Ecological Monographs

uaoosting Initial Inventory of the Henry J. Oosting Papers, 1937-1968 Machine-readable finding aid created by: Jill Katte University ArchivesDuke University

Durham, N.C., U.S.A.

Aleph Number: 003205742

Machine-readable finding aid derived from XML authoring program. Date of source: December 2002 Finding aid written in English 05-01-2006 PUBLIC "-//Duke University::Univeristy Archives//TEXT (US::ndd::::Henry J. Oosting papers)//EN" uaoosting.xml converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02.xsl (sy2003-10-15).Also, the top level of the finding aid (above the dsc) was changed to conform to the NC EAD Best Practice Guidelines. Within the dsc, dates for series were normalized. Initial Inventory of the Henry J. Oosting Papers, 1937-1968 Duke University

Descriptive Summary University Archives, Duke University Oosting, Henry J. (Henry John), 1903-1968. Henry J. Oosting papers, 1937-1968 Material in English 5,000 Items, 6.7 linear feet For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Duke University Archives. Correspondence, field notes, writings,photographs and other subject files of Henry J. Oosting, Professor of Botany and Chairman of the Department of Botany at Duke University from 1931 to 1962. Major subjects include the ecology of virgin forests, vegetation on bare rocks, maritime vegetation in the Southeastern United States, North Carolina vegetation, the 1937 Louise A. Boyd expedition to Greenland with the American Geographical Society, the Victory Garden project in Durham, N.C., the Ecological Society of America, and the serial Ecological Monographs. Administrative Information Access Restrictions

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Stored off-site; 24 hours advance notice is required for use.

Acquisitions Information

Received from Department of Botany, May 26, 1994. Accession UA2007-0019 was received in June 2007 from former professor Dwight Billings. The diary was gifted in 1993.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Henry J. Oosting Papers, University Archives, Duke University.

Use Restrictions

Copyright for official University records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Processing Information

Processed by Jill Katte, June 2002

Encoded by Jill Katte, December 2002

Updated by Sherrie Bowser, June 2007

Updated by Kim Sims, September 2011

This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.

Biographical Note

Henry John Oosting, Professor of Botany and Chairman of the Department of Botany, worked at Duke University from 1931 to 1962. He was born March 12, 1903 in Holland, Michigan to John H. and Minna Oosting. He earned an A.B. from Hope College in 1925, an M.S. from Michigan State College in 1927, and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1931. Oosting joined the faculty of the Department of Botany at Duke University in 1931, and later served as Chairman of the Department. His research interests included the ecology of virgin forests, vegetation on bare rocks, maritime vegetation in the Southeastern United States, and North Carolina vegetation. In 1937, he served as ecologist for the Louise A. Boyd expedition to Greenland with the American Geographical Society, and he directed the Victory Garden project in Durham, N.C. in 1943. Oosting actively participated in the Ecological Society of America and edited the serial Ecological Monographs. Oosting retired from Duke University around 1962; he died on October 30, 1968.

Scope and Content Note

The papers include correspondence, field notes, and other research notes of Henry J. Oosting. The collection is representative of Oosting's research in forest ecology, vegetation on bare rocks, and plants of North Carolina. The papers also document his participation in the 1937 Louise A. Boyd Expedition to Greenland, his participation in the governance and research of the Highlands Biological Station (Highlands, N.C.), and his participation in the Ecological Society of America. Much of the correspondence is between Oosting and colleagues at Duke University, including H. L. Blomquist and Lewis R. Anderson; colleagues throughout the United States; and former graduate students. Other files include family correspondence, as well as reports and correspondence from the Duke University Research Council, 1951-ca. 1963.

In June 2007 accession UA2007-0019 was added to the collection. This accession includes photographs from the 1937 Louise A. Boyd Expedition to Greenland. Subjects featured are glaciers; Kjerulf Fjord; Tromso, Norway; Jan Mayen Island; Cape Alfred; Clavering Isle; landscape; and native plants. In addition to the individual photos there are also six annotated photo posters. Photos are by Louise A. Boyd. Also included is Oosting's diary. The diary includes his reactions and observations about his travel to Eastern Greenland and return through England during the summer of 1937 on the Louise A. Boyd Expedition.

Contents of Collection Container List 1 Correspondence Writings Subject files 2 Correspondence Writings 3 Correspondence Subject files 4 Photographs Subject files Manuscript draft of The Study of Plant Communities, 2nd ed. 5 Correspondence 6Photographs - 1937 Louise A. Boyd Expedition to Greenland Diary, 1937 Clippings, 1937 (in Swedish)