Donation preserves important Vermont grassroots legacy for researchers and future generations
VermontBiz Today, The University of Vermont Libraries’ Silver Special Collections Library, celebrated a newly acquired and exciting collection now available to researchers – the Vermont Public Interest Research Group’s (VPIRG) historic archives. Stewardship of the collection preserves insights into VPIRG’s legacy of civic engagement and support of the democratic process in Vermont. The new collection was celebrated with remarks and a sneak peek on Wednesday October 1, at the Special Collections Library.
Photo: Hand-written meeting notes, protest photos and an VPIRG self-inking stamp that says “Stamp Big Money Out of Policitcs” are among the objects in the VPIRG collection given to the UVM Silver Special Collections Library. Courtesy photos.
“It is so fitting that the UVM Special Collections Library will serve as keepers of the history and memories of this important Vermont advocacy group started by UVM students over 50 years ago,” said Bridget Burke, Director of Special Collections, “UVM began archiving VPIRG records in 1997. This addition of more than fifty boxes makes decades of VPIRG’s history of accessible advocacy available in the Libraries. We look forward to UVM and Vermont community members working with this collection and delving into the history of civic engagement in Vermont.”
On hand to celebrate the handoff of this rich history to its new home were members of the libraries, current VPIRG staff members and current members of the VPIRG club at UVM. Speakers included Bridget Burke, director, Silver Special Collections Library, Katie Erbe, president, VPIRG Club at UVM, Paul Burns, executive director, VPIRG, Leigh Seddon, former UVM student member of VPIRG.
Photo: Images from two of VPIRG’s well-known campaigns. The photographs from VPIRG's "no utility bailout" campaign depict protesters at the Vermont State House supporting the Vermont Public Interest Research Group's 2012 effort to prevent state regulators from allowing utilities to charge ratepayers to recover bailout money. The campaign's success led to a law requiring utilities to return any bailout funds to ratepayers without increasing rates to cover the repayment. Also pictured, a renewable energy brochure. Courtesy photos.
The collection itself includes a range of internal documents, advocacy notes, campaign materials, publications, letters, research data, posters and mementos from Vermont’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization. Guests at today’s event could see vintage posters from many of the public-interest campaigns VPIRG championed, such as the assemblance of more than 30,000 petitions in support of GMO labeling and its decades-long push for the Vermont Senate to retire the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant.
Photo: Artifacts from collection box #33 – a photo contact sheet, posters, pamphlets, self-inking stamp that says “Stamp Big Money Out of Policitcs”-- all indicative of items in the collection and materials created by VPIRG over their decades of community engagement and activism. Courtesy photos.
Of note in the collection are VPIRG’s charter documents as a student group at UVM; the legal history of Randall v. Sorrell, the challenge to Vermont’s campaign finance law that went all the way to the United States Supreme; historical photos of events where VPIRG had a presence (even a black and white photo contact sheet depicting Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders at an event); and history and artifacts from VPIRG’s decades-long efforts to protect the environment and promote clean energy.
“These archives represent not just papers and posters,” said VPIRG executive director Paul Burns, “but the raw material of grassroots democracy in action. The notes scribbled at late-night meetings, the flyers handed out in the cold, the letters to legislators, the data that fueled debates—all of it is evidence of how change actually happens.”
The VPIRG historical collection is accessible by the public for their research. Investigations might include tracing the evolution of public discourse, analyzing grassroots activism, or evaluating VPIRG's long-lasting impact on legislation and public opinion.
The UVM community, Vermont community and non-regional researchers can interact with the collection by emailing the Silver Special Collections Library at [email protected].
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ABOUT UVM
Since 1791, the University of Vermont has worked to move humankind forward. UVM’s strengths align with the most pressing needs of our time: the health of our societies and the health of our environment. Our size—large enough to offer a breadth of ideas, resources, and opportunities, yet intimate enough to enable close faculty-student mentorship across all levels of study—allows us to pursue these interconnected issues through cross-disciplinary research and collaboration. Providing an unparalleled educational experience for our students, and ensuring their success, are at the core of what we do. As one of the nation’s first land grant universities, UVM advances Vermont and the broader society through the discovery and application of new knowledge.
UVM is derived from the Latin Universitas Viridis Montis (in English, University of the Green Mountains).
ABOUT UVM LIBRARIES SILVER SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
The Special Collections Library is one of three libraries under UVM Libraries and is open to the public. Silver Special Collections stewards and shares our collective story as Vermonters. The library provides access to materials relating to the history and culture of Vermont and holds the archives of the University.
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