Student Blogger Series

Collection Spotlight: Gay Liberator

Public Relations Team — Wed, 10 May 2017 11:49:39 -0400

This blog post was contributed by Autumn Diaz, a student in Wayne State University's archives program in Winter 2017.

The Reuther Library holds many important historical collections, and as history inevitably repeats itself, many are more relevant than ever to current events. The Gay Liberator collection, in the space of just two compact boxes, offers a history unique to Detroit and its LGBT community. Published from 1970-1976, the Gay Liberator also reflects growing political awareness read more »

Collection Spotlight: George C. Edwards, Jr. Papers

Public Relations Team — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:05:46 -0400

In the Winter 2012 semester, the Reuther Library worked with students in the Graduate Certificate in Archival Administration program at the Wayne State School of Library and Information Science to produce a series of student-written, guest blog posts.

Timothy McRoberts is a student at Wayne State's School of Information and Library Science.

George C. Edwards, Jr., had a major influence on the post World War II city of Detroit. read more »

Collection Spotlight: Harper Hospital

Public Relations Team — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 10:18:54 -0400

The Harper Hospital collection contains records from the nurses and doctors of Harper Hospital during World War I. Included is information about their location in France, dates of when they left the United States and when they returned, and an extensive list of those men and women who served Base Hospital Number 17. Hospital staff, if large enough, were assigned to their own base hospital, but could be combined with staff from other hospitals. read more »

Collection Spotlight: UFW Montreal Boycott Office Records

Public Relations Team — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:10:37 -0400

Timothy R. Borbely is a graduate student at Wayne State University. He is currently pursuing a joint MLIS/MA in History with a focus on Archival Administration and the French Revolution.

The United Farm Workers Grape Boycott in Montreal from 1969 to 1970 is one that involved a lot of important planning by activist Jessica Govea (pictured above, in glasses, marching in Toronto in 1968), who took charge of operations in Quebec during 1969 at the age of twenty-two. read more »

Detroit's Black Bottom and Paradise Valley Neighborhoods

Public Relations Team — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:15:49 -0400

Cathy MacDonald is a student in the Archival Administration Program at Wayne State University. She is currently interning at the Arab American National Museum’s Library and Resource Center.

Detroit’s Black Bottom and Paradise Valley neighborhoods provided both housing and entertainment for the city’s African American community from the 1920s through the 1940s. read more »

Detroit's Corktown Neighborhood

Public Relations Team — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 08:48:09 -0400

In the Winter 2013 semester, the Reuther Library worked with students in the Graduate Certificate in Archival Administration program at the Wayne State School of Library and Information Science to produce a series of student-written, guest blog posts.

Caitlin Brennecke is a graduate student at Wayne State University in the Library and Information Science program with a focus on archival administration. Her interests include digitization of historical collections and the use of crowd sourcing in archives and libraries. For the past year she volunteered for the Detroit Historical Society at their Collection Resource Center and she recently began working in a private archive. read more »

Digitizing Series 10 of the Industrial Workers of the World Records

Public Relations Team — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 09:58:05 -0400

This May, at the start of my last semester at Wayne State’s School of Library and Information Science, I began a Practicum in Digital Content Management here at the Walter P. Reuther Library of Labor and Urban Affairs. Over the last three months I have spent many hours with Series 10 of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) Collection. This series, which is mostly pamphlets and handouts, needed digitization to keep it alive. Access to the series was restricted, not for inflammatory content, but because of the fragile condition of the early 20th century documents. This made me a kind of digital life support for this information rich material. read more »

Education NOW: The role of New Detroit Inc. and public engagement in reshaping Detroit's public schools

Public Relations Team — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 14:26:08 -0500

How might the relationship and flow of information between parents and the Detroit Board of Education affect the quality and locality of a child’s education? How were the parents of children involved in the inter-district busing debate of the early 1970s informed on the judicial and legal changes factoring into their children’s education? read more »

Guest Post: Alexandrea Penn on Raven Award Experience

mcourtney — Wed, 16 Aug 2017 11:28:40 -0400

What do Casey Kasem, Lily Tomlin, and Jeffrey Tambor all have in common? They are all Wayne State alumni, and their portraits are part of the Wayne State University Photograph Collection. The University's Public Relations Department (formerly Media Services) is responsible for capturing images of staff members, faculty, and students in order to record the members of their campus. The photographs in the collection span over fifty years, up to the early 2000s. read more »

Guest Post: Ciera Casteel on the Wayne State University Oral History Course Oral Histories

aorchard — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 11:05:31 -0400

Please note: The oral history course collections mentioned in this post have been consolidated into one collection: Wayne State University Oral History Methodology Course Oral Histories. Please refer to the finding aid here: https://archives.wayne.edu/repositories/2/resources/3381.

Over the course of the last few months I had the opportunity to work at the Reuther Library processing oral history collections. This was an incredible experience through which I was able to create tools to increase researchers' access to four relatively new collections: the Wayne State University Oral History Course Oral Histories. These four collections are a treasure for researchers studying a number of topics. read more »

Guest Post: Connor Chapman on Ronald Raven Award, 2025

slebovitz — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 08:48:49 -0400

Connor Chapman received a 2025 Ronald Raven Annual Award, a scholarship providing a tuition stipend and a 135-hour internship in the Wayne State University Archives. At the end of his internship, Connor wrote this summary of his experience.

Raven Award Intern Blog Post

In a way, I feel like the Indiana Jones of the archives. The great Dr. Jones is famed for his roguish demeanor, devilishly good looks, and penchant for historical preservation and is known for jumping into action and delving into ancient ruins to find riches in both gold and history. Meanwhile, I, brandishing, if I dare, similar charm and drive, instead prefer to dive into boxes filled to bursting with peoples’ life’s work. read more »

Guest Post: Daniel Kelly on Raven Award Experience, 2022

thenning — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 13:26:19 -0500

Daniel Kelly received the 2022 Ronald Raven Annual Award, a scholarship providing a tuition stipend and a semester-long internship in the Wayne State University Archives. At the end of his internship, Daniel wrote this summary of his experience.

In March 2022, I received the Ronald Raven Award, which included a tuition stipend and an internship at the Wayne State University Archives in the Walter P. Reuther Library. The Raven Award, funded by Wayne State alumnus Ronald Raven, seemed like an exciting opportunity to gain real-world, hands-on archival experience under the direction of an experienced archivist. read more »

Guest Post: Laura Kennedy on Raven Award Experience

drice — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 10:46:27 -0500

It was truly an honor to receive the Fall 2017 Raven Award and an invaluable experience to work closely with the audiovisual archivists at the Reuther Library. I am in my second year as a graduate student at Wayne State read more »

Guest Post: More than a Lawyer - Maurice Sugar

Public Relations Team — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 15:17:18 -0400

“Music hath charms to sooth a savage heart, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.” –William Congreve 1670-1729

This quote, among others, was scribbled on notes belonging to the famous and first Labor Lawyer –Maurice Sugar, and can be found in the Reuther Library’s Maurice Sugar Papers. read more »

Guest Post: Olivia Barron on Ronald Raven Award, 2025

slebovitz — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 08:13:23 -0400

Olivia Barron received a 2025 Ronald Raven Annual Award, a scholarship providing a tuition stipend and a 135-hour internship in the Wayne State University Archives. At the end of their internship, Olivia wrote this summary of their experience.

Ronald Raven Award Internship: A Retrospective

When I was a freshman history student at Wayne State University, the History Club went on a tour of the Walter P. Reuther Library to see its collections and the archive’s inner workings. I cannot begin to describe how excited I was by this experience, and how much it impacted the rest of my academic career up to the present. read more »

Guest Post: The Ronald Raven Annual Award, Winter 2015

Public Relations Team — Thu, 28 May 2015 10:21:34 -0400

The Ronald Raven Annual Award provides a tuition stipend and semester-long internship in the Wayne State University Archives to Wayne State University graduate students in the fall and winter semester. The details of the award are located on the Reuther Library Scholarships page.

Kristin Kniffen was the sixth recipient of the Ronald Raven Annual Award, completing her University Archives internship in May 2015. The following is a summary of the internship in her own words.

From my very first day at Wayne State University as a master’s student in the joint History and Library Science degree programs, my professors have encouraged me to seek hands-on experience in the archival field. During earlier semesters I sought this experience through volunteer projects at the Charles H. Wright Museum, but by the time the Winter 2015 semester had rolled around I was still sadly without any formal processing experience. I finally gained that experience thanks to the Ronald Raven Annual Award. The work proved to be not only wonderfully educational, but deeply enjoyable as well. read more »

History of Children's Hospital of Michigan

Public Relations Team — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:55:39 -0400

Steve Wejroch is an MLIS student at Wayne State University studying Archival Administration.

What would become the Children’s Hospital of Michigan was established in 1886 as the Children’s Free Hospital Association. read more »

History of Grace Hospital

Public Relations Team — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:05:15 -0400

Natasha Rogers is a student at Wayne State University working towards her Masters in Library and Information Science, specializing in Digital Content Management, as well as her Archival Administration Certificate.

Grace Hospital was named for Grace McMillan Jarvis, the daughter of one of the founders of the hospital, James McMillan. Grace Hospital opened its doors to patients in 1888, and was located on Willis and John R in Detroit. read more »

Joe Hill, the Man Who Never Died

Public Relations Team — Mon, 06 May 2013 11:10:12 -0400

Robert Kett is a second-year SLIS student and amateur musicologist with a genuine interest in labor history and especially labor songs.

A pamphlet, no matter how good, is never read more than once, but a song is learned by heart and repeated over and over.
-Joseph Hillstrom, 1879-1915 read more »

Local Chapters Unite: The UAW and its Divided Opinion on Bussing in Pontiac Schools

Public Relations Team — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 14:47:38 -0500

Why was the United Auto Workers union involved in the highly controversial legal issue of racially-integrating busing policies in the Pontiac school district? From an outsider’s perspective, there is no clear link. The issue of forced busing has nothing to do with a worker’s union. However, it is important to remember that these workers went home to their families each night. read more »

Michigan Soldiers and Sailors Monument

Public Relations Team — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:10:03 -0400

Amy Seipke is a student in Wayne State's School of Library and Information Science. read more »

Subject Focus: The Purple Gang

Public Relations Team — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 09:11:58 -0400

Camille Chidsey is a Library and Information Science graduate student at Wayne State University. Her concentrations are in Archival Administration and Digital Content Management.

"'These boys are not like other children of their age, they’re tainted off color.' 'Yes,' replied the other shopkeeper. 'They’re rotten, purple like the color of bad meat, they’re a Purple Gang.'" read more »

The Ronald Raven Annual Award: An Intern's Experience

Public Relations Team — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 11:06:50 -0400

In the summer of 2013, Dallas Pillen was chosen as the first recipient of the Ronald Raven Annual Award. This scholarship includes a stipend and a semester internship with the Wayne State University Archives; it is awarded to a student with an interest in university archives and records management. Upon completion of the intership, Dallas wrote this summary of his experience.

As a student in the Wayne State University School of Library and Information Science, pursuing an MLIS and a Certificate in Archival Administration, and a graduate of Wayne State University’s undergraduate History program, I was intrigued to receive the call for applicants for the Ronald Raven Annual Award, which awards the successful applicant with an internship at the Reuther. read more »

The Ronald Raven Annual Award: Arranging and Describing a University's Progress

cwesterman — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 17:14:33 -0500

In the autumn of 2013, Wayne State University School of Library and Information Science student Lura Smith was chosen as the second recipient of the Ronald Raven Annual Award. This scholarship includes a stipend and a semester-long internship with the Wayne State University Archives; it is awarded to a student with an interest in university archives and records management. Upon completion of the intership, Lura recorded this impression of her experience.

I am interested in the archives profession because to me it represents the preservation of humanity. read more »

The Ronald Raven Annual Award: Devin Erlandson

Public Relations Team — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 00:00:00 -0400

Devin Erlandson was the fourth recipient of the Ronald Raven Annual Award, a scholarship providing a tuition stipend and a semester-long internship in the Wayne State University Archives. At the end of her internship, Devin wrote this summary of her experience.

I first learned about the Ronald Raven Annual Award from Dr. Louis Jones in his archival administration class. read more »

The Wayne State University Fencing Program

Public Relations Team — Thu, 09 May 2013 08:51:03 -0400

Maria Lourenço de Deus is an Archival Science undergraduate student from Federal University of Minas Gerais, in Brazil. She is taking classes at the School of Library and Information Science as an exchange student for the 2013 Winter semester.

“In succeeding so well in so demanding a sport, the Tartars have not only earned the respect and admiration of their school and their community, they have also become a source of pride for our entire state.” (The South End, May 1979) read more »

United Farm Workers Agbayani Village: Retirement Living for Filipino Farm Workers

Public Relations Team — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:18:29 -0400

Julia Teran is in the process of earning an MLIS, an MA in History, and an Archival Administration Certificate. A few of her research interests include digital preservation, historical interpretation, local history, and American women’s history.

In 1974, the United Farm Workers Union (UFW), led by Cesar Chavez, opened Agbayani Village, a retirement complex for Filipino farm workers who had immigrated from the Philippines to California during the 1920s and 1930s. read more »

University City

Public Relations Team — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:56:11 -0400

Kelly Kietur is a student at Wayne State University working towards her Archival Administration Certificate.

The tightly packed Wayne State campus is a familiar sight to students, but at one point in time, Wayne State had ambitious expansion plans in mind. The controversial University City project, developed in the early 1960s, was a plan to build a university community with housing, shopping, and schools on 300 acres of land around Wayne State’s campus. read more »

Walter P. Reuther on National Healthcare

Public Relations Team — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:39:02 -0400

Alexandra Orchard is an MLIS and Archival Administration Certificate candidate planning to graduate in August 2012. A few of her research interests include digital preservation, local history, technology, and pop culture.

Although current talk of national healthcare may seem new and revolutionary, it is far from the first time this issue has received national attention. read more »