Albert Gilgen Papers
Scope and Contents
The Albert Gilgen Papers contain the work and teaching materials of Dr. Gilgen, both before and during his time at the University of Northern Iowa. The bulk of the collection relates to his research, publications, and classes he taught. His primary research area was in the history of psychology. An area of particular strength is materials concerning the area of American and Soviet psychology during World War II and the decades that followed.
Series 1, Correspondence, 1957-2009, consists of Gilgen's incoming and outgoing correspondence with various individuals and organizations. Materials include handwritten and typed letters, emails, and postcards. The correspondence covers many subjects, with the bulk concerned with Gilgen's publications and research, ranging from journal articles to book manuscripts. Other letters focus on his time as a Fulbright-Hays lecturer (1971-1972) at University College Galway, including his family's passport photographs; a handful of letters related to joining the UNI faculty in 1973; 50th anniversary materials for Garfield High School's Golden Anniversary (Akron, OH); and early 1990s correspondence concerning the Clinton administration's health care reform efforts in relation to the field of psychology. The majority of this series is business and professional-related with a small amount of personal content. This series is arranged chronologically.
The second series, Subject Files, is arranged alphabetically by subject. Subjects include organizations to which Gilgen belonged, psychology conventions and symposiums, and a few related to Gilgen's time at UNI. Please consult the inventory for the complete list of subjects.
Series 3, Publications, contains nearly 80 of Gilgen's scholarly articles as well as both partial and complete book manuscripts. The first part of this series consists of articles arranged alphabetically by title. The second part of the the series are books and book manuscripts arranged alphabetically by title. Please consult the inventory for a full list.
The fourth series, Classroom Material, focuses on Gilgen's teaching career. It includes transparencies, lecture notes, articles, course progress notes, syllabi, exams and quizzes, study guides, slides, assignment prompts, and more. It is arranged alphabetically.
Series 5, Psychologists & Other Scientists, contains articles, notes, and other sources of information about various psychologists, scholars, and other scientists. The series is alphabetical and is arranged according to Gilgen's original organization of these materials.
The Research Materials series comprises almost half of the collection and contains articles, essays, his notes, references, and citations he used, covering a wide variety of psychology subjects. Types of material include brochures, pamphlets, newsletters, and more. Please see the collection arrangement and inventory for complete information.
The final series in this collection, Citations & Notecards, consist of hundreds of Gilgen's notecards and references, presumably used in the course of his research.
Dates
- 1957-2009
Creator
- Gilgen, Albert R., 1930- (Person)
Language of Materials
Materials primarily in English; some materials are in Russian and Spanish.
Conditions Governing Access
Most materials are open for research. Materials related to the confidentiality of personnel, student, medical, and other legally protected records are CLOSED to researchers for 70 years from the date of creation. Consult the archivist with any questions or concerns.
General Use, Reproduction, and Copyright Policies
Many items housed in the Rod Library Special Collections & University Archives, including unpublished images and manuscripts, may be protected by copyright, publication rights, trademarks, or model release rights which the library does not own and for which the library cannot grant permission or licensing. Materials currently under copyright are usually still available for research and limited reproduction under Fair Use laws. However, it is the sole responsibility of the patron to determine whether or not their use of a given material falls within Fair Use guidelines and to obtain permission for said use from the rightful copyright owner.
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy or similar laws, and the Iowa Open Records Law (see Iowa Code ยง 22.7). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of Northern Iowa assumes no responsibility.
Biographical / Historical
Albert Rudolph Gilgen was born in Akron, Ohio, and graduated from Garfield High School in 1948. He then attended Princeton University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry in 1952. From 1952-1955, Gilgen served in the United States Navy and was dispatched to Korea just as the Korean War was ending. On August 1, 1954, while his ship was in dry-dock for repair, he married Carol Keyes in Oneonta, New York, after having met while he was at Princeton and she at Bryn Mawr. The couple had three children: James, Beth, and Bert.
Upon his Navy discharge, Gilgen attended Kent State University, where he completed his Master of Science degree in psychology. In 1965, he earned his Ph.D. in psychology from Michigan State University. Gilgen was then a professor and researcher at Beloit College in Wisconsin from 1965 to 1973. During a leave from Beloit during the 1971-1972 academic year, he taught at Galway College in Ireland, supported by a Fulbright Award.
In 1973, he was hired as Head of the Psychology Department at the University of Northern Iowa, a position he held until 1993. Gilgen retired from UNI in 2001. Additionally, Gilgen wrote dozens of articles and several books about the history of psychology, many of which are represented in this collection in manuscript form.
Extent
28.13 Linear Feet (24 boxes)
Arrangement
- Series 1: Correspondence
- Series 2: Subject Files
- Series 3: Publications Articles (books & book manuscripts)
- Series 4: Classroom Material
- Series 5: Psychologists & Other Scientists
- Series 6: Research Materials
- Series 7: Citations & Notecards
Processing Information
Collection processed by Library Associate Dave Hoing, June 2016. Updated by Dave Hoing, April and November, 2017 and April 2018 and Archival Processor Tessa Wakefield, April 2019. Linear feet updated August 28, 2017.
- Title
- Albert Gilgen Papers
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script