The Digital Forest

April 22, 2013 at 1:54 pm
By Berett Wilber '14

The Cowling Arboretum is a place that stirs up curiosity in all kinds of people. There are scientists studying the area to discover the fundamental connections that keep it going. There are students looking for a way to get a breath of fresh air from their studies. There are community members who just need somewhere to ski. Because of all of these people and more, the Arboretum is arguably the biggest and most diverse resource that Carleton College is lucky to own. But the big impact of the Arboretum inherently stirs up questions. There are big questions: why do we have an Arboretum in the first place? How did it get here? What is it good for?

And there are smaller questions, like what does the Arboretum look like if you’re flying over it?

Flight View

Or, what are these two men doing?

Men at Work

Luckily, if you’re the kind of person who is curious and ready to explore, we’re happy to offer you a new resource to answer your questions. The Carleton College Cowling Arboretum Archives is a growing digital collection that comprises a variety of historical and contemporary materials relating to the history of the Cowling Arboretum, land management and restoration activities, student projects and staff and faculty research. It includes a wide range of sources and media, including photographs, maps, proposals, reports, unpublished articles, miscellaneous letters and other documents.

If you have questions about the Cowling Arboretum, the Archive can be found in the College’s Digital Collections, which are located on the Gould Arboretum Library website. There’s also a link to it on the front page of the Carleton Cowling Arboretum website, in the navigational links on the left of the page. 

While we are working on making the Archive public, for the moment it still takes a Carleton log-on ID to access it. But if you’re a member of the public and you’re curious about specific materials, get in touch with Arboretum Director Nancy Braker 507-222-4543 or nbraker(@) and she’ll do her best to assist you.

Happy exploring!