The bell was removed from the Pioneer Bell Tower in the document that provides detailed descriptions of the collection’s 1970s and disappeared into obscurity. Now, thanks to Odden’s contents. Other materials, such as maps and photographs, are diligence, the restored bell is on display in Riley Hall. also digitized and uploaded to theDigitalCommons@Linfield, Students are getting graduate-level experience in an making them accessible to the public and researchers. undergraduate setting. Woody, who did a four-year stint at the Linfield has been very mindful of its own history, collecting and Smithsonian Institution, is teaching the students everything she storing materials for more than 150 years. But it’s also aware of the learned in graduate school and on the job. greater community. One portion of the archives has been dedicated “It’s very rigorous, and they are very much up to learning it, ” to the Oregon Wine History Archive (OWHA), an example of how she said. “We have tried to harness their passion.” Linfield also takes ownership of local history, Woody said. Because archivists operate under the “do no harm” “The Oregon wine industry’s history could go philosophy, Woody and the students do nothing to a document undocumented if Linfield didn’t step in,” she said. “The or object that could cause more harm in the future. Much of the traditional view is that something isn’t history until it’s at least work is minimal – removing rusty paper clips or staples – but some 50 or 100 years old. Here we are actively collecting contemporary is far more involved. Any documents with mold must be isolated documents showing where the wine industry is going and so the mold doesn’t spread. Buffer paper is inserted between many decisions that they are making now. It’s a nice paradigm shift papers to aid preservation. Students learn how to repair torn in my own profession and one that I think is really smart on documents using Japanese tissue paper to create a stronger bond. Linfield’s part.” Once a collection has been sorted, organized and catalogued, More wine history donations are continually sought and documents are placed in labeled folders and filed in special Woody has oral commitments from eight new donors who are archival boxes. Students create a finding aid, a massive online expected to yield more materials early this year. This scrapbook with a hand-painted cover from the early 1900s is just one example of books, artifacts and other collectibles that have been donated to the Linfield archives. The scrapbook includes a variety of materials (inset) including invitations, dance cards, programs, photos and clippings. Since Rachael Woody joined the staff, more alumni are donating materials to the archives, providing a rich new angle of Linfield history from the alumni perspective. Right: Dick Erath, left, and Terran Sobel-Smith ’15 review materials that Erath has donated to be included in the Oregon Wine History Archive. The Erath Family Foundation has provided financial support for the Oregon Wine History Project, which was launched to preserve the papers and other materials from the pioneers who established the Willamette Valley wine industry in the 1970s. Numerous photos and slides (inset) have been donated and are being digitized and identified for inclusion in the digital archives. 8 - l i n f i e l d m a g a z i n e Winter 2013
Linfield Winter 2013
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