Monthly Update
New Year, New Look!
Welcome to the first OA+D Newsletter of 2022! With the start of the new year we launch a new look for the OA+D Newsletter and share updates from all the exciting activity already underway at the Archives.
News And Updates :: TA Collection Update
Work continues processing the Taliesin Architects Collection, the single largest group of material in the various collection that make-up the OA+D Archives. Since the TA Collection was fully transferred in mid November of 2021, our volunteer team has been able to begin the triaged organization approach we're undertaking to get the materials processed. This will entail a three-pass approach: First Pass will be to go through the approximately 225 flat file drawers and document what is currently found in each drawer. Once that is complete, the Second Pass will then involve consolidating all projects across the disparate drawers into their correct chronological order (following the established TA Firm project numbering system). Once that is complete the Third Pass will be to start at the beginning and go through every project folder in every drawer and document each of the materials inside. By the end of this third pass, a full cataloging of the TA Collection will be completed and the results can then be shared publicly for research purposes.
Starting in late December 2021, we have completed the documentation of 20 drawers as part of the First Pass of the organizational triage. As you can imagine the entire process will take some time and as such, specific materials from specific projects will be difficult to access until things are fully organized. That said, we have already tried to service public and homeowner requests as we are able. It's part of our mission as a public non-profit to make these materials accessible, but please be patient as we undergo the correct archival procedures in order to accommodate everyone.
We will continue to update you as the process continues and address any questions or requests as they come up in the meantime.
From The Archives
Part of working with the collections is the unending task of digitizing important items. Unlike other institutions, the OA+D Archives is actively digitizing the bulk of our collections and putting them online at our Archival Collections Website in an effort to make them immediately more accessible to the public.
Recently, efforts have been underway to begin scanning the large amount of slides and transparencies that came as part of the Taliesin Architects Collection. These slides capture many of the buildings designed by TA when they were under construction or newly finished. It's an invaluable record of the firm's work and an important resource for future research and scholarship.
In the coming weeks and months we'll be continuously uploading new digitized images to our Archival Collections Website so look for more updates in the near future.
Please Support The OA+D Archives Today!
Your support — in the form of financial donations and purchases of our publications — is vital to us being able to continue the important work of preserving and making accessible organic architectural and design material.
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today by following the link and thank you for your generous support!