New collections available! Science Fiction! Recreation! Acronyms!

ChimeraCon IV
Chimera Con program covers (composite), in the Chimera Fantasy and Science Fiction Club of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records #40310-z, University Archives, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

A major initiative started last fall by the University Archives and Records Management Services, in partnership with Wilson Library’s Technical Services department, is to make accessible some of the records hidden away in our unprocessed backlog. While still an ongoing effort, the first fruits of that labor have now seen the light of day, and can be paged in the 4th Floor Reading Room of Wilson Special Collections Library. Full details after the jump.

  1. Office of the Assistant Provost of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Timothy R. Sanford Records, 1990-2002 – Sanford’s work in this office dealt with records management, making this collection one of the more meta exercises we’ve undertaken.
  2. Chimera Fantasy and Science Fiction Club, 1983-1999 – The image at the top of this post is from this club’s science fiction convention, which ran throughout the 1980s. Though small, this collection offers a glimpse of how people followed their passions in the pre-Internet era.
  3. Dental Research Center, 1985-1997 – Funded grant files of the center.
  4. Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies – Although it sounds like a slacker’s dream, it’s curriculum was related to that of the Department of Exercise and Sports Science (which doesn’t sound nearly as fun).
  5. John N. Couch Biology Library – Before it was absorbed into the Kenan Science Library, the Couch Biology Library served students of biology, botany, and zoology.
  6. Residence Hall Association – Records of one of the largest student organizations on campus.
  7. Statewide Program for Infection Control and Epidemiology – SPICE helped train medical professionals across the state of North Carolina. Also, it has an awesome acronym, especially if you’re a Dune fan (eh, Chimera? Eh?).
  8. Organization for African Students Interests & Solidarity – OASIS (another fun acronym) went through several name changes before settling on its current title in the 1990s. Though fragmentary, these records are a testament to the community fostered at UNC.
  9. Triangle Universities Computation Center – Along with ATN, the TUCC was involved in early computing. Founded in 1965, TUCC involved Duke University, North Carolina State University, and UNC in a collaborative effort to provide data processing for educational facilities in North Carolina.
  10. UNC Association of Student Government – Somewhat hotbutton of late, but the ASG has existed since 1972 and involves student governments from all 17 campuses in the UNC system.
  11. Faculty-Staff Recreation Association – records of two committees and a board of directors regarding recreation facilities.

New Additions to Old Finding Aids

  1. Archibald D. Murphey Educational Club (#40173)
  2. Assistants to the Chancellor: David Dill (#40030)
  3. Assistants to the Chancellor: John P. Evans (#40032)
  4. Assistants to the Chancellor: Claiborne Stribling Jones (#40033)
  5. Assistants to the Chancellor: Bentley Renwick (#40034)
  6. Cooperative Program in the Humanities (#40181)
  7. Delta Kappa Epsilon (#40149)
  8. Delta Sigma Pi (#40150)
  9. Graduate History Society (40157)
  10. Janitors’ Association (#40191)
  11. Law Club (#40158)
  12. North Carolina Press Association (#4878)
  13. Order of the Old Well (#40162)