U.S. and International History, Politics, Civilization and Cultures is a newly formed collecting area (January 2023). The History, Politics, Civilization and Cultures subject areas’ foundation are derived from the Stuart L. Bernath Diplomatic History and International Studies Collection which has been an endowed collection since the 1970s. The Bernath Memorial collection includes such resources as manuscript papers, governmental diplomatic documents, journals, diaries, pamphlets, correspondence, books and hundreds of photograph albums from around the world: Africa, Asia, South America, North America, Europe.
The time periods range from the 18th century to the 20th century. Some materials include Mexican Manuscripts Collection, 1776-1837 (Institutions and property in the State of Puebla, Mexico); Charles Montgomery Hathaway papers, 1895-1939 (American academic and diplomat); Bruce Campbell Hopper papers, 1913-1970 (Professor of government at Harvard who traveled to USSR and other parts of Europe and Asia in the 1920s and 1930s); Great War Collection, 1910-1922; Peruvian Political Printed Ephemera collection, ca. 1912-1996; Guantanamo Bay Collection, ca. 1959-1980s (Pamphlets, newsletters, mainly about the U.S. Naval Base (GTMO), including items issued by the U.S. and Cuban governments).
Collecting Priorities
Building on The Stuart L. Bernath Diplomatic History and International Studies Collection, the U.S. and International History, Politics, Civilization and Cultures collection will focus on selecting materials from the 18th century to the present that support UCSB’s mission for research, scholarship, teaching, and lifelong learning. The collection will broadly enhance the selection of primary and archival resources that relate to aspects of U.S. and International history, politics, society and culture (i.e. language, customs, beliefs and knowledge).
Selective Collecting Areas
- Political and/or Social systems, actions, change, development
- Foreign policy
- Norms, Customs, Traditions, Institutions
- Human Rights
- Migration/Immigration
- Race, Ethnicity, Indigeneity
Relevant Collecting Materials
- Pamphlets
- Documents (general)
- Diaries
- Journals
- Correspondence
- Maps
- Manuscripts
- Governmental documents
- Historical photographs (original)
- Historical Postcards
- Rare and relevant books & published materials
Exclusions
The following materials are generally considered to be out of scope for this collecting area:
- Large collections of research and reference materials (clippings, publications, etc.)
- Large collections of personal photographs, particularly snapshots (analog or digital)
- Blueprints and architectural drawings
- Large maps
- Materials that duplicate the collecting strengths of other collecting institutions
- Digital or analog reproductions of materials held elsewhere unless integral to collection
Curator
Yolanda Blue
