Exhibitions & Programs

Archives & Collections

Ask the Archivist

/assets/images/assets/1/large_herb-headshot.jpgEveryday at the National Steinbeck Center, museum visitors ask a variety of questions about John Steinbeck. “Where did he ….? Can you tell me …?” Volunteer staff field questions and direct museum visitors to specific areas of interest in the Exhibition Hall. But what if you are not at the Center and have a question or are intrigued by John Steinbeck and want to know the facts? Herb Behrens has the answers!

It’s simple to ask Herb questions. Become a Fan of the National Steinbeck Center on facebook.com and post your question on the “wall.” Herb will respond to all questions within 48 hours.

Herb Behrens has been a volunteer archivist at the National Steinbeck Center for about nine years. Before he came to the center, he was an evening manager at the DeAnza College Textbook Department. 

Herb and Colleen

Herb has cataloged the photographs, newspaper clippings, correspondence, oral history tapes and dissertations. Those questions that come to the Center about Steinbeck are usually answered by Herb, although he refuses to write students’ term papers for them! During the Steinbeck Festival, Herb and his wife, Robbie, have conducted tours of the archives and Ed Ricketts’ lab.

Herb volunteers as the archivist for the Center on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Visitors can pre-schedule an in-depth look at the Archives and the background descriptions with Herb. Please contact Herb at admin@steinbeck.org to schedule an appointment.

Research

If you are interested in conducting research or viewing certain parts of the collection not currently on display, please contact the Center to make an appointment well in advance.

Center staff can provide the first hour of research free of charge, after which the charge is $5 an hour.

Gaining Access to the Collection

The Archives: By appointment, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Books and artifacts cannot be loaned out of the museum.

Newspaper collection: By appointment, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This collection is not digitized and is accessed manually, page by page.

Photographs: By appointment, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Depending on the intended use of the photographs, a copyright release may have to be signed.

To make a donation or gift to the Archives please contact Deborah Silguero, Curator of Exhibitions and Collections, or at deborah@steinbeck.org. Please contact Herb Behrens, Archivist, at archives@steinbeck.org to arrange an appointment to access the Collection.

History of the Collection

The Steinbeck Archival Collection

The Collection began in the 1950s with the purchase of several Steinbeck first-edition books. The first major acquisition came in 1964, when former Salinas Californian managing editor Jack Patton presented the Salinas Library with the author’s first editions and an extensive file of Steinbeck-related newspaper and magazine articles dating from the 1930s to the 1950s.

The second major donation of items came from private collector Adrian H. Goldstone, whose Steinbeck first editions and other material have also enhanced the Collection.

Donations have been received from Steinbeck family members, including Elaine Steinbeck, Steinbeck’s widow; Steinbeck’s sisters, Elizabeth Steinbeck Ainsworth, and Esther Rodgers; and John Steinbeck’s sons, Thomas Steinbeck and John Steinbeck IV. The Collection continues to grow thanks to many generous donations by patrons from around the United States and the world.

For detailed information about our Collection, download our Collection Overview. Also available for download the Archive Book List and Archive Stage, Screen, Television and Radio Memorabilia List.