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Karen Beck Skold dissertation papers and interviews

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 1803

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of papers and interviews gathered by Karen Beck Skold during research for her 1981 Ph.D. dissertation in sociology at the University of Oregon, entitled "Women Workers and Child Care During World War II: A Case Study of the Portland, Oregon Shipyards."

Papers include photocopied reports and articles, mostly regarding children's services in Portland, as well as racism and sex segregation in the shipyards; newspaper clippings regarding Skold's research, 1975-1976; correspondence with sources, 1975-1976; biographical information about women who worked in shipyard child care centers, 1975; minutes of the Women's Advisory Committee, 1943; and a 1941 union agreement between the American Federation of Labor and the Pacific Shipbuilders.

Also included in the collection are audio recordings of 26 interviews that Skold conducted in 1974 and 1976 with people who worked in Portland-area shipyards and child care centers during World War II, predominantly women. One interviewee worked at the Tacoma-Seattle Shipbuilding Corporation in Washington. Transcripts are available for many of the interviews. Recordings also include a 1980 presentation that Skold delivered in Alameda County, California, titled "The Politics of Child Care during World War II: The Case of the Kaiser Child Service Centers."

Dates

  • 1941-1980

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Copyright to manuscript materials in the collection has not been determined, and in some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright holders.

Joint copyright for audio recordings in the collection is held by the Oregon Historical Society and the estates of each interviewee. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/

Biographical note

Karen Beck Skold, nee Karen Leona Beck, was born in 1948. In 1970, she earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Oberlin College. That same year, she and Carl N. Skold were married. In 1981, she earned a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Oregon. She taught at the University of Oregon, San Diego State University, and San Jose State University, and was affiliated with the Institute for Research on Women and Gender Studies at Stanford University. She also worked to implement the child care policy for the city of Sunnyvale, California.

Extent

0.6 Cubic Feet (1 document case and 31 audiocassettes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Research materials gathered by Karen Beck Skold, a doctoral student in sociology at the University of Oregon, for her 1981 dissertation, "Women Workers and Child Care in World War II: A Case Study of the Portland Shipyards." Collection includes reports, newspaper clippings, articles, notes, and minutes, primarily concerning day care and children's services in Portland, Oregon, and women workers in the Portland shipyards. Also included are audio recordings of interviews Skold conducted with people who worked in the shipyards and in child care, primarily women.

Arrangement

Collection is arranged in two series: Series 1. Dissertation research papers and presentation; Series 2. Interviews with shipyard and child care workers.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Karen Beck Skold, August 1986 (Lib. Acc. 17836).

Existence and Location of Copies

Audio recordings and some transcripts available online in OHS Digital Collections.

Publication note

Skold, Karen Beck. Women workers and child care during World War II: a case study of the Portland, Oregon shipyards. 1981.

Processing Information

Collection was reprocessed in 2021 to incorporate audio recordings that had previously been separated from manuscript materials and assigned individual sound recording (SR) numbers by library staff. The collection was previously titled "Karen Beck Skold papers." After reprocessing, the collection title and description were updated to reflect the addition of the audio materials, some of which were previously uncataloged; others had previously been cataloged individually under sound recording number. The sound recording numbers that were previously used to identify the audio materials were retained and are included in this collection guide. Some folder titles were also changed to better reflect the contents.

Subjects

Related Names

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the Karen Beck Skold dissertation papers and interviews
Status
Under Revision
Author
Revised by Sarah Stroman
Date
2012, revised 2021
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Revision Statements

  • 2021: Collection was reprocessed in 2021 to incorporate audio recordings.

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository

https://www.ohs.org/research-and-library/
Contact:
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240

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