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| Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University |
Following the Executive Council's decision to designate the Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs at the Walter P. Reuther Library of Wayne Sate University as the union's official archival depository, the NALC began planning for the transfer of NALC's historical records to that institution's facilities in Detroit. The initial transfer took place in April 2001. While some records will be closed for a period of years, the oldest portion of the NALC collection, including many of the documents, artifacts and photographs gathered for NALC's Centennial Celebration Exhibit in 1989, started becoming available in 2006.
Reuther houses over 20,000 books, journals and union publications; over 2 million photographs; and more than 26,000 sound recordings and moving images. It creates historical and archival publications, holds conferences, and produces exhibits on various aspects of labor history. The Archives maintains a website which provides additional information on the facility and its holdings. Once the NALC material is fully processed, its inventory will be available through the Reuther website.
The NALC is the tenth major union and the first postal union to name Reuther as its official repository. The union is confident that housing its historical records at the archives will ensure their protection and preservation for the future. Although the records will be at Reuther, the union retains ownership of its collections.
Working with the archives’ professional staff, the union plans to expand the NALC archival program in the coming years. This program will permanently preserve the long and proud heritage of the union and the city delivery craft for future generations of letter carriers and their families.
Although NALC's official, historical materials will be housed and protected in this fine labor archives, NALC retains ownership of its collections. Thus, the union has taken another important process of permanently preserving the long and proud heritage of the union and the city delivery craft for future generations of letter carriers and their families. |
