Scope and Contents
The collection contains Beck's research files with information gathered or produced during the writing of the work, Opal: A Life of Enchantment, Mystery, and Madness.
Included in the collection are copies of correspondence regarding Opal Whiteley from people who knew her, during the early to mid 1900s. There are also copies of letters, diaries, poetry and other writings by Whiteley herself.
In addition, the collection also contains transcripts of interviews with people who knew Whiteley. There are also interviewed on audio cassettes and CDs.
The collection also contains draft manuscripts and edited versions of the biography, as well as galleys.
Dates
- 1911-2002
Creator
- Beck, K. K. (Person)
- Whiteley, Opal Stanley (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time. Collection includes sound recordings, moving images, and digital files to which access is restricted. Access to these materials is governed by repository policy and may require the production of listening or viewing copies. Researchers requiring access must notify Special Collections and University Archives in advance and pay fees for reproduction services as necessary.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.
Biographical / Historical
Kathrine Beck, a novelist who writes under the name K. K. Beck, researched and wrote a biographical account of Opal Whiteley, an Oregonian woman whose controversial childhood diary was published in 1920.
Beck researched Whiteley's life, conducting interviews with people who knew her, and also consulted the collection of Whiteley's personal papers held in Special Collections at University of Oregon.
The book, Opal: A Life of Enchantment, Mystery, and Madness, was published in 2003.
Extent
5.5 linear feet (4 containers)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Kathrine Beck, a novelist who writes under the name K. K. Beck, researched and wrote a biography of Opal Whiteley titled, Opal: A Life of Enchantment, Mystery, and Madness (2003). The collection (1911-2002) contains research files, correspondence, manuscripts, and interviews gathered or produced during the writing of the Opal Whiteley biography.
Arrangement
Material within this collection may have little to no intellectual or physical arrangement. Any arrangement may have derived from the records' creators or custodians. It may be necessary to look in multiple places for the same types of materials.
Physical Description
3 record storage boxes, and 1 flat box.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Katie Boyer (2007), and Tanya Parlet (2013).
This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
This collection received a basic level of processing including minimal to no organization and rehousing.
Description information is drawn in part from information supplied with the collection and initial surveys of the contents.
- Authors, American -- 20th century -- Biography Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Beck, K. K.
- Beck, K. K.
- Biographers -- United States Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Biography as a literary form Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Correspondence Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Diaries Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Interviews Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Manuscripts for publication Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Naturalists -- United States -- Biography Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Oregon -- Biography Subject Source: Lcnaf
- Orléans, House of
- Poetry Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Princesses -- France -- Miscellanea Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Whiteley, Opal Stanley
- Whiteley, Opal Stanley
- Whiteley, Opal Stanley
- Women authors, American -- 20th century -- Biography Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women biographers -- United States Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women naturalists -- United States -- Biography Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Guide to the Kathrine Beck Papers
- Status
- Complete Description
- Author
- Tanya Parlet.
- Date
- 2013
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English
- Sponsor
- Funding for production of this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
Repository Details
Part of the University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives Repository
