Lecture on "The Foundations of the Age of Benevolence in Britain, 1690-1740"
The Young Academic Alumni Lecture Series presents
Brent S. Sirota '98,
North Carolina State University
Monday, November 10, 2008
Tea at 4:15 P.M., Talk at 4:30 P.M.
Magill Library -- Philips Wing
In the early eighteenth century, voluntary associations were enshrined at the heart of British public life. The philanthropy and sociability of these organizations underpinned a self-proclaimed "age of benevolence" in which clubs, societies, and projects were designated the preeminent instruments of social improvement, religious renewal and moral reform. How may we account for this moral valorization of civil society in Britain? This paper will trace the origins of the "age of benevolence" to the defeat of absolutism in the Revolution of 1688-1689. By recovering the revolutionary origins of British civil society, it will be possible to view the eighteenth century "age of benevolence" as a key moment in both the rise of British liberalism and the development of the British state.
Presented by the Library, the John B. Hurford '60 Humanities Center, and the Office of Alumni Relations.
Posted by John Anderies at November 9, 2008 03:35 PM
Abolitionist and Spiritual Leader Comes Alive in New Biography
Author Thomas Slaughter, Professor of History at the University of Rochester, presents The Beautiful Soul of John Woolman, Apostle of Abolition at the Library Company, 1314 Locust Street, Philadelphia, Tuesday, October 14, 2008.
John Woolman (1720-1772), a Quaker tailor from New Jersey, had an extraordinary commitment to attaining self-purification through the rejection of slavery, war taxes, and rampant consumerism. Though not a famous politician, his persuasive ideals influenced the likes of fellow Quakers, social reformers, labor organizers and peace advocates. Through Woolman's essays and Journal, Slaughter illuminates his transformation from a humble idealist to a prophetic voice for the Anglo-American world.
A reception will begin at 5:30 with the program to follow from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are requested: dshapiro@librarycompany.org or 215/546-3181.
Posted by Ann Upton at October 2, 2008 02:20 PM
Japan and China in the early 20th century
Primary materials relating to Japan are a strength among our collections, but these materials are mainly textual. We have, relatively, much less pertaining to China, though in recent years, we have seen a notable increase in these holdings. In the last week, we've received a small group of photographs taken or purchased in Japan and China in the early 20th century by Lloyd Balderston, an American Quaker teacher of physics and chemistry, whose daughter, Esther, became a missionary in Japan. The photograph posted here depicts an aspect in the manufacture of white leather at Matsubaramura on the island of Honshu, ca. 1919. There is at least one other image of what Balderston called a "primitive industry" among the collection donated by Charles Lord. Lord has offered to donate more such images and we have been enthusiastic in accepting his offer.
Posted by Diana Franzusoff Peterson at August 27, 2008 02:28 PM
Special Collections Receives Conservation Bookshelf
Treasured documents and artifacts held by Haverford College Special Collections will be preserved for future generations with help from the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, a core set of conservation books, DVDs, and online resources donated by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the primary source of federal funding of the nation’s museums and libraries.
Special Collections has been awarded this essential set of resources based on an application describing the needs and plans for care of our collections. The IMLS Bookshelf focuses on collections typically found in museums and special collections. It addresses such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific conservation issues.
Haverford’s application emphasized the ongoing care our collections receive under the stewardship of Library Conservator Bruce Bumbarger. Bruce’s own personal library provides guidance on specific conservation treatments, but the IMLS Bookshelf will provide more depth in terms of general preservation-related information. Additionally, the Bookshelf will prove to be a worthy resource which we can share with our Tri-College counterparts at Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore Colleges.
Our greatest challenge to date is providing adequate housing for our materials. Storage space has reached capacity for some portions of our collection. During the coming year some pressure will be relieved by the reconfiguration of approximately 1600 square feet of general stack space into an annex to our Special Collections. Still, this newly converted space will require careful monitoring to ensure the longevity of such precious materials.
Haverford College Special Collections is responsible for maintaining the college’s unique and rare materials. The principle collections include the world-renowned Quaker Collection, college archives, rare books and manuscripts, and fine art.
Posted by John Anderies at August 7, 2008 10:17 PM
An Unusual Patron Visits Special Collections
A surprise visitor to Special Collections last Friday interrupted the normal research pursuits of our patrons. A hawk that has been spotted around campus for the last few weeks took up residence outside the large windows in the third tier of Special Collections and made loud calls throughout the afternoon. Though apparently camera shy, staff were able to get a few shots of the hawk, which can be seen here.
Posted by David Conners at August 4, 2008 01:48 PM
Students Digitize over 1,000 Letters this Summer
Students working in Special Collections this summer have published online 1,100 letters from the Cope Evans Family Papers, beating their goal by over 100 letters. In addition to scanning, the students researched genealogical information about the people mentioned in the letters, and cataloged the letters before posting them to Triptych, the Tri-College Digital Library. The team consisted of (from left-to-right) Luke Mueller, MLS graduate student at Drexel University; Hannah Lonky, HC '10 history major; Sara Bornstein, HC '09 history major; and Mara Miller, HC '10 classics major.
Posted by David Conners at August 1, 2008 11:14 AM
Special Collections closed June 27 and 30
Special Collections will be closed on Friday, June 27 and Monday, June 30. Staff will be attending the Conference of Quaker Historians and Archivists in Birmingham, England, and the Rare Book and Manuscript Section and American Library Association meetings in southern California. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Posted by John Anderies at June 16, 2008 10:06 AM
Limited Hours, Friday, June 6
Special Collections, along with the rest of Magill Library, will be closed the afternoon of Friday, June 6, for the annual staff association picnic. Our hours that day will be 9 - 12 only.
Posted by John Anderies at May 22, 2008 12:04 PM
Letter details personal reaction to Lincoln's assasination
While working with the Cope Evans family papers, Special Collections student worker Thea Hogarth recently came upon a surprising letter. Written by Clementine Cope over a span of days in April 1865, the personal letter covers many topics including education, the weather, ...and the assassination of the President Lincoln. On pages three and four, Clementine chronicles her reaction to the "the presidents dreadful death, wh. seemed dreadful enough to strike every one dumb with horror & astonishment." The letter can be seen in Triptych: the tri-college digital library. A transcription can be seen by choosing "page and text" from the view drop down menu and the clicking the go button.
Posted by David Conners at May 10, 2008 12:17 PM
Rare Books at Haverford College - LARGE and small
There are many books in the Rare Book Collection at Haverford – each notable and valuable in its own way. However, sometimes those distinguishing characteristics are most noticeable in contrast.
During exam week this semester, May 5 – May 9, 2008, a daily presentation of rare books will be on exhibit in Special Collections. Each day a LARGE book will be displayed juxtaposed with a small book – both sharing a common theme. You will be able to enjoy each book individually but also admire the contrasts that become evident by the comparison.
Continue reading "Rare Books at Haverford College - LARGE and small"
Posted by Ann Upton at May 1, 2008 03:09 PM
Special Collections Closed Monday May 5th From 12-2 pm
Special Collections will be closed on Monday May 5th from 12-2 pm. The librarians are taking a couple hours to treat their student workers to a picnic in appreciation for all their tremendous work this school year. Whether it is greeting patrons, paging materials, creating finding aids, or digitizing items, our student workers are integral to the services we provide to the public.
Posted by David Conners at April 28, 2008 10:14 AM
Gallery Conversation and Tea, April 23
Please join Special Collections and members of the Hurford Humanities Center's 2007-08 Faculty Seminar for a "Gallery Conversation" and Tea on Wednesday, April 23 from 4:30-6:00 p.m. in Sharpless Gallery and the Special Collections Reading Room. Members of the seminar will discuss their exhibition "Framing Photographs: Contexts & Transpositions."
Posted by John Anderies at April 21, 2008 07:52 PM
Exhibit in Magill Library: The Elusive George Stephens, a Haverford Original
George Stephens is still an enigma, even though it's been almost 40 years since a group of Haverford students founded the George Stevins [sic] Memorial Association. Their quest was to gather enough information about him in order to understand this courageous Haverfordian. Here are some of the characteristics known to date through discovered artifacts: he was a little ungainly on the soccer field, his team having suffered defeat in Ethiopia when the ball dribbled past his left-leaning feet (see "Sinistericon" and his sneakers as evidence); he had little humor, as the well-known artist, Kevorkian, revealed in his portrait of Steyvens [sic]; he wrote his senior thesis on an unknowable topic, given that the 5" floppy on which it was presented can no longer be read; and he had a preference for large women (see Margaret Dufay's toothbrush). Perhaps a visitor to the exhibit, which closes on March 15th, will discover the perfect artifact. We welcome any creative evidence that will fulfill the mission of the Jorge Esteban [sic] Memorial Association.
Posted by Diana Franzusoff Peterson at March 7, 2008 01:41 PM
Special Collections Closed Monday January 21, 2008
Special Collections, along with the rest of Magill library, will be closed on Monday January 21, 2008. Our regular hours resume on Tuesday.
Posted by David Conners at January 18, 2008 09:34 AM
"Spink's Spunk"
Occasionally, we stop to take note of a new acquisition. This time, it's a manuscript musical score donated by Michael Clive of Connecticut entitled “Spinks Spunk: a Pyramidal Biologue" for orchestra, piano and other individual instruments written in 1908 by members of Haverford's class of 1909, especially composer M.C. Spiers and lyricist Alfred Lowry Jr. Individual sections have such titles as "Class Song, 1909," "Faculty Life," and "Army March," allowing a glimpse of a different time at Haverford. Another manuscript collection here in Special Collections, the Bacon Family papers, gave us insight into who "Spink" was: Alfred Lowry.
Alfred Lowry Jr. (1888-1935), was the son of William C. Lowry and Elizabeth Webster and husband of Grace Bacon Lowry, and received his B.A. and M.A. from Haverford College in 1909 and 1910 respectively. He was a teacher of German and later French, was Secretary General of Alliance Universelle des Union Chretiennes de Jeunes Gens, a section of the YMCA, 1916-1920, then performed religious work in Central Europe, 1920. He was a recorded minister in the Society of Friends.
Mark Herbert Carver Spiers (1886- ), son of Isadore Spiers and Jane Williams and husband of Faith Randall, was a "Spoon Man" at Haverford, an award given to the best all-around student. He was also president of his class, manager of the football team and a leader of the Glee Club while at Haverford. He went on to be Headmaster at Spiers Junior School, then a salesman and insurance agent.
Our expectations on the potential interest among today's Haverfordians for this unique item are high.
Posted by Diana Franzusoff Peterson at December 7, 2007 09:58 AM
150-year-old Greek Busts Return to Library, Set to Get Make-over
When the organizers of “A Few Well Selected Books,” the current exhibition in Magill Library, chose an 1865 photograph of the library to use in the promotion of the exhibit, they had no idea it would lead to the rediscovery of two very old plaster-caste Greek busts. This iconic photograph of the library in Alumni Hall features (from left to right) professors Thomas Chase and Paul Swift, superintendent William Wetherald, seniors James A. Chase and Allen C. Thomas, assistant professor and librarian Clement L. Smith, sophomore Samuel Collins, and president Samuel J. Gummere. Peering down from high atop the wooden bookcases are several Ancient Greek busts, including (from left to right) Socrates, Aristotle, Diana, and Cicero.
After our exhibit announcements went out, we were informed by Haverford professor Darin Hayton that the bust of Diana could be found in the faculty lounge of Hall Building. Scuffed up, embellished with magic marker, and appearing to have suffered a neck fracture, Diana has clearly been through some rough patches over the past century and a half!
A few weeks after the discovery of Diana, as librarians Christa Williford and David Conners were preparing to record an exhibit narrative with Classics professors Deborah Roberts and Bret Mulligan, Roberts revealed that she and husband professor emeritus Aryeh Kosman had another of the busts—that of Aristotle—in their home on College Avenue. Kosman reports having rescued Aristotle from a trash pile in the 1970s.
Archival photographs from 1865 to 1895 reveal an array of Ancient Greek mythological and philosophical characters to have been part of the collection, as well as a couple of Quaker luminaries and some mystery busts yet to be identified. Librarians have long wondered what had become of these venerable figures as they are not part of the extensive online inventory of college-owned art maintained by College Archivist Diana Franzusoff Peterson.
Both busts have been returned to Special Collections and now they will be undergoing restoration and repair courtesy of Haverford sculpture professor Marianne Weil and her teaching assistant Whitney Ale BMC '08. Over the course of the next few weeks, we will provide updates on their progress and will also report on more of the missing busts which have been identified in photographs from the College Archives.
Posted by John Anderies at November 29, 2007 06:47 PM
Special Collections Staff Attend 'Stewardship of Digital Assets' Workshop
The qualities of digital media are well-known: their agility, portability and scalability, among others. Their one down-side seems to be the result of their usefulness: we can't keep up the ratio of preservation to advances in technology. A couple of years ago, we attended a week-long workshop on digital preservation at Cornell University, and one of the slogans of this really excellent workshop was "there is no silver bullet" in terms of preservation of digital assets. We came away from that workshop with strong ideas on how to get started and created a campus-wide survey on the types of digitalia being employed and methods used to preserve them.
On November 14 & 15, 2007, David Conners and Diana Peterson attended a workshop held at the new PALINET headquarters in Philadelphia entitled "Stewardship of Digital Assets," which the organizers subtitled "sustaining digital collections." About 40 people attended the PALINET workshop from a variety of institutions: museums, public libraries, community colleges, universities, government, and businesses. Haverford was one of the smaller institutions represented; most attendees came from government institutions like NARA, the Pennsylvania and Delaware State libraries, even the Supreme Court of Canada. The trainers included Liz Bishoff, former Executive Director of the Colorado Digitization Program; Tom Clareson, Program Director for New Initiatives at PALINET; Robin Dale, former Program Manager for Preservation at RLG; and Katherine Skinner, Co-Director of the MetaArchive Cooperative.
While the expression "there is no silver bullet" was still uttered, it was not a slogan. In the final analysis, we wrote up a strategies statement based on our assessment of risk of loss in which we listed: increased institutional buy- in for digital preservation; an expansion of the previously formulated survey; an improvement of our backup procedures for digital objects; transfer of digital objects on superseded formats and CD and DVD to spinning disks; and consideration of the future of digital objects that are produced in proprietary formats. We listed the personnel and stakeholders we considered vital in this undertaking and broke down our preservation plan to the level of implementation. Finally, we projected financial needs and potential resources.
Following are some of the points presented in the workshop that merit notice in this report and some further detail to the strategies statement outlined above
1) A short definition of digital preservation as prepared by ALCTS suggests that it is the combination of policies, strategies and actions that ensure access to digital content over time. Integral to these propositions are such factors as assigning responsibility for digital preservation to staff, technical specifications, reliable master files, sufficient descriptive, administrative and structural metadata to ensure future access and a quality control procedure. In addition are such factors as disaster preparedness, programs to refresh, migrate and emulate digital data, and, of course, sources of funding. One way to get started may be to hire a consultant.
2) We had always thought of back-up of our various digital formats (think: websites, email, data sets, GIS, images, audio, video, among others) as synonymous with preservation, but, while this continues to be of significance, it lacks the necessary aspect of long-term preservation or structural integrity. Best practices also dictate the employment of standards, oversight to curry to new media and a system of LOCKSS (lots of copies keep stuff safe).
3) While we might aspire to being a Trustworthy Repository (http://www.crl.edu/content.asp?l1=13&l2=58&l3=162&l4=91) that ingests all digital material produced by the college and provides it safe, updated and authenticated harbor until its egress at any point, the cost in terms of personnel and money may be greater than what Haverford can afford. There is a good deal of literature on life cycle preservation for digital media, and a number of institutions that are gearing up to step into this role.
4) Katherine Skinner gave one of the more interesting presentations when she talked about the founding and organization of the MetaArchive Cooperative (http://MetaArchive.org). The MetaArchive is a cooperative made up currently of Emory, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Florida State, and Auburn. They use a LOCKSS (http://www.lockss.org/lockss/Home) -based system of servers to deposit their digital objects. If any particular copy of a digital object is compromised on an individual node, the other copies can overwrite it. Two aspects of the MetaArchive were interesting to us. First, the cost to deposit our digital data in the MetaArchive is only $200/year. Second, the MetaArchive Cooperative is interested in exporting its model to other groups, which has already been implemented for a state-wide digital preservation program in Alabama. Is this something PACSCL or PALCI would be interested in?
Next steps: we hope to build on the survey that was circulated across Haverford's campus, stressing the need not only to back-up critical digital data, but also to engage in best practices for long-term preservation, including providing counseling on practices (safety, security, longevity, breadth, authenticity, reporting) and prioritization analysis. This is all possible as long as there is institutional interest and commitment.
Diana Franzusoff Peterson and David Conners
Posted by Diana Franzusoff Peterson at November 27, 2007 10:05 AM