News

Helen Arnold Papers Processed

06/19/2013

Archival Services, a division of University Libraries, recently processed and preserved the papers of Helen E. Arnold.  Arnold (1924-2001) was an employee of the City of Akron who fought for education reform and equal rights for women and African-Americans in the Akron/Summit County area.  She was the first black woman to serve on the Akron Board of Education and served in various capacities on numerous boards and organizations, including the Akron Branch of the NAACP, the Ohio Black Political Assembly, and the United Neighborhood Council.  Her papers include speeches, writings, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and subject files that document her life and work.  The finding aid to the collection can be accessed in the OhioLINK Finding Aid Repository at http://ead.ohiolink.edu/xtf-ead/view?docId=ead/OhAkUAS0055.xml;query=helen arnold;brand=default.

Alvin C. Voris Letters Referenced in Beacon Journal Article

06/19/2013

The Monday, February 18, 2013 issue of the Akron Beacon Journal contained an article announcing the Summit County Historical Society’s Summit Awards, which recognized Alvin Coe Voris (please see http://www.ohio.com/news/summit-historical-society-to-honor-civil-war-general-1.374092).  The article referenced Voris’ papers, which are part of the vast holdings of The University of Akron Archival Services, a division of University Libraries.

New Marauder Archivist Processes B-26 Collections

06/19/2013

The University of Akron Archival Services, a division of University Libraries, recently completed the processing and preservation re-housing of ten collections from its B-26 Marauder Archives.  The work was performed by Kevin Klesta, the new Library Research Assistant/B-26 Marauder Archivist who replaced Mark Bloom in December 2012.  Bloom was promoted to Archives Associate Senior in the department last November.

Courtland B. Manifold Papers Available for Research

06/19/2013

Archival Services, a division of University Libraries, recently processed and preserved the papers of Courtland B. Manifold.  Manifold (1894-1973) was a soil specialist who worked for the United States government as well as The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and Firestone Tire & Rubber Company. He investigated land in South America, West Africa, and the Far East for the planting of rubber trees during the first half of the twentieth century.

Opie Evans Photographs Digitized

06/19/2013

Archival Services of University Libraries recently digitized a selection of images from the Opie Evans Papers.  The papers consist of approximately 40 cubic feet of archival materials documenting the life and work of African-American photographer, publisher, and businessman Opie Evans of Akron, Ohio. The collection also include hundreds of photographic prints and negatives taken or collected by Evans during his career that provide a rich visual history of the African-American community in Akron and surrounding areas during the middle of the twentieth century.  The images mostly depict African-American churches, workers, personalities, and social and fraternal organizations and events.  They also capture the 1964 and 1967 elections and the civil rights movement in Akron.

Archival Services Awarded OHRAB Grant

05/24/2013

Archival Services of University Libraries recently received a $1,980 grant from the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board (OHRAB).  The funding will be used to digitize for preservation purposes and to make available online 60 technical reports from the Daniel Guggenheim Airship Institute. The institute was operated by The University of Akron from 1929 to 1949 and was a partnership with the California Institute of Technology, the Daniel Guggenheim Fund, and the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation in Akron, Ohio. Experiments conducted at the institute focused on the effects of turbulence and drag on airship hulls as well as meteorological observations. The technical reports are a valuable source of research that primarily document lighter-than-air flight, heavier-than-air flight, meteorology, aerodynamics, and G-force measurements. The reports are frequently used by students, historians, scholars, lighter-than-air enthusiasts, and researchers for a variety of research projects.