New Labor History Web Site Launched
Special Collections at the University of Oregon Libraries announces the launch of a new online resource entitled The Labor Project: Dedicated to the Preservation of Labor and Working-Class History in the Pacific Northwest (libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/exhibits/labor). The website provides a portal researchers can use to access the documentary history of labor in Oregon and other western states. The site combines the convenience of online searching with a carefully organized approach to research on the topic.
At the heart of the Labor Project site is a newly developed database that allows users to search the UO’s Special Collections holdings related to labor and working-class history by keyword, subject, date ranges, title, and related authors. Users can also browse the contents of the database in eight different labor-related topics.
Examples of archived material housed in Special Collections and referenced in the database include documents on the timber industry in the Pacific Northwest, arbitration papers from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and other unions, original pamphlets from the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), legal documents related to the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti, and extensive materials from native American tribes in Oregon.
Special Collections staff members have identified approximately 100 collections in its holdings that are relevant to the history of labor and the working class in the Northwest. The materials include private papers, arbitration records, corporate and organizational records, and political material. Database searches yield an extensive description of these individual holdings and their specific location within the UO Libraries’ Special Collections. Additional material will be added to the database as it is acquired and catalogued.
For more information on the Labor Project website, contact James Fox, (541) 346-1904, jdfox@oregon.uoregon.edu, or Alex Morrow, (541) 346-5908, amorrow@darkwing.uoregon.edu.