Black Women at Virginia Tech Oral History Project Records

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
Newman Library
Virginia Tech
P.O. Box 90001
560 Drillfield Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24062-9001
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (540) 231-6308
Fax: (540) 231-3694
Restrictions:

The majority of the collection is open for research. Restrictions on access to specific items are noted at the item level in the inventory.

Terms of access:

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Black Women at Virginia Tech Oral History Project Records, Ms1995-026, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
0.8 Cubic Feet 4 boxes
Creator:
Blackwell, Jacquelyn Butler, Carter, Elaine D., Carter, Elaine D., Davis, Marva Lajeune Felder Carter, Fulcher, Victoria, Gowens, Cynthia, Higgins, LaVerna (Fredi) Hairston, Holmes, Michele, Hoyle, Linda Paulette Adams, Kennelly, Tamara, King, Loretta, MacDonald, Cheryl Butler, Pack, Cora McDamel, Rogers, Rhonda Miller, Roy, Lucinda, Scott, Marguerite Harper, and Turner, Linda Edmonds
Abstract:
The Black Women at Virginia Tech Oral History Project was a multi-phase research and educational collaborative program of the Virginia Tech University Libraries and the Women's Center at Virginia Tech. The collection includes audiocassette tapes, DAT tapes, floppy disks, background and biographical information, and transcripts of interviews with some of the first Black female students and employees at Virginia Tech. The interviews focus on the entry experience of the individual into the Virginia Tech community and the interviewees' perceptions of the climate and attitudes within the university community, particularly as pertains to race and gender.
Language:
The materials in the collection are in English.
Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Black Women at Virginia Tech Oral History Project Records, Ms1995-026, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

The Black Women at Virginia Tech Oral History Project Records include interviews focused on the entry experience of the individual into the Virginia Tech community and the interviewees' perceptions of the climate and attitudes within the university community, particularly as pertains to race and gender. The collection includes audiocassette tapes, DAT tapes, floppy disks, and transcripts of interviews with some of the first Black women students at Virginia Tech (Jacquelyn Butler Blackwell, Marguerite Harper Scott, and Linda Edmunds Turner); Marva Felder Davis, first Black homecoming queen; Cheryl Butler McDonald, first Black woman in the Corps of Cadets; and Elaine Dowe Carter, catalyst of the project and doctoral candidate at Virginia Tech. Interviews were conducted by Carter and Tamara Kennelly, University Archivist.

Some materials include copies of items from interviewees' times at Virginia Tech, originally dating to the 1960s through 1980s.

Transcripts of interviews with students and with two staff members (Cora McDaniel Pack and Rhonda Miller Rogers) are also available in the collection.

Biographical / historical:

The Black Women at Virginia Tech Oral History Project was a multi-phase research and educational collaborative program of the Virginia Tech University Libraries and the Women's Center at Virginia Tech. The project involved the identification of the first Black women students, staff, and faculty at Virginia Tech and the collection of their oral history narratives.

Acquisition information:
The collection was donated to Special Collections and University Archives in several accruals beginning in 1995.
Processing information:

The processing, arrangement, and description of the collection was completed in 2001. Additional materials were integrated and description updated in June 2023.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged alphabetically by interviewee's surname, with project documentation at the beginning.

Physical / technical requirements:

Equipment is required and available to listen to available audio recordings. Equipment is required to access computer disks, which may not be available.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard