The history of this collection is unclear. The materials appear to have been collected and organized as part of the Free University, an alternative educational entity based at MSU in the late 1960s. As their Fall 1971 catalog of courses states, “free [sic] university functions as an alternative to what we feel is a rotten educational system. we [sic] offer classes which cost no money, which give no grades, and which anyone who feels qualified can teach and anyone who wants to can attend.” The materials, all or some may have resided as office files located in 329 Student Services, MSU.

Additionally, some of the materials may have been gathered, organized, and used as part of a course, Interdepartmental University College 300, entitled “Educational Reform” and offered in 1970. According to a course statement written by W. Meyers and W. Martin, two Humanities professors, “Several faculty members of University College were recently approached by an ad hoc group of students who proposed what they regarded as an exciting innovation: an experimental course in which an interdisciplinary faculty would offer its resources of information and experience to a class which would study the subject of educational reform at the same time that it tried out new methods in the classroom. The focus was to be on higher education.”

“Educational Reform,” February 10, 1970. Box 2, Folder 1