Contents: (Volume 16, number 1 -- Spring 2000)
- Friends' Open House celebrates Fourth-floor renovation by Micheline Jedrey
- Friends' Open House: Thank you, architects and library staff!
- Wellesley receives Excellence in Academic Libraries Award
- A Tribute to Mich from the Friends'
- "A Privilege and a joy ..." a dedication speech by Lia Gelin Poorvu
- Current exhibition highlights bequest of African-America alumna: The Elbert Collection
- From the co-chairs
- Five years of winning fiction
- Surf the Internet at April 4 workshop
- Calendar
Friends'
Open House celebrates
Fourth-floor renovation
by
Micheline Jedrey, College Librarian and
Vice President for Information Services
 O'Neill Photography |
Celebrating
the fourth-floor renovation at the Friends' Open House were an esteemed
trio of College Librarians. From the left, Librarian Emerita Eleanor Gustafson (1980-1989); former Librarian YT Feng (1977-1984); and current College Librarian Micheline Jedrey. |
One hundred Friends- alumnae, faculty, and students; past and present Steering Com mittee members; librarians from other educational institutions; and Wellesley townspeople-attended an open house in early November heralding the latest improvements to Clapp Library. A portion of Micheline Jedrey's remarks follows:
"As part of Clapp Library's Master Planning Process to improve key areas for the twenty-first century, fourthfloor renovation began over four years ago. Completed first, the Betsy Wood Knapp Media and Technology Center is now two years old. Located on the Library's lower level, this Center has become one of the most popular places on campus for students to work and play. Many call themselves 'Knappers,' indicating the time they spend there!
"This afternoon we recognize and celebrate major improvements to Archives, Special Collections, the Book Arts Lab, and the Conservation Facility. New carpeting, comfortable seating, and more study space encourage reading and reflection. Improved lighting, network connections and power receptacles, a new sprinkler system, and advanced heating and air-conditioning bring the infrastructure up-to-date. At the request of faculty emeritae, special study spaces foster scholarship after retirement.
"Archives' elegant, functional reading room now allows members of the Wellesley community and visiting scholars to consult unique materials that form the College's institutional memory. In corridors adjoining Archives, a 'History Wall' of images and words from Archives' holdings paints a vivid portrait of the College and creates an important link to the past for today's students, faculty, and staff.
"In Special Collections, a new seminar room and wired study spaces let students, faculty, and visiting scholars use the Collections' extraordinary resources more conveniently. Improved and expanded storage, including handsome cherry cases in the corridor between Special Collections and Archives, now exist.
"Since the early 1980s, Wellesley has committed itself strongly to conser vation that extends the useful life of library materials. In an expanded, state-of-the-art Conservation Facility, Library staff and student assistants now more easily perform treatments to repair books worn by heavy use and perform preventative maintenance. We are ensuring that materials acquired throughout the College's 125-year history, whether published in 1900 or 1999, remain in good, usable condition for today's and tomorrow's students."
Friends'
Open House:
Thank you, Architects and Library Staff!
| To
the right: As a souvenir, Friends made a bookmark with the inscription "The stewardship of books is an act of homage and faith." Martha Cooley, The Archivist |
 O'Neill Photography |
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 O'Neill Photography |
To the left: Marilyn Hatch, right, Book Arts Instructor and Special Collections Assistant, showed two Friends how to operate the printing press. |
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| To the right: Friends examined materials in Archives, while Wilma R. Slaight, Archivist, looked on. |
O'Neill Photography |
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 O'Neill Photography |
To the left: From the left, architects Susan Hoadley, Sandy Howe, and RayWarburton discussed design philosophy at the Friends' Open House. |
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In her remarks at the Open House, College Librarian Micheline Jedrey referred to superb collaboration between the Library and architectural firm Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson and Abbott and with general contractor Richard White Sons. "Since Shepley, Bulfinch designed the original Library, it was a pleasure to see them continue the building's evolution." Mich gave particular credit to Sandy Howe, principal architect, and Susan Hoadley, project architect. Just as women today break the corporate "glass ceiling," Hoadley broke barriers herself. "I formulated a design referencing an element found throughout the 1973 addition-a Platonic circle. But since the College believes the Platonic motif expresses an outmoded woman's role, we introduced a fragmented circle taking various forms in architecture, custom library furniture, floor and ceiling patterns, and attribution signage. Within a setting maximizing exposure to natural light or the sky, we always placed the individual reader at the center of this fragmented circle." Hoadley worked closely with the dynamite duo of Research Librarian Sally Linden '56 and Manager of Operations for Information Services Leanne Harkness, who oversaw the project from conceptualization through design, move, and construction. Other Library staff who participated in developing detailed program plans were Ruth Rogers, Marilyn Hatch, Jill Bent, Wilma Slaight, Jean Berry, Jane Hedberg, and Sue Leong. Because Friends received a special publication in February focusing on the Conservation Facility, the newsletter contains no pbotograpbs of this area. However, the Facility was, and is, an important element of the fourtb-floor renovation. In ber remarks at the Open House, Micbeline Jedrey stated, "I believe that witbout the strong support and commitment of the Friends of the Library Steering Committee, the Conservation Facility would not bave been built. " All current and past Steering Committee members were recognized at the Open House for their vision, their tenacity, their patience, and their generosity. |
Wellesley Receives Excellence in Academic Libraries Award
The Wellesley College Library has been named first recipient of the Excellence in Academic Libraries award. Presented by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), the national organization for academic libraries, this award recognizes "academic librarians and staff who work together as a team to develop academic libraries that are outstanding in furthering the educational missions of their institutions." Sponsored by Blackwell's Books and Blackwell's Information Services, this recognition program includes annual awards of $3,000 each by type of academic library: community college, college, and university.The College of DuPage received the ACRL award for community colleges, and North Carolina State University for university libraries.
College Librarian Micheline Jedrey received news of the award from Dr. Larry Hardesty, President of the Association of College and Research Libraries, after the Selection Committee's decision at the midJanuary American Library Association conference. "There is special significance in being the first college library chosen for this honor. This means Wellesley is the best of the best," stated Hardesty. Replied Jedrey, "This award is a splendid tribute to the entire library staff. It recognizes the valuable contribution each person makes to the quality of services we provide to the Wellesley College community."
The ACRL selected recipients from a short list of candidates submitted a year ago by members of the academic library community. Nominees then prepared reports summarizing their achievements along the following criteria:
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Creativity and innovation in meeting the needs of their academic community
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Substantial and productive relationships with classroom faculty and students.
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Leadership in developing and implementing exemplary programs that other libraries can emulate.
The ACRL President's Program at the annual American Library Association's Chicago conference in June 2000 will recognize award recipients.
At the conclusion of September's Steering Committee meeting, President Diana Chapman Walsh arrived in the Library's Sanger Room as part of a surprise tribute to Micheline Jedrey. June Milton Stobaugh '66, Co-Chair, Friends of the Library, made the following remarks:
The Library is filled with treasures-- the Ellesmere Chaucer manuscript facsimile, the Browning love letters, leaves from the Gutenberg Bible. It is filled with rich resources for research and learning-from clay tablets to optical disks.
At this table, we have someone who embodies these characteristics of the Library-someone who is a treasure, a great resource, someone of rare intelligence, vision, and humility. She is the leader everyone wishes to follow.
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Above: To the right: |
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Michellne Jedrey was appointed the College's 12th librarian 10 years ago after a nationwide search. A graduate of Smith College with an M.S. in Library Science from Simmons College, Mich spent 16 years in the MIT library system before coming to Wellesley as associate librarian for technical services.
Under her superlative leadership, the Library has made a quantum leap into the new age of networked information. As she herself has said, "Within the Library, the past sits comfortably with the future, providing a place where the historical record of scholarship is valued and where technological change is embraced. It is a place for learning." This enviable ability to handle automation, computerization, and the anxiety they create has served her well both as College Librarian and in her other role as Vice President for Information Services. Today we celebrate Mich's 10 stellar years as College Librarian. We are L so proud of you, Mich, and of the tremendous impact you have had on the Library and College. The Steering Committee of Friends of the Library has voted to donate an exhibition case to the Library to celebrate your 10th anniversary. This case will be located on the fourth floor between Book Arts and Archives and will be shared by both. You are respected and loved by your colleagues and friends, including our President, who is a great fan.
A Speech Dedicating The Lia Gelin Poorvu '56 and William Poorvu Special Collections Area
Special Collections preserves a precious legacy of human thought and creativity, part of our cultural heritage. It houses masterpieces of illumination; landmarks of printing; special editions of great works of prose, verse, and drama; records of past advances in science and cartography; and artists' books, a form of expression enhancing written text through visual means-a genre very much alive today.
How do I fit into this? As long as I can remember, I have been surrounded by books and by people who valued and cherished recorded knowledge. Love of books in many languages and of music, a universal language, was part of the fabric of my family. The first 14 years of my life, we lived in my maternal grandmother's house, the same house where my mother also grew up. My grandfather, whom I never knew, came to this country from Russia at 13. He became a printer, and a fine In addition to its new seminar room, Special Collections now has an inviting seating area, state-of-the-art lighting, new security and sprinkler systems, and advanced heating and cooling. Friends' Open House printer, I imagine, judging from the few remaining examples of his work: Bakst-illustrated programs of the Ballet Russe and special editions to commemorate building the Empire State Building and Pennsylvania Station. As you can imagine, every available wall in the house was filled with books representing many cultural traditions. My grandmother, and incidentally, my best friend, also arrived in this country as a young girl. She was a piano teacher, had four children, and although English was her third language, would still find time to read Shakespeare for pleasure. That's only my mother's side.
Since my mother had rheumatic fever as a child, she was schooled at home. Housebound, she read constantly, systematically reading the Book of Knowledge. I often wondered how far in the alphabet she actually got. I marvel that when she was at Columbia studying for a Ph.D. in history, her father, who probably never finished secondary school, would proofread her papers.
My own father today is 96, is fluent in nine languages, and enjoyed entering into the cultures of countries in which he lived. Although blind now, he struggled valiantly to stay in touch with the written word through a device called a telesensor, then later, by having students read to him. He lives in his own world now, difficult to penetrate, but a few days ago, out of the blue, he talked insightfully about some modern Italian classics, which he had read in Italian, naturally.
When I was a student at Wellesley, I spent many hours buried in the French room on the Library's lower level, barely aware that elsewhere were rare holdings spanning the centuries. Today, it is so exciting to see how these works actively enhance curriculum in creative ways. Ruth Rogers and faculty members share treasures of Special Collections not only with future scholars and connoisseurs, but also with others whose lives will be enriched by awareness and understanding of graphic media and original materials, and who will delight in them.
It is a privilege and a joy to partictpate in this phase of library renovation. I think of those coming before who had the discriminating taste to collect and the mission to share their reverence for books with future generations. I think also of Wellesley students who in the great fire of 1914 participated in a heroicrescue of many books, including the Browning collection. Through my association with the Friends of the Library, I work with an energetic and talented group of bibliophiles committed to their mission. One of the most gratifying aspects of this involvement has been to know the extraordinary librarians who dedicate themselves to the legacy of recorded knowledge under this roof, not only as custodians, but as professionals who innovate using the latest technology to enhance learning and research among students, faculty, and scholars.
Being part of this project has deepened my connection to my own family, to generations of Wellesley students who preceded me, to my colleagues on the Friends of the Library Steering Committee, to the extraordinary staff of librarians, and to present and future students whose horizons will be enlarged through exposure to treasures in Special Collections, which curator Ruth Rogers tends so ably and lovingly.
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Friends' Open House In addition to its new seminar room, Special Collections now has an inviting seating area, state-of-the-art lighting, new security and sprinkler systems, and advanced heating and cooling. |
 O'Neill Photography |
 O'Neill Photography |
In Special Collections, Friends examine the illuminated manuscript De Laudibus Beatae Mariae, French, ca. 1310, given by former President Caroline Hazard, who also gave the Browning love letters. |
| The History Wall provides photographic exhibitions detailing life at Wellesley since 1875. |
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Current
Exhibition Highlights Bequest of
African-American Alumna
"Exploring Elbert: Giving Voice to African-American History," an exhibition in Special Collections through May 15, features selections from the Elbert collection, Wellesley's 800 volumes related to slavery, abolition, and Reconstruction. The collection came to the College from Ella Smith Elbert in June of 1938 as "my 50th Reunion gift in memory of my dear friend and beloved teacher, Miss Katherine Coman, Professor of History during my four years at Wellesley." After her husband's death in 1939, Elbert and her son continued adding to Wellesley's holdings until 1955.
The second African-American to be graduated from Wellesley, Ella Smith was born in 1865 and grew up in Newport, Rhode Island. She taught history at Howard University in Washington, D.C. from 1888 until her 1899 marriage to Dr. Samuel G. Elbert. She afterward maintained an active interest inhistory, collecting and donating many volumes to libraries throughout her life.
This exhibition attempts to capture the scope of the Elbert collection: pro- and anti-slavery opinions; works of African-American literature; narratives; works about Africans and people of African descent in diaspora outside the U.S.; the Civil War; Reconstruction; works by and about women; and comprehensive histories of AfricanAmericans. Volumes include personal narratives, autobiographies, pamphlets, poetry, novels, and folklore. Primarily by and about Americans, the collection also includes written material from England and France and works about Liberia, South Africa, and the Caribbean.
"Exploring Elbert" was created by April D. Kuehnhoff '01, student assistant in Special Collections.
From the Co-Chairs
by
Ruth R. Rogers, Special Collections Librarian,
and June M. Stobaugh '66
Between July 1 and December 31 ' 1999, Friends of the Library have received $39,028 in contributions from 349 members, 50 of whom are new. Thank you for your support.
At its January meeting, the Steering Committee voted $5,000 to match Library Endowment Funds underwriting the cataloguing of Wellesley's pre-1600 manuscripts by Dr. Lisa Fagin Davis, Project Director, Uncatalogued Manuscript Control Center. Manuscripts written before 1600 represent the largest body of primary sources for understanding the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Wellesley is in the fortunate and unusual position of having acquired many fine examples through gifts . Lack of time and personnel, as well as budgetary constraints, have left the material underdocumented and uncatalogued-inaccessible to outside scholars. UMCC selected Wellesley's collection as first to be catalogued for an on-line database because of its importance to medievallsts. The project will be completed by summer.
During Summer Symposium 2000, Ruth Rogers will present four afternoon seminars entitled "Creation, Evolution, and Apocalypse: Presentation of Rare Books from Special Collections." She will familiarize Symposium participants with the College's Collections, including first editions of Blake, Darwin, Freud, Galileo, and Milton, as well as early illustrated Bibles and world chronicles. Also leading four afternoon seminars will be Wilma Slaight, College Archivist since 1972. Her session, called "Incipit vita Nova: Here Beginneth the New Life," will display and discuss documentation of the College's early days.
During Reunion 2000, Friends of the Library will hold an annual meeting in conjunction with a tour of Margaret Clapp Library. Friends in reunion years will receive a letter of invitation.
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Photo by O'Neill Photography |
| During Friends'Open House, Lia Gelin Poorvu '56 (left), Bobye Goodman List '63 (center), and June Milton Stobaugh '66 admired the newly renovated space. Bobye reminisced over her mother's lifelong search for artists' books, limited and first editions, private press books, and illustrated books.The Goodman Collection is the 1990 bequest of Charles and Isabel Ehrlich Goodman '33. |
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Pulitzer Prize
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Booker Prize
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National Book Award
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The Hours, Michael Cunningham
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Disgrace, J.M. Coetzee
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Waiting, Ha Jin
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| American Pastoral, Philip Roth | Amsterdam, Ian McEwan | Charming Billy, Alice McDermott |
| Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer, Steven Millhauser |
The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy |
Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier |
| Independence Day, Richard Ford | Last Orders, Graham Swift | Ship Fever and Other Stories, Andrea Barrett |
| The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields | The Ghost Road, Pat Barker | Sabbath's Theater, Philip Roth |
Surf the Internet at April 4 Workshop
by Monica Driscoll Beatty '78
Whether valley of the shadow or promised land, the Internet is a twenty-first century fact. Navigating this new territory is the subject of "Savvy Surfing: Internet Research and Resources Workshop," the spring program of Friends of the Library, on Tuesday, April 4, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon in the Library Lecture Room, Margaret Clapp Library. A $10 box lunch and discussion afterward are optional.
Formulated to minimize culture shock, "Savvy Surfing" will cover such mechanics as sending and reading e-mail, posting to newsgroups, chatting, browsing, links, and using search engines. In addition, it will touch on such topics of concern as how to evaluate, cite, and protect web-based sources. The workshop will finish with a survey of Wellesley College resources and a look at future directions.
| "Savvy Surfing" brings together two of Wellesley's own technology experts. Pattie Orr, Manager of User Services in Information Services and Lecturer in Computer Science, holds an Ed. M. from Lesley College, where she specialized in residential computing in higher education. Recipient of Wellesley's 1995 Presidential Merit Award, she has led information technology workshops and provided management consulting at many local colleges |
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Joan Campbell, Research and Instructional Services Librarian, holds an M.S. in Library and Information Sciences from Simmons College. For the past 10 years, she has taught Wellesley students how to find and evaluate research information. |
| Pattie Orr, Manager of User Services, left, and Joan Campbell, Research and Instructional Services Librarian. |
A
gift has been made to the Friends of the Library
by Janice L. Hunt '52 for bookplates honoring the late Caroline
W. Axten '36 and the late Cynthia D. Post '35, both of whom were
early members of the Steering Committee.
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MAY 4
Spring
2000 Authors on Stage
Moderator: Robert D. Hale
Coffee hour, 9:45 a.m., program, 10:30 a.m. Cost, $15. Call (781) 237-2921 for information and reservations.
Exhibitions
"Exploring
Elbert: Giving Voice to African-American History"
Through May 15, Special Collections, fourth floor, Clapp Library. Open
to public during Clapp Library hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday-Saturday;
12-9 p.m. Sunday. Special Collections open from 10-12, 1-5 weekdays.
For more information, call (781) 283-3592.
We'd love to hear
from you, our readers, if you have suggestions for activities during
this period from Fall 1999 - Spring 2000. Please contact:
Friends of the Library
Margaret Clapp Library,
Wellesley College,
Wellesley, MA 02481
Friends of the Library
Steering Committee 1999-2000
Honorary Chairperson
Diana Chapman Walsh '66
Founding Member
Mary E. Jackson '24
Co-Chairpersons
Ruth R. Rogers
June M. Stobaugh '66
Newsletter Editor
Wanda Lankenner MacDonald '72
Steering Committee
Monica D. Beatty '78
Claire M. Broder '61
Nancy Grannan, ex-officio
Judith E. Harper '75
Janice G. Hunt '52
Charlotte L. Isaacs '68
Micheline E. Jedrey
Nancy L Pasley '65
Lia Gelin Poorvu '56
Kathryn Preyer
Deborah T. Rempis, '68
Melissa Shaw '94, ex-officio
Elinor Bunn Thompson '37
Kathleen Thompson DS '80
Pamela Walker Turner '65
Sigrid R. Watson '47
Virginia B. Wickwire DS '81
Many thanks to O'Neill Photography for providing digital copies of their photographs seen in the paper version of the Newsletter.
This web version was prepared by MacKenzie Stewart.
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- Date created: April 27, 2000
- Last modified: April 27, 2000
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