Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time. Collection includes sound recordings, moving images, and digital files to which access is restricted. Access to these materials is governed by repository policy and may require the production of listening or viewing copies. Researchers requiring access must notify Special Collections and University Archives in advance and pay fees for reproduction services as necessary.
Kathrine Beck, a novelist who writes under the name K. K. Beck, researched and wrote a biographical account of Opal Whiteley, an Oregonian woman whose controversial childhood diary was published in 1920.
Beck researched Whiteley's life, conducting interviews with people who knew her, and also consulted the collection of Whiteley's personal papers held in Special Collections at University of Oregon.
The book, Opal: A Life of Enchantment, Mystery, and Madness, was published in 2003.
The collection contains Beck's research files with information gathered or produced during the writing of the work, Opal: A Life of Enchantment, Mystery, and Madness.
Included in the collection are copies of correspondence regarding Opal Whiteley from people who knew her, during the early to mid 1900s. There are also copies of letters, diaries, poetry and other writings by Whiteley herself.
In addition, the collection also contains transcripts of interviews with people who knew Whiteley. There are also interviewed on audio cassettes and CDs.
The collection also contains draft manuscripts and edited versions of the biography, as well as galleys.