Collections

This project contains information about local, state, national, and international economic enterprises, focusing mainly on businesses and industries located in and/or originating in the state of Indiana. Some of the industries discussed are the Indiana limestone industry, the local oil industry, coal mining, agriculture, railroads, the automobile industry, banking, insurance, steel production, and supermarkets. The local economic impact of industry and business on a community, unionization, and the workforces of each industry are also discussed.

This project examines the impact of unionization on Guide Lamp and Delco Remy, two automobile plants in Anderson, Indiana, between the years of 1930 and 1982. It details the events of the 1937 sit-down strike at Guide Lamp and the various improvements in working conditions, wages, job security, and benefits that the United Auto Workers helped to influence at the two plants. The project highlights changes in policy towards women, minority groups, and retirees in the factory workplace, and it offers descriptions of the evolving roles of management and the union and changing relationships among workers in the two plants. Finally, the project details the history of the two plants within the community of Anderson at large, and it offers commentary on the then-current problems and challenges facing the automobile industry as a whole.

The Hamburg University Nursing Home Study consists of a number of interviews of both staff and patients at the Bloomington Convalescent Center (BCC). The interviewees discuss perceptions of nursing home life, differences between living outside and inside such a facility, and the state of the elderly in America today. The interviews center around topics such as patient reminiscences of earlier life and family.

This collection of interviews addresses historic preservation in a handful of Indiana towns, such as Madison, New Harmony, Vincennes, and Evansville. The broad emphasis is placed on how the preservation movement began, the major participants, and how it has changed. However, within this broad range, individual historic preservation organizations and projects are not only mentioned, but given much detail.

This project consists of 27 interviews on the participation of girls in athletics from the nineteen twenties through the nineteen eighties. Organizations such as the Indiana High School Athletic Organization are discussed with regard to female participation in sports. The project also explores sex roles and girls' high school sports in local communities.

This project deals with the changes and conditions Calumet, Michigan has undergone since its origins as a copper mining company town. The interviewees discuss the ethnic diversity of the town, effects of the 1913 mining strike, effects of the Great Depression, and local community life.

The project follows the Indiana Humanities Council from its beginnings in the 1960s until the present. The interviewees discuss their roles in the council, whether as a staff member or a board member. They discuss the founding of the council, the growth and changes it's undergone, the projects that it has funded, and those that it currently funds, according to their particular tenure. The interviewees also talk about the council's importance, positive work ethic, and good staff relations.

This oral history of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University traces creation of the Center from its earliest stages and its evolution into a fully operating academic institution dedicated to the study of philanthropy. It includes the negotiations in bringing the Fund Raising School to Indianapolis, Indiana, the grant proposals to the Lilly Endowment, finding the Center's first director, and the creation of its mission statement. This project also contains many different people's views on the study of philanthropy and the importance and success of the Center.

The collection of interviews in this project reflects James Jones' study of the Kinsey Institute's evolution and reception at Indiana University. He interviews a variety of individuals associated with the Institute by having worked there or having been a member of a foundation that funded Dr. Alfred C. Kinsey's efforts. The interviewees discuss Dr. Kinsey's dedication to his work, his move from studying gall wasps to human sexual behavior, his effectiveness as an interviewer and lecturer, and his personal commitment to the Institute. There is also mention of Dr. Kinsey's influence on science and the Institute's problems with funding. James Jones eventually published a biography of Dr. Kinsey in 1997. It is entitled Alfred C. Kinsey: A Public/Private Life and it is published by W.W. Norton and Company.

This project presents the perceptions of modern theater by five different people involved in the performance arts. Some of the topics touched upon include the differences between the three media of stage, television, and film, beginning experiences in the field of theater, and career paths and goals of the individual. The theory and philosophy of acting, directing and producing is also discussed.

The history of business can be studied from a variety of angles. These approaches are discussed by the interviewee in terms of business methodology. Different areas of historical study interconnected with that of business are also explored. Books and authors demonstrating the points are shared and problems with the study of new history are also examined.

The interviews in this project deal with the history of Indiana, from specific counties, organizations, and institutions to individual residents' memories and experiences. Some of the topics covered include state prisons, education in Indiana, the Lutheran Church in Indiana, and the history of several towns and counties in the state.

This project includes interviews with three people involved with important aspects of the development of Middle Way House in Bloomington, Indiana. They discuss the grass roots beginnings of the house as a crisis center and its change into a battered women's shelter. The interviewees discuss funding and grant writing for Middle Way House and the financial difficulties the shelter has encountered in the past.

The interviews in this collection primarily address New Harmony in the early twentieth century. The interviewees discuss the Centennial celebration, 1913 Flood, Murphy lecture series, and the impact of religion in the community. Throughout the collection, knowledge is shared of the early Rappite and Owen communities, particularly in regards to changes in the community as they relate to the historic preservation movement.

This project consists of interviews with four members of the Benedictine order who lived and worked at Saint Meinrad Archabbey. Some major topics of discussion include religious training and education, daily monastic life, the business ventures of the abbey, and the history of the abbey. In addition, the interviewees discuss the vows and roles of priests and monks, as well as the abbey's relationship with the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church.

This collection of interviews presents the life histories and impressions of a variety of residents from or near Paoli, Indiana. The interviewees range in age from early twenties to senior citizens and represent diverse professions, educational levels, and interests. This collection highlights some of the major changes in Orange County over the twentieth century and provides insight into the rich community life experienced by its residents.

The interviews in this collection concern life in Starke County, Indiana, primarily in the early part of the twentieth century. Dairy and pickle farming, along with their associated industries, are the major topics of discussion, but also described are schools, politics, ethnic communities, other types of farming, and community changes.

This collection of interviews reflects on the Indianapolis, Indiana neighborhood, Stringtown. While a wide variety of ages is represented, most of the interviewees are older individuals. Pervasive throughout is the idea that Stringtown is a relatively stable, distinct neighborhood with well-defined boundaries. Some of the major topics include the increase of crime and vandalism, the increased delinquency of the children due, in part, to parental neglect, the decline of the community in terms of housing and business, and the lack of education and ambition among many of the residents. Also discussed is the closing of School 16, the familial ties within the community, and the role of church and politics in the neighborhood.

This collection of interviews deals with different ethnic groups in Indiana between the 1910s and the 1970s. Most of the interviewees are first generation Americans born around the turn of the century. They share their life histories, discussing mainly the World War II era, what they lived through, what brought them to the United States, and how they adjusted to American life. They discuss their native cultures and traditions, as well as their involvement in American life.

This project deals with the Automobile Industry in Indiana and why it declined. The interviewees discuss industry within Indiana, concentrating on Indianapolis in the nineteen twenties.