If your work activities do not take you near or into MASC, you may not have had occasion to meet Larry Stark. He spends a good deal of his time deep in the Library's foundations in an area frequented by few people. Larry is an archivist for the Library, and his work requires low public circulation and focused lighting. His neighbor in this work area is Gudrun Aurand, WSU Libraries' conservator, whose work also requires the darker, quieter atmosphere of this secluded place.

Larry began his library career 30 years ago as a student when he apprenticed in the archives at Holland Library for several years. Once he received his degree in U.S. History he was able to use his library experience to pursue various unique positions around the state: in Spokane, Ellensburg, and Olympia. As an employee of the Washington State Government he worked on "special projects," which meant researching, writing, indexing and editing grant proposals and publications, both as a self-employed individual and an employee. He also taught at a Junior College before returning to WSU to study for a PhD (U.S. History emphasizing 19-20th centuries).

He officially began work in MASC in August 1986, and today holds a position with the unique title of Assistant Archivist. His primary role is to collect WSU official documents, in compliance with the State Records Law. Documents, in the forms of unpublished papers, correspondence, brochures, pamphlets, photographs, videos, and film as well as theses and dissertations, come from all campuses and include items from the President's, Deans', departmental, and non-academic offices. Larry orders and inventories the records, and files them as part of the University's historical record. During his work day he is often faced with a multitude of boxes filled with important and unique items, often times gifts or special Library acquisitions, which need to be accounted for and distributed. There are times, however, when he is in the public domain as a good amount of time is spent assisting researchers to find materials. He also does what he calls "gap plugging," that is he fills in where necessary so that MASC can fulfil its goals.

When not at work, Larry might be found at a local fishing spot, Rock Lake, WA, as he likes sport fishing. He also appreciates classical music. In keeping with his professional background, Larry is editor for a small county history magazine, Bunchgrass Historian, with a publication rate of three issues per year. On campus he enjoys service with the Historic Preservation Committee, a group which maintains the historical features of University buildings 50 years and older.

Larry says of his position at MASC that it provides him "with opportunities to meet interesting people and assist with challenging research" which he finds enjoyable and stimulating. About 60% of his clientele are advanced degree students working on regionally oriented projects. But the other 40% is made up of University scholars and dignitaries, people from other scholarly institutions, politicians, athletes, journalists, and people in the news, all searching for hard-to-find facts about the region and/or the University.

To find out more about the role of the archives, please visit Larry's page on the MASC site at MASC Archives.

ras 10/28/99