Lynd correspondence and papers
Scope and Contents
This collection includes copies letters and other documents related to Helen and Robert Lynd and their study of Muncie, Indiana as Middletown in the 1920s. Many of the documents are copied from the Helen Lynd Papers in the Sarah Lawrence College Archives and the John D. Rockefeller Archive.
Dates
- 1922 - 1982
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Copyright Notice
Literary rights, including copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their legal heirs and assigns. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Archives and Special Collections. The publisher must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries, Muncie, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Archives and Special Collections.
Historical Note
In the 1920s, Robert and Helen Lynd conducted a sociological study of Muncie, Indiana, that was published in 1929 as Middletown: A Study in American Culture. The Lynd`s examined trends in the life of a small American city and identified six areas: "Getting a Living," "Making a Home," "Training the Young," "Using Leisure," "Engaging in Religious Practice," and "Engaging in Community Activities." Robert Lynd returned to Muncie in the later 1930s to conduct a follow-up study titled, Middletown in Transition, which was published in 1937.
A Middletown III research project was funded by the National Science Foundation from 1976-1981, followed by Middletown IV in 1999-2000. A six-part documentary series titled Middletown was filmed in the early 1980s and broadcast by the Public Broadcasting Service. These studies were just the beginning of a continuing series of articles, books, documentaries, and other examinations that would make Muncie as Middletown one of the most studied communities in America.
Extent
0.3 Cubic Feet (1 box)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in the following series:
Series 1: Lynd correspondence and papers, 1922-1982
Custodial History
This collection was received by Archives and Special Collections as a donation.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 2010/01/28 by Maren L. Read. Finding aid created 2010/01/28 by Maren L. Read. EAD finding aid created 2010/01/28 by Maren L. Read.
- Correspondence Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Documents Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Middletown Studies Collection Subject Source: Local sources
- Muncie (Ind.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Lynd correspondence and papers
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Middletown Studies Collection Repository
Alexander M. Bracken Library
2000 W. University Avenue
Muncie Indiana USA
765-285-5078
libarchives@bsu.edu
