PACSCLblog

Invitation to connect on LinkedIn

2011-11-10T05:06:00.001-05:00

From Sandra Duffy

Executive Assistant at American Philosophical Society Library

Greater Philadelphia Area

I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

- Sandra

Confirm that you know Sandra

You are receiving Invitation to Connect emails. Unsubscribe

PhillyHistory.org Photos Now Available on Flickr!

2009-06-04T13:42:00.001-04:00

PhillyHistory.org, the Philadelphia Department of Records website featuring digitized historic photographs from the collection of the City Archives, has recently made a select group of images available on a PhillyHistory.org photostream on Flickr.

The PhillyHistory.org photos on Flickr are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillyhistory and include some of the oldest and most popular images from PhillyHistory.org. We encourage people to visit the photostream and add their comments, notes, and tags to the photos. Let us know what you think about the images!

Fwd: NY Times Article on Backing Up Google's Library

2008-10-14T09:47:00.000-04:00

>>> lou.ferrero@GMAIL.COM 14-Oct-2008 06:01 >>>

To DVAG:

The New York Times article on backing up the Google Library project will be of interest to many. Follow the link to the article.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/13/an-elephant-backs-up-googles-library/

Technology

Bits: An Elephant Backs Up Google's Library

By By Miguel Helft

Published: October 13, 2008 in the New York Times

A group of major libraries join to create a backup to Google's book-scanning project.

Take care,

Lou
--
Louis N. Ferrero, PE
Corresponding Secretary, American Catholic Historical Society
610-517-0835 cell
Lou.ferrero@gmail.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A posting from the Delaware Valley Archivist Group -- DVAG. To post a message, send e-mail to dvag-l@listserv.temple.edu. Or the URL is: http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/dvag-l.html Problems? Send e-mail to Phil D'Andrea <tendril@temple.edu> *********************************** The Delaware Valley Archivist Group web address is: http://www.dvarchivists.org/

Preview PhillyResearch.net

2008-05-14T15:01:00.002-04:00

In development: PhillyResearch.net, a collection of research resources for, by, about, and located within the greater Philadelphia area. Visit the site, explore the search tools, take the survey, suggest other resources.

New Features Debut on PhillyHistory.org!

2008-02-27T16:39:00.000-05:00

PhillyHistory.org, a website that allows users to search through digitized historic photographs from the City Archives, recently released several new features to help people explore the history of Philadelphia.

The photographs on PhillyHistory.org provide a visual history of the city dating back to the 1860s, but it is now possible to view those scenes from the past right next to the present landscape. Photographs from PhillyHistory.org can be opened in GoogleEarth, a program that uses satellite and aerial images to enable people to virtually navigate through a 3-D landscape.

To view a photo in GoogleEarth, you must first have GoogleEarth downloaded and installed on your computer. Then on PhillyHistory.org, click on the blue link "Open in GoogleEarth." There are now three ways to see photos in GoogleEarth:

- One photo at a time

- The first 100 results of your search

- The entire collection of 52,000 photographs

Once in GoogleEarth, you will notice that the images have been organized by decades in separate folders. With currently more than 52,000 photos in the system, we thought this would create a cleaner presentation.

New photographs are added to the website each week, which keeps our interns very busy! A new Behind-the-Scenes page on PhillyHistory.org provides readers with a virtual tour of the process of preserving and digitizing thousands of photographs.

To check out these new features, visit http://www.phillyhistory.org .

Deborah Sting

Avencia Incorporated

Phone: 215-701-7506

Fax: 215-925-2663

www.avencia.com

True love at the Free Library

2008-02-20T11:37:00.003-05:00

One of the librarians at the Free Library of Philadelphia writes:

In case you weren’t up at 5:57 am on Valentine’s Day, watching channel 6 news (in Philadelphia), here’s a link to a short feature they did on the current Antique Valentines exhibition at Central in the cases outside the Print & Picture Collection. Their original plan was to do a piece on the history of Valentines, but when they found out that we were having an exhibition, they modified their focus. Hang in to the end, the anchor’s comment about maybe you’ll find love in the library is priceless. The exhibition was curated by Christiane Wisehart, one of our volunteers, who has been working on the collection since the summer, cleaning and re-housing the valentines. Many thanks to her!

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news&id=5957043

Presidential Hair

2008-02-14T17:12:00.000-05:00

The Academy of Natural Sciences will show the locks of five American Presidents over the President's Day Weekend, February 15, 16 and 17. These locks, from the Peter Browne Collection of Pile, Archives Collection 756, are part of a 12-volume set of "pile" (hair, wool, and bristles) that includes famous people, various races (Africans, American Indians, Hawaiians, Chinese, etc.), and animals of all kinds.

The five Presidents whose locks will be on view are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Franklin Pierce.

Eileen C. Mathias
Information Services Librarian, Archivist, &
Coordinator, Albert M Greenfield Digital
Imaging Center for Collections
Ewell Sale Stewart Library
The Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-299-1140
215-299-1144 FAX
mathias@ansp.org

Medieval Manuscripts on Exhibit at Bryn Mawr College

2008-02-14T16:39:00.001-05:00

The spring exhibition in Bryn Mawr College's Canaday Library, Intimate Devotion: The Book of Hours in Medieval Religious Practice, features some of Bryn Mawr's most gorgeous medieval manuscripts and printed books and an extraordinary group of novice curators. The exhibition is the work of the students in Professor Martha Easton's undergraduate seminar last fall, "The Book of Hours and the Art of Devotion." It opened on Thursday, January 31, with a panel discussion featuring the student curators, and runs through May 30, 2008. Thirteen Bryn Mawr. Haverford, and Swarthmore students participated in the class. Special Collections Librarian Marianne Hansen helped the class with expertise on the physical production of medieval manuscripts and also served as the exhibition coordinator.

On Tuesday, April 8, Kathryn Ann Smith, of the Department of Art History, New York University, will give a talk: "The Taymouth Hours: Stories and the Construction of the Royal Female Self in Late Medieval England."

The exhibition will be open from January 31 through May 30. The exhibition hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. For additional information, contact the Special Collections Department at 610-526-6576. Bryn Mawr's exhibitions and teh related programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Learn more at http://www.brynmawr.edu/library/exhibitions.shtml.

Intern wanted for consortial survey project

2007-12-27T08:46:00.000-05:00

PACSCL is offering a paid internship for the spring 2008 semester to support its initiative to assess unprocessed and underprocessed manuscript collections in member libraries.

More details here.

National History Day Teacher Workshop, January 16

2007-12-26T11:28:00.000-05:00

Helping Students Create Superior Projects

This workshop explores the elements of National History Day projects and the education strategies and skill building that teachers can use to help students learn and create their best work.

Bring your questions!!

January 16, 2008
4pm–5:30pm
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
1300 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107

RSVP: By January 11, 2008 to Kate Wilson: kwilson@hsp.org

National History Day is a program that teaches middle- and high-school students to engage with history. This year's theme is Conflict and Compromise in History. The Philadelphia regional competitions (NHD/Philly) will be held at the National Constitution Center March 12 (6th to 8th grades) and March 13 (9th to 12th grades). PACSCL and its member institutions support NHD/Philly by welcoming young researchers and by financial support for a team to advance to the state competitions. For additional information, see:

http://www.pacscl.org/nhdphilly/ http://www.nhdphilly.org/

(Volunteer judges are warmly welcomed, too. You need not be a trained historian -- a love of history and an appreciation of the enthusiasms of young learners are all that's required. See the nhdphilly.org website for more details.)

2 lectures and one exhibit at Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in January, 2008

2007-12-20T12:11:00.001-05:00

We invite you to attend the evening lecture

“Gardens of the Jazz Age”

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

6 - 8 pm

PHS auditorium, 5^th floor

Get ready for the 2008 Flower Show, Jazz It Up! Spend an evening enjoying the gardens of an exciting and extravagant era in our history, between the end of the First World War and the 1929 stock market crash, known as the Jazz Age. Garden historian and educator Jenny Rose Carey will focus on gardens from different parts of the country that epitomize the soul of the Jazz Age. Using images from glass slides from the McLean Library collection, Jenny will discuss how the influence of a changing culture, including the musical innovations of Jazz and the changing socio-economic situation in America, influenced gardens. How did gardens differ across the country? What other cultural influences were having an impact on garden design? Did more people have access to gardening? How can we learn about old gardens, especially those of everyday people?

British-born Jenny Rose Carey designed her first garden at age 16 and has since designed many gardens on both sides of the Atlantic. The daughter of a botanist, she has degrees in biology, education, and horticulture and has taught in both England and the United States, including at the Barnes Foundation and Temple University. Jenny is currently director of the Landscape Arboretum at Temple University Ambler.

Fee: $10.00. To register, please call Carol Dutill, 215-988-8869.

New Exhibit in the McLean Library

"Gardens of the Jazz Age"

January 23 - March 31, 2008

Incorporating material from the McLean Library archives, this exhibit is inspired by the 2008 Philadelphia Flower Show theme, Jazz It Up! and is an accompaniment to garden historian Jenny Rose Carey's lecture "Gardens of the Jazz Age" (January 23). The exhibit features images from glass lantern slides and other material related to gardens and gardening in Philadelphia between the first and second World Wars.

Brown Bag Lunch Lecture: History of the Philadelphia Flower Show

Friday, January 25, Noon - 1 pm

PHS Auditorium

Janet Evans, McLean Library manager and library conservator Jude Robison will present a history of the Philadelphia Flower Show from its beginnings in 1829 to the present day. This illustrated lecture draws on material form the extensive archives of the McLean Library of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, including never-seen-before vintage Flower Show photographs and Show-related items.

While this lecture is free, we ask that you register by calling Carol Dutill, 215-988-8869 or programreg@pennhort.org

Please bring a lunch; we will provide beverages and snacks.

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

100 North 20^th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Janet Evans
Library Manager, McLean Library
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
100 N. 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: 215-988-8779
Fax: 215-988-8783
email: jevans@pennhort.org
www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org

Independence Seaport Museum Library Completes Processing Project

2007-12-14T14:03:00.001-05:00

The J. Welles Henderson Archives and Library at Independence Seaport Museum is pleased to announce that the John E. Hand & Sons Company Records are ready for research. A finding aid will be available soon on our web site, www.phillyseaport.org/library.

The John E. Hand & Sons Company was a nautical instrument manufacturing firm that operated in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey from 1873 to 1997. The company engineered equipment for all varieties of floating vessels, including pleasure boats, large commercial ships, and those of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard. In addition to manufacturing a large selection of standard navigational tools used by mariners, such as compasses and binnacles, the company also developed new instruments, like an underwater wrist compass for the Navy.

The collection boasts a wide breadth of material, which includes financial records, patents, correspondence, contracts, catalogs and other ephemera, photographs, and engineering plans. A majority of the material is technical in nature, and would serve any researcher interested in the design and development of nautical instruments well.

The Seaport Museum acquired the Hand Collection through a private donation from Michael Rivkin in 2002. Processing was made possible by a grant from the Albert M. Greenfield Foundation, which will also fund processing the records of the Seamen’s Church Institute, scheduled for completion in June 2008.

Temple University shows the 1960's

2007-12-13T16:13:00.001-05:00

Temple University's Paley Library is currently featuring two
exhibits on the 1960's; Underground Social/Political Papers
of the 1960's from the Contemporary Culture Collection and
Politics and Protest in Philadelphia from the Urban Archives.
The Underground Papers exhibition on the First Floor and
Mezzanine features local papers like The Drummer and the
Philadelphia Free Press, examples of papers from other
cities and related material such as Liberation News Service
packets.
The Protest in Philadelphia exhibition in the Urban Archives
Alcove on the Ground Floor includes images of the anti-
Vietnam War movement in the city, the 1970 Black Panther
Convention at Temple, as well as other important equal
rights movements and political organizations,from the Urban
Archives George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin
Collection.
Both exhibits will be up through the end of December. The
library will be open from 8 AM until 5 PM on December 14,
December 17-21, December 26-28 and December 31. The library
will be closed on the remaining days in December.

Aerial Photos from Hagley and Google

2007-11-07T11:36:00.001-05:00

Visit the Hagley Museum & Library's online exhibition of aerial photos of the Delaware Valley, and explore its linkages to current Google Maps photos of the same locations.

The historical photos were taken by the Victor Dallin Aerial Survey Company, 1924-1941. Subjects in the exhibition include events, industrial sites, towns and cities, and estates. Pictured here: aerial view of Camden NJ with Philadelphia in the background across the Delaware River.

Medieval Manuscripts on Display

2007-10-03T16:33:00.000-04:00

Treasured Pages. Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts from the Free Library of Philadelphia

October 13 - January 6, 2008

Manuscripts from the collections of the Free Library of Philadelphia, on display at the Arthur Ross Gallery in the Anne and Jerome Fisher Fine Arts Library, University of Pennsylvania. Details on the Arthur Ross gallery here.

Complementing the exhibition, University of Pennsylvania and the Free Library of Philadelphia are collaborating on a one-day symposium, "The Treasured Hunt," Friday, November 2. Details here.

Philadelphia Museum of Art Library Reopens

2007-09-06T11:35:00.000-04:00

The Philadelphia Museum of Art Library reopens Tuesday, September 18, 2007 in its new home in the Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building. Details on the library reopening here. Details on the Perelman Building here.

HIDDEN COLLECTIONS: The Hobo Ornithologist, the Searchable Database

2007-08-30T17:13:00.000-04:00

Tales from the PACSCL surveying project: In this case, the papers of an ornithologist who consorted with hoboes in the course of his fieldwork, one of the unprocessed or underprocessed manuscript collections surveyed at the Academy of Natural Sciences as part of the project. Details here.

To find information on additional unprocessed or underprocessed collections, see the new searchable database, available here.

Undaunted: Five American Explorers

2007-08-30T17:04:00.000-04:00

In UNDAUNTED: Five American Explorers, 1760–2007, an exhibition at the American Philosophical Society Museum from 22 June 2007 through 28 December 2008, the tools of exploration will be turned on exploration itself. Visitors will discover five explorers who were or are all members of the Society, and all with a Philadelphia connection: David Rittenhouse, John James Audubon, Titian Ramsay Peale, Elisha Kent Kane, and Ruth Patrick. The displays, including scientific instruments, paintings and drawings, maps, charts, photographs, and ship models, will consider these adventurers’ place in the history of American science and culture, explore their practices in the field, and reveal the various ways they documented and mapped their findings. [more]

Ben Franklin's book buying spree

2007-08-24T10:58:00.001-04:00

State Senator Jeffrey Piccola pays a visit to the State Library to see the new Rare Book Room and rare books, including more than 240 volumes acquired for the Pennsylvania State Assembly in the eighteenth century. View the video (about 30 min) here.

Library Company Open Houses

2007-08-15T11:13:00.000-04:00

Beginning September 5th, the Library Company will host a series of Open Houses, giving the public the opportunity to discover its unique collections, programs, and history. Held on the first Wednesday of each month from 5:00 to 7:00 pm, the Open Houses will allow visitors to wander leisurely through intimate galleries and enjoy refreshments amid the stately portraits and leather bindings of the Library’s Logan Room. The first Open House will be on September 5th. [more]

Haverford Welcomes Digital Collections Librarian

2007-08-10T10:32:00.001-04:00

Haverford College Special Collections welcomes David Conners, our new
Digital Collections Librarian, who started August 1. David is a
graduate of Swarthmore College and received his library degree from
the Pratt Institute. David has worked at Columbia University Butler
Library, Pratt Manhattan Center Library, Oregon State Archives, and
Packer Collegiate Institute, Brooklyn, NY. His duties at Haverford
will include building and maintaining the Library's collection of
Digital Special Collections materials, including both
analog-to-digital and born-digital materials from Special Collections
(Quaker Collection, Rare Books and Manuscripts, College Archives, and
Fine Arts Collection).

New PACSCL members

2007-08-09T15:33:00.000-04:00

PACSCL welcomes three new members this year:

Franklin & Marshall College
The German Society of Pennsylvania
Independence Seaport Museum

Be sure to visit them in person or on the web.

National History Day 2008

2007-08-09T11:58:00.000-04:00

Sooner than you think, National History Day/Philly 2008 will be upon us. Here are the details for next year's Philadelphia-area competition:

NHD Philly Competition

March 12-13, 2008

National Constitution Center

Theme: Conflict and Compromise in History

What is NHD/Philly? It's a comprehensive program to engage young learners (grades 7-12) in thinking about history through research in primary sources and through individual and group presentations in a variety of media. A number of PACSCL member libraries open their doors to young researchers for the project and PACSCL itself sponsors a team of students to advance from the regional to the statewide competitions.

For additional information, see http://www.nhdphilly.org/

Bloggers in the Stacks

2007-08-09T11:47:00.000-04:00

A team of PACSCL surveyors is boring like miners through the unprocessed or underprocessed manuscript collections of 22 member libraries. Tales from their efforts -- some inspiring, some exciting, some hilarious -- are blogged here.

Diane Turner to Blockson Collection

2007-08-09T11:24:00.000-04:00

Announced yesterday. Dr. Diane Turner has been appointed curator of Temple University's Charles L. Blockson Afro American Collection.

Background on the Blockson collection and biographical data on Diane Turner here.

Building the City: Exhibition and online photo archive

2007-08-03T07:57:00.000-04:00

The City of Philadelphia's online photo archive, http://www.phillyhistory.org/ , has been in the news a good bit lately, winning a "Best of Philly" award from Philadelphia Magazine, among other things.

An exhibit of 80 photographs from the archives opens today in the gallery of the Art Institute, 1622 Chestnut Street. The opening has received centerfold attention in today's Inquirer weekend section and is also featured on the home page of http://www.philly.com today. The photos were selected by the curator in partnership with the Records department and matted/framed by students at the Art Institute.

Online coverage at

http://www.philly.com/philly/gallery/20070803_Building_the_city.html

Make your costume / wear your costume -- October 21

2006-10-05T08:59:00.000-04:00

It's October, and PACSCL member libraries turn to thoughts of....bats! Here's a potentially bat-filled Saturday (October 21)

Take the kids to the Rosenbach Museum & Library for a special costume-making workshop at 11:00 (reservations required).

Then travel up to the Wagner Free Institute of Science for "Bats, Myth, and Reality: A Spooky Creature Feature." Talk at 1:00, hands-on activities from 12-4. They suggest that you come in costume.

Revealed: Selections from the Fine Arts Collection of Haverford College

2006-10-02T09:41:00.000-04:00

Revealed: Selections from the Fine Arts Collection of Haverford College
Magill Library, Haverford College
October 2, 2006 through January 31, 2007
Free & open to the public

Beauty, skill and imagination will be uncovered when more than 70 works of artmany presented in public for the first timego on display in the exhibition Revealed: Selections from the Fine Arts Collection of Haverford College. Spanning many centuries and cultures, the show includes prints and paintings by artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, Edouard Manet, Wassily Kandinsky, Joan Miró and Haverford’s native son Maxfield Parrish, artifacts from ancient Greece and Africa, as well as a rich selection of photography including prints by André Kertész, Diane Arbus, Eikoh Hosoe and Andres Serrano.

More information:
Phone: 610-896-1161
http://www.haverford.edu/library/special/

PACSCL welcomes PACHS

2006-09-29T16:46:00.000-04:00

We're delighted to welcome a new scholarly collaboration beginning with the letter P and embracing a number of our PACSCL members: The Philadelphia Area Center for the History of Science. The founding members are:

Academy of Natural Sciences
American Philosophical Society
Chemical Heritage Foundation
College of Physicians of Philadelphia
Franklin Institute
Hagley Museum and Library
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Library Company of Philadelphia
Princeton University
University of Pennsylvania
Wagner Free Institute of Science

PACHS is in the process of a search for its executive director. Position description here.

Lost & Found: Rediscovering Women Poets of the Italian Renaissance, Bryn Mawr College Library

2006-04-04T10:10:00.000-04:00

This spring, Bryn Mawr College will be the site of a new interactive installation by Philadelphia artist Carol Moore: Lost & Found: Rediscovering Women Poets of the Italian Renaissance. The installation will introduce the work of seven important 16th-century female poets through handkerchiefs imprinted with the poets' sonnets and scattered throughout the campus. The handkerchiefs will also serve as an invitation to view contemporary printings of the poets' works on display in the lobby of Mariam Coffin Canaday Library. The installation will begin Sunday, March 26, and run through mid-April.

Moore is director of the MFA Programs in Ceramics, Painting and Sculpture at the University of the Arts, and has exhibited her work in China, Italy and Brazil, as well as the United States. She did a version of this installation at the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Venice in the fall of 2005. As she explains the project:

"Renaissance Venetians re-introduced the use of the handkerchief as a signifier of social status that led to elaborate production, embellishment and then affectation throughout Europe. Each poet had in some way used a handkerchief, as a catcher of tears and sorrow, or as an object of attraction and seduction, perhaps left somewhere as forgotten evidence of their presence. The printed handkerchief became the object in this context that appeared lost until the moment it would be found by a passerby as a memento and an invitation to look further."

The handkerchiefs will be distributed throughout the campus by teams of students from Bryn Mawr's Italian Department and the University of the Arts, under the direction of Moore and Roberta Ricci, assistant professor of Italian. The distributions will take place on several occasions during the three weeks of the show, and people will be encouraged to pick them up and keep them.

The handkerchiefs will direct people to an exhibition of 16th- and 17th-century editions of the poets' works in the lobby of Canaday. The book exhibition was curated by Rima Girnius, graduate student in the history of art.

The installation and lecture are being sponsored by the Friends of the Bryn Mawr College Library and the Department of Italian.

For additional information, call the Special Collections Department: 610-526-5272.

Eat this Book!

2006-04-04T10:01:00.000-04:00

"'A young child's attitude toward a book is not unlike that of a cannibal toward a missionary,' wrote A. S. W. Rosenbach, the noted book collector, who cited bibliophagy as one reason that so few first editions of early children's classics have survived."

For a rollicking review of the intersection of bibliophilia and gustation see the New York Times essay, "Books to Chew On," by Blake Eskin. [link -- registration required]

2006-02-03T10:37:00.000-05:00

A View to Encourage Liberian Emigration:
Letters to Benjamin Coates
Magill Library, Sharpless Gallery & Foyer
February 2006

Among the remedies proposed in the nineteenth century to treat the scourge of slavery in America was the emigration of free blacks to Africa. Believing that African Americans could never receive justice in this country and might live more fulfilling lives away from racial discrimination, a number of abolitionists took up the controversial cause of the so-called colonization movement in order to give black Americans a fresh start.

Proponents of the movement came from many walks of life: young and old, black and white, male and female, Episcopalian, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Quaker. Their efforts led to the resettling of thousands of African Americans and the establishment of the country of Liberia on the west coast of Africa. These individuals' dreams and fears, successes and disappointments are recorded in a rare collection of over a hundred letters written to one man, Benjamin Coates, a Quaker philanthropist and social reformer living in Philadelphia.

Letters from the Benjamin Coates African Colonization Collection form the core of the exhibition and are featured in the newly published book, Back to Africa: Benjamin Coates and the Colonization Movement in America, 1848-1880, edited by Haverford professor and Curator of the Quaker Collection, Emma Lapsansky-Werner with noted Quaker author Margaret Hope Bacon.

Printing for Manuscript: Rosenbach Lectures, Feb 2006

2006-01-10T14:40:00.000-05:00

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA LIBRARY Announces the
A. S. W. Rosenbach Lectures for 2006

Printing for Manuscript
Prof. Peter Stallybrass, University of Pennsylvania

Feb. 6: Blank Forms, or why we need to know how to write
Feb. 7: Marginal Space, or why margins precede writing
Feb. 13: Blank Pages, or why printing is a revolutionary incitement to writing by hand.
Feb. 15: Writing after Printing, or how printing invents manuscript

All lectures begin at 5:00 PM in the Class of ’55 Room, on the second floor of the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, 3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia on the Penn campus. There will be a reception following the first and the final lectures. The lectures are free and open to the public.

For information, contact Michael Ryan: 215-898-7552, by email: ryan@pobox.upenn.edu.

Ben Franklin Lecture Jan. 23

2006-01-03T17:50:00.000-05:00

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, SCIENTIST AND MEDICAL INVESTIGATOR

Stuart Green, MD (School of Medicine, University of California - Irvine)

Monday, January 23, 2006
6:15 PM

The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
19 South 22nd Street, Philadelphia

Many people know that Franklin showed that lightning is an electrical discharge, but few realize that he attempted to cure paralysis with electricity. In the realm of medicine, Franklin was also interested in typhus, malaria, yellow fever, smallpox, lead poisoning, gout and kidney stones. In the earth sciences, he charted the Gulf Stream, proposed mechanisms to explain earthquakes, and enhanced our knowledge of weather patterns. Franklin spent time-in America, Britain and France-in the laboratories of the most important chemists of his day. He wrote about microscopy, physiology, astronomy, ecology, steamboats, military aeronautics and even space travel. Franklin's writings influenced many subsequent thinkers, including Malthus, Darwin and Marx.

Stuart A. Green, MD is Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine. His article, "Repeal of The Stamp Act: The Merchants and Manufacturers Testimonies" appeared in the The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. In 2003, he published "The Origins of Modern Clinical Research," an article that traces the beginnings of placebo-controlled clinical trials back to Franklin's 1784 investigation of mesmerism for the King of France. Dr. Green also serves on the Advisory Board of the College's upcoming exhibit, "The Medical World of Benjamin Franklin," scheduled to open on April 8, 2006.

This illustrated lecture, featuring items from Dr. Green's personal collection of Frankliniana, is free and open to all. For further information, or to make reservations, contact Sofie Sereda, Administrative Assistant, Wood Institute: ssereda@collphyphil.org, or 215-563-3737, ext. 232

Sponsored by The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, THE COLLEGE LIBRARY and the "One Book, One Philadelphia" program of the FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA

PACSCL is hiring!

2005-12-08T12:52:00.000-05:00

PACSCL is seeking a project director / archivist for an innovative consortial survey and assessment of the unprocessed or underprocessed manuscript collections in 21 of its member libraries. An exciting and rewarding position for someone who'd like to sample the collections of some of the area's most prestigious manuscript repositories. Details here.

Register online for GIS conference

2005-11-16T17:38:00.000-05:00

FUTURE FOUNDATIONS: MAPPING THE PAST
Building the Philadelphia GeoHistory Network

Friday - Saturday --- December 2-3, 2005
Reservation deadline November 28

Details here

for the PACSCLblog

2005-11-14T13:51:00.000-05:00

CURIOUS LOOKS AT ARTISTS' BOOKS

What would a book designed and made by an artist look like?
Can glass, soap, plexiglass and other non-paper materials
form a book? Why would one need a can-opener when opening a
book?

These and other questions may be answered by Paley Library's
exhibition of artists' books from its Special Collections
Department and the Tyler School of Art Library: "Curious
Looks at Artists' Books."

Exhibition location: Main Lobby, Paley Library
Temple University Libraries 13th & Berks Sts.
Philadelphia, PA 19122 Phone: 215-204-8230

Exhibition dates: November 11-December 31, 2005

[There is an illustration, as well as the text, at
http://exhibitions.library.temple.edu/artbooks]

**< Thomas M. Whitehead Special Collections Department >>**
**< Temple University Libraries 1210 W. Berks Street >>**
**< Philadelphia, PA 19122-6088 Phone: 215-204-8230 >>**
**< Fax: 215-204-5201 Web: http://library.temple.edu/collections/special_collections *

About that "flu pandemic"...

2005-11-01T07:45:00.000-05:00

The College of Physicians of Philadelphia has assembled a stellar panel to discuss the question, "Flu Pandemic: Hazard or Hype?" Friday, November 18, 12-2. Details here (Adobe Acrobat file)

The Wagner Free Institute of Science: Celebrating 150 Years!

2005-10-25T14:57:00.000-04:00

Please join us to celebrate

On Wednesday, October 26th, from 5:30 - 8:00 PM, the Wagner Free Institute of Science is having a party for our members, colleagues, and supporters. The party will celebrate the past 150 years as well as look forward to another 150 years of educating and inspiring people to learn about the natural world. The celebration will feature recent accomplishments - the restored library wing and museum windows - and the Institute’s remarkable collections and programs. At 6:30, Wayne Spilove, Chairman of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, will speak and there will be a toast and birthday cake. Also, the PECO Energy building will feature the Wagner’s name in lights for the evening.

So, stop by after work, explore the museum and the library, and join us for a toast and birthday cake!

The Wagner Free Institute of Science
1700 Montgomery Avenue
Philadelphia PA 19121

October 28: Dark Bargain: Slavery, Profits and the Struggle for the Constitution

2005-10-18T15:12:00.000-04:00

The Friends of the American Philosophical Society Library cordially invite you to a talk and book signing.

Lawrence Goldstone will discuss his new book, Dark Bargain: Slavery, Profits and the Struggle for the Constitution

No issue was of greater concern to the delegates of the Constitutional Convention than that of slavery; it resounded through debates on the definition of treason, the disposition of the rich lands west of the Alleghenies and the admission of new states, representation and taxation, the need for a national census, and the very make-up of the legislative and executive branches of the new government. As Lawrence Goldstone provocatively makes clear in Dark Bargain, "to a significant and disquieting degree, America's most sacred document was molded and shaped by the most notorious institution in its history."

An eye-opening examination of America's foundation, Dark Bargain recounts an event as dramatic and compelling as any in our nation's history. Lawrence Goldstone holds a PhD in American Constitutional History. He has written or co-authored nine books of fiction and non-fiction, including two highly-praised works of narrative history, Out of the Flames and The Friar and the Cipher. His novel Rights won a new AmericanWriting award.

5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday, October 28, 2005
Benjamin Franklin Hall
427 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia
RSVP: sduffy@amphilsoc.org or call Reception Desk (215) 440-3400

Franklin & Friends

2005-10-18T09:47:00.000-04:00

As part of the Ben Franklin 300 Philadelphia celebration Haverford College Special Collections and the Hurford Humanities Center present the exhibition Franklin & Friends and the Franklin Speaker Series.

Franklin & Friends
Magill Library, Sharpless Gallery
October 17, 2005 through January 31, 2006
Free & open to the public

While not a Quaker himself, founding father Benjamin Franklin had important and meaningful relationships with many members of the Society of Friends including Anthony Benezet, Humphry Marshall, John Bartram, and John Woolman. These individuals, together with Franklins associates outside of the Society, shared many of his wide-ranging interests, such as his printing business, his service as an American diplomat, his interest in science and education, his engagement with politics, and his concern for the abolition of slavery and fair treatment of Native Americans. At times both supportive and critical of the Quakers, Franklin even went so far as to dress the part when he visited Paris, where American Quakers were held in high esteem. Books, original manuscripts, maps, portraits, artifacts and other materials from Haverford College Special Collections reveal these and other fascinating associations between Franklin & Friends.

Franklin Speaker Series
Magill Library, Philips Wing
October 24 ~ November 29 ~ December 7, 2005
Free & open to the public

Monday, October 24, 2005 ~ 4:00 pm
David Seaman, Executive Director of the Digital Library Federation, oversaw the creation of a digital copy of Franklins Autobiography while at the University of Virginia. He will speak about the role of technology and digital libraries in historical research.

Tuesday, November 29, 2005 ~ 4:00 pm
David Fox, Director of the Penn Reading Project at the University of Pennsylvania, will speak about the renowned first-year immersive reading program, which this year featured Franklins Autobiography.

Wednesday, December 7, 2005 ~ 4:00 pm
David Waldstreicher, Professor of History at Temple University, is the author of Runaway America: Benjamin Franklin, Slavery and American Revolution. He will speak on the topic of Franklin, Quakerism and Slavery.

Ben Franklin 300 Philadelphia is a year-long celebration of Benjamin Franklins 300th birthday in Philadelphia and Its Countryside.

Developing Urban Images

2005-10-17T17:43:00.000-04:00

From the website of The Athenaeum of Philadelphia:

In 2001, The Athenaeum acquired more than a quarter million images from noted architectural photographer Lawrence S. Williams. This online exhibition includes a selection of some of the most vibrant of the photographer's images of Philadelphia, selected by Williams himself, and spanning five decades.

Developing Urban Images: Fifty Years of Philadelphia Architecture as Seen Through the Lens of Lawrence S. Williams. Online exhibition with narrated slide show.

RELEASE THE BATS! October Dracula Festival

2005-10-12T11:39:00.000-04:00

Every year, the Rosenbach Museum & Library celebrates Halloween with activities themed to Bram Stoker's Dracula (Stoker's working notes are at the Rosenbach). Activities include kids' workshops, lectures, exhibitions, and film screenings, and traditionally culminate in a Halloween parade of Dracula puppets in partnership with Philadelphia's Spiral Q puppet theater. More details here.

Richard Newman speaks on abolition October 18

2005-10-12T11:37:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, October 18
Meet the Author
Richard S. Newman, "Forgotten Founders: The PAS and The Rise of American Abolitionism."
6 PM

Although the year 1775 is remembered for the shot at Lexington, Massachusetts that started the American Revolution, it also marked the beginning, in Pennsylvania, of another auspicious battle -- the battle to end slavery. Join us for a talk with Rich Newman, author of The Transformation of American Abolitionism: Fighting Slavery in the Early Republic, which traces the grassroots of the American abolitionist movement and its radical transformation during the early 19th century. Newman’s work is based on original research in the PAS paper collection here at HSP.

Dylan Thomas at the Rosenbach

2005-10-08T18:29:00.000-04:00

From Rosen-blog, the backstory on some remarkable Dylan Thomas materials in the Rosenbach Museum & Library's Collection. [details]

Pennsylvania German Broadsides: now showing

2005-10-07T15:33:00.000-04:00

PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN BROADSIDES:
Windows into an American Culture

On display through April 2006 at
The Library Company of Philadelphia
1314 Locust Street, Philadelphia PA 19107
http://www.librarycompany.org/

(For additional materials from PACSCL members highlighting Pennsylvania German culture, see the Free Library of Philadelphia's collection of Fraktur and the Philadelphia Museum of Art's American arts collections)

Oral History Workshops at the American Philosophical Society

2005-10-05T15:10:00.000-04:00

This Fall Oral History in the Mid Atlantic Region is sponsoring two separate programs of workshops on 28 October at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia and on 18 November at NYU in Manhattan. Both will feature a beginners workshop. The APS sessions will include workshops on incorporating Oral History into Documentaries, Audio Frontiers--Analog to Digital, and Archiving Oral History and Sound Collections. The NY session will include additional workshop on Digitizing. For details and registration fees visit www.ohmar.org.

Temple Library Exhibition: Talley Beatty and PHILADANCO

2005-10-05T11:40:00.000-04:00

"Placing Dance in New Communities: Preserving the
Talley Beatty/PHILADANCO Legacy"

Temple University / Paley Library
October 1-28, 2005
8:00 a.m. - 2 a.m. Monday - Thursday
8:00 a.m. - 8 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Saturday
and Sunday Noon to 2:00 a.m.

An exhibition presented by the Philadelphia Dance Collection, Special Collections Department, displaying materials from the PHILADANCO Archives and other materials on loan. The exhibition is in tribute of the life and work of master American choreographer Talley Beatty and the 35th anniversary of PHILADANCO. [more details]

Ben Franklin Tercentenary Celebration 10/9

2005-10-05T09:11:00.000-04:00

(Did you know that three PACSCL member institutions were founded by Ben Franklin? And that many more hold collections of his papers, or those of his friends, colleagues, and opponents?)

Please join the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary in celebrating the kick-off of the season of Franklin at the Franklin Fair and Marketplace which opens at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 9, 2005. The program in Franklin Court begins at 1:00 p.m. More information on this and other events here.

So...how does Philly work, anyway?

2005-10-03T12:35:00.000-04:00

The City's Department of Records (a PACSCL member) has teamed up with the Atwater Kent Museum to put on a four-Thursday series showing how the City will use its new geographic information system (GIS) to track crime and public health issues, deal with tax issues, review building codes and more. Speakers include representatives from the Police, Streets, Water, and Public Health Department. Starts October 20. Download a .pdf brochure here.

Philly the next great thing?

2005-10-03T12:33:00.000-04:00

The National Geographic says it, so it must be so. And it's the city's vibrant cultural scene and its openness to new residents that are driving the renaissance, it says on its online feature. Read it here

The Health of Black Soldiers in the American Civil War, October 20

2005-10-03T07:43:00.000-04:00

From Edward Morman, Librarian at the College of Physicians:

The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
SECTION ON MEDICAL HISTORY

with
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM IN PHILADELPHIA,
THE CIVIL WAR AND UNDERGOUND RAIROAD MUSEUM
and
THE THIRD REGIMENT, INFANTRY, U.S. COLORED TROOPS,
CIVIL WAR RE-ENACTORS

invite you to

THE 2005 SAMUEL X RADBILL LECTURE

Margaret Humphreys, MD, PhD
(Associate Professor of History, Duke University)

"IMMENSELY HUMAN: THE HEALTH OF BLACK SOLDIERS
IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR"

As the Civil War entered its third year the fate of the black slaves occupied center stage among northern thinkers. Could the black man become a productive citizen? Would black people be able to care for themselves, and remain healthy? Would the black man make a good soldier? In 1863 and 1864 some 180,000 black men entered the Union army, and many hoped the experience would train them in citizenship skills. An alarming number died of disease, which led some to claim that the black body was inherently weak, unable to survive the rigors of the army and the modern world. This talk explores the disease experience of the black soldier and the factors which caused such high morbidity and mortality during the Civil War.

Thursday, October 20, 2005
6:15 PM
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
19 South 22nd Street
Philadelphia PA 19103

A RECEPTION WILL FOLLOW THE TALK

This program is free and open to all

To register, please contact Sofie Sereda: 215.563.3737, ext. 232, or sereda@collphyphil.org.

For further information about this or other programs of the Section on Medical History, please contact Ed Morman, Director of the Wood Institute for the History of Medicine: 215.563.3737, ext. 265, or emorman@collphyphil.org

Building Muscles While Building Minds: Athletics and the Early Years of Women's Education - at Bryn Mawr College

2005-09-30T11:13:00.000-04:00

Building Muscles While Building Minds: Athletics and the Early Years of Women's Education
September 20 - December 22, 2005

The importance of athletics at women's colleges will be addressed in the library's new exhibition Building Muscles While Building Minds: Athletics and the Early Years of Women's Education. The exhibition opened Tuesday, September 20th with a lecture by Jenepher P. Shillingford, Director Emeritus of Physical Education, entitled "A Century of Empowering Women Through Sports: From 'the Apple' to Title IX". The exhibition is sponsored by the Friends of the Bryn Mawr College Library.

The Building Muscles exhibition looks at how Bryn Mawr College responded to nineteenth-century attitudes that questioned whether women were both mentally and physically capable of a rigorous academic program. Curated by Barbara Ward Grubb of the Special Collections Department and Emily Houghton '05, the exhibition draws upon period photos, instruction books, contemporary student publications, and the national press to illustrate how the "physical culture" program influenced the layout of the grounds, added variety to campus life, inspired literary and satirical publications, and connected the College with other schools.

Open M-F 9-4:30; S-S 1-5, in the Mariam Coffin Canaday Library, Bryn Mawr College. Restricted or no access during holidays and vacations. For additional information, please call Special Collections at 610-526-6576.

National History Day Workshop, October 24

2005-09-30T10:33:00.000-04:00

From V. Chapman-Smith, National Archives and Records Administration Mid Atlantic Office:

National History Day…What’s it all about?

Monday, October 24, 2005
3 - 5 p.m.
Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1300 Locust Street
RSVP by October 19: nrb.reservations@nara.gov or 215.305.2008

Are you trying to grow new audiences?
Have you found it challenging to make strong connections to your community, particularly schools, educators and students?
Are you tired of struggling with these issues alone?

Come to this workshop and learn about a nationally distinguished program with a twenty-five year track record that is enabling cultural institutions across the country to build strong education and community programs.

Workshop Outcomes:

Learn about the National History Day program and why it is a successful framework for cultural institutions.
Hear how National History Day meets the needs of schools, educators and students.
Learn about best practices that you can utilize.

Have your questions answered!

Speakers:

Cathy Gorn, Executive Director, National History Day, College Park, Maryland
Joel Walker, State Coordinator – National History Day in South Carolina, South Carolina Archives and History Center
Anne Burnett, Stenton Historic Site, Philadelphia (Germantown)

This event is sponsored by Heritage Philadelphia Program, funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, administered by the University of the Arts.

Two eighteenth century colonial formularies online

2005-09-30T10:32:00.000-04:00

Edward Morman (College of Physicians of Philadelphia librarian) writes:

The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
THE COLLEGE LIBRARY
Eighteenth-Century Manuscripts on the College Website

The Library of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia is pleased to announce the availability, through its website (www.collphyphil.org), of two fully searchable 18th-century Pennsylvania manuscripts:

A bilingual (German and English) formulary, the Medicina Pensylvania of George de Benneville, a French Huguenot physician,
Remediorum Specimina, the record of the practice and recipes of Abraham Wagner, a Schwenckfelder practitioner from Silesia.

The manuscripts can be dated roughly to the period 1740 to 1780. Both drew on numerous 18th-century continental European and English sources-explicitly in the case of the Wagner manuscript and unacknowledged in the Medicina Pensylvania-and both offer copious and often highly technical recipes from the armamentarium of chemical and botanical substances that were in general use at the end of the early modern period. Similar to other physician manuals of the period, they lay out medicinals and related procedures for treatment of major diseases and conditions. Medicina Pensylvania is held by the College Library, and Remediorum Specimina belongs to the Schwenkfelder Library of Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

The objective of this project, supported by grants from the National Library of Medicine and the Humboldt Stiftung of Germany, is to make accessible a body of writings that offer insight into some of the lesser known medical resources available to the North American colonial population. The principal investigator, responsible for this project, is Prof. Renate Wilson of the Bloomberg School of Public Health at the Johns Hopkins University. The work was initiated at the College of Physicians by Charles Greifenstein, now at the American Philosophical Society. After Mr. Greifenstein left the College of Physicians, the technical work was completed by Laura Blanchard, executive director of the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collection Libraries.

One can also go directly to the manuscripts, whose URL is contentdm.collphyphil.org. If you go directly to this website, please click on "about the manuscripts" for instruction on how to make best use of the digitized editions and for further information about the project.

Reminder: APS lecture on Martha Washington

2005-09-29T05:38:00.000-04:00

At the American Philosophical Society:

September 30. Fri. 5.30 PM		Franklin Hall (427 Chestnut St.)
Lecture and Book Launch: Patricia Brady, Martha Washington: An American Life

More information here

From Gutenberg to Google at the Union League

2005-09-29T05:25:00.000-04:00

From Beth DeGeorge, Librarian at The Union League of Philadelphia:

"The Library Committee of the League is hosting 'From Gutenberg to Google' on the evening of Tuesday, 18 October. Our honored guests will be the Librarian of Oxford University's Bodleian Library, Dr. Reginald Carr, and the Dean of the Johns Hopkins' University library system Dean Winston Tabb. Also joining us that evening will be America's first Librarian, Benjamin Franklin; and the president who memorialized the Bible and Shakespeare, Abraham Lincoln.

"Part of the Bodleian's Royal mandate is to provide free access to everyone. Using state of the art technology, all of the Bodleian's collection is being imaged so that it exists in elecronic storage. The founders of Google are funding this project.

"Join us on a fascinating journey led by Dr. Reginald Carr of the Bodleian and Dr. Winston Tabb of Johns Hopkins. The evening will begin with cocktails at 6:00 P.M. followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m. and the program at 8:00 P.M. For information or reservations, please contact Beth DeGeorge at library - at - unionleague.org. The cost is $55 per person ($50 for PACSCL members)."

Rosenbach at the BF300

2005-09-29T05:22:00.000-04:00

From Rosen-blog, news that the Rosenbach Museum & Library is lending one of its treasures, the sole surviving copy of Poor Richard Almanac, to the traveling Ben Franklin exhibition celebrating his tercentenary.

More here

Welcome!

2005-09-29T04:39:00.000-04:00

Welcome to PACSCLblog, the new online resource built by staff and friends of PACSCL's 28 member libraries.

With more than 3,000,000 rare books, 200,000 linear feet of manuscripts and archival materials, and 9,000,000 photographs, maps, architectural drawings, and works of art on paper, PACSCL's members are bound to have resources to surprise and delight you, whether you're a research scholar, a student, or a lifelong learner. PACSCL member libraries hold rich collections of materials on national, regional, and local history; the natural and social sciences; world history, literature and religion; art and architecture; and business and industry.

Our members have many ways of sharing these riches with a wide audience. All of our libraries are open to the public, and many offer seminars, symposia, lectures, exhibitions, and other public programs. PACSCL members are sharing more and more of their collections with a worldwide audience via the web, so be sure to browse our members' individual websites.