On May 5th, the UC Merced Library held a reception for UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) staff and community partners to view the Library’s photography exhibit, A Century of Impact in California's Counties: Highlights from the University of California Cooperative Archive. The group also examined archival documents from the California Agricultural Resources Archive (CARA), and learned about each other’s work related to agriculture and land management in the Central Valley.
The exhibit photographs are divided into five themes: farm advisor demonstrations, crop trials, labor, home demonstration agents, and California 4-H. While there are thousands of photographs in CARA, the selection of twenty images featured in the exhibit exemplifies the scope of work conducted by farm advisors and home demonstration agents throughout the twentieth century to improve agricultural practices, support youth development, and promote broader civic engagement throughout California. These include:
The reception was an opportunity for UCCE staff and campus affiliates involved in agricultural research to meet and network while also learning more about these historical resources.
Attendees mingle with UC Merced Library staff, including University Librarian, Haipeng Li, May 5, 2023
Group views the exhibit, A Century of Impact in California's Counties: Highlights from the University of California Cooperative archive at the UC Merced Library, May 5, 2023.
After viewing the exhibit on the fourth floor, guests viewed items from Cooperative Extension collections in the newly designated Library and Archives instruction room on the second floor of the library. On display were annual reports from the 1910s-1930s written by farm advisors and home demonstration agents from Cooperative Extension, Merced County, a 4-H scrapbook from Cooperative Extension, Mariposa County, livestock and land initiative documents by Cooperative Extension in Modoc County and photographs from various Cooperative Extension offices including a panorama photograph featuring advisors at a statewide conference in 1924.
The selection of archival materials on display included:
Emily Lin, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Archives & Special Collections, and Rebecca Gourevitch, California Agricultural Resources Archive (CARA) Project Archivist, presented on the Cooperative Extension archival project which began in 2016 when an agreement was formalized with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) to archive, preserve, digitize, and provide public access to the historical records of Cooperative Extension in California. They detailed preservation and digitization efforts and shared examples of how the archive is being utilized by UC Merced community members, researchers, and educators. Clips of 16mm films that the Library digitized in partnership with MediaPreserve in Pennsylvania were also screened during the event.
Rebecca Gourevitch, Project Archivist, CARA presents on the UC Cooperative Extension archival project, May 5, 2023
Archival materials showcasing UC Cooperative Extension activities are placed on the table for examination, May 5, 2023
Produced by UCCE personnel throughout California, the films date from 1953 to 1979 and cover UCANR activities such as the 4-H youth development program; food and nutrition education; wildland management; the agricultural industry; animals; and adolescent health. The reels were badly deteriorating and needed immediate attention to preserve the content of the films. The films are now published and can be viewed online in Calisphere.
The event ended with conversations around future use of these important archival resources. The UC Merced Library looks forward to continued collaboration with UC Cooperative Extension partners and other community members.
All digitized materials found in the UC Cooperative Extension Archival collections are available to the public online.
Our findings aids are located in the Online Archive of California (OAC).
For more information regarding the California Agricultural Resources Archive at UC Merced Library, please contact Project Archivist Rebecca Gourevitch at rgourevitch@ucmerced.edu.
[This project was made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. A Major Initiatives grant from the National Historical Publications & Records Commission supported the development and digitization of the UC Cooperative Extension Archive.]
