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Summary

Abstract:
The papers of Jackson Davis document his environmental activism and work with environmental organizations.
Extent:
9.83 cubic ft.
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, Jackson Davis Papers, 1952-1997. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York (hereafter referred to as the Davis Papers).

Background

Scope and Content:

The papers of Jackson Davis document his environmental activism and work with environmental organizations. The collection consists of publications, minutes, notes, news clippings, and memoranda from local and regional environmental groups Davis has worked with, as well as a collection of subject files created by Davis relating to a wide variety of environmental topics. Also included are a collection of Davis' bibliographical projects and a number of environmental health publications collected by Davis' father, Dr. H. Jackson Davis, Sr. Dr. Davis served as health commissioner in Rensselaer County and is represented in this collection by some of his collected publications.

Jackson Davis worked for a number of organizations doing bibliographical research. Much of the material in the collection was created through the collection of sources and compiling of bibliographies. Part of Davis' research process was the listing of subject headings, in general or in Library of Congress format. The Bibliography series contains research on certain environmental topics that have no direct relation to the organizations that Davis worked for. Research materials produced for a specific organization are retained in the appropriate series. There is little biographical information in this collection; instead it's strength is the papers produced and collected by Jackson Davis and the various environmental organizations.

Several collections in the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives provide further information on the environmental issues that were of concern to Davis. For a complete list of related collections, see the Conservation and the Environment subject guide. Of particular note are the papers of Robert Reinow (UA-902.009) and Lou Ismay, both of whom were involved in the Environmental Forum while teaching at the State University of New York at Albany.

Biographical / Historical:

Jackson Davis is a native of New York's Capital Region who has been involved with a large number of environmental organizations and enviromental programs at the local and regional level for more than three decades. Davis earned a BA in Science Education in 1964 and an M.L.S. in 1970 from the State University of New York at Albany, as the University at Albany, SUNY was then known. After graduating, Jackson Davis worked as a bibliographer at such organizations as the National Science Foundation Institute for Science Teachers and the State University of New York at Albany Atmospheric Sciences Research Center. In September 1971 he became an administrator at the Albany County Environmental Advisory Council, which had recently joined with the councils of three other counties to form the Four County Recycling Committee. Davis' work there was research on such topics as solid waste recycling and the creation and protection of open space areas including the Albany Pine Bush. Additional Information about Davis' employment history is available in Series 8.

During the early 1970s, Jackson Davis participated in the Environmental Forum program at the State University of New York at Albany. This was a public forum that brought local speakers on environmental topics to campus for lectures and a class in the Environmental Studies program. The program began in 1970 and lasted until it was eliminated by budget cuts in 1977.

Jackson Davis has also been involved in the Town of Nassau Conservation Advisory Council. Formed in 1972, this council was responsible for preparing reports and providing advice for the town council. Davis was chair of the advisory council during a controversial proposal to build the Brainard Quarry at Snake Mountain during the mid-1990s. Other organizations represented in the collection include the Futures Group of Glastonbury, Connecticut, for which Davis was a research assistant from 1975-1977, and the New York State Coalition for Local Self Reliance, which promoted sustainable local methods of food production. Other groups that Jackson Davis has worked with, but are not represented in the collection, include the Capital District Regional Planning Commission, the US Coast Guard's Hazardous Waste Amelioration Project, and the Nature Conservancy.

Acquisition information:
All items in this manuscript group were donated to the University Libraries, M.E. Grenander Department Special Collections and Archives, by Jackson Davis in September 2002, October 2004, and November 2004.
Processing information:

Processed in 2005 by Joshua Hauck Whealton and Aimee Morgan.

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into the following series:

  1. Series 1 - Dr. H. Jackson Davis, Sr., 1952, 1954, 1957-1970, Undated
  2. Series 2 - Town of Nassau Conservation Advisory Council, 1967-1997
  3. Series 3 - Albany County Environmental Management Council and Four County Committee on Recycling, 1962, 1965-1966, 1968-1973
  4. Series 4 - Futures Group, 1966-1976
  5. Series 5 - New York State Coalition for Local Self Reliance, 1970-1971, 1973-1979, Undated
  6. Series 6 - Environmental Forum, 1967-1974
  7. Series 7 - Bibliographies, 1965-1985, Undated
  8. Series 8 - Subject Files, 1956-1997, Undated
  9. Series 9 - News Clippings, 1968-1996, Undated

All series are arranged alphabetically, with the exception of Series 9 which is arranged chronologically.

Physical location:
The materials are located onsite in the department.

Contents


Access

Using These Materials

ACCESS:
The archives are open to the public and anyone is welcome to visit and view the collections.
RESTRICTIONS:

Access to this record group is unrestricted.

TERMS OF ACCESS:

The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of copyright. Whenever possible, the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives will provide information about copyright owners and other restrictions, but the legal determination ultimately rests with the researcher. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the Head of Special Collections and Archives.

PREFERRED CITATION:

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, Jackson Davis Papers, 1952-1997. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York (hereafter referred to as the Davis Papers).

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