Skip to main content Skip to main navigation

Oscar J. Falnes Papers

Call Number

MC.135

Dates

1902-1989, inclusive
; 1917-1985, bulk

Creator

Falnes, Oscar J. (Oscar Julius), 1898-1989

Extent

19.5 Linear Feet in 20 boxes

Language of Materials

Material is in English, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and German.

Abstract

Oscar J. Falnes (1898-1989) was a Minnesota-born professor of history at the Washington Square College campus of New York University from 1927 to 1966. The papers contain Falnes' personal and professional papers including correspondence, teaching materials, drafts, articles and photographs.

Biographical Note

Oscar J. Falnes was born on January 24, 1898, in Wood Lake, Minnesota. He received his A.B. from St. Olaf College in 1921, an M.A. from Stanford University in 1922, and a Ph.D from Columbia University in 1933. In 1927 he joined the faculty of the history department of New York University's Washington Square College. His research specialty was the intellectual and cultural history of Scandinavia, with particular emphasis on the movements of Romanticism, Nationalism, and Imperialism.

In 1941 he took a leave of absence from NYU to join the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) as a coordinator of information, later becoming a senior analyst and head of the Scandinavian-Baltic Research Intelligence Unit. In 1943 he was appointed to the Library of Congress as an associate fellow of the Library on contemporary Scandinavia. In 1944 he joined the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA), where he eventually headed the fellowship program.

He returned to Washington Square College in 1947 and worked in the history department until his retirement as Professor Emeritus in 1966. During that time, he served on several planning and evaluation committees. From 1957 to 1960 he was the assistant chairman of the history department.

During his academic career, Falnes contributed numerous articles to journals, periodicals, and encyclopedias, including the Dictionary of American History and Grolier's Encyclopedia International. He published two books: National Romanticism in Norway (1935) and Norway and the Nobel Peace Prize (1938). Falnes was an active member of various professional societies, including the American-Scandinavian Foundation, the American Association of University Professors and the American Historical Association, of which he served as the program chairman for the 1957 annual meeting.

Oscar Falnes was an avid traveler, taking his car on cross-country trips, and in the process collecting a large number of postcards from the places he visited. He died October 13, 1989, in New York.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into eight series with series 3 further arranged into 2 subseries. The contents of each series and subseries are arranged alphabetically with the exception of Series I, which is arranged according to book size. The series are as follows:

Series I: Books

Series II: Correspondence

Series III: NYU

Series IV: Personal

Series V: Professional

Series VI: Subject Files

Series VII: Writings

Series VIII: Films

Scope and Contents

The collection documents the personal and professional activities of Oscar J. Falnes as a student, professor at NYU, and scholar of Scandinavian history, concentrating on the years 1917 to 1985. Among the records are report cards, yearbooks, and photographs of his friends, family, and travel destinations; lecture materials, exams, and syllabi from his 39-year career as a history professor; notes, drafts, articles, and reports written for publication; and correspondence with editors, students, and professional colleagues.

Conditions Governing Access

Administrative records and unpublished reports of New York University are closed for a period of 20 years from the date of their creation. Access to files spanning multiple years will be opened to researchers based on the date of the most recent materials. Board of Trustees records are closed for 35 years from the date of creation. Materials related to personnel, grievances, job and fellowship searches and applications, and all files that fall under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) are permanently restricted. Additional restrictions may apply to other materials in this collection. For questions regarding specific restrictions, please contact the University Archives.

Conditions Governing Use

Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by Oscar J. Falnes are maintained by New York University. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from New York University Archives. Please contact university-archives@nyu.edu.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date; Oscar J. Falnes Papers; MC 135; box number; folder number; New York University Archives, New York University.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The University Archives received this collection in 1990. The accession associated with this collection is 90,015.

Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures

Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact university-archives@nyu.edu with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Many of the notes in the collection are held together by brittle tape and need to be photocopied.

Collection processed by

University Archives staff. Electronic inventory prepared by Laura Thiessen in 2005. Reprocessed in 2012 by Aleksandr Gelfand

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-20 17:49:18 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information

Decisions regarding arrangement, description, and physical interventions for this collection prior to 2018are unknown. In 2019 memorabilia was rehoused by Preservation and sent to offsite storage.

Revisions to this Guide

June 2019: Updated by Jennifer E. Neal to incorporate materials being sent offsite in 2019 and for compliance with DACS and ACM Required Elements for Archival Description

Note Statement

Republished 9/25/2013

Repository

New York University Archives
New York University Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012