| Blog Post Published on: | 8th November 2022 |
| Title: | Introduction and Guide to CPC's Archive |
| Lead Author: | Katie Shilton |
| Type of Blog Post: | cpc_archive |
"In 2001, my wife and I donated funds for Circle Pines to purchase file cabinets and archival supplies and to hire Oberlin College student Katie Shilton as Archivist Intern for the summer. Katie worked with John Glass, camp director Devon Greyson, and camper and staff volunteers to organize boxes of papers and publications into seven file cabinets. In addition, Katie wrote an 'Introduction to the Archives' and 'A Guide to the Archives' to help researchers locate relevant materials." - Peter Rasmussen
[FMB Note: I've transcribed some of Katie's report. Also, I've marked the omitted sections. To see the full text of her report, see the link to a PDF of her report at the bottom of this page.]
So, you want to do research in the CPC archives. Here's what you need to know to get started. The archives have been arranged first by subject matter, and then by decade. Most things that you will find in these file cabinets have been grouped under one of the five major categories, each given a letter. These are:
A - Camp Records,
B - General Co-op Records,
C - Financial Records,
D - Plans and Goals,
E - Events, and
F - CPC's Community.
The items that do not fall under these categories are exceptions - they are:
- Address Lists,
- Director's FIles,
- Correspondence,
- Pine Needles,
- Youth Institute Manuals, and
- Guests and Reservations.
What follows is a list of the specific subjects that fall under each heading, and where to find them. (The filing cabinets are numbered from right to left, the drawers are numbered from top to bottom, and each drawer's contents are listed front to back.)
Each smaller subject is in turn divided up by decade. Each decade has its own folder, which has been assigned a color for easy locating.
30s=brown
40s=pink
<omited text>
90s=red
2000s=white
FOR EXAMPLE, if you wanted to dig up old Board of Directors controversies from the 80s, you would first decide where the Board of Directors falls in the large scheme of things (General Co-op). Then you would consult the list under "B" for an appropriate topic (in this case, "Board of Directors" might be a good guess), and then search for the file labeled in light blue. (It would also say "80s" on the label if you forget which color you're hunting for.)
A FEW other things to know. There seem to be significant gaps in the records kept at CPC. All of the files from the 40s, 50s, and early 60s are very good. (Thank you, Bill Knox!) However, not as many things from the 70s were preserved, and there is a gap in the Pine Needles record which occurs in the mid to late 80s. And as computer technology replaces carbon paper and mimeograph machines, fewer documents appear in paper form. Bear in mind when searching for recent files.
ALSO, the "Correspondence" files are a wealth of information, but also a potential headache. Unfortunately, I did not have the time during my short stay here to catalog each letter, as I had planned. There is an attached partial listing of what can be found - there are potentially hundreds more letters, however, which have not been recorded. Also, in my efforts (and the efforts of the campers who helped me) to get everything typed in, many of the letters got somewhat out of chronological order. So be prepared to d a little digging the the "Correspondence" files - I promise it will be well worth your effort.
SOME archive rules: Wash your hands, please, before taking anything out of the archives. These documents are delicate! If something should rip while you are handling it, don't fret, but please repair it. There is document repair tape in the office - request it and fix the tear before you put the document back. And finally, return everything to where you found it! Folders and hanging files are color-coded to make this easier, but take careful note of where you found something and return it to its proper location - this will enable us to keep these archived in order.
FINALLY, a few thank-yous.
<omitted text>
ANd finally, Circle Pines member John Glass worked full time with me for almost two-weeks, sorting and labeling pictures and helping sort through the mounds of boxes in the attic. Thank you, John!
AND, now on to the archives.
---------------------
A - Camp Records
(1st file cabinet on the right)
<omitted text>
---------------------
B - General Co-op Records
(2nd file cabinet on the right - the orange one)
<omitted text>
---------------------
Address Lists
(3rd cabinet from right, 1st drawer)
<omitted text>
---------------------
C - Financial Documents
(3rd cabinet from right, 2nd drawer)
<omitted text>
---------------------
Director's Files
(3rd cabinet from right, 3rd drawer)
<omitted text>
---------------------
D - Plans and Goals
(4th cabinet from right, 1st drawer)
<omitted text>
---------------------
Correspondence
(4th cabinet from right, 2nd drawer)
<omitted text>
---------------------
E - Events
(4th cabinet from right, 3rd drawer)
<omitted text>
---------------------
F - CPC's Community
(4th cabinet from right, 4th drawer)
<omitted text>
---------------------
Pine Needles and Pines Circulars
(in attic filing cabinets labeled "Pine Needles")
<omitted text>
---------------------
Guests and Reservations
(In legal sized filing cabinet, front of 1st drawer)
<omitted text>
---------------------
Youth Institute Manuals
(On top shelf in the fax machine office. Clearly labeled.)
<omitted text>
---------------------
The Legal-Sized Filing Cabinet
(The farthest to the left, facing slightly diagonal)
<omitted text>
1st drawer, front:
Guests and Reservations
1st drawer, back:
Board Minutes - 80s
"Governance" (essentially Board stuff) - 80s
Homestead Plans - modern plans to build a homestead community at CPC. 80s
Pine Grove Senior Housing Co-op - plans to have a retirement community at CPC. 80s
Aims and Purposes - notes from the Aims and Purposes Committee. 80s
2nd drawer:
Budgets and Financial Statements - all decades.
3rd drawer:
Camper Registrations - 60s
The short time I spent at Circle Pines and the sheer volume of documents to be sorted limited the amount I could do on this project. There remain a few things to be done. Here is a guide for the next person who tackles the archives.
Sorting:
The documents on the metal shelves in the middle office still need sorting according to subject and decade. It will be helpful if whoever does the sorting sticks to the same Organization method I have used two systems in one archives could be confusing! Also, a few filing drawers - the ones labeled "Historical" in the attic filing cabinets need sorting as well. Finally, the "Correspondence" drawer needs to be put in chronological order and cataloged.
Photographs:
The photographs we found have been sorted by decade, thanks to John Glass, and now need to be put into albums. We have several nice albums and photo corners so that the pictures can be taken in and out. Also, anyone who wants to tackle slides has their work cut out for them!
Cataloging:
As things stand now, anyone curious about the documents in the PC archives will have to come to Circle Pines to explore them, as there is no comprehensive listing of what is here - only an outline. I would recommend cataloging first the letters held in "Correspondence", as it is the least descriptive subject heading. After "Correspondence", a listing of the other documents held here would be of great use to anyone looking for specific information.
Introduction and Guide to CPC's Archive
by Katie Shilton
a PDF of her 2001 Report