The AIDS Epidemic in San Francisco oral history project was initiated by virologists David and Evelyne Lennette, whose laboratory in 1981 began receiving specimens for testing from early San Francisco AIDS patients. The intention of this project was to document events of 1981-84 in the early history of the AIDS epidemic, focusing on how decisions were made on biomedical, public health, and social and political issues pertaining to AIDS.
The interviews were conducted by Sally Smith Hughes between 1992 and 1996.
In 2015, the Oral History Center began a partnership with the J. Paul Getty Trust to document the history of the organization and its impact on the art world through the Getty Trust Oral History Project. This joint venture was part of the Getty’s broader mission to expand knowledge and appreciation for art. The focus of these oral history interviews were longtime staff members and trustees who made significant contributions to the field and had an impact on the direction of the Getty Trust, often at pivotal moments. These interviews also included important artists, including Chicanx and Latin American artists associated with the Getty Museum exhibition Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA.
In 2018, this partnership expanded in order to document the history of prominent African American artists as part of the Getty Research Institute’s (GRI) African American Art History Initiative. These oral histories complement the GRI’s ongoing work to collect, preserve, and interpret the art and legacies of these artists.
This collection of interviews explores the experiences of African American faculty and senior staff at UC Berkeley as part of the broader history of the University of California and its commitment to access and diversity. This project is grounded in the premise that higher education is one of the primary strategies for gaining social equality — access to employment and income — for historically disadvantaged communities. Moreover, the university, comprised of its students and faculty and administration, with all of its intellectual and financial resources operates as a critical touchstone in processes of systemic social change. Therefore the university functions not simply as an educational institution, but also as a significant site of past and future potential for imagining and crafting opportunity for ethnic and racial groups formerly excluded from higher education. This project recognizes that the University of California, as California's premier public educational institution, plays a significant role in the socioeconomic mobility of all of California’s residents. The story that we hope will emerge from this project is a story of California — its people and one of its most important public institutions.
About the project
In 2002, The Bancroft Library’s Oral History Center (then the Regional Oral History Office) began interviewing African American faculty who had come to Berkeley before the late 1970s as part of the African American Faculty and Senior Staff Oral History Project. The project was conceived by former Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Russ Ellis and then-OHC Director and Professor of History Richard Cándida Smith, as part of OHC’s longstanding commitment to documenting the history of the University of California. Nadine Wilmot was the primary interviewer and project coordinator during her years at OHC. OHC staff (circa 2015) Linda Norton, David Dunham, Martin Meeker, and Neil Henry then brought the remaining interviews to completion.
What is important about these stories?
This collection of interviews features African American faculty and senior staff who have made key contributions to the university and to their disciplines.
This group, whose lives have spanned the Civil Rights and the Black Power movements and who numbered among the first to integrate the faculty at historically white, mainstream institutions, represent, in their way(s) the autobiography of a generation. As self-conscious actor/participants, they reflect on the ways that they have occupied and engaged with the different ideologies, political stances, and identities that transverse their lives, as they have crossed the boundaries separating black and white worlds in America. Central to these interviews are stories of the university and how it has made sense of and incorporated issues of diversity into its environs — its student body, faculty, staff, and curriculum. Some of the key stories that emerge in this set of interviews are the stories of the Third World Strike and Third World College; the creation of the African American Studies Department; the formation of affirmative action policy and its subsequent demise with SP1, SP2, and Proposition 209; and the circumstances surrounding the creation of the American Cultures requirement.
Who was interviewed and how were they selected?
Our cohort included all tenure track faculty who were at U.C. Berkeley prior to 1975. We also interviewed individuals who did not fit these guidelines but were spouses to faculty and/or added significant perspectives to the project.
Key topics explored in these interviews
The history of affirmative action, diversity, and access at UC Berkeley.
The culture of the academy, and UC Berkeley, in particular, how gender, race, sexuality, and class operate in the academy.
Curricular transformation: the Third World Strike of 1969, the birth of African American and Ethnic Studies Departments, and the American Cultures Requirement.
Social movements: the Civil Rights Movement, Black Power, and Third World Marxism.
History of higher education in the U.S.
Interviewers (active circa 2002-05) Richard Cándida Smith Caroline Crawford Leah McGarrigle Kathryn Stine Tim Troy Nadine Wilmot
Advisory committee Robert Allen, African American Studies Russ Ellis, Jr., Architecture, Former Vice Chancellor of Undergraduate Affairs Charles Henry, African American Studies Patricia Hilden, Ethnic Studies Waldo Martin, History
The Mark Twain Papers reading room and Project offices are located in The Bancroft Library, Room 475. Enter Bancroft from the second floor of Doe Library or from the east entrance to Doe Annex, facing the Sather Campanile and the Esplanade.
The MTP is open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-4 p.m. by appointment.
Housed within the archive, the Mark Twain Project is a major editorial and publishing program of The Bancroft Library. The Project’s resident editors are at work on a comprehensive scholarly edition designed to include everything of significance that Mark Twain wrote.
Nearly every semester, The Bancroft Library offers the course, “The Hand-Printed Book in Its Historical Context,” under the aegis of the Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies Department as UGIS 140.
Open to both graduate and undergraduate students, the course emphasizes practical experience in the printing of the handmade book by presenting a historical perspective on the various technologies involved in producing printed books: type founding, paper making, binding, illustration, and the evolution of the printing press itself.
Under the instructor's guidance, students closely examine and discuss original printed books from Bancroft collections, ranging in date from the 15th century to the present. And as a group, these students hand-set and print a small publication on the library's cast iron presses: the Albion (ca. 1856) and the Reliance (ca. 1913).
Only a very limited number of copies of these editions are made. None of these exquisite volumes is available for purchase; they may only be viewed in the Heller Reading Room.
The basic information for depositing material at the NRLF is listed below. Please consult your campus storage coordinator for more detailed information. You may also contact Deposit Services at NRLF. It is especially useful to do so if you have material that is unusually difficult to prepare.
Depositing libraries are considered the owners and managers of the materials they deposit in NRLF. For materials collaboratively purchased and designated as prospective Berkeley Libraries Collections, ownership is shared among all Berkeley campuses. Legal ownership of Berkeley material is retained by the Regents of the University of California. In order to assure appropriate use of the Facility, unless otherwise specified, it is expected that material deposited at NRLF be intended for permanent storage.
Material eligible and not eligible for deposit
Materials may be in any physical form normally considered appropriate for library collections with the following exceptions:
Materials that duplicate items already in storage at a Berkeley Regional Library Facility are proscribed except where justified by an approved Berkeley Libraries collection management plan for selective systemwide retention of duplicate copies. Exceptions to the general policy may be made by the Board. Special Collections material is exempted from this policy. (Guidelines for RLF Duplication Screening)
Materials in an advanced state of deterioration are not ordinarily accepted.
Highly flammable or potentially explosive items (e.g., nitrate films) are prohibited, as are items infested by mold, insects, or other vermin.
Records
Book and booklike material Each depositing library is responsible for providing a machine-readable bibliographic record for all book and booklike items deposited. The record standards and format must be compatible with the Berkeley Union catalog. Because the primary means of retrieving the material at NRLF is the facility inventory control number, the records must also be capable of accommodating that number. All Berkeley holdings at the Facility must be listed in the Berkeley Union Catalog. Inclusion of non-Berkeley materials in the Berkeley Union Catalog is a policy matter determined by the Berkeley Office of the President in consultation with the Shared Library Facilities Board. Contact NRLF for more information.
Nonbook material Depositing libraries must provide a machine readable minimum storage record for nonbook material, the content of the record to be specified by the Board.
Requests to deposit
Requests to deposit material are reviewed on a regular basis by the NRLF Director and the Shared Library Facilities Board as set out in the Board's Procedures for Annual Management of Deposits to the Berkeley Regional Library Facilities. Acceptance of deposit requests for accessioning is based upon the ability of the requesting library to meet conditions outlined in the Regional Library Facilities Statement of Operating Principles, for example, condition, duplication, form, and bibliographic control.
Scheduling
Immediacy of need, availability of space, and facility operating requirements are considered when scheduling receipt of deposits. Procedures for submitting deposit requests, review, scheduling, and notification of requesting libraries of request disposition are available from NRLF.
Priorities
If the space required to shelve acceptable deposits exceeds the space available, the Board establishes the priority for acceptance of deposits.
Withdrawals (recalls and deaccessions)
Only Berkeley staff authorized by the owning library are permitted to withdraw Berkeley material from NRLF. A non-Berkeley depositor may permanently withdraw deposited items from NRLF, subject to any special agreements between the University and the depositor.
Recalls (persistent items) A depositing library may recall its deposited items from NRLF for return to its local collections indefinitely, subject to the policy on Persistent Deposits in Berkeley Regional Library Facilities (2/20/06) and any other applicable Berkeley collection management policies. To submit a recall request, use the Recall Request Form.
Deaccessions (Nonpersistent, special collection, and duplicate items) A depositing library may deaccession its deposited items from NRLF for return to its local collections permanently. To submit a deaccession request, use the NRLF Deaccession Form.
The Bancroft Library welcomes researchers and scholars into the Heller Reading Room to view materials. (Photo by Jami Smith/UC Berkeley Library)
Conditions of use
The Bancroft Library welcomes researchers from the UC Berkeley campus, nationally, and from around the world. We are a non-circulating library, so all materials must be consulted in the Heller Reading Room. Bancroft materials are unique or rare, and some are in fragile condition. Researchers must handle all materials with care (here’s how), to avoid loss or damage, and by following these conditions of use, which are designed to protect Bancroft collections while providing the best possible access to our researchers. The Aeon online registration form constitutes an agreement by the researcher to comply with the Library's stated policies for use of its materials.
Bancroft Library researchers must be at least 18 years old, or have graduated from high school, or be accompanied by an adult. Current government, UC Berkeley, or other academic photo identification, and registration in Aeon are required to enter the Reading Room. The Bancroft Library is under camera surveillance.
The registration desk will issue researchers a daily reader card during the sign-in process. Print your name on the card and present it to the circulation desk to obtain your requested material. The card will be checked at the registration desk each time you re-enter the Reading Room. At the end of the day, the registration desk will collect the card.
Paging ends 15 minutes before the Reading Room closes and all material must be returned to the circulation desk at closing time.
Bancroft staff are available to answer questions about our procedures and to otherwise assist researchers. For further information, please email bancref-library@berkeley.edu.
General rules
The Reading Room is reserved for the active use of Bancroft materials only. These materials are non-circulating (i.e. cannot be checked out).
Researchers may bring a cell phone, laptop, tablet, one notebook or one pad of paper (without loose sheets or pockets), and/or up to five sheets of loose paper.
Personal belongings — including coats, bags, purses, and umbrellas — must be stored in Bancroft’s lockers which are operated by a refundable quarter.
If you need to bring personal research materials (books/photographs/etc.) into the reading room, please request a personal property pass at the security desk.
All personal items taken out of the Reading Room must be presented for inspection at the registration desk and the security desk upon departure. This includes opening laptop computers.
No eating, drinking, chewing gum, or smoking in The Bancroft Library. Cell phone calls may be taken outside the Reading Room.
Only pencils in the Reading Room. No ink.
Please handle all Bancroft materials with care and follow staff instructions.If you'd like to learn more about the safe handling of materials, please review the guidelines on our website.
The Bancroft Library encourages the use of personal cameras in the Reading Room under the following conditions:
Only hand-held cameras, cell phones, and tablets in silent mode with flash disabled may be used.
All photographs must be for personal research use only. Photographs taken in the Reading Room may not be published, posted online, donated or sold to another repository, or exhibited. Researchers interested in obtaining high-resolution images and permission to publish can learn more about options via the duplication inquiries link on the Bancroft website.
Include a completed citation strip in the frame of each photograph.
Handle all materials with care. Material must remain flat on the table or in an appropriate book cradle. Reading Room staff may assist in positioning the item so that it is fully supported. Please do not rearrange furniture or stand on chairs or tables. • Archival materials must be photographed in their folder, keeping their order intact. • Books should only be opened as far as their spines will easily allow without pressing down. • Material should remain in their sleeves or mats. Staff will assist when fasteners need to be removed
Researchers are responsible for complying with all intellectual property laws. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless The Bancroft Library and the University of California, including agents and employees, against all claims, demands, costs, and expenses incurred by copyright infringement or any other legal or regulatory cause of action arising from the use of these photographs.
Please do not photograph library staff, the Reading Room, or other researchers. Take care not to disturb others.
Privacy and personally identifiable information
Collections that include 20th and 21st-century archival materials may contain sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal, state, and/or global "right to privacy" laws. You agree to make no notes or other record of privacy-protected personally identifiable information found within archival collections, and further agree not to publish, publicize, or disclose such information to any other party for any purpose.
In the event that you encounter materials that contain sensitive or confidential information, such as social security numbers or other personally identifiable information, please bring the materials to the attention of a Bancroft Library staff member. In accessing collections in our repository, you assume all responsibility for potential infringement of privacy in your use of the material, and agree to indemnify and hold harmless The Bancroft Library and the University of California, its agents and employees against all claims, demands, costs, and expenses arising out of your use of collections.
Using online collections
The Bancroft Library is committed to making our digital collections available for private study, scholarship, teaching, and research.
Some materials in Bancroft collections may be protected by the United States copyright law (U.S. Code, Title 17) and/or restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing, and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
The Bancroft Library encourages and supports research, teaching, and scholarship to advance global knowledge and understanding. Please see our Permissions Policies page for inquiries about obtaining permission to quote/excerpt or republish materials from Library collections.
We are dedicated to protecting the rights of creators and copyright holders, and are always interested in learning more about the materials in Bancroft collections. If you have specific information about collections posted by The Bancroft Library, please contact us at bancref-library@berkeley.edu.
