Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Susan Frank Klingon Fandom Collection
Date(s)
- 1968-2013; Undated (Creation)
Extent
15 boxes
Name of creator
Biographical history
Susan Frank was born in 1948 and grew up in Woods Hole, on Cape Cod, MA. She graduated from Smith College in 1970, attended the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill for two years, and received a doctorate in Religious Studies from Temple University in 1990. Frank was a librarian for many years at Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote, PA.
Frank came to Klingon fandom in the late 1980s, when she first became aware of the phenomenon. As an active fan, Frank founded the long-running Klingon-themed fanzine Agonizer and has been a member of several different fan clubs, including the Klingon Assault Group, the Klingon Strike Force, Clan Makura on KlingonSpace, The Empire, and the Ring of Fire Fleet. She has also, as have many fans, adopted an individual fannish persona - Admiral (Retired) Kishin vestai-Rustadz, of clan Shawan.
As a fan, Frank enthusiastically engaged in the same creative passions that drive many of her fellow fans. As a librarian, Frank was naturally drawn towards collecting and organizing many of the written and other materials produced by fans. Although Frank has ceased her active collecting (due to increased online activity among Klingon fans that has reduced the output of physical materials), she still remains an active and enthusiastic fan and a follower based in Philadelphia, PA.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This collection reflects the years of fannish interest and collecting done by Frank, a fan from Philadelphia, PA. Most of the collection documents Frank's interest with a particular subset of Star Trek fandom - Klingon culture. Items from this fandom include fanfiction, club newsletters, reference works, calendars, and several pieces of realia such as Klingon-themed jewelry.
The collection also contains several examples of fanzines from general Star Trek fandom and from several other fandoms. There is also one box of professionally published books - on Klingons and Star Trek, as well as several academic monographs on fan studies.
Aside from these, there is one additional major component to the Frank Collection. Frank collected a large number of songbooks containing so-called "filksongs". Filksinging is a venerable fannish activity - it can be generally described as science fiction-related folk music, and is frequently performed at conventions and other fannish get-togethers. The Frank Collection contains both filk songbooks and CD recordings of Frank's original filksong cassette tapes.
System of arrangement
The collection is arranged into several informal series: Klingon Fanzines; Other Klingon Related Materials; Star Trek Fanzines; Other Star Trek Materials; Other Fandoms; Filksongs; and Memorabilia.
Publications and compact discs arranged alphabetically by title.
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Physical access
These materials are stored offsite and require additional time for retrieval.
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Languages of the material
- English
- Klingon
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Gift of Susan Frank, 2013.
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
Voyager # 4055902
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
© Copyright 2019 Cushing Library. All rights reserved.
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Fans (Persons) (Subject)