Special Collections & Archives Banner

You are here

Peek in the Stacks: archives

California Federation of Teachers Collection

The California Federation of Teachers (CFT) has 120,000 members, and is one of the largest affiliates of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), one of two major national organizations for the classroom teacher. Effective lobbying efforts in the state capital have made the CFT an important factor in the passage of many educational reform measures ....

Read more Peek in the Stacks blog entries

Industrial Association of the San Fernando Valley Collection

The Industrial Association of the San Fernando Valley, now known as the Valley Industry and Commerce Association (VICA), is a non-profit organization created to bring industries and commerce to the San Fernando Valley. The San Fernando Valley housing development was beginning to boom in the 1950s, and VICA’s mission was to bring commerce ...

Read more Peek in the Stacks blog entries

League of Women Voters of Los Angeles Collection

The League of Women Voters of Los Angeles began donating its archival records to the Urban Archives, then in the History Department rather than the library, in 1979. The League of Women Voters of Los Angeles Collection has continued to grow from subsequent donations over the intervening decades, and provides thorough documentation of the League of LA's mission....

Read more Peek in the Stacks blog entries

CSUN's Founding Story

Special Collections and Archives holds several collections and publications that tell the story of the founding of California State University, Northridge. The saga has been documented by emeritus history professor John Broesamle in his 1993 history of the university, Suddenly a Giant, through photographs in the University Archives Photograph Collection, and in the Judge Julian Beck and Homer A. Halverson ...

Read more Peek in the Stacks blog entries

Charles Weeks Collection

The Charles Weeks Collection was created by Carolyn L. Ryan, author of Winnetka's Heritage. The collection is comprised of various publications which document the activities and lifestyle of Charles Weeks and the farming community he helped to create in the San Fernando Valley. Mr. Weeks was invited to the San Fernando ...

Read more Peek in the Stacks blog entries

Frank W. Bireley Co.'s Local Orange Industry Innovation

Frank W. Bireley was born in Los Angeles in 1899. He went to school in Hollywood before graduating and going north to attend school at Stanford University. While in Northern California he looked for ways to fund his education, and started selling fresh squeezed orange juice to his fellow students to help pay his Stanford tuition. His juice business took off and ...

Read more Peek in the Stacks blog entries

The LA River

Have you ever wondered about that large cement canal running through the San Fernando Valley, past Griffith Park, east of downtown Los Angeles, and eventually to the sea, emptying into the Port of Long Beach? We still call it a river, the LA River. Originally, the river flowed freely along the alluvial flood plain that is now Los Angeles and Long Beach. There was rarely a set course for the river and flooding was common...

Read more Peek in the Stacks blog entries

Jewish Experiences in China during World War II

Rampant antisemitism in Europe in the years prior to World War II caused many Jews to seek refuge in countries outside of Europe, including in China. Once settled, Jews were deemed "stateless" because of antisemitism in their countries of origin, like Germany and Russia. As a result...

Read more Peek in the Stacks blog entries

Activism in the Archives

Activists often gather information to support their causes, and communicate that information to larger audiences to acquire support, a process that just might begin with a peek in the stacks. Archival materials in numerous collections held in Special Collections & Archives give potential activists an opportunity to recognize patterns and identify the causes of recurring phenomena, especially institutional ....

Read more Peek in the Stacks blog entries

The Infinite Forms of Music

Reginald Smith Brindle lived from 1917-2003, and is best known for his compositions for the guitar, but he also composed for a variety of other instruments. He was advocate and supporter of modern music that swept throughout the world in the second half of the twentieth century. This music was characterized by a shift away from formal structure of music to more abstract forms...

Read more Peek in the Stacks blog entries