Libraries hire new archivist for the Glenn Miller Collection

The Glenn Miller Collection now has a dedicated archivist in the University Libraries whose job will be to review and catalog over 1,400 boxes of artifacts from the legendary big band era musician who once attended CU Boulder.

In 1923, Alton Glen “Glenn” Miller attended CU Boulder for three semesters before becoming one of the most successful big band musicians of the 20th century. A gift from a group of committed jazz supporters allowed the University Libraries to hire an archivist to review and catalog the boxes safely secured in the Libraries Rare and Distinctive Collections (RaD).

The new archivist, A. R. Flynn, joined the Libraries after receiving a Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of Denver. In this profile we discuss Flynn’s history and interest in this project.

What excites you about working with the Glenn Miller Collection?

I grew up listening to big band music and watching black and white films, so there is an element of nostalgia for me in working with these materials. One thing that really excites me about this collection is the variety of materials. Although a lot of the materials focus on Glenn Miller and his musical legacy, there are other musicians represented there as well. One of my hopes is to use the materials to highlight the creative work and experiences of individuals from underrepresented groups who were incredibly influential during this time period.

It would be amazing to find material on Eddie Durham, a prominent Big Band Era composer and musician, one of the pioneers of electric guitar in jazz, who is said to have worked with Miller.
 

Can you describe the task in front of you?

A significant portion of the work will be focused on processing, which includes organizing and rehousing the materials. We will need to relocate boxes, place papers and photographs in archival folders and then place them in new archival boxes with new labels. At the same time I’ll be keeping an eye out for items that might have time-sensitive preservation needs or items of special interest that will be flagged for digitization.

What will a day at work be like for you? What kinds of things will you do? What makes for a good day at work?

The first step is for me to get a sense of what materials are in the collection and what work has already been done so far. I’ve spent a lot of time going through the boxes in the collection, creating inventories, hunting down finding aids and other documentation, and starting to rearrange boxes.

This is the kind of work that really drew me to archives, so any chance to be able to work directly with the documents makes it a good day for me. It’s the type of work where once I’m enmeshed in it I can lose track of time and forget to drink water.

Why did you become an archivist?

I became an archivist so that I share the stories of individuals in the past with individuals in the present. Archives allow people to connect on an almost intimate level with the lived experiences of others. This is a powerful tool in promoting empathy and understanding for one another.

I’m also very interested in promoting the growth and sustainability of community archives, which I believe can be an incredible opportunity for communities, and community members, to tell their own stories in their own words.

I worked on two projects with Dr. Krystyna Matusiak at DU that really solidified my path. One was digitizing family photos from the Park County Local History Archives and then the other was completing a report about the history of Chinese communities that used to live in Park County in the late 1800s.

What drew you to the University Libraries?

The two biggest draws for me were the people and the collection. When I graduated from the DU in June, I looked for positions that would allow me to put into practice the knowledge and skills that I gained from my coursework. This position at the Libraries gives me the opportunity to reinforce fundamental archival practices while also developing new skills.

What role do you think archives play in preserving cultural heritage?

Archives don’t just preserve the physical objects of cultural heritage, they also facilitate connections between those objects and individuals, whether that’s in-person or online. By doing so archives are preserving the experiences of individuals throughout history, which I believe are the very foundation of cultural heritage.

What role do primary sources play in instruction and research? How does this work support research and instruction at the University of Colorado Boulder?

At this point we are still very much in the preliminary stages of processing, but the longterm hope is that this collection will support instruction on similar topics within the College of Music and particularly the Jazz Studies Program. We’ll be bringing materials from the Glenn Miller collections into classrooms to make students aware of the different kinds of resources available to them.

How do you see this work impacting the CU Boulder community?

In terms of impact to the community, the Glenn Miller collection is one of  RaD’s largest "cornerstone" collections. The hope is that this work will highlight CU Boulder, the American Music Research Center, and RaD as an internationally recognized hub for research into American popular music for jazz and big band studies, in particular.

I also think the impact of this project will extend beyond the CU Boulder community. This project has been in the works for some time and many individuals have devoted significant amounts of their time and energy to collecting and preserving these records. It will allow anyone to engage more closely with materials documenting the Big Band Era and the life of Glenn Miller and his contemporaries.

What are some of the most interesting or unusual items you’ve come across in your work

I’ve only just completed a very broad inventory of the collection so I’m still familiarizing myself with everything. But one thing I found that I’ve never seen before is a typewriter for composing music. It even has a page of blank sheet music tucked into it with the first few measures typed out.

I also found handwritten letters by members of Miller’s family. I am especially interested in objects like these because so much of what has been written about Glenn Miller has been about his professional career. I’m hopeful to learn about his personal relationships with his family and friends and what kind of person he was out of the spotlight. I think this is a great starting point.