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While I have no doubt that the Oregon Historical Society is doing what it can in the current financial climate, I wanted to emphasize how truly important the research library is to the current and future study of Northwest history.  I am currently a student acquiring a Masters degree in history at Portland State University, and I have used the library more times than I can count in the past six months.  While I feel others would more adequately express how the closure of the library will hinder the study on Northwest history, I can express how the development and training of historians in Oregon universities has been greatly impeded with the limited access and potential closure of the library.  The most important step for any history student to take is to apply what they have learned from the analysis of secondary sources and to develop an original argument using PRIMARY sources.  No where in Portland, and arguably Oregon, could students find such an in-depth and wide array of primary sources that were accessible for students, including newspapers, manuscripts, rare books, films, oral histories, and photographs.  Without this valuable source of primary documents, I worry how future history majors in Oregon universities will be adequately trained without sufficient access to primary documents to apply to their studies.  I also worry that the study of these students will stray away from valuable examination of Oregon history to a history that has accessible resources, as these historians-in-training need to gain experience in their field from somewhere.  While the Oregon Historical Research Library is the not the only source of primary documents, I feel it was one of the most important sources for students, academics, and the public in Oregon and Washington. 

posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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