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Eastern Communication Association records

 Collection
Identifier: SPEC-098

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of records for the Eastern Communication Association ranging from 1910 to 2010. These records include constitutions, by-laws, correspondence, and other administrative records; Executive Council and committee records; officer and membership records; convention planning records; financial records; organizational newsletters, periodicals, and other publications; photographs; audio and video recordings; and other records documenting the professional and administrative activities of the organization. Also included in this collection are records from other local, state, regional, and national speech and forensic organizations including the Eastern Forensic Association, New England Speech Conference, New England Forensics Conference, New York State Speech Association, and the Speech Association of America.

Dates

  • 1910 - 2010

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

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.

Administrative History

The Eastern Communication Association was initially established as non-profit organization in 1910 and continues as the oldest professional communication association in the United States. The organization's members participate in state, regional, and national activities related to speech, forensics, and communication theory. The stated purpose of the organization is "to promote the study, criticism, research, teaching and application of the artistic, humanistic and scientific principles of communication." Membership in the organization is open to any person or institution interested in promoting the organization's purposes but ECA especially serves persons and institutions within the states, commonwealths, federal districts, and territories of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

The name of the organization has undergone several changes over the years. It was established in 1910 as the Conference of Instructors of Public Speaking in the Colleges of Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, District of Colombia, and Southern New York. Sometime between 1910 and 1914, the name was simplified to the Public Speaking Conference of New England and the North Atlantic States. In 1914, it became known as the Eastern Public Speaking Conference, and in 1950 the organization was renamed the Speech Association of the Eastern States. Finally, in 1973 it became known as the Eastern Communication Association.

The ECA has published a variety of periodicals during its history including Today's Speech,The Bulletin,Communication Quarterly, and various organizational newsletters.

Source: "About ECA--History," Eastern Communication Association. http://www.ecasite.org/aws/ECA/pt/sp/p_about_history (last accessed May 20, 2015)

Extent

14.5 Cubic Feet (35 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Arranged in the following series and subseries:



Series 1: Administrative records, 1934-2002



Series 2: Financial records, 1933-2007



Series 3: Executive Council and committee records, 1910-2006



Series 4: Membership records, 1934-2007



Series 5: Convention planning records, 1920-2008



Series 6: Publications, 1923-2010



Series 7: Other speech and communication organization records, 1913-1983



Subseries 7.1: Local, state, regional, and national organizations, 1940-1983

Subseries 7.2: Eastern Forensic Association, 1950-1972

Subseries 7.3: New England Forensic Conference, 1950-1962

Subseries 7.4: New England Speech Conference, 1913-1973



Series 8: Photographs, 1936-1993

Series 9: Audio recordings, undated

Series 10: Video recordings, 1990-1994





Custodial History

This collection was received by Archives and Special Collections as a donation from the Eastern Communication Association on 2014/10/28.

Accruals

Further additions are expected.

Related Archival Materials

Materials relating to this collection may be found in the following collections in Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries, Muncie IN:

SPEC.096: Central States Communication Association records

Processing Information

Collection processing completed 2015/02-17 by Emily Rapoza. EAD finding aid created 2015/05/14 by Emily Rapoza. EAD finding aid revised 2015/05/20 by Brandon Pieczko.

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 Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Alexander M. Bracken Library
2000 W. University Avenue
Muncie Indiana 47306 USA
765-285-5078