Clarke Historical Library News and Notes: U.Comm photos move to Clarke

by Marian Matyn

Before: Empty Clarke hallway

On February 18, the Clarke received a literal truckload of historic photographic materials and videos in various formats delivered by the CMU moving crew from U.Comm (CMU University Communications) to the Clarke back hallway. Everything arrived safely. This move occurred suddenly due to an immediate need to empty the space to allow renovations in West Hall.

Over the decades we've received several collections of photographic materials from the CMU photographers and what was then called Information Services. Digital photography has been used for some of their work since the 1990s and today, all photographic images are digital. They also have some databases which should also be coming my way soon.

Materials ready for the Clarke

Last week, I met with the photographer, Steve, and videographer, Adam, and helped identify cabinets and other materials I wanted in the archives. I left empty boxes in which the two of them could transfer some of the materials. We also received a Betamax video station. Part of it came with the movers and part of it Adam and I will move in the near future. The estimated total cubic feet of all of the material -- Betamax video, VHS raw footage and master videos, CDs of some of these videos, negatives, photographs, contact sheets, slides, some old newsletters, and a small pile of matted, oversized CMU photographs --- is approximately 230 cubic feet. Most of it is organized by format and topic and there is an inventory of videos.

Next week, my goal is to have a re-boxing event and move the entirety of this acquisition into the stacks as quickly as possible. These 230 feet worth of documentation of thousands of historic moments at Central is a continuation of the transfer of CMU photographic materials, of which we have received several deposits over the decades.