The Historical Collections and Labor Archives (HCLA) since 1958 has
collected and cataloged a variety of primary sources on Pennsylvania
and U.S. industrial society. Unless restricted by donors, these collections
are open to research by students, scholars, and members of the public.
HCLA has approximately four hundred individual groups of archival records
and manuscript collections and many additional oral histories, photographs, newspapers, leaflets, pamphlets, sound recordings, microfilms, movie
films, maps, and posters dating from 1650 to the 1980s. Additional historical
sources on Pennsylvania and Centre County can be found in the University
Libraries' Rare Books and Manuscripts and Penn State University Archives. Selected Finding Aids are available online.
Pennsylvania Business and Industry
Documents on Pennsylvania's core industries, firms, and entrepreneurs
form one significant group of HCLA's collections. There are account
books dating from the mid-eighteenth century for several charcoal
iron furnaces; correspondence of steel magnates and executives Andrew
Carnegie, Charles Schwab, and William B. Dickson; business records
for nineteenth- and twentieth-century anthracite and bituminous coal
firms; and records for the Pennsylvania Railroad's Central Division
and numerous subsidiary railroads. The letters and papers of prominent
efficiency engineer Harrington Emerson also contain rich information
on business operations. New collections on the enterprises that made
Pennsylvania an industrial titan are being added through the Corporate
Records Program, a concerted effort to preserve business documents
of significant companies.
Eighth Air Force Archive
The Eighth Air Force Archive acquires and preserves original
primary source documentation and reference materials devoted
to the history
of this important strategic bombing group during World War
II, and the role that 8th Air Force veterans played in defeating
the Axis powers. The Archive also collects records of the Eighth
Air
Force Historical Society, documenting the Society's relationship
with various state 8th Air Force veteran's groups, and other
World War II era combat, aviation and support organizations
active
in
preserving the historical legacy of "The Mighty Eighth," through
publications, reunions and the building of war memorials.
Labor History
HCLA's holdings on the labor movement trace the continuous effort by
working men and women to win dignity and prosperity. Records of unions
include minute books, executive board documents, and office files for
important organizations, including the Amalgamated Association of Iron,
Steel, and Tin Workers, Pennsylvania Federation of Labor, Pennsylvania
AFL-CIO, United Steelworkers of America, Amalgamated Lithographers of
America, and the International Photoengravers Union. There are also collections
of records for many local unions and central labor bodies in Pennsylvania.
HCLA has personal papers for several notable labor leaders from the
United Steelworkers and United Mine Workers, including Philip Murray,
David J. McDonald, I. W. Abel, Clinton S. Golden, and William Mitch.
Letters, diaries, reports, and photographs from several union organizers
and staff members are included in the labor materials.
United Steelworkers of America Archive and Oral History Collection
In 1967, HCLA became the official repository for the historical records
of the United Steelworkers of America. Since then, this body of material
has grown to 2,750 cubic feet of records, plus thousands of additional
items. The archive has documents from the union's national headquarters,
district and sub-district offices, and local unions; publications, newsletters,
and newspapers; photographs; and movie film. Complementing the Steelworkers'
official records are nearly two hundred oral histories of former union
officers, staff members, and rank and file activists. Each interview
has been transcribed and indexed.
Notable Pennsylvanians
The lives of many fascinating individuals can be studied in other HCLA
collections. The letters of Governors James A. Beaver and William W.
Scranton, the architectural photographs of Fay S. Lincoln, the manuscripts
of pioneer sociologists Jessie and Luther Bernard, the musical scores
of Charles W. Cadman, and the confidential reports of narcotics expert
Harry J. Anslinger provide a variety of choices for research within this
group of material. Experiences of Civil War soldiers are described in
a number of collections of letters and diaries, including a large group
of material on the 100th Pennsylvania Volunteers.
Access to Collections
HCLA welcomes all researchers to examine its collections. A small number
of the collections are restricted, however, and those planning to visit
should contact HCLA in advance for information about the materials they
wish to see.
Researchers may learn more about individual collections
by requesting HCLA's finding aids. Summary information on many collections
is available
from Penn State's University Libraries' on-line catalog (LIAS "The CAT")
and the Library of Congress's National Union Catalog of Manuscript
Collections. Researchers may also find descriptions of HCLA collections
in two national
bibliographic databases: the Research Libraries Information Network
(RLIN) and the On-line Computer Library Center, Inc. (OCLC). Selected Finding Aids are available online. HCLA participated in the Making
of America II Testbed Project to scan images from selected collections
and make them available from one server at the University of California,
Berkeley in a distributed environment. For more information contact us
at spcolref@psulias.psu.edu.
Services
Photocopies of documents can be made on the premises, with permission
from the staff. Copies of photographs and oversize material can also
be obtained from facilities at Penn State.
