Oregon Historical Society

THE OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY HAS BEEN COLLECTING, PRESERVING, EXHIBITING AND PUBLISHING OREGON'S HISTORY FOR OVER 100 YEARS. TODAY, THE SOCIETY'S COMPLEX IS A LANDMARK IN THE HEART OF PORTLAND'S CULTURAL DISTRICT, AND OFFERS OREGON'S RICH MULTICULTURAL HISTORY THROUGH MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS, RESEARCH COLLECTIONS, PUBLICATIONS AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS.

EXHIBITS - THE SOCIETY COLLECTS, PRESERVES, DOCUMENTS, AND EXHIBITS THE STATE'S MATERIAL CULTURE WITH APPROXIMATELY 85,000 ARTIFACTS. ITS MAJOR PERMANENT EXHIBITION, THE AWARD WINNING EXPERIENCE OREGON EXHIBIT OPENED TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON FEBRUARY 14, 2019, ON OREGON'S 160TH BIRTHDAY. A DYNAMIC EDUCATIONAL EXHIBIT, EXPERIENCE OREGON ALLOWS VISITORS TO LEARN ABOUT THE COUNTLESS PEOPLE, PLACES AND EVENTS THAT HAVE SHAPED OREGON. INTERACTIVE STATIONS THROUGHOUT THE EXHIBIT CONTINUALLY DIRECT VISITORS BACK TO THE PRESENT, EMPHASIZING WHY LEARNING ABOUT HISTORY MATTERS. EXPERIENCE OREGON OPENED WITH ACCOLADES FROM THE MEDIA, OTHER HISTORICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC AS BEING DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE AND TELLING THE TRUE STORY OF OREGON. CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O.THE SOCIETY MOUNTS EIGHT TO TEN TRAVELING AND TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS ON VARIED THEMES EACH YEAR. IN 2021, OHS INTRODUCED 3 NEW TRAVELING EXHIBITS AND OVER 2,000 PEOPLE SAW OUR TRAVELING EXHIBITS AT 12 DIFFERENT LOCATIONS FROM THE OREGON COAST TO EASTERN OREGON. ON-SITE EXHIBITS ARE SHOWN IN ITS SEVEN GALLERIES. THE SOCIETY ALSO LOANS OBJECTS TO MORE THAN 30 HISTORICAL INSTITUTIONS ON A YEARLY BASIS. IN 2021, DUE TO THE CONTINUED PANDEMIC, ONLY 11,608 IN-PERSON VISITORS CAME TO THE OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY TO VIEW ITS EXHIBITS AND PARTICIPATE IN VARIOUS PROGRAMS.

RESEARCH SERVICES - THE OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY RESEARCH LIBRARY IS ONE OF THE LARGEST HISTORICAL LIBRARIES IN THE COUNTRY AND MAINTAINS AN UNPARALLELED COLLECTION RELATING TO THE HISTORY OF OREGON AND THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. ITS HOLDINGS INCLUDE THOUSANDS OF BOOKS, GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS, AND SERIALS; MAPS; MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS; ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEWS AND OTHER SOUND RECORDINGS; AS WELL AS MILLIONS OF PHOTOGRAPHS; MILLIONS OF FEET OF ARCHIVAL FILM FOOTAGE; AND A GROWING COLLECTION OF DIGITIZED AND BORN-DIGITAL IMAGES, DOCUMENTS, SOUND, AND VIDEO.CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O.THESE COLLECTIONS BROADEN AND ENRICH THE UNDERSTANDING AND INTERPRETATION OF THE CULTURAL, POLITICAL, RELIGIOUS, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, SCIENTIFIC, AND TECHNOLOGICAL LIFE IN OREGON. THE OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY'S RESEARCH LIBRARY REOPENED IN OCTOBER OF 2021 FOLLOWING NEARLY TWO YEARS OF RENOVATION. THE NEW LIBRARY SPACE FEATURES A MODERNIZED READING ROOM, WITH ENHANCEMENTS FOR RESEARCHERS INCLUDING A RECONFIGURED REFERENCE DESK, A NEW MAP AND ARCHITECTURE VIEWING STATION, TECH HUB, AND PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT PROMOTE ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION FOR ALL USERS. A HIGHLIGHT OF THE NEW SPACE IS THE PIETRO BELLUSCHI ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCE CENTER, WHICH WILL PROVIDE A FOCAL POINT TO HIGHLIGHT THE LIBRARY'S ARCHITECTURAL COLLECTIONS AND A WELL-EQUIPPED MEETING SPACE FOR INSTRUCTION.THE RESEARCH LIBRARY ONLINE CATALOGUE IS THE PRIMARY POINT OF DISCOVERY FOR RESEARCHERS SEEKING TO USE ITS HOLDINGS. ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS ARE ALSO DESCRIBED IN MORE DETAIL IN ARCHIVESWEST, AN ONLINE CONSORTIAL RESOURCE FOR ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND MOUNTAIN STATES. THE LIBRARY'S DIGITAL ARCHIVE, OHS DIGITAL COLLECTIONS, PROVIDES DIRECT ONLINE ACCESS WORLDWIDE. A ROBUST SUITE OF DIGITAL HISTORY WEBSITES, INCLUDING THE OREGON HISTORY PROJECT, THE OREGON ENCYCLOPEDIA, AND THE OREGON HISTORY WAYFINDER, PROVIDE PRIMARY SOURCES AND AUTHORITATIVE CONTENT THAT SUPPORT EDUCATION AND RESEARCH, WITH BROAD APPEAL TO A GENERAL AUDIENCE. COMBINED, OVER 1M USERS VIEWED NEARLY 2M PAGES ON THESE SITES IN 2021, AN INCREASE OF 2.9% AND 2.1%, RESPECTIVELY.THE RESEARCH LIBRARY PROVIDES RESEARCH SUPPORT TO ALL SOCIETY PROGRAMS AND DEPARTMENTS AND COLLABORATES WIDELY WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS FROM AROUND THE STATE. THE SOCIETY ALSO PUBLISHES THE OREGON HISTORICAL QUARTERLY, WHICH HAS BEEN A BENEFIT OF MEMBERSHIP SINCE 1900. THE QUARTERLY IS A PEER-REVIEWED, PUBLIC HISTORY JOURNAL THAT BRINGS DOCUMENTED HISTORY ABOUT OREGON AND THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TO BOTH SCHOLARS AND THE GENERAL AUDIENCE. THE QUARTERLY IS SUPPORTED BY AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE COMPRISED OF SCHOLARS, PUBLIC HISTORIANS, AND EDUCATORS FROM THROUGHOUT THE STATE.

EDUCATION - THE EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT AT OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY PROVIDES TOURS, TRAVELING TRUNKS, CURRICULUM, AND INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS FOR VISITORS OF ALL AGES, WITH A FOCUS ON GRADES K-12. OHS OFFERS 10 TRAVELING TRUNKS ON URBAN, RURAL, AND MULTICULTURAL TOPICS, EACH FILLED WITH OBJECTS AND IMAGES FOR HANDS-ON AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING, TRAVELING THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF OREGON TO GRADES K-12 CLASSROOMS AND A RANGE OF ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING SENIOR HOME FACILITIES. THE TRUNKS AND EXHIBITS ARE ACCOMPANIED BY CURRICULUM FOR CLASSROOM TEACHERS AND STUDENTS. CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O.THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ALSO MANAGES THE OREGON HISTORY DAY PROGRAM, WHICH IS A PART OF THE RENOWNED, AWARD-WINNING NATIONAL HISTORY DAY PROGRAM. APPROXIMATELY TWO DOZEN TEACHERS AND ABOUT 1,000 STUDENTS FROM ALL REGIONS OF THE STATE PARTICIPATE IN OREGON HISTORY DAY BY CONDUCTING HISTORICAL RESEARCH AND CREATING AN EXHIBIT, WEB-SITE, DOCUMENTARY, PERFORMANCE OR PAPER ENTRY. IN 2020 WHEN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC STRUCK, THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ADJUSTED BY DEVELOPING A FULLY VIRTUAL STATE CONTEST. STUDENTS SUBMIT THEIR HISTORY DAY PROJECTS WHICH ARE VIRTUALLY REVIEWED AND SCORED BY TEAMS OF THREE JUDGES PER CATEGORY, REPRESENTING LOCAL TEACHERS, ARCHIVISTS, LIBRARIANS, HISTORIANS, AND MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS. EVERY JUNE, THE STATE OF OREGON PARTICIPATES IN THE NATIONAL CONTEST, WHICH IS TYPICALLY HELD NEAR WASHINGTON, D.C. IN 2021, 125 STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN THE VIRTUAL OREGON HISTORY DAY STATE CONTEST AND 50 STUDENTS ADVANCED TO THE VIRTUAL NATIONAL HISTORY DAY CONTEST. FOUR WORKS MADE IT TO THE FINALS ROUND OF THE NATIONAL CONTEST IN THE CATEGORIES OF; JUNIOR INDIVIDUAL DOCUMENTARY, SENIOR INDIVIDUAL DOCUMENTARY, SENIOR GROUP WEBSITE AND SENIOR PAPER.THE EDUCATION PROGRAM SERVED 480 STUDENTS IN SELF-GUIDED TOURS TOWARDS THE END OF 2021. OHS WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE GUIDED TOURS IN 2021 DUE TO THE ONGOING COVID-19 PANDEMIC ISSUES. OHS PROVIDES A WEEKLY E-DIGEST TO EDUCATORS INFORMING THEM OF PROGRAMS AND ARTICLES THAT WILL ASSIST THEM WITH VIRTUAL TEACHING.