In class, my group and I analyzed the typed letters of the “First Earth Day” in the New School’s digital collections archives.
Content: All of the typed pages seem to be notices of some sort. They all have a header with the school name, address, and phone number. Some even have a seal. The specific one I want to focus on, which is the “Schedule of Events for Earth Day” includes the two of the things I described: the school name and address. It is also dated, and a person’s name and room number is also on the page. Enlisted on the notice is a schedule with time frames on the left margin and activities and people on the right.
Context: The eight letters in the archives are all notices that pertain to the “First Earth Day” at Parsons. They are personal letters, schedules, recipes, and general notices explaining either the procedure during Earth Day or simply explaining the “holiday.” The schedule of events that I looked at lists mostly names of people who I assume were presenting or speaking at the address and room listed at the top of the page. At the presentation or so called event, there were also films being played and a break in between for lunch. This event took up most of the day, beginning at 10 am and concluding at 5 pm.
Significance: 5 questions-
- Were these eight documents mass produced? Was more than one printed, or was there only one copy since they were probably all done on a typewriter?
- Was the schedule of events mailed to each individual or was it pinned on a bulletin board somewhere where everyone could see?
- Were notices of events, specifically the one letting people know classes were cancelled, given to each student? How were students attending Parsons during this time made aware of events or cancellations?
- Who was in charge of creating these notices and documents telling everyone that it was Parsons’ “First Earth Day”?
- If classes were cancelled on Earth Day, who was the food being cooked in the recipe for? Was it students or other guests?
