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Consider the Alternatives Records
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Held at: Swarthmore College Peace Collection [Contact Us]500 College Avenue, Swarthmore 19081-1399
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Swarthmore College Peace Collection. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Consider the Alternatives Productions was established in 1972 by the Philadelphia chapter of SANE, A Citizens' Organization for a Sane World to conduct educational and non- partisan political activities and to receive tax deductible contributions. It was first called the SANE Education Fund of Pennsylvania. One project supported by the SANE Education Fund was a weekly half-hour radio broadcast called "SANE Views the World." This program was started by the Philadelphia office of SANE in November 1972 and was continued by the SANE Education Fund. In March 1978, the title of the series was changed to "Consider the Alternatives." By 1990 the organization funded only two projects the Consider the Alternatives radio program and the SANE Education Fund Peace Award. The Award is given annually to a well-known peace activist or someone who promoted world peace. Past award winners have included Bishop Desmond Tutu, Dr. Helen Caldicott, Tom Hayden, Jane Fonda, Rev. William Sloane Coffin, and Joan Baez. Artist Sam Maitin created a limited edition serigraph of each award winner. The Peace Collection owns one set of all these serigraphs. In August of 1990 the name of the organization was officially changed from SANE Education Fund of Pennsylvania to Consider the Alternatives Productions.
This collection contains the administrative records of Philadelphia chapter of SANE, the Sane Education Fund, and Consider the Alternatives Productions which pertain to the weekly radio broadcast, "Consider the Alternatives." Included in the collection are sound tape reels and audio cassette tapes of programs aired since November 1972, together with related records such as monthly programs, partial or complete scripts, questions for interviews,biographica l information about guest speakers, notes about planned programs, and reference material (articles, reports, clippings) about the topics discussed. Scattered correspondence and promotion al materials are also in the collection. The Peace Collection also has material concerning the annual Sane Education Fund Peace Award, including the series of serigraphs of each award winner.
The paper records remain in the order in which they were received. The sound recordings are divided between reel to reel tape recordings and cassette copies of these recordings. These recordings are divided into five Series: A-E. Series A contains Consider the Alternatives (CTA) reel to reel tapes, numbered by CTA from programs #92-782 (some missing); Series B includes reel to reel tapes from the radio program Insights (1982-1983), and numbered by Insights; Series C includes CTA and Insights reel to reel tapes numbered by Swarthmore College Peace Collection (SCPC) staff; Series D and D.1 include reel to reel tapes numbered by SCPC staff; and Series E includes large, 11 inch reel to reel tapes number by SCPC staff. Audio cassettes are arranged in numerical order, matching the program number of the reel to reel tapes. CTA numbered the cassettes.
The Swarthmore College Peace Collection is the official repository for these papers/records.
Gift of SANE Education Fund and Consider the Alternatives, 1980 (Acc. 80A-078a, Acc. 80a-078b); 1981 (Acc. 81A-034, Acc. 81A-090, Acc. 81A-126); 1982 (Acc. 82A-047, Acc. 82A-052, Acc. 82A-057); 1984 (Acc. 84A-097); 1988 (Acc. 88A-046) 1989 (Acc. 89A-090); 1992 (Acc. 92A-063); 1996 (Acc. 96A-046).
Many of the sound recordings may be too fragile to play in current format and would have to be repaired and copied (digitized), before being available.
This collection is unprocessed. Finding aids have been created by Swarthmore College Peace Collection staff. This finding aid was created by Wendy E. Chmielewski, May 2016.
A detailed finding aid for the Consider the Alternatives audio recordings is available in paper at the Swarthmore College Peace Collection.
Audiovisual material and serigraphs.
- Publisher
- Swarthmore College Peace Collection
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research use.
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All or part of this collection is stored off-site. Contact Swarthmore College Peace Collection staff at peacecollection@swarthmore.edu at least two weeks in advance of visit to request boxes.
- Copyright may have been transferred to the Swarthmore College Peace Collection or may have been retained by the creators/authors (or their descendants), in this collection, as stipulated by United States copyright law. Please contact the SCPC Curator for further information.
Collection Inventory
(Unfiled)