October is Archives Month at Oregon State University, and the library’s Special Collections & Archives Research Center is holding events throughout the month to promote its historical collections.

Archives Month has been celebrated at OSU every October since 2006. This year, the events began with an open house showcasing the university’s Hops and Brewing archive. Later in the month, SCARC featured the “Women’s Words: Women’s Work” exhibit, which shows the history of women at OSU. Although October is nearly over, there are still two free events open for anyone to attend.

SCARC, which was formed in 2011, focuses on collecting material from these six areas: History of OSU, the History of Science, Natural Resources, Multiculturalism in Oregon, Hops and Brewing History and Rare Books. It is also home to The OSU Queer Archives, a newer archive established in 2014.

OSQA is holding its third annual “Glitter in the Archives” event on Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. in the SCARC reading room. Visitors will be provided with traditional crafting supplies as well as copies of archival material from the OSQA collection to use in their creations.

In the past, participants have created collages and pins out of the materials. This year, the event will be held in collaboration with the Craft Center to allow for even more crafting opportunities.

According to Natalia Fernández, curator and archivist of the Oregon Multicultural Archives and OSU Queer Archives, the goal of OSQA is not only to collect past experiences of LGBTQ+ communities, but also to preserve current experiences.

“Glitter in the Archives is a fun opportunity for people to express how they are feeling in the current moment through art, and OSQA is incredibly privileged to be able to document those artistic expressions,” Fernández said via email.

Another upcoming event is the 12th annual “Taste of the ‘Chives,” a historic recipe cooking event that will be held Oct. 31 at noon in the Willamette Rooms. This year’s event is called the Great Beaver Bake Off since the focus will be on baked goods. According to Tiah Edmunson-Morton, curator of the Hops & Brewing Archives and Instruction and Outreach archivist, this year’s bake-off is a fun, creative challenge that brings people together.

“When we started the Taste of the ‘Chives in 2006 we wanted it to be a fun, community outreach event where people could come together to share their creations,” Edmunson-Morton said via email.

For those needing inspiration, SCARC posts historic recipes on their blog. These recipes often come from the center’s collection. According to Edmunson-Morton, the College of Home Economics Records, Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletins, and other recipes in home management books tend to be good sources. She also draws from the library’s collection of circulating books.

Edmunson-Morton can recall many favorite dishes from this event in past years.

“In 2013 we had a ‘cooking with beer’ theme, which was probably my favorite because of the number of hearty stews,” Edmunson-Morton said via email.

Participants are also encouraged to show their spirit at this event by dressing up as their favorite baked good.

Learn more about these events on the Archives Month website, or stop by the fifth floor of the Valley Library between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.