LibGuides: Ethics 89S: Long, Strange Trips: Getting Started

Assistant University Archivist for Research Services and Student Engagement

Rebecca Pattillo

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Duke Publications

The Duke Chronicle: Browse or search through issues of the Chronicle from 1905 to May 2000.

See the "Searching the Chronicle and the Chanticleer" tab at the left for tips on how to search the Chronicle.
Browse through issues dating before the concerts to find ads. Browse through issues dating after the concerts for reviews, photo essays, letters to the editor, and more. Note that articles about the concerts won't always be published the following day; you may need to browse through issues from several days after the shows to find articles and photos.
In addition to the digitized issues, the University Archives holds paper copies of the Chronicle as well.
If needed, you can search for articles from May 2000 to the present on the Chronicle's own website. (Click the magnifying glass at the top right of the homepage).

The Chanticleer: Browse or search through the annual Chanticleers (Duke's yearbook) from 1912-2016.

See the "Searching the Chronicle and the Chanticleer" tab at the left for tips on how to search the Chanticleer.
Remember that a volume of the Chanticleer covers the academic year, not the calendar year. The 1978 Chanticleer, for instance, will cover Fall 1977 and Spring 1978.
The Dead and the Jerry Garcia Band performed at other NC colleges and universities, too (like UNC-Chapel Hill)! Here's a collection of digitized yearbooks from other NC schools.

The University Experience: This annual unofficial handbook to Duke student life was published between 1968-1978 by the YM-YWCA, a center of progressive activism on campus. It's a great source for information on Duke's counterculture. Browse digitized issues here.

Archival Collections

The archival materials and collections described here aren't digitized, so you'll need to visit the Rubenstein Library reading room to work with them. There are a couple of quick steps you'll need to complete before visiting the reading room, and you should try to complete those at least 2-3 weekdays before your visit. See the "How Do I Access These Materials?" tab for instructions or contact Rebecca for help!

Note that we may not have photos, videos, posters, or other printed memorabilia for every Grateful Dead concert--that's not uncommon for archives!

Cable 13 videotapes and records, 1976-2009
Cable 13 was Duke's student-run television station.

There's video of the Jerry Garcia Band concert, although the footage may not be great; the original tape was damaged before it came to the University Archives. You'll need to view the footage in the Rubenstein Library reading room. Contact Rebecca to make a plan for this.
For video about student life in general, the 1981-1982 Duke Yearlook--a student-produced video yearbook--might be worth taking a look at. Here's the digitized video. Unfortunately, this was the first Duke Yearlook produced, so there aren't older videos for the years of the earlier concerts.

Duke University Union records, 1954-ongoing
The Union--particularly the Union's Major Attractions Committee (you'll see their records below)--would have been responsible for planning and presenting the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia Band concerts (as well as other concerts on campus). There are folders on the 1982 concert (Box 19) and the proposed 1985 concert (Box 24). Ask Rebecca about locating other documentation about Union concerts in this collection.
Major Attractions Committee records, 1957-1995
The Union's Major Attractions Committee was responsible for bringing major bands, including the Grateful Dead, to Duke. This is where you can find all sorts of details, like ticket sales, band contracts, damage reports, logistical information like stage set-up, etc. Boxes 2 and 3 contain folders on the Dead's and the Jerry Garcia Band's shows (the 1978 folder in Box 3 even contains a few photos!). Box 5 contains a very cool poster from the 1971 show.
University Archives poster collection, 1935-ongoing
Copies of the 1982 Grateful Dead concert poster can be found in Box 7, while copies of the poster from the 1971 show can be found in Box 4 (under the title "Joe College, 1971 April 22-24"). You may also be able to find posters from other similar bands performing at Duke.
University Archives photograph collection, 1861-ongoing
Although this collection won't contain photos from any of the concerts, it does contain envelopes of photos of Wallace Wade Stadium, Cameron Indoor Stadium, and Page Auditorium, as well as photos of student life in the 1970s and 1980s.
Duke University Police Department records, 1955-2001
This collection might not have the most visually striking documentation, but it still might be interesting! The Duke Police provided security and crowd control for the Grateful Dead concerts, so this documentation will detail safety planning, injuries, crowd issues, etc. There's a whole folder on the 1971 Joe College show in Box 14.
Vice President for Student Affairs records, 1923-ongoing
The VP for Student Affairs would have been the senior Duke administrator with oversight of the Union, so they would have been involved in discussions about Grateful Dead concerts (and other concerts planned by the Union.) Within this collection, look for folders about the Major Attractions Committee or the 1971 Joe College Weekend.

Ethics 89S: Long, Strange Trips

Assistant University Archivist for Research Services and Student Engagement

Duke Publications

Archival Collections

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