Gusties are in the House! (and Senate) – Display

Several Gustavus Adolphus alumni and a faculty member were very successful in the past election on November 2^nd. Come see the new display brought to you by the College and Lutheran Church Archives, “Gusties in Minnesota Legislature.” The display features five former students (Mindy Greiling, David Hann, Kory Kath, Ted Lillie, and Paul Torkelson) and one current professor (Terry Morrow). Learn what these Gusties were up to back in the day, and in their current positions as state senators and representatives! This fun display was created by Lacie Micek, archives student worker. It is located on the main floor of the library by the reference desk. Be there or be square!

College Photographs

The College and Lutheran Church Archives has released a photo database documenting the college from the 1800s to the modern era. Currently, this resource contains 300 images from our main photograph collection. New content appears somewhat regularly. The archives retain thousands of images, and the primary limitation to adding additional photographs is time.
Researchers and those with avocational interests have a powerful research tool that allows for finding images from targeted decades or pictures concerning particular topics, groups, and individuals. Moreover, this resource makes historical inquiry fun and much more accessible for students, alumni, and staff.
Users can access the database via the archives page. You will want to click the link for photographs along the left column. Please visit the archives (located on the library's third floor) or call the archivist if you are unable to find an image in the database.

You Want to Be an Archivist: Requiem for a Dream

Here is a wonderful video about the reality, well sort of reality, of the archives profession and being an archivist. If you view life through the lens of "tough love" and think being an archivist would be the best thing ever, you'll love this eye-opening production.

Why you shouldn't become an archivist by Rebecca Goldman and Amy Schindler

Even with the non-stop dreary funniness provided in this clip, being an archivist is wonderful.

Archives Renovation: A Brave New World

The College and Lutheran Church Archives has been, for the most part, in its current location since the opening of the second Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library in late 1972. During that last thirty-eight years many items have been collected. Thousands of acid-free boxes serve as home to the unique documents, photographs, recordings, and numerous other miscellaneous materials created by and about the college and those who have called Gustavus home.

In an effort to improve the facility and gain additional storage space, Jeff Jenson and Michelle Twait applied for a Minnesota Historical & Cultural Grant made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Their application was successful. By mixing the award with money from the library and an archives endowment, archivally appropriate shelving will be installed. As a result, the entire space was emptied. With the room being bare for the first time in nearly forty years, the space is undergoing a much needed cleaning and painting with the help of physical plant staff.

The archives will remain open during this tumultuous upheaval. This is being done because it is the primary mission of the College and Lutheran Church Archives to make materials "available for use and study." Information access will continue, but minor delays may occur.

To learn more about the College and Lutheran Church Archives please contact Jeff Jenson or visit the website.

Armistice Day Blizzard at Gustavus

Today is the anniversary of the Armistice Day Blizzard of November 1940. The Monday started much like today with unseasonably warm temperatures that had climbed to the low 60s during the afternoon. However, the weather changed quickly and temperatures dropped by 40 degrees over the next several hours. A large and powerful winter storm rolled across the Midwest bringing strong winds, sleet, and snow.

In Minnesota, forty-nine people died as a result of the storm. Most of the dead were duck hunters. There were no deaths at Gustavus, but the storm hit campus hard. According to an account in the Gustavian Weekly, many faculty couldn't get down the bluffside to return to their homes, and students, lacking proper winter attire, were donning wild combinations of clothes in their efforts to keep warm. Let us hope that the rain forecast for this evening does not turn to snow.

Archives Insider

As a new academic year begins, I thought I'd give an update and a bit of inside information.

Regular open hours will be on the following days.
Monday, 8:00-noon and 1:00-4:30
Tuesday, 8:00-noon and 1:00-4:30
Wednesday, 8-noon

Please contact archives staff if you are unable to visit during these hours. We are located directly above the main entrance of Folke Bernadotte Memorial library.

This past academic year was very busy. We helped approximately 280 users. Patrons included students working on classroom assignments, academics conducting professional research, and family history researchers seeking to uncover their roots. To see how students in Glen Kranking's J-Term History Bytes course used the archives, please see their course page.

Past and Present Gustavus Buildings - Display

A new addition is being added to the Gustavus campus! Literally! Construction of the "New Academic Building" is underway, and to keep with the theme, the College and Lutheran Church Archives have brought you a new display, "Ch-ch-ch-ch Changes: Buildings at Gustavus." The display chronicles how particular buildings at the college have changed, progressed, and even been demolished over time. Come see what the first gymnasium looked like! Learn what happened to Johnson Hall! This exciting new display was created by library and archives intern Maura Coonan. It is located on the main floor of the library by the reference desk. Come check it out!

To see more images of the the college's past, visit the archives.