North Carolina State University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Department of Communication Services Records 1926-2022

Summary
Contents
Names/subjects
Using these materials
Please note that some historical materials may contain harmful content and/or descriptions. Learn how we’re addressing it.
Creator
North Carolina State University. Department of Communication Services
Size
185.5 linear feet (508 cardboxes, 25 cartons, 42 archival boxes, 1 legal archival box); 748.861 gigabytes; 12184 files; 2 websites
Call number
UA 100.099
Access to materials

Collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access will require additional advanced notice. Copies of unrestricted digital files will be provided for use in the SCRC Reading Room upon request. Access will be provided to use copies of unrestricted digital files rather than carrier media, such as CDs, DVDs, and floppy disks.

The Department of Communication Services Records contain correspondence and memoranda, reports, news releases, clippings, subject files, plans of work and annual reports, an extensive collection of photographs, negatives, slides, and CD-ROMs and related material concerning the work of the department. Materials range in date from 1926 to 2012.

The Department of Communication Services provided communication leadership and innovation for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to further the mission of North Carolina State University. The department delivered timely, accurate, research-based information to improve the quality of life for citizens of North Carolina, facilitated the effective transfer of information between clients and their audiences, trained and advised clients in effective communications, and provided communications services.

By 2013, Communication Services was no longer a department under the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. It merged with Creative Services to become one of the three units under University Communications. The other units are News Services and Web Communications.

Biographical/historical note

The Smith-Lever Act of 1914 not only provided for a cooperative system of "in the field" extension and demonstration activities, but also made provisions for those activities to be made available to those unable to attend such activities. For the most part, this meant the printing of regular or semi-regular publications. At North Carolina State, such work effectively began with the hiring of Frank H. Jeter in 1914 as agricultural editor. Jeter oversaw the creation of the journal Extension Farm-News in 1915, and quickly expanded the service to the point that, during the 1915-16 school year, his presses were turning out 75,000 items per month. Agricultural communication took the next step when the first radio broadcasts were produced during 1922, and the 1950s saw College agricultural personnel take to the television airwaves to reach even wider audiences. The department has undergone multiple name changes over the years and became the Department of Communication Services in 1998.

The Department of Communication Services provided communication leadership and innovation for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to further the mission of North Carolina State University. The department delivered timely, accurate, research-based information to improve the quality of life for citizens of North Carolina, facilitated the effective transfer of information between clients and their audiences, trained and advised clients in effective communications, and provided communications services.

By 2013, Communication Services was no longer a department under the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. It merged with Creative Services to become one of the three units under University Communications. The other units are News Services and Web Communications.

Department Heads
1914 – 1955
Frank H. Jeter
1956 – 1959
O. B. Copeland
1959 – 1980
William L. Carpenter
1980 – 1993
David M. Jenkins
1994 – 1995
June M. Brotherton
1995 – 1997
Thomas W. Knecht
1998 – 2003
William M. Gray
2004 – 2009
Dee Shore
2010 -
Mark Dearmon

Scope/content

The Department of Communication Services Records contain correspondence and memoranda, reports, news releases, clippings, subject files, plans of work and annual reports, an extensive collection of photographs, negatives, slides, and CD-ROMs and related material concerning the work of the department. Materials range in date from 1926 to 2012.

Arrangement

This collection is divided into five series: Papers, Negatives and CD-ROMs, Photographs, Slides, and Born Digital. Within the Papers series, materials are arranged in the order received. The materials in the Negatives and CD-ROMs series are arranged by ID number (and therefore chronologically) and include a switch to digital around 2002. The materials in the Photographs series are arranged alphabetically by title. The materials in the Slides series are arranged according to the guides to the slide collection, and the items in the Born Digital series are arranged in the order received.

Use of these materials

The nature of the NC State University Libraries' Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The NC State University Libraries claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials.

The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which North Carolina State University assumes no responsibility.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], North Carolina State University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Department of Communication Services Records, UA 100.099, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC

Related material

Related Materials

Related Material

Source of acquisition

Papers transferred from North Carolina State University, Department of Communication Services.

Photographs and Negatives likely transferred from North Carolina State University, Department of Communication Services. These were previously part of UA 23: University Archives Photograph Collection.

Processing information

Processed by: Special Collections staff; Laura Abraham, 2009; Stephanie Barnwell 2011 November; machine-readable finding aid created by: Steven Mandeville-Gamble; Finding aid updated by Laura Abraham, 2009 July; Cate Putirskis, 2009 July; Stephanie Barnwell, 2011 November; Unprocessed Series processed by Cathy Dorin-Black, Jessica Watkins, Will Maness, Tyler Ellis, and Manning Peeler ; Finding aid updated to reflect processing by Cathy Dorin-Black, 2016 March; Digital materials processed by Jessica Rayman, 2016 November and December, Todd Kosmerick and Cathy Dorin-Black, 2017 February-March, and Taylor de Klerk, 2017 September-October; finding aid updated by Gevorg Vardanyan, 2023 June; Additional digital materials processed by William Boyer, 2023 August.

Please note that some historical materials may contain harmful content and/or descriptions. Learn how we’re addressing it.

The collection is organized into six principal series:

Please note that some historical materials may contain harmful content and/or descriptions. Learn how we’re addressing it.

Access to the collection

Collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access will require additional advanced notice. Copies of unrestricted digital files will be provided for use in the SCRC Reading Room upon request. Access will be provided to use copies of unrestricted digital files rather than carrier media, such as CDs, DVDs, and floppy disks.

For more information contact us via mail, phone, or our web form.

Mailing address:
Special Collections Research Center
Box 7111
Raleigh, NC, 27695-7111

Phone: (919) 515-2273

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], North Carolina State University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Department of Communication Services Records, UA 100.099, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC

Use of these materials

The nature of the NC State University Libraries' Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The NC State University Libraries claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials.

The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which North Carolina State University assumes no responsibility.