Undergraduate archivists at work
During winter and spring terms, this year’s Humanities Undergraduate Archival Fellows (HUAF), Emma Kersgaard (English, Sociology, and Disability Studies) and Payton Rosello (English and Psychology), worked in Special Collections and University Archives to organize four collections which are now accessible for researchers to request through the UO Library website.
Emma organized the Oregon Bach Festival records (1971–2024) and records from the Oregon Women’s Land Trust (1976–2001). The Oregon Women’s Land Trust was created in 1976 after a group of women collectively purchased 147 acres near Roseburg, Oregon. As part of the movement in the lesbian feminist community, the OWL Trust focused on collective living and awareness of how race and class intersected within the community, working to create a safe and respected space away from the harms of sexism and homophobia. Emma said, “It was amazing to be a part of this experience, working to make these pieces of lesser-known history available. I am excited to take the knowledge I learned during this fellowship and apply it as I work on my master’s degree in library science after I graduate next year.”
Payton organized the UO’s Department of Biology records (1896–2013) and the UO’s Office of Multicultural Academic Success records (1969–2007) which feature work by student campus organizations including the Black Student Union, Native American Student Union, Asian American Student Union, MEChA, LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, and women’s rights advocacy groups. The collection has photo slides highlighting various events, posters from the Queer Film Festival, grant proposals, budgets, correspondence, information on policy and amendment advocacy, and meeting minutes.
A note about past fellows: Maggie Dobson (BA History) and 2023 Humanities Undergraduate Archival Fellow is employed as a Reference Services Archivist in UO’s Special Collections and University Archives. And Bryanna Hensley (BA English) and 2023 Humanities Undergraduate Archival Fellow earned a Masters in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University. She is now employed as a Research Analyst with Harbor Global, a provider of services to law firms and corporate law departments.