Uncategorized – News from the Archives

Nov 16 2017

25 for 25: Iowa Suffrage Memorial Commission

Posted on November 16, 2017November 29, 2017 by Anna Tunnicliff

Iowa Suffrage Memorial bas-relief, Nellie Walker

Lindsay Shannon, Assistant Professor of Art History, North Central College

It is in part thanks to the Iowa Suffrage Memorial Commission that the IWA has such a collection of materials on the suffrage movement in Iowa. The commission, incorporated in 1922, was organized “to commemorate the efforts of the Pioneer Suffragists and the long procession of workers who helped secure the final enfranchisement of women.” In addition to successfully erecting a bas relief memorial by native Iowan artist Nellie Walker in the state capitol building, the commission worked to preserve materials relating to the women’s suffrage movement through 1941. Many years later, Lindsay Shannon, Assistant Professor of Art History at North Central College and author of “Uncharted Territory: The Iowa Suffrage Memorial and the Pioneer Spirit“, found the collection quite useful. Shannon, who received her Ph.D. in American art history from the University of Iowa, had this to say about the collection:

“The Iowa Suffrage Memorial Commission records are a true gem! I often begin a research project on a female artist expecting to find very little documentation of their working methods or process, but was delighted to find a detailed account of these politically astute women debating and deciding how best to represent their achievements in a work of public art. This collection has been crucial to my efforts to give the Iowa Suffrage Memorial the recognition it deserves through published research and public presentations, such as the exhibition “Women’s Suffrage in Iowa: 90 Years after the ‘Winning Plan'” at the Blanden Art Museum. What excites me the most is knowing that the Iowa Women’s Archives is custodian to historical collections like this and that it continues to actively seek out new material that represents overlooked or undervalued voices.”

— Lindsay Shannon, North Central College, 2017

_{This post is a part of the Iowa Women’s Archives’ 25th anniversary celebration and exhibition: 25 Collections for 25 Years: Selections from the Iowa Women’s Archives on display until December 29th at the Main Library Gallery. Gallery hours are available on the Main Library website. For more information about events, see our 25th anniversary website.}

Nov 03 2017

25 for 25: Nurses and nursing

Posted on November 3, 2017November 9, 2017 by Anna Tunnicliff

The collections in the Iowa Women’s Archives feature women from all walks of life. For Karissa Haugeberg, Assistant Professor of History at Tulane University, the papers regarding nursing and nurses are of special interest. Collections in this broad topic include papers authored or co-authored by Geraldene Felton, Professor and Dean of the

Article on the work of Barbara Fassbinder

College of Nursing at the University of Iowa from 1981 to 1997, newspaper clippings and letters of support concerning Iowan Barbara Fassbinder, who advocated for the rights of AIDS patients from 1990 to her death in 1994, and records pertaining to the involvement in professional organizations of Myrtle Aydelotte, the Director and Dean of the State University of Iowa (now the University of Iowa) College of Nursing from 1949 to 1957. Haugeberg, who worked as a graduate assistant at the Iowa Women’s Archives while she was a student at the University of Iowa, comments on her use of all of these collections for her latest project.

The records of nursing organizations and the papers of key nurses are fueling my research on the history of American nursing. The papers of Geraldene Felton, who served as the first African American dean of nursing at the University of Iowa, include her reflections on the women’s liberation movement and

Karissa Haugeberg, Tulane University

her scholarship on topics ranging from nurses’ work with abortion to the physical demands of working night shifts. Barbara Fassbinder’s papers include newspaper clippings, speeches, and correspondence about one of the first nurses to contract HIV on the job. After she disclosed her illness publicly, Fassbinder traveled the nation, often speaking before church groups, in an effort to destigmatize the illness. Finally, Myrtle “Kitch” Aydelotte’s papers and the records of UI’s College of Nursing illuminate the relationship between nursing education and larger movements for social justice during the twentieth century. The breadth of IWA’s collections is

enabling me to offer new insights about the history American nursing.

— Karissa Haugeberg, Tulane University, 2017

Oct 17 2017

25 for 25: Lenabelle Bock

Posted on October 17, 2017 by Anna Tunnicliff

Today, the Iowa Women’s Archives commemorates Lenabelle Bock. Bock, whose name is spelled variously Lenabelle and Lena Belle, was politically active in Iowa for over twenty-five years before her election to the Iowa House of Representatives. Bock, a Republican, campaigned for and won the House seat for Hancock County. She was one of five women elected to the House in 1960. She is often remembered for her statement: “Women in the legislature need to look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, and work like a dog.”

The Lenabelle Bock papers, housed at the Iowa Women’s Archives consist of three scrapbooks covering Bock’s legislative career from 1961-1964.

When I was starting research for my MA on women in politics in Iowa in the 1950-60s, I was delighted by the trove of useful primary sources I found at the Iowa Women’s Archives. One of the best finds of my research there, which in turn helped shape my MA project, was discovering the political

Danielle Hoskins is a current American History graduate student at the University of Iowa.

scrapbook of Lenabelle Bock, who served the Iowa House of Representatives from 1961-1965. What struck me most about the Lenabelle Bock scrapbook was its compilation – I saw her constructing a narrative about her political career not just in what she chose to keep and collect in the pages of a scrapbook, but in how she decided to compile it. For example, Bock placed a newspaper article listing her as a candidate at a Republican rally opposite a page describing her as “our state representative” at the same rally the next year, despite the majority of the scrapbook running month-to-month chronologically. She was making a conscious connection between the two events, as if to say that she made good on her candidacy.

— Danielle Hoskins, University of Iowa 2017

Oct 13 2017

25 for 25: Ernest Rodriguez and Estefania Rodriguez

Posted on October 13, 2017October 13, 2017 by Anna Tunnicliff

Ernest and Estefania Rodriguez’s father, Norberto, migrated to the United States from the state of Jalisco, Mexico in 1910. He met their mother, Muggie Adams, an African-American woman from Alabama in Iowa. The Rodriguez family lived in Holy City, a box car community in Bettendorf, Iowa for several years, and Ernest and Estefania both worked in the onion fields in nearby Pleasant Valley. As adults, both siblings were active in the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 10 in Davenport and Ernest promoted civil rights through his work with the Davenport Human Relations Commission and the Quad City Grape Boycott Committee.

Maritza Lopez-Campos is a senior at the University of Iowa majoring in social work. She began working at the Iowa Women’s Archives last spring. Since then, she has read oral history interviews and delved into the collections that make up the Mujeres Latinas project. She connected with the stories of immigrants and their families that she found and recently shared some of these in a presentation at Muscatine Community College. Here, Lopez-Campos explains what working with the Mujeres Latinas project has meant to her:

As a student worker at the Iowa Women’s Archives, I have had the pleasure of working on a project that speaks to me, the Mujeres Latinas in Iowa. Through this, I have realized the

Maritza Lopez-Campos, senior, University of Iowa

commonalities I have with the women who contributed their oral interviews. The celebrations of la Virgen de Guadalupe, strict parents, not knowing English when beginning school, and the experience of discrimination told within them, I have also experienced. Perhaps the stories that most inspire me are the ones of growing up with non-English speaking, immigrant parents who spend their entire lives working so their children can have better lives. As a daughter of immigrant parents, their resiliency (perhaps the most common theme of the Mujeres Latinas project) is contagious; this makes me able to navigate being a proud Latina in the United States. These are not only stories of Latinx people immigrating to Iowa, but of living lives worthy of admiration, respect, and celebration.

– Maritz Campos-Lopez, University of Iowa 2017

_{This post is a part of the Iowa Women’s Archives’ 25th anniversary exhibit: 25 Collections for 25 Years: Selections from the Iowa Women’s Archives on display until December 29th at the Main Library Gallery. Gallery hours are available on the Main Library website.}

Oct 03 2017

25 for 25: Ruth Salzmann Becker

Posted on October 3, 2017October 13, 2017 by Anna Tunnicliff

Ruth Salzmann Becker’s papers represent several common themes found in IWA’s collections, including Jewish women in Iowa, German immigration, and feminist activism. Elizabeth Heineman, professor and chair of the University of Iowa’s history department, has used Becker’s papers in her classes. She shared with us why she finds the Ruth Salzmann Becker papers so engaging:

Elizabeth Heineman, professor, University of Iowa

“One of my favorite collections at the IWA is the Ruth Salzmann Becker papers. Ruth was born in Berlin to a Jewish Socialist family; both of her parents were medical professionals. With the rise of Nazism, the family fled, though they couldn’t all get visas together. Ruth went to England, and her parents and younger sister Eva sailed to Cuba. In 1940 they regrouped in New York, where Ruth got a degree in nursing. Somewhere along the line she met Samuel Becker, who later founded Communication Studies at UI. They married, settled in Iowa City, and raised three children. Ruth became an activist for disabled children, racial justice, and feminist causes.

Just two of the many political buttons in the Ruth Salzmann Becker papers.

One of the wonderful things about this collection is how it shows the blending of cultures that occurs with immigration. For example, Ruth started a recipe book in Germany, perhaps as part of a Home Economics class. The book traveled with her to England, then New York, and finally Iowa. Over the years, the recipes changed, from German classics like Sauerbraten to my personal favorite: marshmallow salad. Ruth switched from German to English, from grams to ounces – even her handwriting changed, from an angular Germanic script to rounded American letters. When we displayed items from the collection in a recent exhibit called “German Iowa and the Global Midwest,” visitors could see how the family tradition of political engagement evolved: from her father’s membership book in the German Social Democratic party to Ruth’s collection of pins from the 1970s, with slogans like “My consciousness is fine – it’s my pay that needs raising!” My only regret in using the collection is that I didn’t do it early enough to meet Ruth herself!”

— Elizabeth Heineman, University of Iowa, June 2017

Jul 11 2017

Celebrating Iowa City’s Feminists

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Anna Tunnicliff

Join us this weekend, July 14-15, for the Iowa City Feminists Reunion! Many of the women who created Ain’t I a Woman, the Iowa City Women’s Press, Nahuatzen, and other publications featured in the Main Library’s current exhibit, Power to the Printers, will be here to reflect on their experiences as activists in Iowa City in the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s.

Festivities over Friday and Saturday will include a gala dinner, a variety of panel discussions, an open house at the Iowa Women’s Archives, and a reception at the Women’s Resource and Action Center. For a full schedule, please visit the event’s site.

Feel free to drop in this Friday and Saturday for the panel discussions in Shambaugh Auditorium in the Main Library. We hope to see you there!

Mar 31 2017

Travel Grant Applications due April 15, 2017

Posted on March 31, 2017April 17, 2017 by Colleen Theisen

Linda and Richard Kerber Fund for Research in the Iowa Women’s Archives

In honor of Linda and Richard Kerber’s enduring support for scholarship in the history of women, the Iowa Women’s Archives (University of Iowa Libraries) announces a grant of $1000 to fund travel to Iowa City, Iowa, to conduct research in the Iowa Women’s Archives. We welcome applicants from a variety of backgrounds, including graduate students, academic and public historians, and independent researchers and writers, although preference will be given to graduate students. The grant is intended to offset travel and lodging expenses of researchers whose work will benefit from using collections in the archives. The strengths of the Iowa Women’s Archives include rich collections on the history of the women’s movement, political activism, African Americans, rural women, and Latinas, especially in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The collections are global in scope. (See http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa/viewshare/).

Grant recipients are expected to donate a courtesy copy of any publications that make use of the collections, and to acknowledge support of the Iowa Women’s Archives in any theses, dissertations, and publications.

Applications should be sent to lib-women@uiowa.edu with the subject line TRAVEL GRANT APPLICATION. Applications must be received via email by April 15, 2017. Notification of awards will be made by May 1, 2017.

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

Who is eligible?

We welcome applications from graduate students, academic and public historians, and independent researchers and writers who reside outside a 100-mile radius of Iowa City, Iowa, and whose research projects would be substantially enriched by the use of materials held by the Iowa Women’s Archives.
Research topics should be strongly supported by the collections of the Iowa Women’s Archives. We encourage each prospective grant applicant to discuss his or her research project and the collections that might support it with the Iowa Women’s Archives staff before submitting an application.
For information about the collections, please see our collection guides.

What expenses does the award cover?

The award may be used for travel and lodging but not for meals or photocopying. Prior to applying, non-US citizens should contact the library regarding visas or other required paperwork.

How do I apply?

The application packet consists of the following:

A one-page letter of application. Be sure to state your name, mailing address, email address, and phone number.
A research proposal of no more than 500 words describing the purpose of the research, the Iowa Women’s Archives holdings to be consulted, and the significance of these holdings to the overall project.
A curriculum vita of no more than two pages.
A proposed budget (not to exceed $1000) indicating how the funds will be spent.

Submit application to lib-women@uiowa.edu with the subject line TRAVEL GRANT APPLICATION. If you do not receive an email within 3 days confirming that your application has been received, please contact karen-mason@uiowa.edu or janet-weaver@uiowa.edu and write TRAVEL FUND in the subject line.

What dates do I need to remember?

Applications must be emailed by April 15, 2017.
Grant recipients will be notified by May 1, 2017.
Funds must be spent between June 1, 2017 and May 31, 2018.

For questions about the program, please contact: karen-mason@uiowa.edu or janet-weaver@uiowa.edu and write TRAVEL FUND in the subject line.

Iowa Women’s Archives
The University of Iowa Libraries
125 West Washington Street
Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1420

319-335-5068

http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa/

lib-women@uiowa.edu

Dec 15 2016

IWA Graduate Assistant Rachel Black Graduates from SLIS

Posted on December 15, 2016 by Colleen Theisen

Rachel Black, IWA graduate assistant completed her studies and graduated from the School of Library and Information Science. She will walk tomorrow at graduation.

Earlier this month, Rachel successfully defended her poster, “Community Building and Humanizing Social Media.”

Earlier we highlighted Rachel’s work on her blog, “@ Your Local Library.” You can read more about the project here.

Please join us in congratulating Rachel and wishing her the best in her future career.
Two SLIS students at their poster sessions

Nov 22 2016

“At Your Local Library” Interviews with IWA

Posted on November 22, 2016January 27, 2017 by Colleen Theisen

Rachel Black is a graduate assistant in the Iowa Women’s Archives. As part of her graduate work in the School of Library and Information Science she has been working on a project called “@ Your Local Library.”

“@ Your Local Library” is a series of photo essays bringing to life stories of the important work going on behind the scenes in libraries around the area, and posting about them on a WordPress site as well as Tumblr and Facebook.

On the “About” page for her website, Black describes her goals:

“Unfortunately, a lot of people aren’t aware of everything their local library has to offer. They see the books and the computers, but not the new programs or initiatives librarians are working to provide in order to create a happy and healthy community. I started this website in order to share with everyone the different ways librarians are working to benefit their communities.”

As part of the project, Black posted a six part series featuring librarians and staff from the Iowa Women’s Archives. The posts are embedded as a series below. Be sure to check out her pages to read all of the compelling stories of work going on in libraries around The Corridor.

https://atyourlocallibrary.tumblr.com/post/152566097429/my-mother-was-a-librarian-in-elementary-school

https://atyourlocallibrary.tumblr.com/post/152596425799/about-a-year-after-i-finished-my-dissertation-my

https://atyourlocallibrary.tumblr.com/post/152643829869/currently-im-processing-the-collection-of-a

https://atyourlocallibrary.tumblr.com/post/152686111664/weve-had-very-special-projects-to-preserve-the

https://atyourlocallibrary.tumblr.com/post/152728897074/whats-your-favorite-part-about-working-at-iowa

https://atyourlocallibrary.tumblr.com/post/152768035209/i-think-one-of-the-biggest-challenges-of-archives

Oct 19 2016

Do Not Miss Three Events from October 24th – 27th

Posted on October 19, 2016October 12, 2017 by Anna Tunnicliff

From October 24th – 27th Trudy Huskamp Peterson, the former Acting Archivist of the United States, and Jane E. Schultz, Professor of English and Medical Humanities at Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis, will visit the University of Iowa.

A longtime friend of the Iowa Women’s Archives, Trudy Huskamp Peterson has made an international career of archives and human rights. Besides serving as the United States’ Acting Archivist, Peterson has consulted with truth commissions in South Africa and Honduras and worked for three years with the police archives in Guatemala. She is currently the chair of the International Council on Archives’ Human Rights Working.

On Monday the 24th Peterson will host an archival workshop for graduate students and researchers from 4:00 – 5:30 in 302 SH Commons. She will follow this on Tuesday the 25th with a public lecture entitled “What Every Citizen and Historian Should Know: How Governments Shape Archives.” The lecture will take place in 302 SH Commons from 12:30 – 1:45 and will include a light lunch.

Finally, on Thursday the 27th, the Universty of Iowa History of Medicine Society and the Iowa Women’s Archives will jointly present Jane E. Schultz. Schultz, a professor at Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis, formerly consulted for the PBS miniseries “Mercy Street” and has written extensively about women and the Civil War. Her lecture “Civility on Trial: Nurses, Surgeons, and Medical Extremity in Civil War Hospitals will take place in the Medical Education Research Facility (MERF) 2117 from 5:30 – 6:30.

Hope to see you there!