East Texas War Information Center Collection
Collection
Identifier: 2008.088
This collection includes publications, brochures, newsletters, posters, maps, ration coupons, speeches, and pamphlets detailing the events of World War II. The collection dates from 1935-1945 with the bulk of the materials dating from the United States' war years of 1942-1945. The files are arranged alphabetically by the name of the distributing or publishing agency that created or commissioned the material. This collection documents the war activities of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and Australia, as well as countries that fell to German occupation. Well- represented among these are Belgium, France, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. Boxes 1-2 contain pamphlets, brochures, speeches, newsletters, and other small items. Boxes 3-7 contain oversize posters. Additional oversize posters, measuring larger than 31x23, are stored in the map cases.
Dates
- 1935-1945, inclusive
- Majority of material found within 1942-1945,
Conditions Governing Use
Items in this collection are protected by applicable copyright laws.
Extent
7 Linear Feet
Biographical / Historical
In 1942, East Texas State Teachers College, now Texas A&M University-Commerce, established the East Texas War Information Center in the college library to collect and provide access to World War II related publications. War Information Centers, also called Defense Information Centers and Victory Information Centers, were established in libraries and schools across the United States. In 1941, the United States Department of Education established the School and College Civilian Morale Service to distribute pamphlets, posters, and other materials published by governmental agencies and private publishers to War Information Centers across the nation. Throughout the course of the war, over 4,000 War Information Centers were established.
Arrangement
The posters, letters, and pamphlets that make up the ETWIC Collection are arranged by size and alphabetically by distributor, publisher, or creator thereunder. The archivist attempted to be as specific as possible when determining the organization or government agency who commissioned the materials. The precise agency behind many of the materials produced by the governments of the United States, Canada, and Great Britain were at times difficult to determine. For example, United States savings bonds posters stamped with the "Government Printing Office" label would be organized under the department who commissioned the poster to be printed, in most cases this would be the United States Treasury Department for savings bonds. If the department or group who commissioned the materials could not be determined, the more generic label was used, such as Government Printing Office or War Information Office.
- Title
- East Texas War Information Center Collection
- Status
- completed
- Author
- Andrea Weddle
- Date
- 4/24/2013
- Description rules
- dacs
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections, Gee Library, Texas A&M University-Commerce Repository
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