Lovers of beer and history now have an easy way to support the preservation of Oregon beer history. The Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives at Oregon State University Libraries and Press has launched a crowd-funding campaign to generate funds to expand their hops and brewing collection at OSU’s Valley Library in Corvallis.

What exactly is the Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives? In 2013, the OSU Libraries and Press' Special Collections and Archives Research Center established the Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives (OHBA) to preserve the story of hop production and the craft brewing movement in Oregon. OHBA is the first archive in the United States dedicated to preserving and telling the intertwined story of hops and beer. It is a project that documents all facets of the craft brewing industry and unites the social and cultural aspects of brewing with the sciences of OSU. 

According to the archivist for OHBA, Tiah Edmunson-Morton, “We are really proud of all the work we’ve already done highlighting OSU’s archival collections, learning more about OSU’s talented scientists, hosting researchers, working with the public, meeting with the community, and attending a wonderfully wide variety of events and conferences. 

“Now we’re launching an exciting crowd-funding campaign to help support the work of OHBA,” continues Edmunson-Morton, “and we have high hopes of meeting our $5,000 total by the end of October! We are reaching out to the people who have supported us over the past two years and those who have a stake in these industries — together we can do more.” 

The Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives has been able to attract state, national and international attention and been featured in publications as varied as Draft Magazine and Library Journal, as well as on radio programs such as “Think Out Loud” and “Beer Radio.”

More information about OHBA’s crowd-funding effort is available at https://create.osufoundation.org/project/934.

Posted - October 08, 2015