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  • Minutes from September CAA Steering Committee Meeting

    15 Oct 2013 9:50 PM | Audra V. Adomenas
    The minutes from the September 12 CAA Steering Committee Meeting have been approved and are available to view online here.

  • Celebrating Archives Month: Women’s History in Evanston

    14 Oct 2013 4:17 PM | Deleted user

    In June 1913, Illinois granted women the right to vote. The centennial of this watershed moment inspired us to look at Chicago-area collections that provide insight into the suffrage movement and other aspects of women’s history. During National Archives Month (October), we are featuring posts by guest authors who are familiar with some of these collections. Repository information is at the end of each story.

    Erin Hvizdak shares her experiences researching the Women’s Club of Evanston in the first post of our series. Hvizdak is an Adjunct Librarian at the College of Lake County and a Circulation Librarian at Morton College. She has been a volunteer at the Frances Willard Memorial Library and Archives since early 2012.

    In search of the Woman’s Club of Evanston
    Erin Hvizdak

    During the Progressive Era, a thriving “Woman’s Club Movement” was underway. Affiliated with schools, churches, and communities, women -- usually educated and of high economic means -- came together to improve the conditions of society, especially as increasing urbanization and industrialization brought a host of health and safety concerns.

    Hundreds of woman’s clubs have come and gone in Chicago, but their records are sparse. When I was first hired to write a history book for the Woman’s Club of Evanston (WCE), founded in 1889, I had no idea how lucky I was to have such an abundance of records available at Northwestern University, including numerous photographs and slides as well as a nearly complete set of the monthly newsletter, first published in 1911. Even more materials are stored at the WCE clubhouse and at the Evanston History Center. The WCE created an archives committee in 1916 to keep its records and collect publicity each year, pasting materials into annual scrapbooks. Rather than being transferred from one member’s home to another, these records resided in the clubhouse, from the time construction was completed in 1913, until most of them were transferred to Northwestern in 1991 and 2009.

    The WCE contributed to the start of numerous organizations and systems in Evanston that are taken for granted today. The Club donated more than $3000 to Evanston’s first hospital (1892), provided the first salary of the area’s visiting nurse (1897), paid the first probation worker in Evanston (1902), and paid the city’s first food inspector (1912). These are only a few examples of the activities that WCE and other woman’s clubs undertook to improve their neighborhoods. While the women were no doubt concerned with protecting their own homes and class status, they nonetheless played a leading role in the formation of many social and health services. Many, but not all, have since been taken over and supported by government or corporate entities. Their origins have been forgotten, credit has been given to the other agencies, and the activities of the early woman’s movement are often condensed to a celebration of suffrage. It remains to be seen whether more records of these early woman’s clubs will turn up, but if they do, they will provide a fascinating look into the foundations of Chicago’s (and the nation’s) administration.     



    IMAGE: WCE Newsletter, September 1912. Courtesy of Northwestern University Archives.

    Deering Library, Room 110
    1970 Campus Dr.
    Evanston, Illinois 60208

    The archives is open to the public. Please consult the NU website for hours and access information.

    The Dawes House
    225 Greenwood Street
    Evanston, Illinois 60201

    Please consult the History Center website for hours and access information. Construction at The Dawes House this fall may affect access.


  • Dig Out Your Old 16 mm Vacation Film for Home Movie Day

    09 Oct 2013 4:04 PM | Deleted user

    Go down to the basement and dig out your Super 8 memories of that interminable trip to Idaho or that embarrassing 16mm footage of your mother's rockin' bat mitzvah and bring them to the Chicago History Museum on Saturday, 19 October for Home Movie Day. Jointly presented for the third year in a row by Chicago Film Archives and the Northwest Chicago Film Society, Home Movie Day offers Chicagoans the opportunity to gather together and share their celluloid histories.

     

    All Chicagoans are encouraged to attend and participate in Home Movie Day. This year's edition will highlight Bronzeville and Ravenswood Manor. Unique home movies will resurrect the rich history of Bronzeville's storied performance hall, The Forum, and offer glimpses of surprisingly dangerous boyhood diversions along the Chicago River, circa 1970. And keep an eye out for home movies of Olympic medalist Ralph Metcalfe.

     

    You bring the films, and event organizers will inspect them, project them, and offer tips on storage, preservation, and video transfer--all free of charge. And best of all, you get to watch them with an enthusiastic audience, equally hungry for local history. If you don’t have a film to bring, you're welcome to stop by and just watch other people's home movies. And if you're a walking encyclopedia of forgotten Chicago landmarks, eateries, and parades, your commentary will be much appreciated!

     

    Event Info


    Where: Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark Street, Chicago IL

    When: Saturday, 19 October, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

    Admission: Free

    More information is available at http://www.chicagofilmarchives.org/current-events/chicago-home-movie-day-2013.


    FAQ


    Q: What film formats can I bring to Home Movie Day?

    A: 16mm, 8mm, and Super 8 can be inspected and projected. Other formats (28mm, 9.5mm, etc.) can’t be projected but people will be available to help you find a safe, cost-effective way to view these prints.

     

    Q: How many home movies can I bring?
    A: Bring as many films as you'd like, but only one reel from each participant will be screened until everyone has had a chance to see their home movies. After that, second helpings are totally fine--especially in Kodachrome.

     

    Q: Will I get my home movies back?
    A: Yes. Event organizers just inspect and project your home movies and return them to you in comparable condition. Broken perforations or cracked frames may even be fixed! Keep in mind that decades-old films are fragile and there's an inherent (though slight) risk of damage during any projection. If organizers feel that a film cannot be safely projected, they will not screen it.

     

    Q: Can I donate my home movies to the Chicago Film Archives?
    A: The Chicago Film Archives would be happy to discuss options for donating your old, unwanted home movies to its ever-growing collection.

  • Archives Salon–Archival Privilege wrap-up

    14 Sep 2013 9:08 AM | Deleted user

     

    The CAA Events Subcommittee thanks all who attended the Archives Salon on 12 September 2013. We had a very interesting discussion about archival privilege and donor rights from a legal standpoint, and what that means for the archives profession. There was a great group and lively discussion, and the Events Subcommittee is looking forward to planning salons more frequently in the future.

     

    Again, thank you to those who attended, and we missed those of you that could not!

     

    If you missed this event, don’t worry – there will be more events throughout the year at a variety of dates, times, and locations. Keep an eye on the CAA website for more information on upcoming events!

  • Minutes from July CAA Steering Committee Meeting

    12 Sep 2013 9:22 PM | Audra V. Adomenas
    The minutes from the July 30 CAA Steering Committee Meeting have been approved and are available to view online here.

  • New acquisition at the Chicago & North Western Historical Society

    10 Sep 2013 8:23 PM | Deleted user

     

    The Chicago & North Western Historical Society recently received a large collection of slides that visually document ore transportation in Upper Michigan and freight cars. The historical society collects materials related to the Chicago & North Western and many related rail lines. Its collections provide images and information about rail companies, railroad equipment, and help tell the story of the many Midwestern and Great Plains towns that were home to stations on the routes of the Chicago & North Western and its predecessors.

    Learn more about the Historical Society, its activities, and its collections at http://www.cnwhs.org/archives.htm.

     

    http://www.cnwhs.org/memberphotos/displayimage.php?album=21&pos=4

     

    TOP: A Peninsula Division crew poses at the Stager, Michigan, depot in February 1914. Photo by Strecher.

    BOTTOM: A train approaches the station at Arpin, Wisconsin, in 1915.

    Images courtesy of the Chicago & North Western Historical Society. Images shown here are not part of the recent donation.

    Does your institution have news to share? You can send announcements about exhibits, brag about newly acquired materials, promote recently processed collections, and more. Submit your institution's news to info@chicagoarchivists.org; subject line News.

  • Thank You to Event Venues

    02 Sep 2013 5:56 PM | Deleted user
    As we begin to plan CAA programs for the coming months, we want to take a moment to thank the many organizations that donated space for our events in 2012 and in the first half of 2013. Because of the generosity of these organizations and their staff, we have been able to offer a variety of programs throughout the  Chicago  area and support an active and engaged archives community.

    We encourage our members and potential members to browse the archival collections at these institutions, especially when access is made possible though exhibits and online collections. Of course, access varies from institution to institution so be sure to check the policies and procedures online before heading out to visit in person.

    • American  College of Surgeons
    • Chicago  History  Museum  
    • Chicago  State  University
    • Columbia  College  Chicago , Center for Black Music Research
    • DePaul  University
    • Highland Park  Historical Society
    • Medical Library Association
    • Motorola Corporation
    • National Archives at Chicago
    • Northwestern University
    • Read/Write Library
    • Roosevelt University
    • Union League Club of Chicago
    • University of Chicago
    • Wheaton  College  

         

    IMAGE: Al Capone’s guilty verdict at the National Archives at Chicago. http://research.archives.gov/description/62896

  • Member News, August 2013

    24 Aug 2013 9:45 AM | Deleted user

    Jakob VanLammeren was recently hired as the Archivist/Collections Librarian at the Leather Archives & Museum. Read more in the press release at http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=78c185659e1f1d22a694ad651&id=7999a24e8f

     

    Don't be shy...If you’ve earned a degree, presented at a conference, published an article, started a new job, or completed another professional achievement, let us know and we’ll include it in next month’s Member News. Submit your information to info@chicagoarchivists.org; subject line Member News.

  • CAA at Grant Park Music Festival Wrap-Up

    14 Aug 2013 10:09 PM | Deleted user

    The CAA Events Subcommittee thanks all who attended the Grant Park Music Festival Event on 9 August 2013. There were a small but enthusiastic number of attendees. Those that attended were able to enjoy the wonderful music of Messiaen, MacMillan, and Schubert. It was a truly beautiful evening of great weather and inspiring music.

    Again, thank you to those that were able to attend and we missed those of you that could not!

    If you missed this event, don’t worry, there will be more events throughout the year at a variety of dates, times, and locations. Coming soon:

    • CAA at SAA Happy Hour. Thursday, 15 August 2013, 5:30 PM. New Orleans, Hilton Lobby. See details.
    • Archives Salon. The topic for this session is Archival Privilege: Privacy and Donor Rights. Thursday, 12 September 2013, 6:30–8:00 PM. See details.

    Have an idea for a CAA event? Contact CAA at info@chicagoarchivists.org with your suggestions.

    Photo © Susan Hanf. All Rights Reserved.

  • Minutes from June CAA Joint Steering and Subcommittee Committee Meeting

    30 Jul 2013 9:35 PM | Audra V. Adomenas
    The minutes of the June 25 CAA Joint Steering and Subcommittee Meeting have been approved and are available to view online here.

Contact CAA at info@chicagoarchivists.org

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