Media Perceptions of Contemporary Problems, 1975-1976
A Guide to the Collection of Oral History Interviews at Indiana University
Bloomington
Finding aid prepared by the staff of the Center for
the Study of History and Memory with a grant from the National Endowment for the
Humanities Division of Preservation and Access, 2000-2002
Overview of the Collection
Repository
Indiana University Center for Documentary Research and Practice
Indiana University
Franklin Hall 0030B
601 E. Kirkwood Avenue
Bloomington, IN 47405
Phone: 812/855-2856
Fax: 812/855-0002
E-mail: ohrc@indiana.edu
https://cdrp.mediaschool.indiana.edu
Creator
Indiana University Center for the
Study of History and Memory
TitleMedia Perceptions of Contemporary Problems, 1975-1976
Project No.
ohrc077
Interviews
10 interviews. Audiotapes, transcripts, and collateral
materials.
Physical Location
Interviews are housed in Franklin Hall, Room 0030B. Copies of interview transcripts are also held by the IU Libraries University
Archives.
Contact archives@indiana.edu for more information. For other locations housing the interviews
from this project, please contact the Center for Documentary Research and Practice office.
Language
Materials are in English
Abstract
This collection of interviews focuses on ongoing social problems
in the United States and the world, such as overpopulation, famine, and
depletion of the Earth's resources. The interviewees are almost all former
Indiana University professors in their seventies. All of the interviewees are
asked to recall their teenage years and share their opinions about current
teenagers. They also discuss their media habits in detail. For example, each
interviewee is asked how many hours of television he or she watches daily and
which programs are preferred. They are also asked about their reading habits
and whether or not they listen to the radio. Interviewees are asked to judge
the reliability of news programs on a variety of media. Finally, interviewees
are asked to provide predictions for the future of society.
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains ten interviews conducted in 1975. The interviews range from 85 to 180 minutes. All interviews consist
of typed transcripts and most have audio tapes.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Oral history interviews conducted by the Indiana University Center for the
Study of History and Memory from 1968 to the present, with particular focus on the
history of twentieth-century America and the Midwest.
Usage Restrictions
The archive of the Center for Documentary Research and Practice at Indiana University is open
to the use of researchers. Copies of transcript pages are available only when such copies
are permitted by the deed of gift. Scholars must honor any
restrictions the interviewee placed on the use of the interview. Since some of our earlier
(pre-computer) transcripts do not exist in final form, any editing marks in a transcript
(deletions, additions, corrections) are to be quoted as marked. Audio files may not be copied for
patrons unless the deed of gift permits it, and a transcript is unavailable for that
interview. The same rules of use that apply to a transcript apply to the audio interview.
Interviews may not be reproduced in full for any public use, but excerpted quotes may be
used as long as researchers fully cite the data in their research, including accession
number, interview date, interviewee's and interviewer's name, and page(s).
Preferred Citation
[interviewee first name last name] interview, by [interviewer first name last
name], [interview date(s)], [call number], [project name], Center for Documentary Research and Practice, Indiana University,
Bloomington, [page number(s) or tape
number and side if no transcript; if digital audio and no transcript, cite time when quote occurs].
Interview List
Interviewee
Allen, Theodora
July
1975
Call Number
75-052
Physical Description
55 pages; 2 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 130 minutes; no
index
Interviewer
de Oliveira, Rosangela
Scope and Content Note
Theodora Allen, born in 1903, discusses her life-long commitment
to social work and solving social problems. She describes the pioneering work
she participated in during the Great Depression and Second World War. She also
talks about her years as a professor at Indiana University and the inspiration
she received from her students. She moves on to discuss her media habits and
opinions about social changes. She expresses concern over the caste system and
environmental pollution.
Access Status
Open
-
Keywords
-
-
Corporation Names
- Common Cause
- Planned Parenthood Federation of America
- United States Children's Bureau
-
-
Occupation Names
- social science professor
- social worker
-
-
Place Names
- Italy
- Louisville, Kentucky
-
-
Subjects
- generational changes
- Great Depression
- overpopulation
- relief work
- social problems
- television programs
- World War II
Interviewee
Cleland, Elizabeth
July
1975
Call Number
76-001
Physical Description
35 pages; 2 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 85 minutes; no
index
Interviewer
de Oliveira, Rosangela
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
Elizabeth Cleland, born in 1901, discusses her background and
her perceptions of the world's problems. She talks about her media habits and
moves on to criticize the welfare program and the general lack of social
responsibility that she perceives. Finally, she addresses the topic of
teenagers.
-
Keywords
-
-
Corporation Names
- League of Women Voters
-
-
-
Subjects
- films
- Presbyterianism
- reading
- social problems
- Social Security
- television programs
- welfare program
- world hunger
Interviewee
Day, Harry G.
June
1975
Call Number
75-036
Physical Description
73 pages; 2 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 175 minutes; no
index
Interviewer
de Oliveira, Rosangela
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
Harry Day, born in 1903, shares his views on problems related to
working in the United States and world-wide concerns like overpopulation and
the energy crisis. He talks about his media habits in terms of which television
programs he watches and what type of music he prefers. He mentions that printed
news is more reliable than the news on television or on the radio. Finally, he
shares his predictions for the future, which involve stricter government
regulations.
-
Keywords
-
-
Occupation Names
- chemistry professor
-
-
-
Subjects
- conservation
- contraception
- energy crisis
- news reporting
- piecework
- reading
- societal changes
- television programs
Interviewee
Dorf, Theodore E.
June
1975
Call Number
75-042
Physical Description
40 pages; 2 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 95 minutes; photograph of
interviewee
Interviewer
de Oliveira, Rosangela
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
Theodore Dorf, born in Kansas in 1902, shares his perceptions of
current society and remarks on the changes he has witnessed during his
lifetime. He talks about his experience as a professor of Spanish literature at
Indiana University. He also shares his media habits, emphasizing his interest
in certain television programs and his hobbies like gardening. Finally, he
discusses his feelings toward teenagers and offers a few predictions for the
future.
-
Keywords
-
-
Occupation Names
- Spanish professor
-
-
-
Subjects
- gardening
- morals
- newspapers
- television programs
Interviewee
Murayama, Sada
July
1975
Call Number
75-046
Physical Description
87 pages; 5 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 180 minutes
Interviewer
de Oliveira, Rosangela
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
Sada Murayama, born in Japan in 1901, shares her life
experiences as an immigrant in the United States and offers her perceptions of
society's problems. She shares her experiences in two separate Japanese
internment camps and talks about going back to school in her forties to obtain
a master's degree in social work. She briefly describes her media habits and
offers her opinions of world problems, such as the need for equitable
distribution, her understanding of "survival of the fittest," and the quality
of life during her childhood. She also offers some predictions for the
future.
-
Keywords
-
-
Corporation Names
- Common Cause
-
-
Place Names
- Seattle, Washington
- Terome, Arkansas
- Tule Lake, California
-
-
Subjects
- Christianity
- distribution of wealth
- immigrant experiences
- Japanese Americans
- Japanese internment camps
- media habits
- newspapers
- reading
- social work
- volunteerism
- World War II
Interviewee
Newton, Agnes O.
1975
Call Number
75-055
Physical Description
49 pages; 2 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 120 minutes; no
index
Interviewer
de Oliveira, Rosangela
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
Agnes Newton, born in Tennessee, shares her views of societal
problems from the point of view of a former middle school teacher. She reveals
her television habits and adds that the technology has assisted some students
in learning more about the English language. She reflects on her own
experiences as a teenager and ponders some of the problems affecting society,
such as noise pollution and overpopulation.
-
Keywords
-
-
Occupation Names
- middle school teacher
-
-
Subjects
- language arts
- news reliability
- noise pollution
- overpopulation
- reading
- television programs
Interviewee
Rey, Agapito
June
1975
Call Number
75-040
Physical Description
48 pages; 2 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 115 minutes; photograph of
interviewee
Interviewer
de Oliveira, Rosangela
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
Agapito Rey, born in Spain in 1892, shares his opinions of
societal problems. Having been a language professor at Indiana University and
worked with young adults all his life, he is of the opinion that society has
improved with time and will not drastically change in the future. Dr. Rey also
discusses his media habits, which are limited to watching the news on
television, reading the newspaper and several magazines and listening to the
radio.
-
Keywords
-
-
Occupation Names
- language professor
-
-
Subjects
- food distribution
- magazines
- reading
- social problems
- socialism
- television programs
- world hunger
Interviewee
Roberts, Eunice C.
1975
Call Number
76-002
Physical Description
43 pages; 2 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 100 minutes; no
index
Interviewer
de Oliveira, Rosangela
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
Eunice Roberts, born in 1902, shares her insights about societal
changes, family life, and solving the world's problems. She describes her
background as an administrator working to promote equality. She also mentions
her media habits, which include watching television, reading newspapers and
magazines, but exclude listening to the radio. She also looks back on her
teenage years and ponders whether or not people were happier then. Finally, she
comments on teenagers and how comfortable she feels around them.
-
Keywords
-
-
Subjects
- family life
- radio
- reading
- television programs
- unemployment
- women's rights
Interviewee
Seagers, Paul W.
July
1975
Call Number
75-043
Physical Description
69 pages; no tapes; no index; photograph of
interviewee
Interviewer
de Oliveira, Rosangela
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
Paul Seagers, born in 1903, shares his view of societal changes
throughout his life. He describes his background and relates many memories of
his childhood. He talks about the importance of having a work ethic and faults
permissiveness for many of society's problems. Mr. Seager discusses his
experiences in education and offers many insights into how schools have
changed. He also mentions his love for reading and offers some predictions for
the future.
-
Keywords
-
-
Occupation Names
- education professor
-
-
Subjects
- classroom discipline
- films
- morals
- news reliability
- reading
- retirement
- work ethic
Interviewee
Stevens, Warren
July
1975
Call Number
75-039
Physical Description
37 pages; 2 reels, 3 3/4 ips, 85 minutes; no
index
Interviewer
de Oliveira, Rosangela
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
Warren Stevens, born in 1913, shares his views of social change
and solving the world's problems. As a lifelong teacher, he believes that
teenagers have not changed and are generally more informed now compared to when
he was young. He believes that many problems stem from the selfishness of
people and that social change will not take place until people are directly
affected. Mr. Stevens also shares his media habits and believes that radio
programs are far more valuable than television.
-
Keywords
-
-
Occupation Names
- high school teacher
-
-
Subjects
- food distribution
- magazines
- news reliability
- radio
- societal change
- television programs
