This is the conclusion of a three part series on ways to access the digitized materials of the Vietnam Archive without using the Virtual Vietnam Archive search page (see Part I and Part II).

We have recently posted to our Oral History web page an interview conducted with Mr. Allan Lavelle. Lavelle enjoyed a long career as an aviator and as a foreign language specialist with the U.S. Air Force. He also worked with the U.S. State Department, eventually becoming the Director of Refugees and War Victims in II Corps in South Vietnam under the famous John Paul Vann in the CORDS program. In this interview, Lavelle recounts his experiences in Vietnam, especially his time devoted to caring for Vietnamese and Montangnard refugees in II Corps, working with the hard-charging Vann. Lavelle’s story is one of a remarkable individual who understood the “big picture” of the war, while working tirelessly to aid the most helpless victims of the conflict.

Lavelle passed away at his home in San Antonio, Texas, on 15 June 2008.

Link: Allan Lavelle Interview

Last week, I started a post on Ways to Access the Digitzed Materials of the Vietnam Archive. This is a continuation of that series.

Look for conclusion of this series later this week.

Did you know that there are a number of ways to access the digitized materials of the Vietnam Archive other than through the Virtual Vietnam Archive search page?

One way to access digital materials, or just to browse through the holdings of the Vietnam Archive, is through the Browse the Collections page. This section of our website contains alphabetical listings of all of the collections in the Vietnam Archive (arranged by last name for individuals, or first word for other collection types). Each browse page contains some basic information about the collection, including a Scope and Content note (when available) that provides an overview of what the collection contains. There is also a link to the full finding aid for the collection (a finding aid is basically an inventory of the collection). When materials from a particular collection have been digitized, links will be provided at the bottom of the finding aid to the digital materials. Please note, though, that due to system limitations, these links will only generate up to 250 records. To access the remainder of a collection, you will have to utilize the Virtual Archive search page. Additionally, the finding aid will have a link to an oral history if one has been conducted with the donor of the collection. A link to Browse the Collections can be found on our homepage.

Speaking of Oral Histories, there is also a Browse the Oral History Interviews page (link available on the homepage). This page is arranged alphabetically by last name of the interviewee, includes a description of each interview, and links to listen to the audio of the interview and/or a transcript, when available. In addition to the browse pages, there are also pages listing just interviews or collections added within the last few months.

I’ll post more ways to access digital materials here next week. (see Part II, Part III)

A delegation from Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training visited Texas Tech University today to discuss plans to bring 100 Vietnamese students to TTU annually for graduate programs. The Vietnam Center and Archive was the first stop of a day packed with meetings and tours. After a presentation on our mission and our projects and partnerships in Vietnam, the delegation spent time viewing and photographing the Tram diaries. More information about the visit and the role of the Vietnam Center and Archive in Texas Tech’s interactions with Vietnam can be found here.

To assist frequent users of our site with staying on top of new additions to the Virtual Vietnam Archive, as well as updated items, a RSS feed of new and updated records has been created. This feed will update automatically at 5:00am (-0600 GMT) Tuesday-Saturday and will list items added to the Virtual Vietnam Archive the day before. Additionally, any existing records that have been updated, such as collection Finding Aids, Oral Histories, or Audio or Moving Image records, will be listed as well. Each RSS item listing will include the title of the item, some basic information about the item, and a link to a more complete record for the item, including links to the digitized version for non-copyrighted materials. Please note that the RSS feed does not include a direct link to download the item, just a link to a page where you can download the item, if available.
Using this feed will allow users to view new and updated records without having to go through the Virtual Vietnam Archive search engine.

More information about the RSS feed can be found on the About the Blog and RSS feed page, or you can .

The Spring issue of the Friends of the Vietnam Center newsletter is now available for download on the Vietnam Center newsletters page.

The Friends of the Vietnam Center newsletter is a quarterly publication produced by the Vietnam Center and Archive. Articles are written by our staff and include information about our various activities such as conferences, exhibits, and our annual study abroad student trip to Southeast Asia as well as updates on our Oral History project, Archive holdings, and the Virtual Vietnam Archive. If you would like to receive a printed copy of our newsletter, please follow the instructions listed on our membership form available by clicking here. Ten dollars a year is all it takes to begin receiving our high quality full color newsletter in your mailbox. We appreciate your support!

Summer is an excellent time to travel, visit friends and perhaps do a little research at the Vietnam Archives on the Texas Tech University campus. We love to welcome researchers into our facility and truly enjoy seeing people using our collections for their projects. However, during the summer the reference room operates on a different schedule from the fall and spring semesters. The reference room is open Monday through Friday from 9 – 5, Saturday from 9 – 1 and is closed on major holidays. See the Southwest Collection Reference Room Hours page to keep updated on the reference room schedule and holidays to be sure you don’t plan your trip during a time when the facility is closed. And as always you can contact us at vietnamarchive@ttu.edu if you have any questions or need help with your research projects.

On June 6, Vietnam Center Director Steve Maxner, along with Dr. Ron Milam and Mr. Khanh Le departed for Hanoi, Vietnam with six TTU students for a Study Abroad program through Southeast Asia. During the four-week trip, the students will visit historic and cultural sites in Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam; Vientiane, Laos; Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Angkor Wat, Cambodia; and Bangkok, Thailand. While on the trip, our Tech students will have opportunities to meet with Vietnamese college students, government officials, and other friends of the Vietnam Center. The group will return to the States the first week of July. For more information about this program, visit Study Abroad at Texas Tech website.