Collections : [University of Michigan Special Collections Research Center]

Federal program to promote the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) by providing matching grants to community based organizations to help them use or provide telecommunications for new opportunities, especially for unserved or under-served groups. Records include project proposals, reports, sound and video recordings relating to individual projects, websites and other digital records.

(NOTE: More information about the TOP collection, which is part of the TOP Data Archive, can be found at the following link: http://www.si.umich.edu/toparchive. Included at this website are electronic documents, web pages, and datasets created by the Technology Opportunities Program as well as related documents created by researchers and students at the University of Michigan School of Information.)

The TOP Data Archive was initiated in 2004 by the University of Michigan School of Information. In addition to TOP itself, partners include the Community Informatics Initiative at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Graduate School of Library and Information Science, the Educational Development Corporation, the Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research, and the U of M Special Collections Library.

The TOP Data Archive is distributed, with physical materials in the U-M Special Collections Library and electronic materials online at one or more locations. As of 2006, the electronic materials are still being processed.

This idea behind assembling this data archive was to preserve important records concerning how local communities are entering the digital age, and create a foundational dataset for the emerging field of Community Informatics. This field examines communities and information and communications technology. It emerged in the 1990s from experiments with technology in communities which have been carried out worldwide, at the grassroots level and/or by means of national and international funding initiatives.

The TOP Data Archive includes 1) information assembled in the course of a federal agency managing its projects, 2) that same information re-purposed for research use, and 3) new information brought in for research purposes. The federal agency is the Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. TOP funded projects from 1994-2005, and is expected to continue managing already-funded projects into 2007.

The records in the TOP collection--that part of the TOP Data Archive which is in the holdings of the Special Collections Library--represent grant proposals submitted to TOP and project materials created by TOP and its grantee organizations, known as TOP projects, during the period of 1994-2005. The collection is not inclusive of all 606 TOP projects. TOP was able to locate and provide for the collection project documents and Audio/Visual materials for about 88 TOP projects. These were materials that the projects submitted to TOP over the years. The TOP project materials are represented by many different formats, including paper, multimedia compact discs, floppy disks, cassette tapes, and video recordings.

The records of the TOP collection are arranged into eight series: Proposals, Project Documents, Project Reporting System, Project CDs, Project Floppy Disks, Project Cassette Tapes, TOP and NTIA, and Video Recordings. Later additions may be found in Proposals, Project Documents, and Video Recordings in Box 17.

The Tate Personal and Professional Papers document Vernon Tate's personal interests and activities along with many aspects of his professional career as a historian, librarian, and archivist between 1929 and 1989. Dr. Tate's papers contain correspondence, speeches, articles, meeting minutes, annual reports, newsletters, conference proceedings, press releases, dissertation research materials, and photographic and microphotographic research notes.

In December 1982, Dr. Vernon Tate donated a large collection of manuscripts and publications documenting the history of microphotography and his own career as a historian, archivist, librarian, and microfilm pioneer to The University of Michigan Libraries. This donation provided the impetus for the creation of the Power Collection for the Study of Scholarly Communication and Information Transfer in the Special Collections Library. The Power Collection is named in honor of Dr. Tate's long-time friend, Eugene B. Power, the founder of the micropublishing firm University Microfilms, Inc.

Dr. Tate's donations to the Power Collection contain over 140 linear feet of manuscripts, including his own personal and professional papers, an extensive collection of records of the National Microfilm Association (NMA), and the Microfilm Pioneers Collection which contains the papers of several of Dr. Tate's colleagues concerning microphotography and the activities of NMA. In addition, Dr. Tate donated an extensive collection of serials and monographs relating primarily to the fields of photography, microphotography, and archives.

The Tate Personal and Professional Papers document Vernon Tate's personal interests and activities along with many aspects of his professional career between 1929 and 1989. This group does not, however, include files from his work as Executive Secretary of the National Microfilm Association. Those materials can be found in the National Microfilm Association Records in this repository.

Dr. Tate's papers contain correspondence, speeches, articles, meeting minutes, annual reports, newsletters, conference proceedings, press releases, dissertation research materials, and photographic and microphotographic research notes. In addition, the collection contains log books (diaries), which contain his thoughts and notes on his personal and professional activities, although the log books will not be available for research until October 1, 2009.

Scattered materials concern Tate's activities between 1929 and 1935 as a student, researcher,and microfilmer for the Library of Congress. Included is correspondence, extensive research materials on the port of San Blas (his dissertation topic), and articles on maritime history and photography.

Large portions of several series concern the years between 1935 and 1946 during which Tate headed the photographic archives and research division of the National Archives and then served in the Navy during World War II. Almost two-thirds of the correspondence series and nearly half of Tate's speeches and writings date from this period. Besides these materials, the files contain inter-office memoranda, literature and notes on microphotography, and notes on his own experiments. Since Tate was the seventh professional staff member hired by the National Archives after its founding in 1935, the files include materials on the early development of the agency and the beginnings of the photographic laboratory and microfilm operation.

By the mid-1930's Tate was already one of the recognized authorities in the rapidly developing field of microphotography. In addition to his work at the National Archives, the files concern such topics as his work as editor of the Journal of Documentary Reproduction, 1938-1942; the early history of the American Documentation Institute and the Federation Internationale de Documentation; and his involvement in the work of the Microcard Committee. A small amount of correspondence concerns the establishment and early history of the National Microfilm Association, 1944-1946, before Tate became an officer.

The amount of material declines significantly for the years after 1946. Materials relating to his work as Director of Libraries at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and subsequently as Librarian and Archivist at the U.S. Naval Academy appear, but they are smaller in quantity and less complete than the materials on earlier years. Although the Tate Papers do not concern his work as an officer of the National Microfilm Association, they do document many professional activities not connected with NMA. Included is material on his various library and archival positions and his involvement with such organizations as the American Documentation Institute and the Federation Internationale de Documentation.

In addition to documenting many of Tate's professional activities, his papers concern family matters and personal interests. The correspondence series includes a small sequence of family letters exchanged between Tate and his wife, parents, and other relatives. The personal interests series contains information on his hobbies and interests, especially in naval history and other nautical matters, but also in such areas as antiques, art, books and printing, history, and libraries.

Algernon Charles Swinburne was an important Victorian poet and critic. The collection documents Swinburne's literary affairs and friendships, plus critical reactions to the poet. It consists of correspondence, writings, photographs, artworks, and printed material produced by Swinburne, his friends and associates, and present-day scholars. Over 200 pieces of holograph correspondence and manuscript material, over half of which is by Swinburne, are included. Also prominent is material by Theodore Watts-Dunton, Swinburne's friend and legal advisor.

This finding aid encompasses accessions of single manuscripts and small groups of manuscripts and other papers by or pertaining to Algernon Charles Swinburne, which the library has chosen to gather into one collection.

Much of the material in this collection forms part of the Kerr collection, formally titled the "Evelyn and Lowell Kerr Collection of Swinburne Books and Manuscripts in the Library of the University of Michigan." The Kerr collection was assembled by Lowell Kerr, a dedicated Swinburne collector. (See biographical entry.) In addition, Kerr worked for many years on the compilation of a descriptive catalog to the collection, which was, unfortunately, never completed. More information on arrangement of the Kerr collection can be found at the end of this section. All of the books from the Kerr collection, and many of the pamphlets, have been removed and cataloged separately.

The works and correspondence of Swinburne are well-represented here. Much of the selection of verse is fragmentary in nature--in some cases, leaves of a single work are spread across repositories; but Swinburne's prose pieces are notable in their completeness and number. Also showcased are the letters and works of important figures in the Pre-Raphaelite movement, as well as other literary luminaries of the day. The publishing interests of Swinburne and his circle are also detailed.

The collection is made up of six series: Works, Correspondence, The Swinburne Circle, Photographs and Art Images, Printed Material, and Swinburne Research and Collecting. Unless indicated otherwise in the contents list, items in the Works and Correspondence series are holograph works by Swinburne (or, rarely, in the hand of an amanuensis). Items in the Swinburne Circle series are letters or manuscripts in the hand of their respective authors, or their secretaries. In some cases, autograph material originally laid into books has been removed and added to the collection; in other cases, such items have been left in the books. Either way, a note to such effect has nearly always been made in the book's catalog record or in the contents list below. Moreover, for purchased material, copies of dealer descriptions often have been retained and may offer further details not included here.

A Note on the Kerr and Lang Numbers:

Since many of the pieces in this collection have already been cataloged individually, further details can often be found in the catalog records for those items. Furthermore, "Kerr numbers" have been assigned to many items. These numbers refer to entries in Lowell Kerr's catalog, in which he described the items that were originally from his collection. Along with library staff members, he continually updated and reworked the catalog up until his death. Library staff continued to revise the work through the 1980s, but it was never completed.

Although every effort has been made to respect the provenance of items from the Kerr collection, in some cases a Kerr number may have been assigned but is not noted in the finding aid. Researchers wishing for more information on items originally from the Kerr collection should consult the various drafts of the Kerr catalog, which are available in the Swinburne Research and Collecting series. The Kerr numbers in this finding aid refer to the most recent available draft of the Kerr catalog. The researcher should note that the Kerr catalog, while containing a wealth of information, is heavily anecdotal in nature, with a number of guessed-at facts and dates still in need of verification.

Cecil Lang, professor emeritus at the University of Virginia, is an eminent Swinburne scholar. Professor Lang is the author of the six-volume The Swinburne Letters (New Haven: Yale Univ. Press, 1959-1962). In this work, he assigns numbers to every item of Swinburne correspondence which he was able to locate, across repositories; thus, many items have both Kerr numbers and Lang numbers. Both numbers, where extant, are generally noted in the contents lists below.

The Noël Sturgeon Papers are a collection of materials regarding the research and activism work of Noël Sturgeon from 1977-2002, with the bulk of the material originating from 1983-1993.The ealiest papers primarily concern the organization of an anti-nuclear demonstration held at the Nevada Test Site in 1983, and the Mother's Day Action protests in the 1980s. Later material includes Sturgeon's doctoral research and dissertation, including interview transcripts, as well as her work with the Ecofeminist Newsletter throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. Materials are generally arranged chronologically (as recieved), with some unsorted materials at the end. A collection of 9 audio recordings of interviews is included at the end of the collection.

The collection is 4.0 linear feet in size, and contains 8 series detailing the research an activism of Noël Sturgeon, a feminist scholar and organizer in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. The collection is primarily comprised of papers, especially newsletters and associated materials, and correspondence related to activism and demonstration planning. Materials are from 1983-2002, and the early papers are primarily concerned with anti-nuclear protests and demonstrations at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. Other papers include Sturgeon's research materials, including research consent forms, interview transcripts, and a copy of her doctoral dissertation. Nine audio cassettes of recorded interviews are also included. The bulk of the material concerns the Ecofeminist Newsletter, which Sturgeon spearheaded, and include subscription information, mailing lists, and article submissions.

This collection includes arrest papers, clippings, correspondence, photographs, and court records related to the case Street vs. New York. The Physical Evidence file contains remnants of the burned flag.

The Flag-Burning collection is comprised of court papers, correspondence, news articles, and pamphlets relating to the case known as Street vs. new York, including parts of the actual burned flag used as evidence in the court proceedings. Court papers chronicle the position of the prosecuting attorney, Harry Brodbar, including the transcripts of the actual trial and the arrest order. There are letters of support for Brodbar from William F. Buckly, Veterans of Foreign Wars Magazine editor Paul W. Mills (Brodbar was a member of the VFW), and a member of the American Legion. Other items include newspaper clippings on the progress of the case, an issue of Legion magazine and photos of King County Asisstant District Attorney Harry Brodbar, and a flag burning event. A single autographed poster of an artist's interpretation of an American flag, which includes the signatures of Dave Dellinger, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Phil Ochs, and Pat Paulsen, became the basis of a similar case involving a bookstore owner. It is the only expression of support on behalf of Street in this collection.

This case is a microcosmic study of how two conflicting forces- the Vietnam/Civil Rights movement on one hand and the conservative forces of law and order on the other, brought their grievances to the highest court in the land. The representations of the act of burning the flaf are a universal and enduring feature of protest. The act of burning a US flag by Sidney Street in itself is not unique-- that is to say it has happened before and certainly since-- however, the documentation of how a ruling on the act of protest through speech and symbolism took shape in the US Supreme Court has significant historical value. Although these are mostly papers from the prosecutor's files, this collection presents both sides of the legal argument in court. Moreover, Sidney Street is a representative, through this archival record, of a mass of 'average' US citizens who became fed up with war and inequality. This collection contributes to understanding the limits of authority and protest in public life and, as such, it is a very valuable resource for scholars of US law, civil rights, and the Vietnam War era.

The collection contains a series of letters from Robert "Ed" Stover to William "Bill" Goring, his lawyer and confidante. The bulk of the letters are from Stover's incarceration in San Quentin prison, where he died in 1972.

The letters consist primarily of hand-written letters from Stover to Goring, but also included are photocopies of Goring's letters to Stover. Also included are some note- and postcards, as well as several newsletters and other serialized mailers. Newspaper clippings shared between the two men are also included, as well as photocopies of a document titled "Notebook of a Convict in the Alameda County Jail."

Materials are generally arranged chronologically.

Materials related to the trial known variously as the Chicago Seven/Eight Trial or the Conspiracy Trial, which took place in Chicago between 1969 and 1970, gathered by Jenny Stiller. Stiller, at the time a Michigan Daily reporter, attended the trial and took detailed notes. After the close of the trial she interviewed members of the media and wrote a book called "The Movement" based partially on these interviews. The bulk of the collection is Stiller's own writing, including her notebooks and unpublished manuscript. Collection includes six notepads, the book manuscript, Stiller's press passes, and a statement from attorney William Kunstler.

Collection includes six notebooks' worth of Stiller's handwritten notes (five from the trial, one from her interviews with members of the press following the interview), her press passes, a typed statement by defense lawyer William Kunstler, and her typed manuscript with handwritten annotations.

Dates for each notebook are listed below. Note that Stiller was present at the beginning and end of the trial only. Her notes do not include the day Bobby Seale was bound and gagged in the courtroom or the day his case was separated from the others. Her notes do include the sentencings for contempt of court but not for the conspiracy and incitement charges.

This collection documenting the history of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and of labor organizing in North America was assembled by Don Stewart, owner of the Vancouver bookstore MacLeod's Books since 1973. The collection is arranged into five series. Organizational Records comprise records of the central IWW administration, such as general convention minutes (1913-1969 with gaps), general executive boards letters and minutes (1959-1964), financial statements (1918-1944 with gaps), membership cards, and documents from the general defense committee relating to IWW prisoners during World War I. Reflecting the IWW's internal structure, Constituent Unions Records are organized by industrial trade numbers and include administrative documents and organizing literature. Constituent Unions Records also include a few folders relating to the Western Federation of Miners, which pre-dates IWW's founding in 1905 The Colorado Coal Strike Archive is a set of letters, telegrams between labor organizers, bulletins to workers, and other documents relating to the Columbine Mine Massacre of 1927. Topical Literature contains general ephemera by the IWW and literature related to the IWW and labor unions, including a transcript of the play "The Wobblies" by Ronald Weihs and a memorial booklet for Carlo Tresca. Finally, International Material contains foreign print materials about IWW or labor more generally. It also contains records and letters from the Canadian division of IWW in the Vancouver area, including letters from Fred Thompson and Pete Seeger.

Private Steiner, a communist and conscientious objector, was sentenced to death for refusing military orders in WWI. Sentence was commuted to 15 years hard-labor by President Harding. Consists of 66 Steiner letters written from prison to his sisters and mother.

The collection consists of 66 letters from Private Francis Steiner, a German-American, mainly to his two sisters, Anna and Aloisia. The letters were written between May 1918 and November 1920, from various prisons (Camp Funston, Fort Dix, Fort Riley, Fort Leavenworth, Fort Douglas). Although his scheduled date of release was February, 1923, the last letter, dated November 7, 1920, makes no mention of an impending release. There are two letters written to his mother. Letters from prison during that time were required to be in English. His parents apparently did not read or write in English, so his letters home were no doubt translated for them.

Much of the subject matter in the letters describes prison life, the political views of Private Steiner (he was a communist and also a strong supporter of the IWW), the treatment he and his fellow C.O.s (Conscientious Objectors) received at the command of various officers in charge, the food they were served, etc. One amusing letter (January 30, 1920) described the visit to Fort Douglas from General Pershing. The letters also contain "brotherly advice," such as how to shoot a good photograph, (Steiner was the "house" photographer in prison and was apparently given access to dark room facilities as well) and words of encouragement regarding their jobs and social activities.

There is one letter, dated February 21, 1919, written to "Miss A. Steiner" from F.P. Keppel, Third Assistant Secretary, War Department, Washington. This letter was in response to an inquiry from either Anna or Aloisia about her brother's status in prison. Also included is a photocopy of a newspaper clipping which tells that Steiner's death sentence was commuted to 15 years by President Harding.

Steiner made several references in his letters to enclosed photographs, which were not included with the collection. No information is available about these photos.

The Martin Sostre Collection (1923-2013; bulk 1967-1976) consists of correspondence, flyers, drawings, newspaper clippings, court records, pamphlets, newsletters, photographs, and handwritten notes pertaining to activist Martin Sostre. The collection contains original material created by Sostre, as well as material collected by others while he was incarcerated.

The Martin Sostre Collection (1923-2013; bulk 1967-1976) consists of correspondence, flyers, newsletters, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, articles, photographs, court documents, legal notes, and original drawings. Series 1, the Martin Sostre Papers, contains materials created by Sostre; these include drawings, legal documents with handwritten notes, published letters and articles, photographs, familial certificates, and newsletters Sostre wrote or edited, and documents on behavioral modification in prisons. Series 2, Correspondence, contains newsletters, informational mailings, petitions, and correspondence from various chapters of the Martin Sostre Defense Committee. Series 3, Flyers, contains demonstration and promotional flyers. Series 4, Court Records, contains affidavits, depositions, and court proceedings related to Martin Sostre. Series 5, Articles, contains newspaper clippings and photocopies, and other written material such as case studies, a thesis, and magazine articles.