From: WWW Consultation Date: Tue, 17 Oct 95 14:50:19 -0800 Subject: University of Washington Libraries LGBT Manuscripts & University Archives The University of Washington Libraries And the Libraries Manuscripts & University Archives Holding materials on gay and lesbian political activity, health care issues, and recent womens history, the Libraries is well positioned to administer Seattle area lesbian, gay, and bisexual sources. Holdings of private papers and records are the largest in the State. Political activism is a major strength, ranging from the ACLU to the Feminist Coordinating Council and other new feminist groups of the 1970s. Buttressing the unpublished textual records (letters, reports, oral histories) of this Division, are the printed and graphic resources of the neighboring Special Collections and Preservation Division as well as the holdings of the Microform and Newspaper Collection. Mic-News, for example, has filmed Pandora, the local 1970s feminist newspaper and holds all but the earliest issues of Seattle Gay News. When such multi-faceted gifts as the Tim Mayhew Collection on Gay Rights are offered and received, professionals in all three units collaborate. They advise the donor and each other on optimal handling of such materials as newspapers, photographs, and newsletters. Growing use of electronic resources enables the Libraries to share information about holdings with local and distant potential users. Privacy, and Other Concerns While preferring public access, when privacy or other considerations concern prospective donors, the Curator of Manuscripts discusses various options with them and works to develop mutually agreeable terms of access and use. Alice B. Theatres Hidden History oral history tapes are only a recent example of special care taken to observe each informants instructions. For over 25 years Division staff have scrupulously observed special terms of access as they have accepted, accessioned, and administered oral histories from African American, Japanese American, and Jewish informants as well as from artists, women, and political activists. The legal form used to give original materials to Manuscripts & University Archives is its Deed of Gift form. An Explanation Sheet accompanies it. For additional detail about donating papers or records, see the Divisions stained glass window brochure. Most information in the brochure is current, although the Manuscripts Collection is now housed with the University Archives in the recently constructed Allen Library in the heart of the UW campus,. Reasons for a UW Libraries initiative on local lesbian and gay history During a current reassessment of its collection development policy for personal papers and organizational records, Manuscripts & University Archives has conferred with faculty in several disciplines and has identified local gay/lesbian/bisexual history as a desirable area to expand. In fact, curricular attention to gay and lesbian studies is growing both at the UW and nationally. Within Manuscripts & University Archives, gifts of three notable collections in the past couple years and substantial use of two of them by academic and community researchers represent a solid beginning. In addition, two oral history collections have been promised. Manuscripts & University Archives as a Repository Researchers who visit to use a known collection often find additional papers or records pertinent to their projects. This one-stop shopping opens unanticipated possibilities and maximizes research time. The Division is staffed to process gifts promptly and is experienced in servicing diverse materials. Its reading room, with regular hours of opening, hosts users from campus, the local area, and distant places. For information on holdings: mssarch@u.washington.edu To discuss potential gifts: kwinn@u.washington.edu Phone: 206/543-1879 Postal mail: Manuscripts & University Archives University of Washington Libraries Box 352900 Seattle, WA 98195 10/17/95