The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens staff oral history collection, 2019-2022

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Summary

Abstract:
A collection of oral histories, conducted from June 13, 2019 - June 6, 2022, recording the background and work experiences of staff in the Facilities and the Botanical Divisions of The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
Extent:
250.6 Gigabytes (12 digital files) and 2.08 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
Materials are in Spanish and English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens staff oral history collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The Huntington Library's oral history project documents the work and lives of non-managerial staff employed in Facilities and the Botanical Division of The Huntington. The collection consists of thirteen interviews with ten current and former staff members (two of the staff are interviewed twice), and three children of one of the former staff members. The interviewees were selected because of the length of their tenure at The Huntington, generally at least ten years. These extensive tenures at The Huntington provide an overview of the work of Facilities and the Botanical Division during the last quarter of the 20th century and the first two decades of the 21st century. Interviews are either in Spanish or English, depending on the interviewee's preference. Of the ten staff member interviewees, eight are from the Botanical Division and two from Facilities. Their length of employment by The Huntington at the time of their interview ranged from a decade to 50 years. The audiovisual interviews (MP4 files) were conducted from June 13 2019 - June 6, 2022; the longest interview was approximately 4 hours and 30 minutes, the shortest approximately 42 minutes. The collection also includes nine photographs which were shot by Dr. Orozco as part of his collaboration with the Library in the staff oral history project; not all staff members who were interviewed wished to be photographed for the project. The subjects of the photographs are: Guadalupe Gutierrez; Leonor Jiménez; Manuel Moreno; Cruz Pinedo; C. Ramiro Ramírez Pinedo; Shadi Shihab; Javier Vasquez; John Villareal; Rosie Pinedo, Jacinto Pinedo, and Angel Pinedo.

Biographical / historical:

Dr. José Orozco, of Whittier College, conducted the interviews, in collaboration with Clay Stalls of the Huntington Library. The Huntington Library's oral history project documents the work and lives of non-managerial staff employed in Facilities and the Botanical Division of The Huntington. They are the staff directly responsible for maintaining The Huntington's grounds, gardens, and buildings. The interviews are purposely intended to develop The Huntington's institutional archives' holdings on non-managerial staff in Facilities and the Botanical Division. As institutional history, the interviews have been accessioned into The Huntington's institutional archives.

Acquisition information:

Acquired from interviewees, June 2019-June 2022.

Photographs, gift of Dr. José Orozco, August 2023.

Processing information:

Finding aid created by Gayle Richardson May-October 2020; four additional interviews were added July 2023. One box of photographs added April 2024.

Arrangement:

Interviews are arranged alphabetically by interviewee last name; photographs are arranged by subject.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens staff oral history collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
Institutional Archivist, The Huntington
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2122
reference@huntington.org
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