Congressional Papers Roundtable NEWSLETTER
Society of American Archivists Fall 2010
From the Chair: CPR Pre-Conference and Annual A place around Meeting Minutes the table By Jill Severn August 11, 2010
Fall is always a time of Matt Fulgham began the meeting by welcoming attendees renewal and regeneration for to the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives in me. I am energized by my con- Washington D.C. He gave a brief overview of the Center’s activi- nections with colleagues at the ties over the past year. SAA conference, the tempera- His staff has accessioned 4-5,000 linear feet of records as ture begins to drop here in Ath- well as processed loan requests from congressional committees wishing to temporarily borrow materials. In addition, the Center’s ens, Georgia, and thousands of outreach staff has led several tours a week for congressional mem- students return to campus bers and staff. ready to make their mark on Processing activities at the Legislative Archives has in- the University if not the world. cluded improving description of records available online and This renewed vigor and enthu- screening records on investigative materials from the late 1950’s. siasm dovetails wonderfully Matt reported on the 9/11 Commission records and work towards with the beginning of my time preparing them for public access. as chair of the Congressional Ashley Smoot of the Legislative Archive gave an overview Papers Roundtable for the of the Congressional Records portion of the Electronic Records 2010/2011 year. The steering Archive (ERA). This portion of the ERA will be isolated from the committee and I have lots of rest of the project and not made accessible to the public. The Con- plans, goals, and ideas to build gressional Records portion of the ERA is designed to hold office on the wonderful work of past documents, videos, databases, email archives and other types of committees; and to explore electronic records found in the Legislative Archive. new directions for the roundta- ble. At the core of all of this (Continued on page 4) exuberance is a commitment to be responsive to the needs and In This Issue: interests of members of Con- gressional Papers Roundtable, From the Chair ……….…1 3 “Who Writes to Their and to ensure that each mem- Senators?” …………….…....6 7 ber has a clear path to share Annual Meeting ideas and concerns and to be- Minutes…………………..1 4 Institutional Updates ..…....8 10 come active in the organiza- Bumper Stickers ……..…..5 News Roundup ……….……11 tion—in short, that all mem- (Continued on page 2)
Congressional Papers Roundtable Newsletter Fall 2010
(From the Chair, continued from page 1) bers of CPR have a place around the table. One of the best ways that members find a place with CPR occurs during the preconference sessions offered each year at the SAA confer- ence. This year’s preconference day was a per- fect example of collegiality and formal and infor- mal knowledge-sharing. It was great to learn more about our CHARM colleagues who work directly in Senate and House offices to manage archival records. It was also reassuring to learn more about the successful efforts of the Center for Legislative Archives to tackle the continuing challenges electronic records. Credit for a won- Matt Fulgham presenting at the 2010 Congressional Pa- derful program goes to Brian Keough, past chair pers Roundtable Pre-Conference. (Courtesy of the Center of CPR and to his preconference committee for Legislative Archives. (Chris Burns and Leigh McWhite) and to Richard Hunt and his team at the Center for Legislative grand to commemorate this small but mighty Archives who were kind and gracious hosts for group. The program committee is only just be- our meeting. ginning to envision what such a program might A new avenue for members to become include—if I have my druthers there will be more involved in CPR is through an intern pro- cake—so this is the perfect time for CPR mem- gram established for 2010 and 2011. After care- bers to share ideas with us! To make a sugges- ful review of applications, the steering committee tion, send me an email at [email protected] was pleased to offer internships to three candi- Leading up to the conference in August, dates, Shannon Lausch, a graduate student in the the steering committee has initiated two projects Library and Information Science program at the that should begin to honor the quest for University of Illinois; Cary Osborne, Political “something splendid and grand” as well as echo Papers Archivist at New Mexico State Univer- the 360 degree reflection commitment adopted sity, and Debbie Davendonis-Todd, Bob Graham by SAA for its 75th anniversary. To understand Political Papers Archivist at the University of and to commemorate CPR’s origins and history, I Florida. The interns will work on special CPR have asked Linda Whitaker and Rebecca Johnson projects that match their interests and experience Melvin to lead the work of a committee to begin (s) and participate in the general activities of the to develop a written history of Congressional Pa- steering committee throughout the year. The pers Roundtable’s first 25 years. This work will steering committee is thrilled to welcome Deb- certainly be a major undertaking to craft, and Re- bie, Cary, and Shannon to the group! becca, Linda, and new CPR intern Cary Osborne As my steering committee colleagues will undoubtedly call on many members to share Betsy Pittman and Lori Schwartz, our new CPR recollections and perspectives. To get to know intern Shannon Lausch, and I look ahead to plan- and understand CPR’s current members and their ning the program for next year’s preconference needs and interests, I have also asked members of and regular CPR meeting activities, we certainly the steering committee to develop an online sur- recognize the high standard set for us by Brian vey to be distributed in the winter of 2011. and his team and those who have preceded him. CPR’s new intern Debbie Davendonis-Todd will We also know that in addition to SAA celebrat- work with the committee on this project. The re- ing its 75th anniversary in 2011, CPR will be sults from this survey should help future CPR celebrating its own 25th anniversary. This signifi- steering committees have a clearer sense of mem- cant milestone calls for something splendid and (Continued on page 3)
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(From the Chair, continued from page 2) bers and their preferences. One of the vital ways that CPR has en- deavored to remain focused on the future has been its strong commitment to supporting re- search and initiatives that serve the needs of members tackling the evolving challenges of congressional papers. Certainly, electronic re- cords remain at the top of the list of these evolv- ing challenges for most archivists managing con- gressional collections, and CPR through the lead- ership of past steering committees has done much to meet this challenge directly. Today, the e- CPR Pre-conference attendees, 2010 records taskforce led by Betsy Pittman and Leigh McWhite continues its charge to give CPR mem- als to Morgan Davis ([email protected]) and Gary bers more tools and resources for managing elec- Spurr ([email protected]). The CPR web site tronic records. Some of the resources in develop- has also been a great place to find information ment by the working group include: checklists to and resources related to congressional papers. follow when accepting electronic records; tem- With the migration of the site to the content man- plates for crafting an electronic records policy; agement system of Drupal adopted by SAA, the and a comprehensive set of resources for general CPR site has even greater potential to be a place advice, locating and working with vendors, fund- for adding more dynamic content. In midsummer ing, and tracking relevant research in the field. In of 2010, Brian Keough established a small work- the year ahead this committee will continue to ing group led by web manager Robin Reeder and develop these resources and will add them to the newsletter editor Morgan Davis to manage the CPR web site. As these materials become avail- transition of the current CPR site to the new Dru- able, it will be helpful to the taskforce to receive pal environment. This committee is now review- feedback and suggestions from members. In the ing the new site and will shortly announce the meantime, if you have a keen interest or good availability of the CPR site in its new context. experience in managing this exciting if challeng- Once this basic move is accomplished, the work- ing area of archival work, consider volunteering ing group will explore possibilities for expanding to serve on the taskforce, which will likely con- and enriching the site and will keep members up- tinue as a permanent standing committee for dated as new options become available. CPR. Contact Leigh McWhite I hope this preview of the year ahead has ([email protected]) or Betsy Pittman energized members as it has energized me and ([email protected]). the CPR steering committee. I also hope that this I also encourage members to make active overview will spur members looking for ways to use of our enduring tools for connection—the become more involved with the special projects CPR listserv, the CPR newsletter, and the CPR in development for CPR to join the fun. Feel free web site. All of these means of communication to contact the steering committee and me di- offer a place to ask questions, seek advice, float rectly. Our contact information is available on ideas, and share opportunities. To post to the the CPR web site at http://www.archivists.org/ listserv, just send your message to: saagroups/cpr/steering.asp. [email protected]. CPR publishes its newsletter twice a year, in the fall and in the Cheers, spring. Newsletter editors Morgan Davis and Jill Severn Gary Spurr announce the deadlines for submis- Chair, Congressional Papers Roundtable sion via the listserv. To submit an article or an- [email protected] nouncement in the CPR newsletter, send materi- 706-542-5766 3 Congressional Papers Roundtable Newsletter Fall 2010
(Minutes, continued from page 1) Jan Zastrow and Nan Moser presented their findings from the “Survey of Senate Archivists.” This survey included 11 of the 13 archivists working in the Senate. Jan and Nam asked each archivist to compile a list of tasks they perform and then used those lists to create a chart showing the similarities and difference in what was considered archival duties within each office. Similarities included developing pol- icy, records management, advising and training staff, basic preservation, preliminary arrangement and de- scription, liaising with the archivist of the Senate and Sharon Fitzpatrick conducts a special tour of the working with IT to capture digital information. There "Legislative Treasure Vault" containing the most historical were many differences in how the archivists de- and valuable records of the House and Senate from 1789 to scribed their job duties, with some functioning as art present. registrars, bibliographers and website managers as which captures information on who worked on what well as traditional archival duties. types of projects within the office, information which The survey also found that archivists in the is otherwise lost. The history office is developing a Senate are dealing with a wide variety of electronic toolkit for use when opening a Senate office which records and also noted that since the Library of Con- may be useful for future Senate archivists. gress is no longer preserving the websites of members Robin Reeder gave a report from the House of Congress, it is up to the archivists to preserve that Office of History and Preservation. She reported that data. the office is preparing for the end of Congress and is The pre-conference meeting adjourned for a in contact with members who are leaving. They have tour of the National Archives collections and vault, increased their temporary storage space to accommo- followed by lunch. date the 50 departing members. The office is also par- ticipating in briefings for members leaving the House Congressional Papers Roundtable Business Meet- to talk about records issues. ing Sheryl Vogt gave a report from the Associa- Following lunch the Congressional Papers tion of Centers for the Study of Congress. She distrib- Roundtable opened its business meeting with a report uted extra copies of the Congress Week Poster and from the chair, Brian Keogh and the introduction of discussed the APSA Legislative Studies Section Steering Committee members. newsletter. Archivist of the Senate, Karen Paul, gave a Jill Severn gave an update from the Refer- report from the Senate Historical Office. Her office ence, Access and Outreach section regarding a “More has prepared several new publications including oral Product, Less Process” impact study being conducted. history interviews and a brochure on the Kennedy The section is looking for information about how in- Caucus Room. The Senate Historian, Donald Ritchie, stitutions have implemented the method. has published a book through the Oxford University Robin Reeder and Jill Severn gave an update Press titled, “The U.S. Congress: A Very Short Intro- on the migration of the CPR website to the new SAA duction.” The history office has also prepared a new Drupal environment. The content has been transferred online document pertaining to notable investigations over and website users will soon be directed to the in the Senate. new page. Karen reported that the Modern Political Ar- Heather Moore gave an update from Capitol chives Reader, of which she was a co-editor, had been Hill Archivists and Records Managers (CHARM). awarded the Waldo Leland Gifford Award for excel- CHARM is developing professional activities for lence in the field of archival theory and practice. members such as tours and discussions. Recently the There have been 14 Senate office closings in group toured the Russell Senate Office building and the past year with all selecting repositories for their attic storage lockers. papers with the exception of one who was undecided The business meeting was adjourned and im- and one who declined to place their materials at a re- mediately followed by a tour of the Capitol Visitors pository. Departing staff are given a form to fill out Center.
4 Congressional Papers Roundtable Newsletter Fall 2010
Preserving Bumper Stickers: A “Sticky Situation”
Bearing diverse messages ranging from the mundane to the profane, bumper stickers are routinely—though often reluctantly—collected by archives, museums, and libraries, because their material instabilities create challenges for storage. These items frequently adhere to adja- cent paper collections and to each other over time, distort and shrink, and emit gases as they age that degrade paper collections often stored in the same box. The “sticky situations” caused by such materials, though well known, have not Images courtesy of the Presidential Campaign been studied in-depth by the conservation com- Memorabilia Collection, Duke University munity. To that end, I am undertaking a research http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/americavotes/ project to examine the manufacturing history of bumper stickers and how the materials in bumper and librarians who have helped me in this en- stickers interact and affect long-term permanence deavor. and durability. In addition, I have met with manufactur- Although the bumper sticker might seem ers and scientists who conveyed crucial product to be a simple object, a typical one is made up of and production information helpful in developing four basic layers: printing, a substrate (normally, preservation best practices for materials that re- these days, the vinyl on which the text is printed), tain a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. I hope to an adhesive layer, and a coated backing paper undertake scientific testing in the future, but that intended to prevent the adhesive from sticking work will require source material for study. before it is placed on a surface. (Sometimes there is an additional coating layer on top of the print- If any members of the ing.) Because each layer offers possibly distinct Congressional Papers Roundtable preservation challenges, the bumper sticker is, in would like to donate duplicate stickers fact, a fairly complex physical entity. In phase one of the research project, I to the cause (particularly ones in poor have examined thousands of stickers and noted condition), I would be thrilled to use characteristics including printing method, sub- them for my research. I look forward strate material, patent information, and deteriora- to sharing my findings with the archival tion (be it ink, substrate, adhesive, or liner). I community in published and presenta- have been fortunate to study collections in the tion forms and welcome your insight Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas; Dole Institute for Politics, University of Kansas; and experiences about this project. LBJ Presidential Museum, Austin, TX; Briscoe Center for American History, University of Whitney Baker Texas at Austin; and the National Museum of Conservator/ Associate Librarian American History, Division of Political History, University of Kansas Libraries Washington, DC. More visits are planned. I am 1425 Jayhawk Blvd., #135 very thankful to the many archivists, curators, Lawrence, KS 66045-7544
5 Congressional Papers Roundtable Newsletter Fall 2010 ized by congressional staff in two separate and Excerpt from: “Who Writes to distinct filing systems. The messages on national Their Senators? issues are filed under a “Mail Communications” Preliminary Data from the or similar heading. Often, these letters are tallied to be reported to the Member and senior staff. Daschle and Dole Casework These documents are generally available in most Files.” congressional archives. In this study, we focus on the particular- By Gary Aguiar, South Dakota State University ized messages, usually a constituent’s request for Presented at the congressional intervention before a government Great Plains Political Science Association agency. These cases are maintained in the district September 18, 2010, Sioux Falls, SD offices. Each file begins with the initial contact letter and often includes follow-up work and This report offers a very rudimentary in- notes from the congressional staffer and a federal troduction to my project, which is just in its be- agency. As noted, the common practice of con- ginning stages. I am exploring the possibilities in gressional archives has been to destroy these newly-available casework files in two senatorial “Constituency Casework” files, because they archives. This report offers a descriptive analysis contain private information that could harm the of the basic variables collected so far. I am seek- letter-writers if released publicly. ing guidance on where this future research might Prior to my efforts, these archives have go. In particular, what hypothesis might we be not opened these documents to researchers. I ne- able to test with these data? The typical congres- gotiated access to these documents with these sional office may receive up to several thousand three congressional archive centers. These files pieces of mail weekly. Who sends these letters contain privacy information, including Social and what do they hope to accomplish? This first Security Numbers and street addresses as well as analysis attempted to collect as much demo- revealing information about health, psychologi- graphic information as possible from the files cal, personal, financial, criminal and social wel- examined. fare status. As part of the agreement with the ar- chives and pursuant to each university’s Human METHODS Subjects Committee/Institutional Research Board This report explores the newly-available approval, I have been granted access to these casework files from the Tom Daschle Papers at documents under special arrangements. Unlike South Dakota State University and the Dole Insti- other material in these archives, researchers who tute Archives at the University of Kansas to un- access the casework files must follow stricter derstand the nature of political participation. rules: These two congressional archives are the sole Access under supervision; if supervision depositaries of any casework files. As members is not available, the research session will need to of Congress contribute their papers to an archive, be rescheduled; if supervision becomes unavail- they typically destroy casework files. In every able during a research session, the research ses- other archive, the archivists themselves obliterate sion will end at that time. the files. One other senatorial archive has re- Research to occur on-site only; no materials tained these files; the Pete Domenici Archives at will be allowed out of archival offices. New Mexico State University, which has not opened, but has agreed to provide access to the No private information is to be recorded, casework files. transferred or transmitted in any way, These archives contain constituent- whether manual or electronic/digital. initiated letters on both particularized (constituency casework) and national (lobbying Materials to be reviewed must be clearly on bills) issues. These letters are usually organ- identified before access is granted. 6 Congressional Papers Roundtable Newsletter Fall 2010
(Continued from page 6) husband.) In both cases, relatively few contactors Information to be recorded must be clearly felt the need to contact the senatorial office more identified and approved before access is than once. Typically, the staffer provided regular granted. updates on their case. I have further instituted a protocol that Table 1. my research assistants and I will not link any Comparison of Constituency Casework Files casework file to the data record we create. Senator Tom A. Daschle Aberdeen (SD) Hence, once a researcher has coded the data, we District Office, 2004 (n=200) cannot refer back to that file in any way. Senator Robert J. Dole Kansas City (KS) District Office, 1996 (n=509) DATA The results presented here represent a tiny Variable Daschle Dole fraction of the total available files. We began our Percent Male 59.0 59.8 data collection reviewing the files that had not been stored at the time the Senator closed his of- From In state 96.5 85.5 fice (December 2004 for Daschle and June 1996 Address for Dole). The Daschle casework files are con- Initial Contact 58.0 21.8 tained in 43 boxes from the three district offices via Phone (approximately 5,100 files). The Dole casework files have more than a dozen boxes from four dis- Initial Contact 31.0 75.0 trict offices. The analysis here is from two boxes via Mail from the Aberdeen, SD District office (200 files, More than one 12.5 18.1 which is all of the Aberdeen files) and three contact boxes from the Kansas City, KS office (509 files, Average number 187 302 which has two more boxes untouched). Of of words course, looking back over each senator’s careers, we are looking at hundreds of boxes with an av- Topic Daschle Dole erage of more than 100 files in each box. Maybe as many as 50,000 casework files for each Crime/Prisoners 0.0 6.1 senator! The files offer a rich insight into the trou- Economy/ 3.5 11.4 bles and travails that ordinary citizens encoun- Financial Hard tered in their dealings with the federal bureauc- ship racy. They include truly heart-breaking stories of families that have lost everything because of Education 1.5 2.2 death, injury or illness and the inability of gov- Health/Medical 31.0 13.0 ernment agencies to provide assistance. The files also contain a few eccentric individuals who are Human Needs/ 25.5 8.4 clearly looking for a sympathetic ear for their Housing stories about extraterrestrial visits, stolen weap- ons, inadequate television coverage, and unau- Immigration/ 7.0 17.5 thorized cosmetic surgery in military hospitals. Visa/Passport Table 1 reports preliminary analysis of Military Matters 13.5 9.8 the differences in contactors. A somewhat higher percentage of men write letters than women. Social Issues 1.0 4.3 (However our analysis is slightly skewed in that when a married couple submitted a letter, we Taxes/IRS 0.5 6.9 coded the first named individual, typically the Veteran’s Affairs 12.0 12.6 7 Congressional Papers Roundtable Newsletter Fall 2010
INSTITUTIONAL UPDATES
New Mexico State University Domenici Institute of Public Policy and Defense work in cooperation to promote research and The 2010 fall semester started with a studies in public policy. bang in the Political Papers Archives at New Mexico State University. The Domenici Public Policy Conference, the major event of the fall, was held September 1 and 2, featuring appear- ances by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas, and retired U.S. senators Sam Nunn and Pete V. Domenici. The subject of the keynote on Thursday afternoon was the 2010 midterm elections, with arguments by Karl Rove, Fox News analyst and commentator and former advisor to President George W. Bush, and Joe Lockhart, political ana- lyst and commentator and former press secretary Senators Sam Nunn, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Barbara to President Bill Clinton. Sam Donaldson of Couture, President of NMSU, and Senator Pete Domenici. ABC News attempted to moderate the discussion, but the two featured speakers set their own pace. Two more featured speakers were the candidates for governor of New Mexico, Diane Denish, currently Lieutenant Governor, and Su- sana Martinez. Each candidate put forth her pro- gram for the state to rousing applause. Following the end of the conference, at- tendees were able to tour the Archives, home to the Senator Domenici collection. Senator Domenici himself returned to campus on Friday to tour the Archives and to begin a process of reviewing material for proper identification. The collection was received in 2007 and work began on getting it organized in August Karl Rove and Joe Lockhart debate 2010 midterm 2008. The Political Papers Archives and the elections, moderated by Sam Donaldson.
-Cary G. Osborne
University of Hawaii at Manoa The Abercrombie Papers are closed to research- ers until 2025. This collection joins those of for- The Hawaii Congressional Papers Collec- mer representatives Thomas Gill, Patricia Saiki tion at the University of Hawaii at Manoa re- and Ed Case (the latter closed until 2037) and of cently received the last shipments of material former senators Spark Matsunaga and Hiram from former Rep. Neil Abercrombie's 20 years in Fong Congress--for a total of almost 400 record boxes. -.Ellen Chapman 8 Congressional Papers Roundtable Newsletter Fall 2010
The University of Texas—Pan made a Deputy Majority Whip and two years later was elected secretary of the House Republi- American can Conference (HRC). After serving as confer- The Univer- ence secretary in 1998 and 1999, Pryce ran unop- sity of Texas-Pan posed for the position of vice chair of the HRC in American Archives 2000. Two years later she won a three-way race for conference chair. Pryce served as chair of the is pleased to receive th th a grant from the HRC in the 108 and 109 Congresses (2003- NHPRC for detailed 2007), making her the highest-ranking Republi- processing of former can woman ever to serve in the House. Congressman Kika As a freshman legislator in the 103rd de la Garza’s Con- Congress, Pryce received assignments on the gressional Papers. Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs Committee De la Garza served in and the Government Operations Committee. As a the House of Repre- member of the Banking Committee she sat in on sentatives from 1965 the hearings held by the committee in July and through 1997, representing South Texas’ 15th August 1994 to investigate the Whitewater con- Congressional District. In addition to being troversy. In the 104th Congress (1995-1996), Chair of the Agriculture Committee from 1981 to Pryce switched her committee assignments to a 1994, de la Garza was also instrumental in found- seat on the Rules Committee, which remained her committee focus for the majority of her congres- ing the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and sional career. While on the Rules Committee she helped with the passage of NAFTA. His Con- chaired the Legislative and Budget Process Sub- gressional Papers contain a wealth of information committee from 2001 through 2004. In 2005, pertaining to the development of infrastructure in Pryce left the Rules Committee to accept a seat South Texas along the U.S.-Mexico border. The on the newly organized Financial Services Com- grant period runs from October 1, 2010 to Sep- mittee, where she became the fourth-ranking tember 30, 2012. Approximately 657 linear feet member. During her career in Congress, Con- will be processed and made available to research- gresswoman Pryce’s major public policy interests ers. and her most noted legislative accomplishments - Diane S. Tyink centered on women’s issues, children’s services, and health care, particularly in the area of cancer Ohio State University research. A detailed finding aid for the Deborah The papers of Deborah Pryce are now Pryce Papers is located online at available to researchers at the Ohio Congressional https://library.osu.edu/find/collections/ohio- Archives located at The Ohio State University. congressional-archives/deborah-d-pryce-papers/ Pryce, a Republican from the 15th Ohio District, Of note, accessible through the on-line served in the U.S. House of Representatives from finding aid are 86.7 megabytes of electronic 1993 to 2009. Starting in her first year in Con- documents originating from Representative gress, Pryce became involved in the leadership of Pryce’s press office, and 54.6 megabytes of elec- the House Republicans. Elected freshman-class tronic documents from the press office of the president in 1993, she also served on the Planning House Republican Conference dating from 2003 and Learning Committee that helped craft the to 2006. These electronic documents are pre- GOP’s “Contract with America.” Following the sented in Adobe PDF format compiled into key 1994 elections, Pryce was a member of the transi- word searchable portfolios arranged by record tion team tasked with shifting control of the type and/or date. House to the Republican Party. In 1996, she was - Jeff Thomas
9 Congressional Papers Roundtable Newsletter Fall 2010 Tarleton State University University of South Carolina
Tarleton State University is now home to Take a listen! South Carolina Political a little piece of Washington, D.C., thanks to an Collections is pleased to announce the third in- exhibit and gallery honoring former Congress- stallment of In His Own Words, the Bryan Dorn man Charlie Stenholm. Stenholm was recently on edition. William Jennings Bryan Dorn: In His campus to dedicate the gallery and to thank the Own Words, is a digitized collection of audio many participants who played a role in recreating clips from the Dorn collection. Mr. Dorn, known his Washington office, and 26 years in Congress, for his oratory skills, had a unique style of both with exacting detail. entertaining and informing his audiences. The Stenholm graduated in 1959 from the collection of 75 clips come from his 1974 and two-year Tarleton College and went on to receive 1978 bids for South Carolina governor, his work his bachelor's and master's degrees from Texas with the American Legion, and excerpts from his Tech University. He credits a Tarleton professor oral history interviews. with his decision to pursue a career beyond the I have thoroughly enjoyed my time listen- farm. ing to Mr. Dorn’s campaign speeches and oral Tarleton staff members involved in the history recollections. A truly dedicated public project included Donna Strohmeyer, Laurie servant, Mr. Dorn’s career representing South Gaiser, Janice Horak, Trudy Carlson, Lori Carolina in both state government and in Con- LaRue, Lori Jefferies, Donna Savage and Gary gress spanned over 30 years, from 1939 to 1974! Spurr. This has been a unique opportunity for me to re- - Gary Spurr live important moments in South Carolina and national history. I edited the clips only for length in hopes of making the listener feel as if he or she was sitting in Mr. Dorn’s audience. - Debbie Davendonis House Clerk’s Office of History and University of Kansas Preservation As of October 2010, approximately 80% Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the ap- of the Dole Senate Papers have been processed. pointment of Dr. Matthew Wasniewski as the Legislative, Office Administration, Personal/ new Historian of the House of Representa- Political, and Press materials have been com- tives. Dr. Wasniewski, who currently serves as pletely entered into the Archon database. These the historian in the House Clerk’s Office of His- materials are fully searchable online, and have tory and Preservation, received the unanimous thus far seen extensive use by visiting research- recommendation of the House Historian Search ers. The Dole archivists fully expect to meet the Committee appointed by Speaker Pelosi with the expectations of the grant before May 2011. input of House Republican Leader John Boehner In preparation for National History Day, who concurred on the appointment. the Dole Archive will make available electronic The appointment of Dr. Wasniewski fol- copies of over 200 documents to assist local high lows the retirement of Dr. Robert Remini as His- school and middle school students with research torian earlier this year after serving for five projects. These documents cover a variety of years. Speaker Pelosi decided at that time to topics such as the Vietnam War, the Equal Rights have a panel of distinguished historians conduct Amendment, and Food Stamp Reform. The Dole an impartial and professional search for the re- Archive will also award a monetary prize for the placement, rather than rely simply on a Speaker best project that includes discussion of the US appointment, as House rules permit. Congress. - Robin Reeder - Robert Lay
10 Congressional Papers Roundtable Newsletter Fall 2010 University of Missouri turns over Western Historical Manuscripts News Round-Up Collections
The Missourian reported on November Uranium in Archival Collections 10, 2010 that the University of Missouri system Featured in Two News Stories has decided to turn over management of the Western Historical Manuscripts Collection Within one week two separate incidents (WHMC) to the Missouri State Historical Soci- of uranium found in archives were reported in the ety. news. WHMC holds the congressional papers of The Knoxville News Sentinel reported on Senator Tom Eagleton, Senator John Danforth, September 24, 2010 that uranium had been found Rep. Harold Volkmer as well as many other in the collection of Senator Estes Kefauver. Ar- members of congress from Missouri. chivists at the Howard H. Baker Center for Pol- The change of management is seen as a icy, which houses the collection, alerted the cost cutting measure for the University, although campus director of radiation safety. The speci- collections will remain in their current locations men was found to be, “slightly radioactive, but within the UM schools in Rolla, St. Louis, Co- not dangerously so.” lumbia and Kansas City. The uranium was found in a small gift box marked “uranium.” The inscription on the box indicated that it had been a gift to the Sena- Website Creates Senate tor from a mining company. “Vanity Index” On September 28, 2010 the University Daily Kansan reported on a uranium sample in Slate.com published what they call the the collections of the Spencer Research Library. “Senate Vanity Index” on October 28, 2010. In The sample was collected by a chemistry profes- compiling this index, reporters visited all 100 sor while studying the purity of uranium in con- Senate offices and counted the number of awards nection with the Manhattan Project. and pictures on the wall, giving more weight to Naturally occurring uranium, such as the pictures of the Senator with “celebrities, presi- samples found in these two archives, is consid- dents or foreign dignitaries.” ered to have a safe level of radioactivity. Al- though if uranium is found in collections it should be handled with caution.
Save the Date! SAA Annual Meeting August 22-17, 2011 Chicago, Illinois
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