Benjamin “Ben” Murphy, the University of Oregon’s archivist and historian, plays a crucial role in deciding what to include in the University Archives and ensuring their preservation. University Archives, which includes 10,000 linear feet of material documenting the history of the UO, lives within the Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) department in the UO Libraries. In addition to the University Archives, SCUA is home to rich collections including rare books, manuscripts, and audio-visual materials.

Due to his interest in historical research, Ben completed his undergraduate degree in religious studies, followed by a master’s in the same subject. During his graduate program, he began working in his university’s library. Realizing that he was interested in librarianship as a career path, Ben went back to school and earned a master’s in library information science with a certificate in archives and special collections. He joined the University of Oregon in 2023.

Within SCUA, Ben works to appraise and acquire materials related to the university’s history. Sometimes this includes looking through materials produced in offices on campus and determining what should be retained to comply with records management requirements or because material has historic value. Other times he works with faculty to collect materials documenting their teaching and research. Records related to student life and culture are also a crucial part of University Archives, including records from student clubs and organizations, student publications, and photographs.

Once materials are acquired, Ben reviews the collection development policy to determine what should be saved in the archives. Right now, SCUA is specifically interested in acquiring records of:

• Student life and culture, especially things from the last 25 years 
• Collections that document the activities of clubs, cultural organizations, and affinity groups 

Collecting is only part of Ben's job though. Making the collections accessible and known to students is another major aspect of his work. To do this, he works with students from a variety of classes to showcase collections or show them how to do research with primary sources. He occasionally curates exhibits and gives presentations about university history.

Ben uses the collections to answer questions from students, faculty, and the public about the UO’s history. When helping students with research, Ben says that it can be hard to know where to start when using primary sources, which is why he recommends talking to the SCUA faculty and staff. It can take work to truly understand the context of the information and how to use it.

“You have to ask a lot of questions of your sources,” says Ben. “You have to start to ask slightly more nuanced questions, not only who wrote this, but what is their perspective…[Something] you have to always think about when using archival materials is… what is missing… While we do our best to document the history of the university, there are perspectives that are absent, so you have to be thinking that… [the records] might not be telling you the entire story,” he added.

With so many different parts to his job, every day is different for Ben, which he really values. When he isn’t helping others with their research, he’s working on his own research. Currently, he is focused on learning as much as he can about the history of the UO to prepare for the upcoming sesquicentennial in 2026. He loves that working with unique collections allows him constant opportunities to learn and share his knowledge with students and researchers.

Check out Ben Murphy's faculty profile to email him or schedule an appointment to discuss any research questions you may have. 

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