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
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
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
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
Podcasts to Accompany "A Few Well Selected Books" Now Available
Podcasts to accompany Magill Library's current exhibition, "A Few Well Selected Books: Building Collections, Curricula & Community at Haverford College," are available through iTunes. The podcasts feature commentary from faculty members on books from the 1836 library catalog including:
- Deborah Roberts, Professor of Comparative Literature and Classics, and Bret Mulligan, Assistant Professor of Classics, discuss the traditional study of Greek and Roman literature and language at Haverford College.
- Emma Lapsansky, Professor of History and Curator of the Quaker Collection, discusses the controlled nature of the curriculum at Haverford College in the 19th Century.
- Darin Hayton, Assistant Professor of the History of Science, talks about the historical significance of some of the science volumes in the Haverford Library's 1836 catalog.
- Bruce Partridge, Professor of Astronomy, describes three different categories of materials he notices in the early Haverford Library collection: popular works, scholarly works, and textbooks.
Write a review in iTunes and tell us what you think. And don't forget to stop by the Sharpless Gallery to see the exhibit for yourself!
Posted by David Conners at October 30, 2007 01:58 PM
Fall Break Hours, October 15-19
We will begin Fall Break Hours on Monday, October 15. We will be open 9:00 am-12:30 pm and 1:30 pm-4:00 pm on Monday-Thursday, October 15-18 and will be closed Friday, October 19. Regular hours will resume Monday, October 22.
Posted by John Anderies at October 14, 2007 10:53 PM
"Until Called For": Safekeeping Materials in Special Collections
Former Special Collections Executive Secretary & Research Assistant, J'aime Wells' article "'Until Called For': Safekeeping Materials in Special Collections" appears in the current issue of Haverford's College Information Resources Newsletter.
Posted by John Anderies at October 6, 2007 10:49 PM
Lisette Model photograph loaned for Aperture exhibit
Haverford's fine art photography collection includes a Lisette Model photograph "Sailor and Girl," a silver gelatin print originally created in 1940 and signed by Model. It is tightly cropped, fills the frame and exhibits the radical, confrontational style for which her work is often known.
Before Lisette Model (1901-1983) became a photographer in the 1930s, she displayed strong talents in music and painting. By 1941, she already had an exhibition of her works at the Photo League in New York and was a staff photographer for Harper's Bazaar. In 1950, she began to teach at the New School for Social Research in New York where she remained until her death. She was a friend to other photographers, such as Berenice Abbott, and taught such rising stars as Diane Arbus, Larry Fink and Rosalind Solomon. Examples of all these artists' works are also in our collections.
Our limited edition Model print was issued by Aperture in 1979. Aperture, a non-profit organization with a mission of advancing fine photography, requested a loan of our Lisette Model print for its current exhibition "Lisette Model and her Successors." We were pleased to have our print be a pivotal work in their show.
Posted by Diana Franzusoff Peterson at August 31, 2007 03:42 PM
PACSCL CSI goes public
Haverford Special Collections was a participant in the Consortial Survey Initiative (CSI) undertaken by the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL) -- of which Haverford is a member. The purpose of the survey was to make public information about manuscript collections in the member libraries that had either not yet been processed or had been processed minimally. The project brought on site two manuscripts specialists, Jenny Barr and John Armstrong, along with project director, Christine Di Bella, at 22 of PACSCL's 33 member institutions. For Haverford, the team was able to survey 60 collections, a number somewhat in the lower middle for all the participants.
The surveyed collections at Haverford relate primarily to Quaker families, individuals and organizations, span the 18th to 21st centuries, and include materials such as correspondence, diaries, photographs, minutes and financial reports. The surveyors' notes revealed the creators' emphases on improvement of society as well as on their personal lives and interests. In addition, the surveyors provided biographical and scope of collection information.
In August 2007, the public version of PACSCL CSI's database was made available online at: http://www.pacsclsurvey.org/search.html.
As a result, scholars will be able to get a better look at manuscript resources relating to their field of study which are located in the Philadelphia area. Haverford Special Collections is glad to receive inquiries relating to our manuscript collections in the CSI database.
Posted by Diana Franzusoff Peterson at August 31, 2007 01:41 PM
Two Rare Documents on Exhibit at Local Museums
A recent deposit to the Quaker Collection is on loan to the National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, PA. The Germantown Quaker Protest Against Slavery of 1688 is best known as the first protest against slavery to have been written in North America. Written by four Germantown Quakers, this extraordinary document raises objections to slavery on both moral and practical grounds at a time that Pennsylvania Quakers were nearly unanimous in their acceptance of the institution of slavery. It took another 92 years of activism among a growing number of Quakers before the Society of Friends would completely denounce slavery among its membership, and by this time the Germantown Quaker Protest had been completely forgotten. The document came to light again in 1844 and served as an important tool to the Quaker abolition movement of the 19th century. Unfortunately, the protest was again misplaced in the early 20th century and was only re-discovered just over a year ago in the vault of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.
The protest has now been professionally conserved and has been deposited in the Quaker Collection of Haverford College where it makes a home among our many related Quaker documents. The Quaker Collection, with the Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College, serves as the joint-repository for the records of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, of which this document is an integral part.
The Germantown Quaker Protest Against Slavery of 1688 is currently on display at the National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, PA, as a featured work in the exhibition Philadelphia Treasures, which itself accompanies a larger exhibition Eyewitness: American Originals from the National Archives. The exhibition runs from May 25 to September 3, 2007.
...
The Haverford Bible, the oldest Hebrew Bible located in North America, is now on loan to the Rosenbach Museum and Library, Philadelphia, PA. This beautiful manuscript was copied in Spain in 1266 in a very square and even hand. The pages are made of a fine goatskin vellum. Conservation work on the Bible establishes that it required the skins of 220 very small animals.
The lower margin of each page is decorated with lines of tiny writing, which form a zig-zag or woven pattern. This textual marginalia actually forms a concordance on selected terms located within passages of the main text. In the side margins are colorful abstract ornaments. At the beginning and end of the volume are "carpet pages," richly colored patterns of diamond shapes or interlocking chains that resemble the patterns of carpets.
The Haverford Bible contains a colophon which indicates it was copied by "Solomon, son of Moses." Further inscriptions document that the Bible remained in Spain until the expulsion of the Jews, at which time it made its way to Egypt. Three changes of ownership are documented: one in 1714-15, one in 1755-56, and the last in 1890 when it was acquired by J. Rendel Harris, professor of Ecclesiastical History at Haverford. Harris's gift of the Bible plus 46 additional Semitic manuscripts form the nucleus of the J. Rendel Harris "Oriental" Manuscript Collection of Haverford College.
The Rosenbach Museum and Library is currently displaying the Haverford Bible as part of its exhibition Chosen: Philadelphia’s Great Hebraica, which runs from March 29 to August 26, 2007.
Posted by John Anderies at June 12, 2007 01:16 PM
Closing Thursday afternoon
Special Collections, along with the rest of Magill library, will be closed the afternoon of Thursday, June 7, for the annual staff association picnic. Our hours that day will be 9 - 12 only.
Posted by J'aime Wells at June 5, 2007 08:40 AM
Summer Hours
Special Collections will begin summer hours on Monday, May 21, continuing through August 31. We will be open Monday-Friday, 9:00 am to 12:30 pm, and 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm. We will also be closed Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, and Independence Day, Wednesday, July 4.
Posted by John Anderies at May 19, 2007 12:51 PM
Limited Hours, Tuesday, May 8
Special Collections will close on Tuesday, May 8, for an extended lunch period, from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. Otherwise, our hours remain the same (opening at 9 a.m. and closing at 4:30 p.m.).
Posted by John Anderies at May 5, 2007 07:40 PM
Rare Environmental Book Exhibit
As a part of the two weeks of environmental events leading up to the "Saving Communities, Saving the Environment" conference at Haverford during Earth Day weekend, there is an exhibit of rare and valuable environmental books in the Special Collections. This exhibit has been developed by Lesley Fleischman, in conjunction with Earthquakers (Haverford's environmental group) and with help from Ann Upton.
Highlights of this exhibit include first editions of Thoreau's Walden and The Maine Woods, Darwin's The Origin of the Species, and Emerson's Nature. Also on display are drawings by John James Audubon and a book of nature photographs by Ansel Adams.
"Saving Communities, Saving the Environment" Conference
The conference, held Earth Day weekend (April 20-21st) at Haverford College, will feature environmental and community leaders making a difference at Haverford, in Philadelphia, and beyond. The conference is presented by Haverford's Committee for Environmental Responsibility, Women's Center, Students' Council, Office of Multicultural Affairs, Deans' Office, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Haverford's President Tom Tritton.
Speakers include: Steven Curwood, host of the NPR show "Living on Earth," Lois Gibbs, president of the Center for Health Environment and Justice and a 2006 Honorary Degree recipient at Haverford, and others.
For more information or to register for the conference, please contact Hannah Shulman or visit the Committee for Environmental Responsibility's Web site
Posted by John Anderies at April 11, 2007 11:51 AM
Buddhist Lecture, February 22, 2007
The Gest Program in Comparative Religion presents Sallie B. King in a talk entitled "An Engaged Buddhist Critique of 'Justice'" on Thursday, February 22. Please join us in the Philips Wing of Magill Library for tea at 4:15 pm followed by Sallie's lecture at 4:30 pm.
Posted by John Anderies at February 21, 2007 09:36 AM
Quaker visitors from Lebanon
Tony and Jocelyne Manasseh from Beirut are on a monthlong visit to the Haverford area, primarily to visit their daughter, Joya, a first-year student at Haverford. After attending Fifth Day Meeting, they stopped by Special Collections and we were very pleased to acquaint them with some primary source materials relating to the Middle East held in our department. One of the items was the annotated watercolor sketchbook from 1875-76 which we acquired in March of this year (see posting from April 2006) depicting the Friends Training Home in Brummana, Lebanon. The Manassehs graciously accepted the invitation to view the sketchbook, but the thrill came when they got to the page showing the layout of the land in 1875 and, pointing to a house on a hill, said "That's our house."
Posted by Diana Franzusoff Peterson at November 9, 2006 03:18 PM
William Penn's Welcome Week, November 8-10
As part of a city-wide celebration of William Penn and the founding of Pennsylvania, Haverford Special Collections has a small number of items on exhibit in our Reading Room in Magill Library for the remainder of the week. Materials on display include:
• An engraving of William Penn, aged 22, as well as a carved bust depicting him later in life
• A polyglot bible in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew from Penn's personal library
• A letter from Penn to his Deputy Governor of Pennsylvania
• The only surviving copy of Penn's English translation of the Magna Carta
• A section of the Haverford Treaty Elm, descendant of the tree under which Penn met with the Indians at Shackamaxon
We invite you to pay us a visit to see these and other items, this Wednesday through Friday, November 8-10, 9:00 am - 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm. Information about other events comprising William Penn's Welcome Week is online at: http://www.ushistory.org/penn/.
Posted by John Anderies at November 9, 2006 09:05 AM
Family & Friends Weekend, October 27-29
Special Collections will be open Saturday, October 28, from 10:00 am - 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm to welcome visitors for Family & Friends Weekend. From 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm in Sharpless Gallery visitors to the fine arts exhibition "Revealed" will gather to hear "Remarks on the College's Arts Collections and Users." Refreshments will be served.
Posted by John Anderies at October 22, 2006 10:04 AM
Fall Break Hours, October 14-22
We will begin special Fall Break Hours on Friday, October 13, when we close at 4:00 pm. We will also be closed Saturday-Sunday, October 14-15, and Friday-Sunday, October 20-22. We will be open 9:00 am-12:30 pm and 1:30 pm-4:00 pm on Monday-Thursday, October 16-19. Regular hours will resume Monday, October 23.
Posted by John Anderies at October 4, 2006 10:50 PM
Exciting Discovery
Dean P. Lockwood, Librarian at Haverford from 1920-1949 was also a Professor of Latin at the college for over 30 years. In the course of his own research, he acquired a large library of materials, which he left to the college, along with his own papers. In the course of arranging the papers, we discovered two 15th century Latin manuscripts that were a bit obscure until they were examined by a scholar, Thomas Izbicki. He noted that both manuscripts are from the same text and are copies of one of Barzizza's texts on rhetoric based on Cicero. While both of these manuscripts are lovely, the second one is incomplete. The Lockwood papers will soon be ready for public research.
Posted by Diana Franzusoff Peterson at September 22, 2006 03:31 PM
New Gifts from Donors
Catharine Cary, Howard P. Wood and Caroline Wistar are some of our most recent "repeat donors," donors who have given materials to Special Collections and then return with new gifts. For example, Catharine Cary has donated the Howard Haines Brinton and Anna S. C. Brinton papers, but has recently added to the collection with a notebook of some talks as well as some articles, all in manuscript form, by Howard Brinton. Howard Wood, donor of the Morris Wistar Wood papers. has most recently not only donated genealogical and photographic materials to add to the Wood papers, but also a copy of his new book about orchids that he has worked on for several decades, The Dendrobiums. Last in this selection is the most recent gift of Caroline Wistar (through whom we received the papers of a line of her forebears named Thomas Wistar) of such items as Wistar's 1820 journal of a journey through the south with his copious commentaries on slavery and a daguerreotype of his horse, Norman. We are fortunate to have such donors and friends of our collections.
Posted by Diana Franzusoff Peterson at September 22, 2006 02:58 PM
Limited Hours, Friday, September 2
Special Collections will be closed on Friday, September 1, for an extended lunch period, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Otherwise, our hours remain the same (opening at 9 a.m. and closing at 4:00 p.m.).
Posted by John Anderies at August 30, 2006 04:15 PM
Pamphlet Groups Now Searchable
Special Collections has just completed improving access to a major part of the pamphlet collection - the writings of Quaker authors. Pamphlets, minor works and ephemeral writings from the 18th century to the present are to be found in this collection. Almost 1,000 records have been added to improve scholarship into this under-utilized resource.
Previous to this time users could only determine our holdings via an in-house card catalog file that had suffered the inconsistencies of time and generations of different librarians. Materials were housed in acidic environments and many items were inappropriately placed, or duplicated cataloged texts.
Every item of each box was evaluated to insure that the material matched the scope of the collection. Duplicates were placed in the duplicate collection, parts of series were cataloged for the stacks and some important, even rare materials were identified and placed appropriately. Thanks to the industry of Joan Powell all the resultant materials were re-housed in acid-free folders and boxes, ordered and accurately labeled.
A Tripod record was created for every Quaker author with a listing of the titles of his/her works under a series title of “Selected Writings of Quaker Authors.” These records will be found via searches on author, title and keyword. Users can now accurately and easily determine what materials may enhance their study.
Posted by Ann Upton at June 21, 2006 01:09 PM | Comments (0)
Limited Hours, Friday, June 9
Special Collections will be open 9:00 am - 12:00 pm only on Friday, June 9. We regret any inconvenience.
Posted by John Anderies at May 30, 2006 06:08 PM
Special Collections Closed May 18th
Special Collections will be closed on Thursday, May 18, 2006 for a staff retreat. We apologize for any inconvenience that this causes for our researchers.
Posted by John Anderies at May 10, 2006 10:24 PM
Limited Hours, Tuesday, May 2
Special Collections will be closed on Tuesday, May 2, for an extended lunch period, from 12:15 to 2:15 p.m. Otherwise, our hours remain the same (opening at 9 a.m. and closing at 4:30 p.m.).
Posted by John Anderies at April 24, 2006 12:08 PM
Friends Historical Collection Seeks Applicants for Award in Southern Quaker History
The Herbert L. Poole Award is for an outstanding paper on a topic in southern Quaker history. Herbert Poole was the long-time director of the Guilford College Hege Library and editor of The Southern Friend. Both amateur and professional historians are invited to apply. Papers should contribute to the greater understanding of the history of Friends in the southeastern United States with original research and are expected to be well written and properly documented. The recipient will be granted up to $500 in recognition of their achievement and the paper published as a lead article in a future issue of The Southern Friend: The Journal of the North Carolina Friends Historical Society. Deadline for submission is June 1, 2006. Submission to include two paper copies, an electronic version sent as e-mail attachment, and a current vita and/or biographical statement sent to the attention of the Fellowship Committee, Friends Historical Collection, Guilford College, 5800 West Friendly Avenue, Greensboro, NC 27410; hegefhc@guilford.edu.
Posted by John Anderies at April 18, 2006 08:07 PM
Limited Hours, Friday, February 3
Special Collections will be open 9:00 am - 12:30 pm only on Friday, February 3, in order to accommodate an off-site staff meeting.
Posted by John Anderies at January 29, 2006 09:51 AM
Emended Hours, Tuesday, January 31
Special Collections will close early for lunch, at 12:00 noon, on Tuesday, January 31. We will reopen at 1:30 pm, our usual time.
Posted by John Anderies at January 23, 2006 09:47 AM
WHYY-TV premieres "About Benjamin" Thursday January 12
16 regional historians, artists, curators, authors and architects discuss the life of Benjamin Franklin in "About Benjamin: A Fresh Take on our Founding Father," airing Thursday, January 12, at 9 p.m. on WHYY-TV, channel 12, and repeated January 15 at 7:30 p.m., January 18 at 10:30 p.m., and January 29 at 6:30 p.m.
Posted by John Anderies at January 12, 2006 09:34 AM
Proprietors documents to NJ State Archives
Documents related to the mostly Quaker settlement of Colonial West Jersey have been donated to the New Jersey State Archives from the 330-year-old Proprietors Council of West Jersey, founded by William Penn. Among the materials is the 1677 "Concessions and Agreements of the Proprietors, Freeholders and Inhabitants of the Province of West Jersey in America" which establishes a democratic elected form of government and calls for, among other things, equal rights for women, the education of girls, trial by jury and fair treatment of Native Americans. (Announced in The Star-Ledger).
Posted by John Anderies at December 15, 2005 07:08 PM
Robert Pleasants letterbook, 1754-1797
Emily Higgs, a student assistant in Special Collections, has completed an annotated index to the Robert Pleasants letterbook, a part of the records of Baltimore Yearly Meeting (item #168). Pleasants (1722-1801), a member of Curles Monthly Meeting, Virginia Yearly Meeting, is known for his work as an abolitionist. He freed his eighty slaves and urged the ratification of a law proposing gradual emancipation for the children of slaves. Pleasants established the Gravelly Hill School for the free children of slaves. The letterbook covers the period 1754-1797 and centers on matters of religion and abolition. We anticipate making the letterbook web-accessible in the near future.
Posted by Diana Franzusoff Peterson at December 14, 2005 09:11 AM
Limited Hours, Friday, November 18
Special Collections will be open 9:00 am - 12:30 pm only on Friday, November 18, in order to accommodate a staff retreat.
Posted by John Anderies at November 13, 2005 06:11 PM
New Manuscript Collection Processed
Periodically, we will announce when a manuscript collection has been processed Our first such announcement is for the "Emlen and Jones Family Papers, ca. 1766-ca. 1976." Here may be found ancestral information on the Quaker Emlen and Jones families going back to the time of William Penn and Francis Daniel Pastorius in the 17th century and comprised of genealogy and biography, letters, documents and photographs. Some significant letter writers include: Clement Biddle, George Dillwyn, Sarah Foulke Emlen, Samuel Emlen, Abel James and Jonah Thompson. The information for the ten volumes in this collection was compiled by John T. Emlen (b. 1878) and his father James Emlen (1854-1922) with an abbreviated volume prepared by Woodruff J. Emlen (b. 1913). A genealogical chart accompanies the finding aid.
Posted by Diana Franzusoff Peterson at September 16, 2005 09:19 AM
New Manuscript Collection Processed
Periodically, we will announce when a manuscript collection has been processed Our first such announcement is for the "Emlen and Jones Family Papers, ca. 1766-ca. 1976." Here may be found ancestral information on the Quaker Emlen and Jones families going back to the time of William Penn and Francis Daniel Pastorius in the 17th century and comprised of genealogy and biography, letters, documents and photographs. Some significant letter writers include: Clement Biddle, George Dillwyn, Sarah Foulke Emlen, Samuel Emlen, Abel James and Jonah Thompson. The information for the ten volumes in this collection was compiled by John T. Emlen (b. 1878) and his father James Emlen (1854-1922) with an abbreviated volume prepared by Woodruff J. Emlen (b. 1913). A genealogical chart accompanies the finding aid.
Posted by Diana Franzusoff Peterson at September 16, 2005 09:19 AM
Student Assistant Supper & Orientation
The student assistant supper & orientation is scheduled for Thursday, September 15, from 6:00 – 7:30 pm. New and returning student employees will have a chance to go over the basics, ask specific questions, and get to know one another!
Posted by John Anderies at September 6, 2005 09:36 PM
Labor Day Hours
Special Collections will be open regular hours on Labor Day, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 pm to 4:30 p.m.
Posted by John Anderies at August 30, 2005 02:25 PM
Welcome back students!
Special Collections welcomes back to campus our returning student assistants, many of whom have been off doing exciting things over the summer. We look forward to the many special projects they'll be working on this fall.
Posted by John Anderies at August 30, 2005 02:18 PM