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Albert Borgmann papers, 1951-2020

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Borgmann, Albert, (1937-2023)
Title
Albert Borgmann papers
Dates
1951-2020 (inclusive)
Quantity
28.8 linear feet
Collection Number
Mss 896
Summary
This collection contains manuscripts of the published and unpublished writings of German-born American philosopher Albert Borgmann. Borgmann, who specialized in the philosophy of technology, served as a professor at the University of Montana in Missoula from 1970 to 2020. The collection also contains personal and professional correspondence, teaching materials, Borgmann's student work, and personal materials.
Repository
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana-Missoula. Family Correspondence in Series IV is restricted. Contact Archivist for details.

Languages
English, German
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Biographical Note

Albert Borgmann was born in Freiburg, Germany in 1937 to Karl and Grete Borgmann. He had three siblings: Eva Schneider-Borgmann (b. 1936), Rainer Borgmann (b. 1939), and Margrit Breitenstein (b. 1943). He wrote that he was raised "in the shadow of the gothic cathedral, of the Black Forest, and of the university where Husserl and Heidegger had been teaching." Borgmann went to grade school in Freiburg and began his college career at the University of Freiburg, attending Heidegger's lectures in 1957, but later transferred to the University of Texas. He went on to earn an MA in German Literature from the University of Illinois, Urbana in 1961 and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Munich in Germany. Borgmann then returned to the United States and married Nancy Jo Quasthoff. He briefly taught German Literature at the University of Illinois, and philosophy at DePaul University and then the University of Hawaii. In 1970 he settled with his family in Missoula, Montana. He taught philosophy at the University of Montana, published widely, and became Regents Professor in 1996, the third person to receive the honor in the university's history.

Borgmann was interested in the philosophy of society and culture, with particular emphasis on technology. His 1984 book, Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life, became a landmark text, not only in the philosophical study of technology, but also for a wide range of the humanities and social sciences. His other major publications include Crossing the Postmodern Divide (1992), Holding on to Reality: the Nature of Information at the Turn of the Millennium (1999), Power Failure (2003), and Real American Ethics (2006).

Aside from teaching and publishing, Borgmann was an influential force in state and local politics as well as in administration at the University of Montana. Borgmann died on May 7, 2023 at his home in the Rattlesnake in Missoula.

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Content Description

This collection contains materials relating to Albert Borgmann’s academic work. The bulk of the collection is made up of the handwritten manuscripts of nearly all his published work, including preparatory notes and draft versions of his major books. The collection also contains a number of unpublished materials including essays, notes on various topics, reviews, syllabi and lecture notes, and memos and reports concerning the administration and curriculum at the University of Montana. Other unpublished materials are included from Borgmann’s time as a student in Germany and the United States. Finally, the collection includes professional and personal correspondence, as well as his daily calendars.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Non-exclusive intellectual property rights have been shared with the University of Montana.

Preferred Citation

Albert Borgmann Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection has been arranged in nine series.

Series I: Published Essays, 1966-2015, 4.6 linear feet

Series II: Books, 1976-2006, 7.2 linear feet

Subseries 1: Books, 1976-1998, 6.4 linear feet

Subseries 2: Books - 2021 addition, 2000-2006, 0.8 linear feet

Series III: Other Writings, 1968-2019, 2.2 linear feet

Subseries 1: Other Writings - 2016 addition, 1979-2015, 1.8 linear feet

Subseries 2: Other Writings - 2018 addition, circa 1968-2016, 0.2 linear feet

Subseries 3: Other Writings - 2021 addition, 1991-2019, 0.2 linear feet

Series IV: Correspondence, 1951-2013, 4.4 linear feet

Subseries 1: Professional and Personal Correspondence, 1964-1995, 1.0 linear foot

Subseries 2: Family Correspondence, 1951-2000, 0.4 linear feet - RESTRICTED

Subseries 3: Correspondence - 2021 addition, 1967-2013, 2.4 linear feet

Subseries 4: Student and Faculty Recommendations, 1968-2003, 0.4 linear feet - RESTRICTED

Subseries 5: Correspondence - 2024 addition, 1975-2008, 0.2 linear feet

Series V: Calendars, 1957-2016, 1.6 linear feet

Series VI: Syllabi and Lecture Notes, 1966-2020, 2.0 linear feet

Subseries 1: Syllabi and Lecture Notes, 1966-2020, 1.0 linear feet

Subseries 2: Syllabi and Lecture Notes - 2021 addition, 2007-2020, 0.6 linear feet

Subseries 3: Syllabi and Lectures Notes - 2024 addition, 1969-2005, 0.4 linear feet

Series VII: Student Materials, 1952-1965, 1.3 linear feet

Subseries 1: Student Materials, 1952-1963, 0.5 linear feet

Subseries 2: Student Materials - 2021 addition, circa 1950s-1965, 0.8 linear feet

Series VIII: Text Notes, 1985-2019, 3.8 linear feet

Subseries 1: Text Notes, 2009 and undated, 1.1 linear feet

Subseries 2: Text Notes - 2021 addition, 1985-2019, 1.2 linear feet

Subseries 3: Text Notes - 2024 addition, undated, 1.5 linear feet

Series IX: Personal Materials, 1959-2009, 0.3 linear feet

Subseries 1: Personal Materials, 1959-1986, 0.1 linear feet

Subseries 2: Personal Materials - 2021 addition, 1965-2009, 0.2 linear feet - RESTRICTED

Series X: Written Work, 1967-2010, 1.4 linear feet

Subseries 1: Lecture Notes, 1975-2010, 0.4 linear feet

Subseries 2: Manuscripts, 1967-2005, 0.6 linear feet

Subseries 3: Typescripts, 1978-2001, 0.4 linear feet

Custodial History

Materials in this collection were held by Albert Borgmann until their donation by him to Archives and Special Collections in 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2021. Materials in the 2024 addition were transferred to the Archives from his campus office following his death.

Acquisition Information

This collection was donated to Archives and Special Collections by Dr. Albert Borgmann.

Processing Note

During processing of this collection, writings related to published materials were organized by publication. Most other materials were arranged by content type (such as essay or correspondence) and then chronologically. Some materials, such as Albert Borgmann's notes on texts by other authors, are consistently undated and were therefore organized alphabetically by primary author. Similarly, lecture notes were organized chronologically when a date was provided and alphabetically when undated.

Materials donated in 2018 were placed in existing series when practical, and additional series were created to appropriately characterize new materials. As much as possible, the organizational scheme that Borgmann used to donate materials was retained. Often, this means that separate materials are foldered together to show their relatedness, such as in the case of short essays or notes.

Materials transferred to the Archives in 2024 were placed in existing series when practical and a new series, Series X: Written Work, was created.

Five floppy disks are being evaluated for content. Contact archivist for details.

Related Materials

The papers of Albert Borgmann's wife, Nancy Quasthoff Borgmann, are held by the University of Montana's Archives and Special Collections as the Nancy Borgmann Papers, Mss 903.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid prepared by Charles Hayes, Kirstin Waldkoenig and Sean Cleary
2024

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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