Central Michigan University Communications (UComm) Collection, 1946, 2018, and undated
The Collection, 1946, 2018, and undated, 184 cubic foot (in 193 boxes, 1 Oversized folder) and an additional 1.2 TB of digital data beyond the digital content in the boxes, includes thirty-five series and subseries of publications and audiovisual materials, created and collected by Central Michigan University (CMU) University Communications (UComm) and its predecessor organizations. This is one of multiple donations/transfers of materials from UComm and its predecessor organizations to the Clarke. The collection is incomplete and ongoing and in good physical condition. Arrangement is by the original order of each series, which varies from one series to another.
The collection document CMU students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, campus, events and organizations. The original names and order for each series, which varies from one series to another, was retained as much as possible, with slight modifications to assist the researcher. Formats in the collection include: paper newsletters and inventories, note cards, negatives, photographs, some of which are on foamcor board or matted, proof, contact or galley sheets, digital images on CDs and prints of digital images, color slides, and video recordings on BetacamSP, Ampex UMaticSP microcassettes, VHS videotapes, and DVDs. Many series are a mixture of paper, photographic and digital formats. The workstation uses multiple digital software formats including microworkbk, .tif, .gif, and .mov. The DVDs include .mov or quicktime files, can be accessed using a DVD player and VLC media player software. CDs include .tif, .gif, and .jpg files. There is a microcassette recorder to access the microcassettes.
The boxes in each series, listed below, are not all physically shelved in order or next to each other due to how they were moved into the Clarke from UComm. They are listed in the Box and Folder Listing in the order in which they are shelved.
Series Description:
CDs/DVDs. This series, 1 cubic foot (1 box), 2003, 2011 and undated, is completely CDs and DVDs. They were originally packed together in multiple box lids. The series is color images or recordings of CMU people, places and events. The series is organized in chronologically by year and then alphabetically by description. Undated CDs/DVDs are at the end of the box, in alphabetical order by description. The DVDs throughout the collection can be accessed using a DVD player and VLC media player software, some use .mov or quicktime files. CDs include .tif, .gif, and .jpg files.
CMU News This series, 5 cubic feet, 2003-2005, is a CMU. UComm newsletter, which continues its predecessor series, News. CMU News series is organized by publication number and date. Boxes 60-63.
Digital Image Database Lists. This series, .5 cubic foot (in 1 box) includes 4 folders of database lists, 1997-2012. Box #191. These lists do not seem to match the digital information in the collection on DVD/CDs/ or in the workstation. It likely matches digital information retained in 2020 by UComm.
Faculty News Releases. Faculty News Releases. This series, 4 cubic feet, undated, is mostly news released by CMU and other sources about CMU faculty with a few folders of prominent CMU graduates and organizations. It is organized roughly alphabetically by surname. While materials inside folders are dated, the folders are undated. Boxes 49-52.
Headshots/Mugshots. There are three subseries to this series: Historic mugshots, small headshots and outdated headshots or individual portraits of CMU faculty, emeritus faculty, staff, sometimes including department name, and some CMU students or non-CMU speakers, Michigan people, or CMU topics, there is sometimes description such as valedictorian and homecoming queen and a year. They total 11 cubic feet, 1950s-1970s, and undated.
Historic mugshots. This series, 2 cubic feet, 1950s-1970s, and undated. Most photographs are black and white, 4x5 inches or smaller. Mug shots are often in individual original envelopes, although some envelopes include multiple images. They are organized alphabetically by surname or topic. (See also its descendant series, small headshots.) While materials inside folders may be dated, some folders are undated. Boxes 16 and 79.
Headshots, outdated. This series, 4 cubic feet, undated, is the first subseries continuing Historic Mugshots. It is organized alphabetically by surname or topic. As headshots became outdated, they were sorted into this series, while current headshots became the Small headshots series. While materials inside folders may be dated, the folders are undated. Boxes 93-96.
Small headshots. This series, 5 cubic feet, undated, is the more current Headshots images. It is a continuation of Historic mugshots and Headshots, but most of the images are smaller than those found in the earlier subseries. It is organized alphabetically by surname or topic. While materials inside folders may be dated, the folders are undated. Boxes 87-91. Box 91 also includes some Miscellaneous.
Information Services News. This series, 6 cubic feet, 1979-1997, is a newsletter which was published by UComm’s predecessor unit, CMU. Information Services. It is organized by publication number and chronologically by year. Boxes 42-47.
Microcassettes. This series includes 1 cubic foot (1 box) of Ampex UMaticSP microcassettes, 1998, 2016. They are packed into three box lids within the box, and organized in numerical order according to their labels, which is mostly chronological. The few without description are dated and are located at the end of the Box Lid #3. Only microcassette #740 has a partially illegible description. The series is color recordings of CMU people, places and events. The microcassettes can be viewed by inserting them into a microcassette recorder in the Clarke and viewing the recording in its monitor screen.
Miscellaneous and Mixed Photographs. This series, 9 cubic feet, 1991-2008, and undated, 6 boxes and 1 Oversized folder. This series includes photographs, negatives and prints, some mounted on foamcor board, and some headshots, including black and white, color, all mixed together in the boxes, and digital images and prints from digital images. Box 74 is mostly digital prints. Sometimes UComm called them Miscellaneous Photos (Photographs) and sometimes Mixed Photos (Photographs). Some of the boxes are in their original order, which is neither alphabetical nor chronological, while other boxes are organized alphabetically into broad CMU topics. Boxes 19, 21, 72-74, 91. Box 91 also includes some Miscellaneous). See also CDs/DVDs series. Also included here is 1 Oversized folder of color, matted photographs, 1980s, 2001-2018, and undated, which measure 26x18 inches on foamcor board, dated by the photographer, Peggy Brisbane.
Mixed Files. This series, 5 cubic feet, 1965-1967, 1980s, but mostly undated, is a mixture of paper and photographic materials on various CMU topics. It is organized alphabetically into broad CMU topics. There is some overlap in Boxes 75-76. While materials inside folders may be dated, the folders are mostly undated. Boxes 75-78, 124.
Name Cards. This series, approximately 2 cubic feet, undated, in five 5x7 inch note card boxes. The note cards are organized alphabetically by surname, except for the last part of W-Z was filed at the end of the M box due to space issues. There is usually one card for each CMU person in the series. Each card documents each time a person was featured in some type of news release from CMU or other sources, such as Michigan or out-of-state newspapers, and the name and date of the source. A small number of people often featured in the news have multiple cards.
Negatives: This series, 74 cubic feet, 1946, 2012, and undated, includes boxes full or almost completely full of negatives in original sleeves. The negatives are mostly organized chronologically by year with negatives in numerical order. There are some gaps in the series. Some negatives are one per sleeve, several per sleeve. Strips of negatives are in various negative sleeves. Information on the sleeve may include any or all of the following: date, negative number, strip number, or either a name or description of a CMU person, organization, building, location or event. Boxes 109-118, 125-188 Box 109 also includes one CD of images, 2005-2012. Box 184 has CDs, 2000.
News. This series, 7 cubic feet, 1983-1985 2010, mostly undated, is copies of a CMU UComm newsletter, organized rougly alphabetically into broad CMU topics. Folder are undated. This is a subseries of the series News by Publication Number/Date (see that series description). News was continued by CMU News (a CMU newsletter, see also that series description). Boxes 40-41, 48, 53-55, 57.
News by Publication Number/Date. This series, 3 cubic feet, 1997-2003, is the same CMU newsletter, but is organized by publication number and date. For anyone researching major CMU events and news in a specific time period this is a good series in which to begin your research. Boxes 56, 58-59. Some copies of News were organized into a series organized alphabetically by topic. See also the News series.
News [of] CMU Board of Trustees [Members]. This series, .25 cubic foot, undated [1970-2014], is mostly news documenting some of the CMU Board of Trustees Members who served between 1970 and 2014. There is also one folder labeled CMU Information and one folder each for Kevin Dambrot, men’s basketball coach 1991-1999, and Donita Daventport, winning women’s basketball coach 1984-1996, and Kevin F. Kelly, who was neither a member of the Board nor a CMU faculty or staff member. The folders are undated. The news in the folders was created by CMU and other sources and UComm collected it. UComm probably used the series as both an ongoing current and historical research file. The series is organized in original order, which is neither in alphabetical nor chronological order, and labeling was not systematic. The order of names and abbreviations used on folder labels varies. Matyn researched when the people were active on the Board or at CMU, and added dates in the Box and Folder Listing in square brackets. Box 67.
News of Faculty. This series, 2 cubic feet, undated [1940s-1990s] is news by CMU and other sources mainly about CMU faculty members, administrators, and some topical subjects, that UComm collected. It is roughly organized alphabetically by surname. The order of names and abbreviations used on folder labels varies. The folders are undated. Boxes 64-65.
News of Faculty, Retired. This series, 1 cubic foot, undated [1940s-1990s], is news by CMU and other sources mainly about retired CMU faculty members and a few administrators, that UComm collected. It is organized alphabetically by surname. A number of people for whom CMU buildings are or were named are included in this series. The only president included is Grawn. Folders are undated. Box 66.
The New Releases series, 5 cubic feet, 1986, undated, is a UComm newsletter organized alphabetically in broad CMU topics, such as Football, Graduate Studies, and Parking. It does not include the names of CMU people. While materials inside folders are dated, the folders are undated, except for Flood of ‘86. Boxes 97-101. Some News Releases were organized into a subseries, New Releases Faculty. See also the New Releases Faculty subseries.
Proof, Contact or Galley Sheets series, 9 cubic feet, 1946, 2010, and undated, includes proof, contact or galley sheets and some photographs, both black and white and color, in various formats mixed together in folders. Galley sheets are a page with multiple images from the negatives. Photographers reviewed these, usually circling in red crayon which images were worth printing. Sometimes they would also draw a red X through images that were not worth printing. The series is organized alphabetically by mostly broad CMU topics and most of the proof, contact or galley sheets each measure 8.5x11 inches. Boxes 15, 17, 80-86.
Slides. This series, 12 cubic feet, 1970, 1989, 1997-2012, mostly undated, includes boxes which were entirely or mostly filled with color slides of CMU, but may contain some other photographic materials. The slides are in original order and are organized variously, alphabetically by broad or specific CMU topic, in slide carousels, slide storage pages, folders or boxes. Boxes 189-190 were originally in a wooden drawer and were rehoused in two archival slide boxes. Occasionally, a few slides are also mixed in with other series. Boxes 14, 20, 68-71, 92, 102-103, 107-108, 189-190.
The Videotapes series, 31 cubic feet, 1991-2007 and undated and digital videos, 1.2 TB, 2012-2016 includes. three subseries of color videotape recordings documenting a wide variety of CMU people and events. Some of the videotapes were edited for broadcasting, while others are informal and unedited, or partially edited, with or without music, CMU logos, or credits. The two main physical subseries are Videotapes, Videotape masters (master recordings) and Videotapes (not masters). The then videographer, Adam Miedmia, was in the midst of a project to transfer videotapes onto DVDs when the collection was transferred to the Clarke. The vast majority of these Videotapes are BetacamSP format Masters, but there are some Ampex UMaticSP videotapes (measures 5.2x8.5 inches) and VHS videotapes. Both of these subseries are in numerical order by tape number, the original order in which they were transferred to the Clarke. Videotape dates are either when they were recorded or broadcasted on television, if they were broadcasted. The dates and topic for both series overlap. There are gaps in the numerical sequences and dates, and there are some unlabeled videos.
Videotape masters. This series, 11 cubic feet, 1991-2007 and undated, is the master videotapes. Boxes 1-11.
Videotapes. This series, 20 cubic feet, 1997-2007 and undated, is the non-master videotapes. Boxes 12-13, 22-39.
The last, most modern subseries of videos is Digital Videos, 1.2 TB images (with images), 2012-2016, were originally stored on the MAC Pro harddrive, but are now stored on a Clarke server labeled UComm.
The last series is the Workstation MAC DOS digital information. The following related equipment was also transferred to the Clarke by UComm: Pioneer DVD player and two parts of Sony BetacamSP Deck for video editing; and a MAC Pro with 1 harddrive containing 1.2 TB images and Videotapes, 2012-2016, a series now stored on a Clarke server labeled UComm. Please Note: A careful review found that the digital information stored on the workstation, harddrive and CDs/DVDs in the collection indicates that the vast majority are NOT duplicated in other series in this collection, nor does the workstation digital information match the database inventory lists. The workstation uses multiple digital software formats including microworkbk, .tif, .gif, and .mov. The Workstation includes the following nine digital subseries:
Workstation subseries 1: B Roll Inventory, 2000-2009, 176 KB, in microworkbk format (Note: this is larger than the Master Tape Inventory.)
Workstation subseries 2: Logging, 2007, 29 KB, is a topical list, in microworkbk format, of Videotapes consecutively #377-497 of various topics, 2004-2005. Note: BetaSP #377-419, 2004, are found in Boxes 35-37. BetaSP#420-497 are not in this collection.
Workstation subseries 3: Tape Inventory Masters, 2007, see attached list, 111KB, in microwkbk format, list of Tapes #1-690 description may include year, running time, general category Ex. Events, Sports, a printed copy of this list was in the first video box.
Workstation subseries 4: VideoBRoll.Doc, 2007, 33KB, micro…unit is a list identified on the Workstation as minority tapes from #2-139 (very scattered). The description may include year, 1997-2001, and running time. These minority tapes numbers and dates are not found (duplicated) in the collection on either DVDs or physical videotapes.
Workstation subseries 5: 2013 Masters, which, when opened, is dated January-September 2016. This subseries includes one folder/month for January-September 2016, each of which includes 1-5 Videotape movie formats. Ex. 1 video is 1 hr 31 mins, another is 2 hrs running time. No total storage is given.
Workstation subseries 6: Test footage football honors event 13 seconds in movie format, no year. No total storage is given.
Workstation subseries 7: Images 4,256 in .gif, .tif files. No total storage is given.
Workstation subseries 8: Movies 254, 2006-2009, some are CMU Videotapes, others are generic for editing purposes, formats are diverse. No total storage is given.
Workstation subseries 9: Documents “more than 10,000,” formats vary.
Related collections:
Researchers may also be interested in several collections in the Clarke from UComm’s predecessor units, CMU. Information Services and PRM. Please see the finding aids and catalog records for these collections. All of these collections consist of output (images and publications). None of the inner workings of the unit, for example meeting minutes of UComm staff, planning or project files or unit annual reports are in these collections. Also, the CMU Photographs (stored in vertical filing cabinets by the CMU Vertical Files), which were donated to the Clarke prior to 1996, originally came from Public Relations and Marketing and include images from Information Services. CMU Photographs is not cataloged, but an inventory is available to assist researchers.
Digitized newsletters:
Researchers may also be interested in UComm’s various newsletters, with their different names and formats over time, which were scanned as a separate project by the Clarke staff in 2019 and are available in 2020 on the Clarke’s digital collections website.
Processing Notes:
The Move and its impact on processing: The collection was transferred from UComm to Clarke February 10, 2016, suddenly, unexpectedly, very quickly and without advanced warning. This situation led to complications with the move and processing the collection. At UComm, the majority of the physical collection had been stored in hanging folders in filing cabinets and other, variously sized cabinets and assorted containers. To decrease their weight during the move, the movers shifted materials from some of drawers into large, portable moving tubs, destroying the original series order for the collection. The materials filled the entire back hall of the Clarke when they arrived.
Boxing: Matyn and her students, notably Suli Albinhamad and Cassie Olson, among others quickly boxed the collection from the filing cabinets and moving tubs into acid free cubic foot boxes, noting original order when possible. The last third of the collection was the most disorganized and is in the best order it could be restored to in a timely fashion. It was decided by Matyn and Director Frank Boles in February 2016 to reestablish box order through the finding aid and not reorganize boxes on the shelves.
Inventory: An inventory began March 4, 2016, which continued through March 2020 as archival students were available. Matyn and the following students inventoried the collection and typed the inventory: Lindsey Rogers, Brad Davis, Clarissa Klein, Haley Schleicher, and Michael Watts, who notably typed the majority of the inventory.
Rehousing: Due to the estimated substantial cost of archivally rehousing this large a collection, specifically the audiovisual materials, the decision was made by Director F. Boles and Archivist Marian Matyn in February 2016 not to rehouse the collection in acid-free folders or audiovisual archival housing. The only exception for this was slides which were stored in a wooden drawer and were rehoused in archival slide boxes #189-1990. Most of the physical collection is in hanging files in archival boxes. Negatives and slides are in their original containers.
Labeling: Most of the physical materials in the collection were originally labeled variously. Some materials are undated, and the use of acronyms, partial names, or abbreviations is common and varies throughout the collection. When necessary and if possible, Matyn added additional information to the Box and Folder Listing to aid the researcher. Labels were created by Matyn for unlabeled folders. When labels had fallen into the body of the folder, they were found and written on the folder or container. In a few cases, parts of labels or description were illegible. When title/label and description did not match, additional description, when possible, was added to assist the researcher.
Abbreviations, acronyms, and slang: Abbreviations, acronyms, or slang have been written out to assist researchers if their meaning was known. CMU acronyms that are now no longer commonly known or used were written out by Matyn the first time the acronym appears in the Box and Folder List to assist researchers. When Matyn was unable to determine what an abbreviation meant, so the original abbreviation was retained in the Box and Folder Listing.
Withdrawn materials: 14 cubic feet of material was withdrawn during processing, including: duplicates, non-CMU information, particularly publications, newspapers and newspaper clippings for Michigan newspapers and CMU publications which are digitized, search committee information for commencement speakers, CDs with customers’ orders, and obsolete storage formats which were inaccessible.