Collections

This is an incomplete historical collection of audiovisual, digital, and paper-based materials documenting the history of distance learning at Central Michigan University (CMU).

This is an incomplete historical collection of audiovisual, digital, and paper-based materials documenting the history of distance learning at Central Michigan University (CMU). Papers include CMU publications such as fliers, brochures, reports, and class schedules, correspondence and memos, Memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and contracts for non-Michigan centers and military bases, budgets and financial reports, newsletters, faculty handbooks, and meeting minutes. Audiovisuals include photographs, photograph albums, CDs of images, VHS videotapes, and scrapbooks. Images document faculty, staff, librarians, and students and their families, at various centers working, learning, teaching, being trained, graduating, receiving awards, and attending social events such as Lem Tucker Award ceremonies, commencements, retirement parties, baby showers, and Halloween and Christmas gatherings, Military nurses are uniquely identifiable and documented in the CMU.IPCD Photograph Album, 1982-1988. Photographs also document buildings renovated for CMU purposes, the types of rooms created, how these rooms were equipped, and open houses. Most of the VHS videotapes are CMU-generated promotional and recruitment videos. There are three VHS videotapes of unedited and edited versions of testimonials of CMU students and faculty at the Atlanta, Georgia center, including military members, which were created by Barnes, Chase, and Davis. One video aimed at Detroit Metro recruitment and promotion includes President Mike Rao documents CMU Homecoming for online students and includes two Detroit Spots (short sections or advertisements) which feature John Arnold talking about Terry Faster and Ricardo Solomon, both Detroit CMU alums. Faster and Solomon each make very brief statements about CMU at the end of each spot. All boxes are letter-size and .5 cubic foot boxes unless otherwise specified. The collection is organized alphabetically and by format. The collection is in good physical condition

The strength of this collection is in the documentation of multiple CMU national centers and organizations CMU collaborated with including: Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland; Andrews Air Force Base, Washington, D.C.; Army National Guard, Washington, D.C.; ASIS (American Society for Industrial Security Foundation) in Dallas/Fort Worth Cohort, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Central Texas College, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Joint Education Center; Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Fort Detrick, Maryland; Fort Meade, Maryland; Fort Myers, Virginia; Hawaii; Merrifield, Virginia; the Pentagon; Portugal; Richmond, Virginia; Virginia National Guard (VaNG); Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.; and Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Columbus, Ohio. Having functioning air conditioners and photocopiers and getting the garbage picked up regularly in southern locations was sometimes a challenge for CMU, as documented in the Center folders.

For CMU to teach out-of-state and on military bases or locations, CMU signed and gathered approved Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and agree to follow certain base and building rules approved by the boards of education in various states. CMU faculty, students, librarians, and staff worked with base ESOs or Education Service Officers, as documented in multiple communications. Off Campus Services librarians and staff were crucial to the success of distance faculty, students, and programs documented in the collection.

Michigan centers documented in the collection include Auburn Hills, metro Detroit, Flint, Mott College, Lansing, Livonia, Mount Pleasant, Southfield, and Troy.

Researchers may be interested in related collections documenting the evolution of CMU distance learning at the Clarke Historical Library and Off-Campus Library Services, part of CMU Libraries’ history. Researchers should search under the various names the unit had over time.

Processing Note: Approximately 6 cubic feet of duplicate, unidentified, and poor-quality audiovisuals and papers, including miscellaneous notes and financials, duplicates, reading materials, and materials with social security numbers, were withdrawn during processing. Scattered issues of two newsletters, CMU Communicator and CEL’s On Target, were added to those with the same title already separately cataloged in the Clarke Historical Library.

The papers include committee minutes, reports, statistics, surveys, photographs, renovation and future plans, policies, manuals, etc.

Organizational records, 1928, 1999, undated include: various library committee Meeting Minutes, agendas, and attachments, 1974-1984; Building Blueprints, etc., 1955-1981;’ Publications, B8udgets, Five-Year Plans, Reports, 1973-1987; Central Michigan Interlibrary Region (CMIR) Grants and Meeting Minutes, 1971-1975; Council of State College Undergraduate Library Directors Meeting Minutes, 1980-1983; Dept. of Instructional Resources (DIR) Meeting Minutes, Reports, Five-Year Plans, 1984-1983; and unpublished OCLS (Off-Campus Library Services) Conference materials, 1988-1999. Most of these materials came from Dean of Libraries Tom Moore’s office files while he was dean, but others were created and collected during the time John Weatherford was Director of Park, 1970-1988, with a few folders predating this. The collection is ongoing. It is organized by series, alphabetically by topic, and chronologically.

For additional information about the Park, see other, related collections documenting the history of the Park Library housed in the Clarke Historical Library.

Processing Note: Previously this collection was CMU.Park Library vertical files. Reference Point Newsletters are separately cataloged and housed as periodicals.

Organizational records, 1960, 2000, undated, include: various library committee Meeting Minutes, agendas, attachments; Building Blueprints; Publications, Budgets, Five-Year Plans, Reports; Central Michigan Interlibrary Region (CMIR) Grants and Meeting Minutes; Council of State College Undergraduate Library Directors Meeting Minutes; Dept. of Instructional Resources (DIR) Meeting Minutes, Reports, Five-Year Plans; and unpublished OCLS Conference materials. .

Organizational records, 1960, 2000, undated, include: various library committee Meeting Minutes, agendas, attachments, 1974-1984; Building Blueprints, etc., 1966-1981; Publications, Budgets, Five-Year Plans, Reports, 1973-1987; Central Michigan Interlibrary Region (CMIR) Grants and Meeting Minutes, 1971-1975; Council of State College Undergraduate Library Directors Meeting Minutes, 1970-1983; Dept. of Instructional Resources (DIR) Meeting Minutes, Reports, Five-Year Plans, 1974-1983; and unpublished OCLS Conference materials, 1977-2000. The collection is organized by series, alphabetically by topic, and chronologically. Some publications have been separately cataloged.

The Central Michigan University Off-Campus Libraries Services (OCLS) Organizational Records, 1981-2018, and undated includes mostly OCLS but also some Institute for Personal Career Development (IPCD), and College of Extended Learning (CEL) reports, goals, promotional, educational and informational materials, including posters and U-Matic and VHS videotape recordings, budgets, photographs, student satisfaction surveys. The Annual reports, Goals folder includes some individual reports and goals of OCLS staff.

The Central Michigan University Off-Campus Libraries Services (OCLS) Organizational Records, 1981-2018, and undated includes mostly OCLS but also some Institute for Personal Career Development (IPCD), and College of Extended Learning (CEL) reports, goals, promotional, educational and informational materials, including posters and U-Matic and VHS videotape recordings, budgets, photographs, student satisfaction surveys. The Annual reports, Goals folder includes some individual reports and goals of OCLS staff. A 2021 addition (Box 3) includes planning documents, with some lists of conference attendees and evaluations for the 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018 conferences.

Researchers may also be interested in additional OCLS, IPCD or CEL information found in numerous other collections in the Clarke Historical Library.

The Archivist would like to acknowledge that identifying CMU Library staff member in older photographs would not have been possible without the help of current Park Library staff member Vicki Swarthout, who once worked in OCLS.

Processing Note: During processing approximately .5 cubic foot of duplicates and miscellaneous materials were withdrawn from the collection.