May 4 Resource Room records

May 4 Collection - Box 192

Finding Aid

Prepared by Kyler Andrew Culver, September 24, 2003. Updated April 2021.

Inclusive Dates: 1973-2021
Extent: 1.0 cubic feet (1 record storage box)
Physical Location: 12th floor
Language of Materials: English

Historical Note: In 1973, Kent State University students enrolled in the course Peaceful Change 100, in consultation with instructor Paul Keane, proposed the creation of a May 4 Resource Center, to serve as both a memorial to those slain and wounded in the Kent State shootings, and a site for learning and reflection about May 4, 1970 and its aftermath. In 1974, a donation from Kent State University alumnus Victor E. Buehrle made the creation of the May 4 Resource Room possible. In 1999, several members of the Retired Faculty Association created an ad hoc committee on May 4 to reevaluate the Resource Room’s mission statement and suggest improvements. The committee, now defunct, created a docents’ handbook for the resource room, supplied the room with visitor registers, and was involved in refurbishment projects.

The May 4 Resource Room is located on the first floor of Kent State University Library.

Scope and Content: These records document the creation and maintenance of the May 4 Resource Room. Included are proposals, correspondence, bibliographies of resources related to the Kent State shootings, photographs of the room, a video recording of the dedication ceremony, and visitor registers. Much of the correspondence generated between 2000 and 2003 originates from the ad hoc committee on May 4 of the Retired Faculty Association of Kent State University.

Related Material: The May 4 Art collection includes three works of art on display in the May 4 Resource Room.

Arrangement: The May 4 Resource Room records are organized chronologically.

Sponsor: Digitization of this collection was funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

May 4 Collection - Box 192
Folder -- Contents

1. Resource Room: Proposals: 1973
   Scope and Content: Includes a copy of “A Proposal for a May 4th Resource Center” by Paul Keane and students enrolled in the course Peaceful Change 100.
2. Resource Room: Correspondence: 1973
   Scope and Content: Contains communications regarding the creation of the May 4 Resource Room, including budget information and bibliographies of potential resources to be made available in the room.
3. Resource Room: Correspondence: 1974
4. Resource Room: Victor E. Buehrle: 1973-1974; 1977
   Scope and Content: Includes correspondence, press releases, and biographical information about Kent State University alumnus Buehrle.
5. Resource Room: Dedication: 1974
   Scope and Content: Includes a program and remarks by Glenn A. Olds and John A. Begala, and the inscription from the bronze dedication marker.
6. Resource Room: Library Guides: 1974; 1986
7. Resource Room: Memorial Windows: 1978; 1985; 1990-1991; undated
   Scope and Content: Includes correspondence and several versions of a descriptive brochure regarding the four stained glass Memorial Windows to May 4, 1970, created by Kent State University alumnus Theodore Abel, on display in the May 4 Resource Room.
   Related Material: The Memorial Windows are included in the May 4 Art collection.
8. Resource Room: Correspondence: 1981-1984
9. Resource Room: Correspondence: 1990
10. Resource Room: Strategic Plan: October-December 1999
    Scope and Content: Includes correspondence, drafts of mission statements, and other documents related to the strategic planning of the ad hoc committee on May 4 of the Retired Faculty Association.
11. Resource Room: Correspondence and Proposals: 2000
12. Resource Room: Correspondence and Proposals: 2001
13. Resource Room: Correspondence and Proposals: 2002
14. Resource Room: Correspondence and Proposals: 2003
15. Resource Room: Docents’ Handbook: 2002; 2004
    Scope and Content: Full title: “Docents’ Handbook for use in the May 4 Resource Room.” The handbook was created by the ad hoc committee on May 4 of the Retired Faculty Association. Includes two versions, one from 2002, the other from 2004.
16. Resource Room: Resource Materials: 2004-2009
    Scope and Content: Full title: “Resource Materials developed by the KSU Retired Faculty Association’s Ad Hoc Committee on May 4”
17. Resource Room: Visitor Register: 2002-2004
18. Resource Room: Visitor Register: 2004-2009
19. Resource Room: Visitor Register: 2009-2017
20. Resource Room: Visitor Register: 2018-2021
21. Resource Room: Photographs: May 1974
22. Resource Room: Photographs: 1979
23. Resource Room: Photographs: 1998
24. Resource Room: Photographs: April 30, 2002
25. Resource Room: Photographs: Sidney and Clara Jackson: undated
    Scope and Content: Contains two small black-and-white photographs, one of Sidney L. Jackson, the other of Clara O. Jackson. Also includes a placard with the text: “May 4th Resource Center, Framed Pictures Contributed in Memory of Sidney Louis Jackson (Sept. 13, 1914 – May 8, 1979). Advisor to the May 4th Task Force and Spokesperson for Pursuing the Truth about May 4th and Justice for its Victims.” The origin and content of the “framed pictures” referenced in the placard are unknown.
26. Resource Room: DVD: Dedication Ceremony: 1974
    Preservation Note: This video recording was transferred from 16mm film to a DVD in 2015.