Tiah Edmunson-Morton is Outreach and Instruction Archivist, and Curator of the Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives (OHBA) in the Special Collections and Archives Research Center (SCARC) at Oregon State University Libraries. This interview was conducted in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of OHBA's founding in 2013.
In the interview, Edmunson-Morton discusses her upbringing in Eugene, Oregon; her undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Oregon and Miami University in Oxford, Ohio; the formal archival training that she received at San Jose State University; and her first archival position at Lane Community College. The interview then shifts to Edmunson-Morton's hire as a classified employee within the University Archives at OSU, and her memories of how her work and classification shifted both prior to and following the creation of SCARC in 2011.
The primary focus of the session from there is a detailed discussion of the founding and growth of OHBA. In this, Edmunson-Morton reflects on OHBA's origin story, its early cornerstone collections, and the important role that oral history has played in developing a record of hops and brewing in Oregon. She likewise discusses outreach activities including her authorship of The Brewstorian blog; her extensive work in the classroom, including providing support for and ultimately leading an OSU course on beer history; her professional connection with archeology; and her interactions with renowned USDA hops scientist Al Haunold.
As the interview nears its conclusion, Edmonson-Morton discusses her scholarly interest in pre-Prohibition women connected to Oregon's early brewing industry, a subject that she is expanding upon for a forthcoming book. The session ends with Edmunson-Morton's thoughts on the future of OHBA and her points of pride looking back on a decade of collection building.
The interview was conducted by Chris Petersen for inclusion in the Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives Oral History Collection (OH 035), Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries.
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