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Augustana College Special Collections local history collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 385

Scope and Contents

The Augustana College Special Collections local history collection, 1713-2017 and undated, is organized into twelve series.

Realia, 1896-1990 and undated, includes buttons, tokens, matchbooks, and other objects related to the Quad Cities, including commemorative items for events and anniversaries, political and World War I campaign buttons, and advertising material for local business and organizations.

Postcards, 1895-1993 and undated, consists of postcards depicting local scenery, buildings, and the Mississippi River, including Augustana College scenes.

Newspapers and Magazines, 1891-2000 and undated, includes newspapers, newsletters, magazines, and other periodicals published by local groups or organizations. Many of these newspapers, such as Slowfish, Challenge, and New Times, were published by activists, political organizers, or marginalized groups in the Quad Cities as a form of protest and political expression.

Subject Files, 1860s-2000s and undated, consists of subject files on various topics of local interest.

Maps and directory information, 1837-1994 and undated, contains Illinois and Iowa state maps, maps of individual counties and cities in Illinois and Iowa, telephone directories, and other directory information for the Quad Cities region.

Sheet Music, 1864-1985 and undated, contains various pieces of locally and culturally significant sheet music.

Discrete manuscripts, 1713-1920 and undated, contains numerous small manuscript collections, printed material, and other items for which no creator or provenance information could be identified.

City of Rock Island publications, 1885-1996, primarily consists of annual reports issued by various Rock Island committees and neighborhood planning documents.

Local church publications, 1886-1998 and undated, contains material related to churches in the greater Quad Cities area.

Local school publications, 1858-1965 and undated, contains printed material related to local secondary schools and colleges.

Ephemera, circa 1860s-2017 and undated, is the largest series in the collection. The materials in this series are almost exclusively ephemeral in nature and primarily serve to document local businesses, organizations, and groups.

The final series in the collection, audiovisual recordings and computer files, 1906-2010 and undated, contains recordings in a variety of formats, including thirteen sound recordings on transcription discs primarily consisting of interviews with Augustana College faculty members and leaders of the Augustana Synod and various pieces of music, presumably performed by Augustana College ensembles. This series also includes recordings of the proceedings of the 1948 Swedish Pioneer Centennial held in Chicago, Illinois.

Dates

  • Creation: 1713-2017 and undated

Language of Materials

English, Swedish, and Tamil

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on the use of this collection. Audiovisual materials and computer files may be inaccessible pending reformatting. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from Augustana College Special Collections and the copyright holder.

Historical Note

The Augustana College Special Collections local history collection was compiled over the course of several decades by Special Collections staff. Most of the materials were collected by Special Collections Librarian Judy Belan, who sought to document the history of the greater Quad Cities area. These materials, primarily ephemeral in nature, document the history of the Quad Cities, Illinois, Iowa, and the surrounding states. Particular attention is paid to local businesses and organizations, and the materials predominantly date from the late 19th century to the mid twentieth century, although more recent documents can often be found in the collection as well.

Extent

22.4 Cubic Feet (/ 49 boxes, 5 AV boxes, 1 oversize box, and 7 oversize folders)

Abstract

The Augustana College Special Collections local history collection was compiled over the course of several decades by Special Collections staff. These materials, primarily ephemeral in nature, document the history of the Quad Cities, Illinois, Iowa, and the surrounding states. Particular attention is paid to local businesses and organizations, and the materials predominantly date from the late 19th century to the mid-twentieth century, although more recent documents can often be found in the collection as well.

Arrangement

In most cases, material is arranged alphabetically by subject or folder title. For some subseries, such as pamphlets and souvenir programs, original order and folder titles have been retained. Oversize materials from multiple series have been housed together in box 21 or in XOPF-385/1-4 depending on dimensions.

Custodial History

The Augustana College Special Collections local history collection was assembled by Special Collections staff over the course of several decades. Materials may have been added to the collection because their provenance or creator information was unknown. For most materials, donor information is untraceable, but there are some exceptions. See the Immediate Source of Acquisition note for more details.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

"Viking Song" musical score received from Ann Boaden in March 2008.

Oskar II commemorative print received from Dian K. Shuda in April 1998.

Montgomery Elevator Company Go Up magazine received from Margaret R. Noble in May 1992.

Anti-Bryan Free Silver Coinage campaign coin received from Prof. O.L. Nordstrom in September 1928.

Swedish seals received from Dr. Emil Lofgren in January 1928.

Swedish American Republican League delegate badge received from Grant Hultberg in 1915.

"Sing Augustana's Praises" musical score received from Kai Swanson in March 2015.

House on the Hill guestbook received from Deb Lloyd in July 2013.

Women's March on Washington materials received from Aaron Hollatz and Rachael Meadors, February 2017.

Existence and Location of Originals

Most materials are original documents, but some folders (especially in the subject files series) may contain photocopies only. In these cases, the locations of the original items are unknown, but the originals are presumed to have been retained by the donors.

Existence and Location of Copies

Some materials in this collection have been digitized and made accessible in Digital Special Collections at http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/aug_history

Processing Information

Processed by Samantha Crisp, January 2015. Updated by Samantha Crisp, May 2017.

Title
Augustana College Special Collections local history collection, 1713-2017 and undated.
Status
Completed
Author
Samantha Crisp; Revised by Harrison Phillis, March 2021
Date
August 2015
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Augustana College Special Collections Repository

Contact:
639 38th Street
Thomas Tredway Library
Rock Island Illinois 61201 United States