JON SHAFER:
An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Shafer, Jon, creator. | |
| Title: | Jon Shafer papers. | |
| Dates: | 1968-1990. | |
| Language: | Materials in English. | |
| Abstract: | Correspondence, memoranda, minutes, conference papers, monographs, theses, newspaper clippings, and printed materials documenting a telecommunications expert's work with many governmental and private organizations in developing cable television service and other telecommunications programs. | |
| Quantity: | 2.0 cubic feet (2 boxes). | |
| Location: | See Detailed Description for shelf locations. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Jon Mervin Shafer (1944- ), a Minnesota telecommunications expert, worked with many Minnesota governmental entities and private organizations, that wished to develop internal or public cable television installations.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
The collection contains correspondence, memoranda, minutes, conference papers, monographs, theses, newspaper clippings, and printed materials documenting Shafer's consultation with the following clients: American Friends Service Committee, Citizens League, Greater Metropolitan Federation, Metropolitan Council, Metropolitan Library Service Agency, Minnesota Public Interest Research Group, Minnesota Student Association, Science Museum of Minnesota, the University of Minnesota, and the municipalities of Bemidji, Fridley, Jonathan, Model City (Minneapolis community), New Brighton, and Winona.
Files contain information on controversies surrounding the granting of cable franchises, community involvement in the franchising process, and the effects of telecommunications on communities and on individual citizens. Cable controversies and programs described in some detail include the American Friends Service Committee (1970-1973) with correspondence, memoranda and proposals; a protracted controversy surrounding the City of Fridley's cable ordinance (1971-1973); the Metropolitan Council's cable programs (1972-1975) including the minutes of its advisory committee on telecommunications; Minneapolis' Model City cable program (1971-1973); and Minnesota cable television-related legislative actions (H.F. 1318 and S.F. 1283) including newspaper clippings (1973).
There are also records of a number of cable and television conferences including the Aspen Program on Communications and Society (1972); Communiversity II (Minneapolis, 1972); Potential of Public Television (Spring Hill, 1974); and a conference on communications at the University of Minnesota (1972).
Found throughout the files are a number of theses, monographs, and papers on telecommunications by Joseph Hawkins, Kathy Kamman, Jennifer L. Wilder, and Mary Williams. Information on the disputed nuclear power plant in Tyrone, Wisconsin and a few items on the Minnesota power line dispute (1977) is also included.
A small group of Shafer's personal papers includes correspondence on cable television with his associates in other parts of the country, copies of his own monographs and conference papers, transcripts of testimony at legislative hearings, and similar files.
The rest of the collection consists of newspaper clippings (1971-1982) and miscellaneous printed materials on various aspects of telecommunications (1971-1979).
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Shafer, Jon Mervin, Jon Shafer papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 14,844; 16,745
Processing Information:
Processed by: Kathryn A. Johnson, March 1993; David B. Peterson, June 2013.
Catalog ID number: 990017293270104294
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| Box | |||||||||||
| 143.B.9.8F | 1 | Biographical information. | |||||||||
| American Friends Service Committee Cable TV: | |||||||||||
| Cable proposals, 1972. | |||||||||||
| Memoranda, 1972-1973. | |||||||||||
| New media proposals, 1970-1973. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence and miscellaneous papers, 1971-1973. | |||||||||||
| Anderson, Wendell R.: Cable TV study, 1972-1973. | |||||||||||
| Aspen program on communications and society, 1973. | |||||||||||
| Bemidji (Minn.) cable ordinances, 1968-1973. | |||||||||||
| Buckeye Cablevision, Inc. (Toledo, Ohio), 1971-1972. | |||||||||||
| Citizens League, 1972-1978. | |||||||||||
| Columbia (S.C.) cable franchise, 1972-1973. | |||||||||||
| Community-One, New Brighton (Minn.), 1972. | |||||||||||
| Community Video Center, Minneapolis, 1972-1974. | |||||||||||
| Communiversity II Conference, Minneapolis, 1972. | |||||||||||
| Conference on Communications, University of Minnesota, 1972. | |||||||||||
| Dakota County (Minn.) community television system, 1971. | |||||||||||
| Educational Research and Development Council, St. Paul: Cable communications comes to the Twin Cities, 1971-1972. | |||||||||||
| Drafts of booklet. | |||||||||||
| Elderly cable-video project, 1973. | |||||||||||
| Fridley (Minn.) cable television ordinance, undated and 1971-1973. 3 folders. | |||||||||||
| General Television of Minnesota, Inc., 1971-1973. | |||||||||||
| Greater Metropolitan Federation, 1970-1972. | |||||||||||
| Hawkins, Joseph, and Shafer: Pluralism, participation and choice in a wired world, August 1972. | |||||||||||
| Conference paper. | |||||||||||
| Jonathan (Minn.): Community Information Systems, undated and 1971-1972. | |||||||||||
| Kalba, Kas (Kalba Bowen Associates, Cambridge, Mass.), 1971-1973. | |||||||||||
| Kamman, Kathy. Cable TV Twin Cities: diffusion of an innovation, June 1973. | |||||||||||
| League of Minnesota Municipalities, 1971, 1973. | |||||||||||
| Legislation regarding cable TV (S.F. 1283 and H.F. 1318), 1973. | |||||||||||
| The Metropolitan Connection, Minneapolis, 1979. | |||||||||||
| Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA), undated and 1971-1973. | |||||||||||
| Metropolitan Council: | |||||||||||
| Correspondence and miscellaneous papers, 1972-1977. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Advisory Committee on Telecommunications, 1972-1975. | |||||||||||
| Wilder, Jennifer L. Citizen participation in regional communications planning, 1979. | |||||||||||
| Master's thesis. | |||||||||||
| Shafer, Jon. Impact of new technologies and life styles on urban development, February 1975. | |||||||||||
| Shafer, Jon: Memoranda to Human Resources Committee, 1976. | |||||||||||
| Shafer, Jon: Oral and written testimony before the Minnesota Senate Committee on Civil Administration Subcommittee on Cable Television and Communication, February 9, 1972. | |||||||||||
| Report of the Subcommittee on Special Municipal Problems for the Citizens Advisory Committee on Cable Television: Appendix F, undated. | |||||||||||
| Minneapolis Cable Coalition: Minutes and related papers, 1971-1976. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 143.B.9.9B | 2 | Minneapolis: Other cable TV committees, 1971-1978. 2 folders. | |||||||||
| Minneapolis cable TV: Miscellaneous papers, 1971-1974. | |||||||||||
| Includes newspaper clippings. | |||||||||||
| Minnesota cable TV systems [1974?]. | |||||||||||
| Minnesota Humanities Commission grant proposal, 1974. | |||||||||||
| Minnesota Metropolitan State College and the broadcast media proposal, 1971-1974. | |||||||||||
| Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG), 1971-1972. | |||||||||||
| Minnesota Student Association: | |||||||||||
| Correspondence and miscellaneous papers, 1972-1974. | |||||||||||
| Student Communications Association and Student Telecommunications Corporation, 1972-1974. | |||||||||||
| Model City (Minneapolis): | |||||||||||
| Correspondence and miscellaneous papers, 1971-1973. | |||||||||||
| Program committee, 1973. | |||||||||||
| Reference guide, undated. | |||||||||||
| Video Access and Cable TV, 1971-1972. | |||||||||||
| Nuclear and power line protests, 1977. | |||||||||||
| Includes information about a nuclear power plant located at Tyrone, Wisconsin. | |||||||||||
| Science Museum of Minnesota, 1973. | |||||||||||
| Spring Hill Conference: Potential of Public Television, November 1974. | |||||||||||
| West Bank Union Video Access Center (VAC): Minutes and related papers, 1972-1973. | |||||||||||
| Williams, Mary. The statement of readiness, October 1978. | |||||||||||
| Winona cable systems, 1971-1974. | |||||||||||
| Shafer writings and reports: | |||||||||||
| An annotated bibliography on cable television, 1971. | |||||||||||
| Education and cable TV, [1972?]. | |||||||||||
| Education and cable TV: a guide to franchising and utilization. Stanford, California: ERIC Clearinghouse on Media and Technology, Stanford University, January 1973. 1 volume. | |||||||||||
| Hollowell, Mary Louise, ed. Cable handbook, 1975-1976: a guide to cable and new communications techologies, 1975. 1 volume. | |||||||||||
| Contains an article by Shafer entitled "Regional approaches." | |||||||||||
| Cooper, Wilmer and Bob Fraser, eds. Sexual ethics: some Quaker perspectives, 1990. 1 volume. | |||||||||||
| A publication of the Quaker Theological Discussion Group. Includes an article by Shafer entitled "Response" written in response to an article in the same volume by Ruth M. Pitman entitled "Sex, society, and Quaker theology." | |||||||||||
| Gould, Georgia. "Twin Cities in the 21st century." pages 22-24. | |||||||||||
| Contained in: Mpls. magazine (Sept. 1976). | |||||||||||
| Shafer was one of several individuals interviewed by Gould in connection with this article focusing on Minnesota in the twenty-first century. | |||||||||||
| Other reports, monographs, correspondence, and related papers, 1971-1980. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence with national cable TV participants, 1971-1973. | |||||||||||
| Newspaper clippings: | |||||||||||
| Relating to the 1973 Cable TV Legislative Bill. | |||||||||||
| General, 1971-1982. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Miscellaneous printed materials, 1971-1979. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Cable television -- Minnesota.
- Cable television -- Law and legislation -- Minnesota.
- Cable television in community development.
- Cable television in education.
- Mass media specialists -- Minnesota.
- Municipal franchises -- Minnesota.
- New towns -- Minnesota -- Chaska.
- Nuclear power plants -- Wisconsin -- Tyrone.
- Telecommunication -- Social aspects.
- Telecommunication policy -- Minnesota.
- Organizations:
- American Friends Service Committee.
- Citizens League (Minneapolis, Minn.)
- Greater Metropolitan Federation (Minn.).
- League of Minnesota Municipalities.
- Metropolitan Library Service Agency (Minn.)
- Minneapolis Cable Coalition.
- Minnesota Public Interest Research Group.
- Minnesota Student Association.
- Minnesota. Legislature.
- Model City Program (Minneapolis, Minn.)
- University of Minnesota.
- Places:
- Fridley (Minn.)
- Jonathan (Chaska, Minn.)
- Model City Neighborhood (Minneapolis, Minn.)
- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (Minn.)
- Winona (Minn.)
- Document Types:
- Manuscripts for publication.
- Transcripts.
Collapse
All