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Guide to the San José State University Student Publications Collection
MSS-2009-08-02
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Title: San José State University Student Publications Collection
Dates: 1880-2004
Bulk Dates: 1960-1990
Collection number: MSS-2009-08-02
Creator:
San José State University
Collection Size:
54 boxes,
31.60 linear feet
Repository:
San José State University. Library.
San José, California 95192-0028
Abstract: The San José State University Student Publications Collection, 1880-2004 (bulk 1960-1990), documents publications created
and written by SJSU students. The collection consists of student-created guides, magazines, newsletters, newspapers, pamphlets,
and yearbooks. This collection is arranged into one series: Series I. San José State University Student Publications, 1880-2004
(bulk 1960-1990).
Physical location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
The collection is open for research.
Copyright is assigned to the San José State University Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Special Collections & Archives. Copyright restrictions may apply to digital reproductions of the
original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
San José State University Student Publications Collection, MSS-2009-08-02 , San José State University Library Special Collections
& Archives.
Collection processed by Alicia Deadrick and Jane Gilvin. Finding aid EAD encoded by Silke Higgins. Reviewed by Danelle Moon
and Erin Louthen.
This finding aid was created as part of the Survey and Cataloging Project, a two-year San José State University Library grant
project funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The project began in 2008.The Project Director
is Danelle Moon. The Project Archivist is Erin Louthen.
In 1857 the San Francisco Board of Education established Minns' Evening Normal School for current and prospective teachers
in the city. Named after its principal, George W. Minns, the institution was formally established as the first California
State Normal School by the State Legislature in 1862. A decade later, the Legislature voted to move the Normal School to San
José, and the school relocated to its new home on Washington Square prior to the fall term of 1872. After a fire destroyed
the Normal School building in 1880, the Legislature authorized $200,000 to construct a new building on the same site. Completed
in 1881, the building was commonly referred to as the Second State Normal School. After several names and curriculum changes,
Minns' Normal School is now San José State University, offering more than 134 bachelor's and master's degrees with 110 concentrations,
and is recognized as one of the top public universities granting such degrees in the West.
Student publications have been an essential part of campus life at San José State University since its founding. The first
student paper was
The Acorn, which debuted in 1867. This publication was followed by
The Class Paper in 1880,
The Normal Index in 1885, and
The Normal Pennant in 1898.
The Quill, a student literary journal, was initially published in 1925, followed by
El Portal in 1932 and
Reed Magazine in 1948, which is still published annually.
Documenting such topics as athletics, student organizations, and social and intellectual activities, SJSU student publications
have featured original works such as plays, poetry, short stories, and essays, as well as news reporting and publicity for
campus events. Publication formats include literary, feature, and humor magazines, a daily newspaper, club and organization
newsletters, and guidebooks on a variety of topics. In addition, many of the publications cover national and international
issues, as well as offering a local view of the student population by featuring in-depth profiles of individual students.
Other prominent SJSU student publications include the feature magazine
Lyke (1946-1965), the school yearbook
La Torre (1911-1965), and the official campus newspaper, the
Spartan Daily (1934-present), which continues to publish a daily issue throughout the academic school year.
Gilbert, Benjamin F., and Burdick, Charles.
Washington Square, 1857-1979: The History of San José State University. San José, California: San José State University, 1980.
San José State University. About SJSU. http://www.sjsu.edu/about_sjsu/
San José State University. SJSU's Legacy of Poetry. http://www.sjsu.edu/reading/poetry.htm, (accessed December 15, 2009).
Walsh, James P.
San José State University: An Interpretive History, 1950-2000. San José, California: San José State University, 2003.
La Torre, LD729.C99 L3
Spartan Daily, available on microfilm at King Microfilm Lower Level, as well as SJSU Special Collections & Archives.
Summertimes, LH1.S8 per
Scope and Content of Collection
The San José State University Student Publications Collection, 1880-2004 (bulk 1960-1990), documents publications created
and written by SJSU students. The collection consists of student-created guides, magazines, newsletters, newspapers, pamphlets,
and yearbooks.
This collection is arranged into one series: Series I. San José State University Student Publications, 1880-2004 (bulk 1960-1990).
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
San Jose State Normal School -- History
San Jose State Teachers College -- History
San Jose State College -- History
California State University, San José -- History
San José State University -- History
Education, Higher -- California -- San Jose
Student Publications -- California -- San Jose -- History