Special Collections materials support teaching and research not only on the University of Arkansas campus, but also around the globe. Researchers use the unique primary resources in our collections to create journal articles, theses and dissertations, books, family trees, news segments, documentaries, and works of art. We ask all researchers who publish materials from our collections to cite them, which provides direction for other researchers who are interested in exploring those materials further—and also helps us to trace the scholarly impact of our collections. Sometimes the pathways are straightforward—of course a biographer of groundbreaking Black composer Florence Price would want to consult the Florence Price Papers! At other times, those pathways can be surprising, as researchers identify connections between disparate subjects and take advantage of the frequently broad-ranging interests and activities of manuscript collection creators. Below are some examples of how scholars have drawn upon our collections for their recent publications; these publications are also all available in Special Collections’ Arkansas Collection for further reading and exploration.
Left: Beasley, Rebecca. Russomania: Russian Culture and the Creation of British Modernism. Oxford UP, 2020.
Right: Edward O’Brien letter to John Gould Fletcher, 22 Feb. 1921. John Gould Fletcher Papers (MS F63), Series 3, Box 59, Folder 888.
Left: Key, Barclay. Race & Restoration: Churches of Christ and the Black Freedom Struggle. Louisiana State University Press, 2020.
Right: Center Street Church of Christ bulletin, Dec. 6, 1959. Center Street Church of Christ Records (MC 873), Series 6, Box 4, Folder 12.
Left: Whayne, Jeannie M. “World War I and Woman’s Suffrage in Arkansas.” The War at Home: Perspectives on the Arkansas Experience during World War I, edited by Mark K. Christ. University of Arkansas Press, 2020, pp. 167-190.
Right: Photograph of newspaper editor and suffragist Freda Hogan with Ida Callery, undated. University of Arkansas Picture Collection (MC 2467), Image 3710.
Left: Jones, Kelly Houston. A Weary Land: Slavery on the Ground in Arkansas. University of Georgia Press, 2021.
Right: Camden, Arkansas Civil War Record Book, circa 1920. Camden, Arkansas Civil War Record Book (MC 1375), Folder 1.
Left: Brown, Rae Linda. The Heart of a Woman: The Life and Music of Florence B. Price. University of Illinois Press, 2020.
Right: MC 988, Letter from fellow composer Eric DeLamarter to Florence Price, February 6, 1934. Florence Price Papers (MC 988), Box 1, Folder 1, Item 4.
Have you recently used resources from Special Collections in a publication, documentary, or other scholarly or creative work? We’d love for you to let us know at specoll@uark.edu!
-
- Camden, Arkansas Civil War Record Book, circa 1920. Camden, Arkansas Civil War Record Book (MC 1375), Folder 1.
-
- Center Street Church of Christ bulletin, Dec. 6, 1959. Center Street Church of Christ Records (MC 873), Series 6, Box 4, Folder 12.
-
- Edward O’Brien letter to John Gould Fletcher, 22 Feb. 1921. John Gould Fletcher Papers (MS F63), Series 3, Box 59, Folder 888.
Thank you for this post. As a former member of the C of C, I’m very interested in the Race and Restoration book, which I was not aware of. Very nice job of highlighting the value of the collection for researchers through some excellent examples.
Now a thought: Has anyone in SpeColl reached out to Margaret Jones Bolsterli recently, by chance? One-time Professor at the U of A , author of a number of powerful and thoroughly researched books related to Arkansas history. She particularly captures daily life and touches upon rights and roles of women and African-Americans through use of primary documents, particularly journals and diaries. I can imagine her having a treasure trove of materials on Arkansas history. My wife took a class with her in the 1990s and loved and admired her both as a teacher and as a person. Anything Margaret Bolsterli has written or contributed to is well worth reading. She is clearly a heavy user of archives and might be amenable to sharing with the Libraries materials of interest and value to future researchers?
P.S. I see her name associated with several items in the archives, but it looks like mainly as an intermediary for another donor. If you would like some help reaching out to her, please let me know. I believe she still resides locally. I do not know her personally, by the way. Thanks for indulging me!