What is a Finding Aid?
The Society of American Archivists defines a finding aid as, “a description that typically consists of contextual and structural information about an archival resource.” Finding aids generally do not contain scans or photographs of items in an archival collection. Instead, it is a document which guides researchers through the contents and context of a collection. Finding aids include information on the record creator, conditions governing access and use, and the archival materials themselves. They also give researchers a sense on the content of the collection and how the collection is arranged. A “container inventory” details what is inside the box, and occasionally, what is inside folders within a box.
Finding Aids allow researchers to “see” a collection before they physically engage with it. Similar to browsing a library shelf, finding aids give researchers a sense of “browsing” archival collections. It gives researchers a better sense where records they may want to see are located. Finding aids also benefit the material themselves. The material has a better chance of only being handled when need be. Minimal handling allows for the long-term preservation of materials, ensuring future generations have a chance to access them.
Using Our Collections
If you are interested in accessing one of our collections, please contact us at archives@astate.edu to let us know what items you wish to view and schedule an appointment to use our reading room. We also ask that you complete a Researcher Registration form prior to your appointment. Allow for a minimum of 24 hours to retrieve items.
Due to the condition and nature of some of our materials, their use and access may be restricted. Please review our Guidelines and Procedures before your visit. All unprocessed collections are not available to researchers.
ArchivesSpace is currently unavailable and will be made available as soon as possible. Please use the links below to access a pdf version of our finding aids. If you have any questions about our archival collections, please contact Archives & Special Collections at archives@astate.edu. Thank you and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Finding Aids are organized alphabetically by surname and organization.
A-C
- Arkansas State University 75th Anniversary Steering Committee Records, 1911-1987 This collection consists of material pertaining to the planning of Arkansas State University’s 75th anniversary celebration and publication of Voices from State by the 7th Anniversary Steering Committee.
- Arkansas State University Architectural Drawings, Circa 1938-2009 This collection consists of blueprints and architectural drawings of various Arkansas State University buildings and additions. Most of the drawings are from buildings which no longer exist.
- Arkansas State University Board of Trustees Records, 1909-2020 Arkansas State University was founded on April 1, 1909 when Governor George W. Donaghey signed Act 100 into law, establishing four district agricultural schools. As part of the act, Governor Donaghey appointed the first board of trustees to the school where they established the location of the school in Jonesboro and hired V. C. Kays as the school’s first principal then president. The first few decades saw the board establish and expand the school, changing it from an agricultural high school to a four-year college and then eventually a university, offering graduate and doctoral programs. This collection consists of minutes and supporting documents detailing the meetings and responsibilities held by the board of trustees.
- Arkansas State University Faculty Senate Records, Circa 1950-2012 Serving as the legislative body of the Arkansas State University Faculty Association, the Faculty Senate looks after the well-being of the faculty and student body on campus. These records preserve the history of the organization through minutes and supporting documents from various Faculty Senate meetings from 1954-2012.
- Arkansas State University Faculty Women's Club Records, 1946-2007 The Faculty Women's Club, founded in 1938, was created to inform local citizens about the needs of Arkansas State University and serve as a forum for spouses of male faculty and, later, female faculty members. The records include yearbooks summarizing club activities, meeting minutes, membership rosters, and scholarship information.
- Arkansas State University Secretaries Club Records, 1960-1995 The Arkansas State University Secretaries Club was founded in 1960 to create a deeper relationship between the women employed on campus. Over time the club changed from a social club to a professional organization. The club changed it's name to the Professional Women's Association and then to the ASU Administrative Services Association. This collection documents the club's activities.
- Noel W. Baker Papers, 1974-2003 Noel W. Baker was a farmer and businessman from Northeast Arkansas who lobbied congress to pass new federal rice legislation for farmers. This collection documents activities which led to amending federal rice legislation including materials related to congressional committees, the USDA, and activism from rice farmers.
- Barton Family Papers, 1885-1977 Siblings Lillian and Elizabeth Barton were active community members and teachers in Jonesboro, Arkansas during the mid-20th century. Lillian in particular was instrumental in developing educational curricula and training teachers in Northeast Arkansas. The collection largely consists of community and school related material including the awards, degrees, and certificates given to the family.
- Ben Bufford Manuscript Collection, 1944-2003 Ben Bufford was an English teacher at Jonesboro High School in Arkansas and Madera High School in California who wrote numerous poems. He also wrote manuscripts for several short stories and novels. This collection consists of manuscripts of the various literary works of Ben Bufford.
- Burkhammer Family Letters, 1942-1955 In order to support his family, Joe Burkhammer moved from Greene County, Arkansas to Davis, Michigan. There he obtained work and was able to send money back home to his wife and two children. This collection contains the letters from Joe to his wife Geraldine during the times that he was away working in Michigan and letters that Joe received from Geraldine and their children.
- Cole Family Papers, 1837-1963 The Cole family relocated from South Carolina to Georgia in the early 1830s. After the Civil War, several members of the family moved to northeast Arkansas, which was largely unsettled at the time. This collection includes Confederate Army papers, family histories, tax documents, paperwork regarding the sale and purchase of property, and family photographs.
- Larry Corbett Collection, 1972-1996 Larry E. Corbett is a farmer in Alicia, Arkansas who worked together with Noel Baker (who was also a farmer) to improve farm legislation, particularly rice allotment legislation. This collection consists of transcripts of testimony given before various Congressional subcommittees, schedules of Congressional hearings, copies of Congressional farm bills, correspondence with members of Congress, correspondence with other farmers, press releases, newspaper clippings, and farm publications.
- Craighead County Citizens for McClellan Collection, 1972 This collection was formed by the 1972 the Craighead County Citizens Committee created to campaign for the election of John Little McClellan to the United States Senate. This collection contains information documenting McClellan's successful campaign.
- Craighead County Home Demonstration Club Records, 1936-1993 The Arkansas Home Demonstration Club (AHDC) was founded in 1912 with the goal of strengthening families through consumer science education. In Craighead County several local chapters were established by women who wanted to participate in the AHDC curriculum. This collection contains the materials distributed by the AHDC to local chapters including club secretary record books and yearbooks containing the annual curriculum. The collection also contains scrapbooks maintained by various clubs.
- Craighead County Post Office Records, 1892-1912 This collection documents the Post Office system in and around Jonesboro during the early 20th century. During that period, First Class and Fourth Class Post Offices worked together to provide an essential service to the largely rural community. This collection includes Post Office record books which record postage sold, undelivered mail, official correspondence, and wages or commission earned. The material in the collection was generated by the postmasters.
D-G
- Flood-Crain Family Papers, 1860-1962 The Flood and Crain families lived in rural Arkansas and Missouri during the early 20th century. The papers contained in this collection include genealogies, personal correspondence, and materials that deal with day-to-day life of the families.
- E. C. "Took" Gathings: House Select Committee on Current Pornographic Materials Collection, 1933-1966 This collection is a subgroup in the E. C. "Took" Gathings Collection. This subgroup contains research, artifacts, and correspondence related to the House Select Committee on Current Pornographic Materials that was chaired by Congressman E. C. Gathings in 1951. From 1951-1953 the House Select Committee investigated alleged pornography in "Pocket Sized Books," advertisements sent through the United States Postal Service, and the content of television, movies, radio, and magazines. Contained within this collection is the organization of the Select Committee, investigative procedures, hearing schedules, lists of witnesses and their testimony, subpoenas, reference material, artifacts, lists of books to be banned, and correspondence with organizations, individuals, and government agencies.
H-J
- Johnnie J. Herman Collection, 1940-1979 Johnnie J. Herman worked for the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company from the 1940s through the 1970s in various positions. The documents in this collection was compiled by Herman during the time he worked for the Missouri Pacific Railway Company.
- Edgar Isaacs Papers, 1918-1922 Ora Edgar Isaacs was a rural mail carrier and farmer from Bay, Arkansas who served in the United States Army during the World War One. This collection contains letters written by Isaacs during the war.
- Judd Hill Plantation Collection, 1929-1986 The Judd Hill Plantation Collection contains documentation of the workings of the plantation from the time of its establishment in 1930 through its evolution into the Judd Hill Plantation Foundation. Contained within this collection is the documentation of the Plantation's establishment; financial records; farm and cattle records; infrastructure improvements; legal records, gin records; real estate and other investments; labor; mortgages and other contracts; the Judd Hill Plantation Store and more.
K-N
- Faith Yingling Knoop Manuscript Collection, 1942-1970 Faith Yingling Knoop was a prolific children's author who wrote several children's novels, including four in Garrard Publishing Company’s "A World Explorer" series. She also wrote numerous short stories and articles for juvenile and women's publications. This collection contains manuscripts and correspondence pertaining to the four books from the “A World Explorer” series along with additional manuscripts for some of her works and published short stories.
- Mississippi County Nurse-Midwife Project Collection, 1976-1984 Dr. W. Wayne Workman and Dr. Eva Dodge began the Mississippi County Nurse-Midwife Project in 1976 in order to combat the high infant mortality rate in Mississippi County. This collection consists of documents that pertain to the business side of the project including policies and program information, board minutes, budgets, fees, financial documents, contract information, correspondence (general and personnel related), grant information, structure addition, convention information, and more.
O-R
- Osburn Family Papers, 1859-1990 The Osburn family lived in Northeast Arkansas in the late 19th and early 20th century. This collection includes Osburn family genealogies, personal histories, pictures, and legal documents, in addition to birth and death certificates.
- Platz Family Papers, 1902-1968 The Platz family farmed in Arkansas during the Great Depression. The main crop they grew was cotton but they supplemented their income with corn, wheat, and beans. This collection contains a ledger, receipts, letters, insurance papers, and financial papers that were accumulated over the years of running the family farm and illustrate the difficulties that farmers faced during the mid-twentieth century.
- Colonel George Peek Collection, 1873-1960 Colonel George Peek was a prominent U.S. Army officer who served for 30 years in various capacities. This collection contains documents related to his period of active duty.
- Carl R. Reng Collection, 1927-1974 Dr. Carl R. Reng was the fourth president of Arkansas State College and oversaw one of the campus’s greatest periods of growth and change, including Arkansas State becoming a University. This collection contains scrapbooks, documentation, and books highlighting Carl Reng’s tenure as President of Arkansas State College, and later University, as well as some records from his military service.
- D. T. Rogers Papers, 1865-1991 D.T. Rogers and his daughters, Mary Taylor Brown and Mary Elise Lauderdale, were long time educators in Northeast Arkansas. Rogers and multiple other family members worked at Arkansas State College for the better part of the 20th century. This collection contains the personal papers of the Rogers family including school material, financial records, and personal correspondence.
- Roleson Family Papers, 1797-1992 The Roleson Family was among the early settlers of the Jonesboro area and rose to prominence in the first half of the 20th century. Several members of the family fought in World War I and went on to practice law in Arkansas. The collection consists of personal correspondence between family members and friends, news clippings, material from both World Wars, and a large collection of handwritten family records notating births, deaths, and marriages.
S-U
- Second World War Prisoners of War Collection, 1942-1949 When the United States entered the Second World War, the British government requested the United States house prisoners of war to help alleviate their housing problems. While hesitant at first, the United States built hundreds of camps and transported nearly half a million German and Italian prisoners of war to its soil. Organizations and communities in Arkansas appealed to the War Department and their representatives to establish branch camps and use prisoners in agricultural and timber labor to ease their labor shortage. This collection contains correspondence, reports, and statements to those efforts.
- Charlie May Simon Manuscript Collection, 1940s-1979 Charlie May Simon was one of Arkansas’s most prolific authors, having written over twenty-seven (27) books ranging from children’s novels to biographies on contemporary figures. In honor of Simon’s works, the Arkansas Department of Education named their children’s literature award after her in 1971. This collection consists of a select number of manuscripts and notes pertaining to her biographical works.
- Eugene W. Smith Collection, 1937-2018 The Eugene W. Smith Collection highlights the career of Dr. Eugene W. Smith and his contributions to Arkansas State University. Eugene Smith was raised in Forrest City, Arkansas where he graduated high school. Once he completed his primary education, Smith attended Arkansas State College (1948-1952) followed by the University of Mississippi (1954-1958) where he received multiple education degrees. After completing his degrees, Smith returned to Jonesboro, Arkansas and spent the remainder of his career at Arkansas State.
- Lois Snelling Poem and Manuscript Collection, 1963-1970 Lois Snelling was a poet and author of numerous poems and four novels and one biography. Several of her poems won awards from literary circles in Arkansas and Texas. This collection contains a select number of poems and manuscripts by Lois Snelling.
- Stuck Family Collection, 1849-1986 Charles Stuck owned and operated a lumber in in Jonesboro while his son, William, invested in real estate and owned three banks in Jonesboro before joining his father’s business. He was a founding member of the First Presbyterian Church and William was the leader of a Methodist Church. This collection contains information on the Stuck Family.
- Billy Joe Tatum Collection, 1970-2012 Billy Joe Tatum was a world-renowned author, naturalist, speaker, herbalist, natural foods expert, and gardener. This collection was created over the course of her life and her work at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Included in this collection are correspondence between Billy Joe and friends, family, politicians, businessmen/women, and those seeking her guidance on the subject of natural wild foods.
- Ira F. Twist Records, 1877-1993 Ira F. Twist, Jr. (1915-1994) was a farmer and model train enthusiast. He managed the Twist Plantation, a Twist family business venture dating back to 1910. The contents of this collection primarily consist of records of the Twist Plantation under Ira Twist’s management including dealings with companies, crop records, employee records, and other such documents.
V-Z
- Warner Family Collection, 1888-1941 The Warner family was a prominent family from Jonesboro, Arkansas and one of its pioneer family. In the early part of the 20th century, the family were entrepreneurs and one of the largest landowners of the area. This collection consists of business and personal papers, receipts, and statements from four members of the Warner family.
- Watson and Garver Family Papers, 1881-1957 Hampton Watson was a prominent businessman of Jonesboro during the early 1900s. Leigh Garver was a traveling auditor for the Emporia telephone company based out of Kansas. This collection contains letters, college papers, legal and financial records from both families. The material in the collection was collected in part by Maggie Watson and in part by Leigh Garver, and chronicles the lives of their respective families. There is no apparent connection between the Watson and the Garver families. However, the collection was received by the archive as a single unit and has been maintained that way.
- Dr. W. Wayne Workman Collection, 1973-1993 Dr. W. Wayne Workman began the Mississippi County Nurse-Midwife Project working in conjunction with Dr. Eva Doge from the Arkansas Department of Health in 1976. The aim of this project was to combat the high infant mortality rate in Mississippi County Arkansas. This collection consists of correspondence that spans a twenty year period (1973-1993), administrative information, research, newspaper clippings concerning midwifery, vital statistics, resume and personnel information, education, and more.
- Joseph H. Weston Collection, 1972-1976 Joseph H. Weston was a controversial newspaper reporter, editor, and publisher who founded and ran the Sharp Citizen, a newspaper/tabloid from 1972 to 1978 which led to Weston being charged with criminal libel. This collection contains four volumes of the Sharp Citizen along with some material pertaining to Weston.
- Robert Whitlow Papers, 1945-1987 During World War II, the POWs were housed at a camp established at the Jonesboro Civilian Conservation Corps, where they first met Whitlow. This collection contains correspondence between former-German POWs and Robert Whitlow, a representative of the Memphis Scimitar Press.
Commercial Use of Archives & Special Collections Materials
Archives & Special Collections needs a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks to work through licensing any Archives & Special Collections media and material for commercial use.
7th floor - Non-Circulating Materials
Archives & Special Collections materials are non-circulating. They are for use only in the Eugene W. Smtih Reading Room on the 7th floor. This helps to preserve and protect our unique items. Please contact archives@astate.edu for an appointment and let us know what material(s) you would like to see.
