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Choice (Philadelphia, Pa.) Records
Notifications
Held at: Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center. 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
CHOICE (Concern for Health Options, Information, Care and Education) was founded in 1971, to provide options counseling for pregnant women, including helping women access abortion services. Over time, CHOICE expanded its work to provide information and referrals on a wide variety of reproductive health issues, such as sexually transmitted infections, prenatal care, childbirth, HIV/AIDS, and childcare. CHOICE also endorsed and/or gave testimony on important legislative decisions regarding reproductive health issues for women.
Gathering and disseminating reproductive health information, patient advocacy, and outreach were primary functions of CHOICE. In the 1970s, it instituted a telephone hotline that provided information and referrals on reproductive health and other related issues. The hotline offered counselling in English and Spanish. In 1988, CHOICE was contracted by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health to operate the Community AIDS Hotline. CHOICE also reached out to youth through programs like CHOICE Connection, a teen performance group.
In 2015, CHOICE merged with AccessMatters (formerly the Family Planning Council, Philadelphia, Pa.), a long term partner organization.
The CHOICE Records documents the organization's administration, programs, and finances from 1970 to 2007, with preserved versions of website for both CHOICE and AccessMatters, available through Archive-It through 2016. The collection also houses brochures and other informational literature collected on a variety of reproductive health issues. More specifically, researchers will find board meeting minutes, committee records, staff records, especially records of executive directors, records relating to the telephone hotline and other public programs, and examples of CHOICE publications. In addition to collected printed informational literature, there are audio/visual materials, mostly educational productions and public service announcements on sex and human development, sexually transmitted infections, and family planning.
This collection is arranged into 5 series as follows:
- Series 1. Accession 859 (PORTIONS RESTRICTED), 1955-1997, undated
- Subseries 1.1: Administrative records (PORTIONS RESTRICTED), 1973-1997
- Sub-subseries 1.1.1: Board, 1973-1992
- Sub-subseries 1.1.2: Financial Funding, 1976-1996
- Sub-subseries 1.1.3: Executive Directors (PORTIONS RESTRICTED), 1990-1991, undated
- Sub-subseries 1.1.4: Program Hot-line, 1980-1990
- Sub-subseries 1.1.5: Program Aids, 1985-1994
- Sub-subseries 1.1.6: Program Child-Care/Day Care, 1977-1994
- Sub-subseries 1.1.7: Personnel, 1974-1997
- Sub-subseries 1.1.8: Workshops, circa 1994
- Subseries 1.2: Agencies, 1977-1997
- Subseries 1.3: Health Issues, 1955, 1970-1993
- Subseries 1.4: Publications, undated
- Subseries 1.5: Audio-Visual, undated
- Subseries 1.6: Artifact and Photographs, undated
- Series 2. Accession 900 (PORTIONS RESTRICTED), 1971-1994
- Subseries 2.1: Administration, 1971-1991
- Sub-subseries 2.1.1: History, 1971-1993
- Sub-subseries 2.1.2: Personnel, 1974-1991
- Sub-subseries 2.1.3: Legal, 1974-1989
- Sub-subseries 2.1.4: Financial, 1972-1991
- Sub-subseries 2.1.5: Projects, 1977-1991
- Sub-subseries 2.1.6: Publications, 1974-1991
- Subseries 2.2: Accession 900: Health Issues Series (PORTIONS RESTRICTED), 1979-1994
- Sub-subseries 2.2.1: Maternity (PORTIONS RESTRICTED), 1979-1992
- Sub-subseries 2.2.2: AIDS, 1987-1994
- Series 3: Accession 2015-14, 1973-2007
- Subseries 3.1: Board records, 1978-2005
- Subseries 3.2: Administrative records, 1973-2007
- Subseries 3.3: Publications and printed materials, 1973-2007
- Subseries 3.4: Audio/Visual materials, 1984-1999, undated
- Series 4. Website versions in Archive-It, 2002-2016
- Series 5. Accession 897, 1978-1998
Additions to this collection are expected. Websites are captured using Archive-It periodically, and the latest additions may not yet be included in this finding aid. For information on material–physical and digital, including captured websites–that may have been added since the last finding aid update, please contact the Special Collections Research Center.
Donated by CHOICE in 1997, 1998, and 2015.
Original audiovisual materials, as well as preservation and duplicating masters, may not be played. Researchers must consult use copies, or if none exist must pay for a use copy. Certain digital files may also be inaccessible. Please contact the Special Collections Research Center for more information.
Accession 900 processed by Andrew Mangravite, Dan Merlino, and Laura Moyer, April 2001. Accession 859 processed by Sarah Sherman, 1999, with funding provided by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Finding aid revised according to contemporary archival standards in November 2015 by Courtney Smerz, Collection Management Archivist. Finding aid updated with captured website information in May 2016. Finding aid updated with information about Accession 897 in June 2016.
For photographs see the Miscellaneous Photographs Collection (PC-49), Box 11, Folder 3.
Organization
Subject
- Abortion services
- AIDS (Disease) -- Information services
- AIDS (Disease) -- Prevention
- Childbirth -- Study and teaching
- Community health services -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
- Day care centers
- Health education -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
- HIV infections -- Information services
- HIV infections -- Prevention
- Maternal health services
- Reproductive rights
- Sex instruction
- Women's health services
Place
- Publisher
- Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center
- Finding Aid Author
- Machine-readable finding aid created by: Rajkumar Natarajan, Sky Global Services India (P) Ltd.
- Finding Aid Date
- October 2024
- Access Restrictions
-
Collection has not been reviewed for restricted material; restrictions may apply at time of access. There are restricted folders in Series 1 and Series 2; which are noted at the file level.
- Use Restrictions
-
The CHOICE (Philadelphia, Pa) Records are the physical property of the Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. Intellectual property rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for determining the identity of rights holders and obtaining their permission for publication and for other purposes where stated.
Collection Inventory
Series 1. Accession 859: Administrative records includes a mix of correspondence, memos, notes, resumes, forms, financial reports, agendas, minutes, and proposals, dating from 1973 to 1997. There are two restricted folders in Series 1; both are noted at the file level.
Subseries 1.2: Agencies, houses information on partner organizations, including AIDS Activities Coordinating Office, Delaware Valley Childcare Council, Family Planning Council, Greater Philadelphia Women's Medical Fund, Healthcare Management Alternatives, Maternity Care Coalition, Mayor's Office of Community Services, Maternity Services Program, Northwest Interfaith Movement, Philadelphia Health Management Corporation, and The Philadelphia AIDS Consortium.
Subseries 1.3: Health Issues, researchers will find collected printed materials, brochures, and notes on a wide spectrum of issues relating primarily to women and reproductive health care. Abortion, birth control, pregnancy, and childbirth form the core of this record group, but researchers will also find files on AIDS and child care, gynecology, infertility, and breast cancer, among many other topics.
Series 1.4: Publications, includes relevant books, news clippings and pamphlets.
Subseries 1.5: Audio-Visual houses several public service announcements and other information videos, including two on understanding and counseling people with HIV/AIDS.
3 film reels
VHS
not A/V
VHS
Subseries 1.6: Artifact and Photographs, includes one artifact, a disposable diaphragm, and several photographs depicting CHOICE advertisements on bus shelters and subway cars and an unidentified childcare facility with notes regarding needed repairs.
Subseries 2.1 Administration, houses administrative records and collected information on health issues. Administrative records dating from the 1970s to the 1990s include correspondence, personnel files, legal documents, financial records, television and radio ad scripts, and an overview and history of CHOICE. Researchers interested in reviewing annual reports should be sure to consult the History subseries. Files documenting CHOICE Projects house budgets, correspondence, reports, and contracts. The Projects subseries show relationships between CHOICE and other organizations such as the Mother and Infant Care Program (MIC), the Family Planning Council (FPC), and The Women's Health Concerns Committee. There is also evidence of CHOICE's collaboration with Patty LaBelle. Publications include publications about CHOICE and publications CHOICE helped create for educational purposes.
[Empty Folder]
Series 2.2: Health Issues contains a mixture of pamphlets, reports, questionnaires, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and notes related to prenatal care, postpartum issues, childbirth, and related organizations, especially, Maternal and Infant Care Program (MIC), later known as Maternity Services Program (MSP). The records in this series also document the Community AIDS Hotline and the production of the AIDS Resource Directory for Philadelphia. Files include government publications, position papers, brochures, newspaper clippings, checklists, and a Spanish-language fumetti. The series is divided into two subseries: 8.1: Maternity, 1976-1994 and 8.2: AIDS, 1977-1994
Accession 2015-14 consists of board records, dating from 1972 to 2005, including meeting minutes, some committee records, and general alphabetically arranged administrative files. Of note, among the administrative files are documentation of Choice programs, including Choice Connection, a teen performance group, and the Choice Hotline. Also included are annual reports, correspondence, some financial records, photographs, and documentation of testimony delivered by Choice regarding important legislative decisions on reproductive health issues for women. The accession also includes examples of Choice publications, which primarily provided information on sex, AIDS/HIV, abortion, birth control, pregnancy, and childcare. Finally, there are audio/visual materials, mostly educational productions and public service announcements on sex and human development, STDS, and family planning.
Subseries 3.1: Board records, researchers will find board meeting minutes, committee, and other records, dating from 1972 to 2005.
In Subseries 3.2: Administrative records, there are a wide variety of alphabetically arranged administrative files. Of note, among the administrative files are documentation of Choice programs, including Choice Connection, a teen performance group, and the Choice Hotline. Also included are annual reports, correspondence, some financial records, photographs, and documentation of testimony delivered by Choice regarding important legislative decisions on reproductive health issues for women.
35mm negatives
Subseries 3.3: Publications and printed materials, includes examples of Choice publications, which primarily provided information on sex, AIDS/HIV, abortion, birth control, pregnancy, and childcare.
Digital proofs (cds
In Subseries 3.4: Audio/Visual materials, there are audio/visual materials, mostly educational productions and public service announcements on sex and human development, STDS, and family planning.
VHS
film
slides
slides
slides
slides
slides
cassette
cassette
cassette
cassette
cassette
film strip
cassette
cassette
film strip
film strip
umatic
umatic
umatic
umatic
umatic
film
film
film
film
film
film
film
film
film
film
film
Website versions in Archive-It, 2002-2016, contains preserved versions of both the CHOICE and AccessMatters websites. To access these sites, see the Temple University Special Collections Urban Archives Archive-It web page: https://archive-it.org/collections/4487.
A printed inventory is available for Series 14: Accession 897, which can be reviewed on site in the SCRC reading room.