Week 4: Processing Progress

Hello Readers,

Last week, I was able to have the opportunity to devote a great deal of time to the processing of the Ruth C. Engs collection and I am happy to report that progress has been going quite well.  I have completed arranging the series dedicated to writing, research, and professional activities, which is by far the largest series in the collection.  Overall, this series provides a very thorough documentation of Professor Engs' professional career and scholarly work.  Emphasis is placed not only on scholarly publications, but also on articles published in non-academic periodicals and editorials as well as on conference presentations and grant proposals.  Given the fact that much of Professor Engs' research is related to health and drug and alcohol use, considerable interest in her work has been seen outside of academic circles, and this more widespread activity is evident in the collection. Furthermore, the collection features incomplete research and unpublished materials in addition to materials related to published works.

Beyond this series, I have completed arranging a smaller series dedicated solely to correspondence and have nearly finished arranging a series containing teaching and course files.  These two series both have a variety of highly interesting and useful materials.  Two folders that stand out in particular in the correspondence series contained hostile and supportive letters, respectively, from other academics or members of the general public mainly regarding Professor Engs' views on educational programs for students about alcohol.  Engs was a vocal critic of abstinence-only alcohol education, which, at the time, was a stance that generated some controversy.  The contents of these two folders provide unique evidence of the spectrum of public opinion about alcohol education. 

Course files have always struck me as particularly interesting sources of evidence as they can be useful in studying the history of educational methods.  Studying historical course syllabuses and analyzing similarities and progressions in their content and structure over time can allow us to understand developments of values and trends within a specific academic field.  While this could be of interest to a researcher studying the history of health education, it is mainly interesting to me as a historical curiosity to see what sort of assignments that students of decades past were expected to complete.