call Number: 
PS3605 .G36 W56 2005
February, 2011

Wines, Water Rights, Coulees and Cultures:  The Winemaker's Daughter by Timothy Egan

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North Cascades Audobon Society Visit

NCASMembers of the North Cascades Audubon Society visited Special Collections January 22, to see reproductions of John James Audubon's Birds of America illustrations.

"The Original Water-Color Paintings by John James Audubon for the Birds of America, Reproduced in Color for the First Time from the Collection at the New York Historical Society," is the full title of the set, published in 1966. It is a collector's edition, one of 750 copies.

Audubon bookThe book and print collection is the gift of Joe and Roberta Eblen in honor of their daughter, Anna Eblen, who is chair of the Communications department at Western.

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New Books for Fly Fishing Collection

Bug WaterA new list of titles added to the Fly Fishing Collection from July to December 2010 is now available.  All books added to the Fly Fishing Collection are donations from our friendly fly fishers in the Northwest.

The Purpose of the Fly Fishing Collection at Western Washington University Libraries Special Collections is to collect, preserve, and provide access to diverse materials supporting study of the sport of fly fishing.

The collection includes books, periodicals, manuscripts, photographs, artworks, audio and video personal interviews and histories, and fly fishing artifacts such as rods, reels, flies, and fly tying materials.

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