Scatter of the Literature (2000) Pearl Berger Yeshiva University, [email protected]
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Judaica Librarianship Volume 10 Number 1–2 69-70 5-1-2000 Scatter of the Literature (2000) Pearl Berger Yeshiva University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://ajlpublishing.org/jl Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Information Literacy Commons, Jewish Studies Commons, and the Reading and Language Commons Recommended Citation Berger, Pearl. 2000. "Scatter of the Literature (2000)." Judaica Librarianship 10: 69-70. doi:10.14263/2330-2976.1157. - ------------- SCATTEROF THE LITERATURE Pearl Berger Yeshiva University New York, NY Please send copies of articles of interest to Breger, Jennifer. "Three Women of the Speech Days at Jews College, was pub Judaica librarians that are found in other Book: Judith Montefiore, Rachel Mor lished by Oxford University Press (1924) journals, both general and Jewish, as well purgo, and Flora Sassoon," AB Book and in Hebrew, as an appendix to lmre as relevant chapters in books and encyclo man's Weekly, Special Judaica Issue Yoe/, volume 3, by Rabbi Joel Herzog. pedias, to: 101:13 (March 30, 1998), pp. 853-864. Flora Sassoon encouraged her son David in his scholarly and collecting interests, Pearl Berger The three women described in this article which led to the establishment of the great Dean of Libraries all "were traditionally observant, all three est private collection of Hebrew and Yeshiva University came from prominent families, all three Samaritan manuscripts in the world. 500 West 185th St. were married, and all three left published New York, NY 10033 writings." Judith Montefiore (1784-1862), Lazinger, Susan S.; Levi, Judith. "Multi "First Lady of Anglo Jewry," philanthropist, ple Non-Roman Scripts in ALEPH Baker, Zachary M. "The Yiddish Collec patroness of charities and good works, par Israel's Research Library Network," tions of the VIVO Library: Their History, ticipated with her husband in his travels Library HI TECH, Issue 53-14:1 (1996), Scope, and Significance," VIVO Annual and benefactions. The printing press of pp. 111-116. 22(1995),pp.253-273. Israel Bak in Jerusalem was "presented by Moses and Judith Montefiore." Her extant As the only country in the world in which This overview of the VIVO Library collec published works include her honeymoon Hebrew is the official language, Israel tions appeared originally as an introduction diaries and two journals of visits "to Egypt found it necessary to develop software to the five-volume G. K. Hall publication, and Palestine By Way of Italy and the enabling its research library catalogs to The Yiddish Catalog and Authority File of Mediterranean." The first known Jewish handle from the outset two alphabets the YIVO Library (1990), edited by Zachary cookbook in English by "a Lady" is attrib Hebrew (including Yiddish and Ladino) and M. Baker and Bella Hass Weinberg. The uted to her as well. Roman characters. Starting in 1981, essay begins with a brief history of the ALEPH, Israel's research library network, founding and growth of VIVO in Vilna and Rachel Morpurgo (1790-1871) was born utilized locally developed software that its establishment in the U.S. The fate of the into the distinguished Luzzatto family in Tri could provide both Hebrew and Roman collections during and after World War II is este. She was extremely well versed in the modes; however, since the nation's discussed, and the pivotal and tragic role Hebrew language and the various fields of research libraries had large collections in of the Holocaust in the formation of the Jewish studies, including the Talmud and Arabic and Cyrillic languages, an urgent library is described. the Zahar. Her poetry and letters appeared need arose for a system that could also in Kochavei Yitshak, a Viennese journal of handle Arabic and Cyrillic scripts. This led The VIVO Library is referred to in the essay Hebrew literature. Her writings were issued to the development of soft fonts, software as a "collection of collections," and indeed in a separate volume, Ugav Rachel (Cra instead of the hardware-based Hebrew many of the varied and important collec cow, 1890; reprint: Tel Aviv, 1943), edited English solution that was incorporated into tions that came together to build this great with a biography of the author by R. Vitto ALEPH'S earlier versions. The soft fonts library are mentioned, Eight categories are rio Castiglioni, who later became Chief can display on any VT320 or upwardly presented as encompassing the "contours Rabbi of Rome. Morpurgo's works were compatible terminal in the Roman, Hebrew, of the collection," each with characteristic translated into English by Nina Davis Sala Arabic, and Cyrillic alphabets. Further examples. The categories are: early Yid man. more, in the Hebrew and Arabic modes, the dish imprints; Haskalah literature; modern language of communication with the com Yiddish belles lettres; Yiddish theater and Flora Sassoon (1850-1936), a woman of puter (commands, HELP, and so on) is also folklore; Yiddish linguistics; Jews in Russia many talents and unusual erudition in Jew the vernacular. This article focuses on and Poland; Jewish immigrant life in the ish texts, was distinguished as a philan some of the problems and solutions United States; and the Holocaust. thropist, businesswoman, hostess, and involved in developing ALEPH's multi scholar. At the age of thirty-five, following script, bi-directional system. (Authors' The bibliographic significance of the collec her husband's death, she took over his abstract, edited) tions is pointed out, as is YIVO's participa business interests and ran the Bombay tion with Yad Vashem in a joint office as managing partner. Her publica Lerman, Linda P. "Librarians," in Jewish bibliographic series on the Holocaust. tions include articles on "Rashi" and "Thir Women in America: An Historical Ency Gaps in the collections and the decline in teen," both published in The Jewish Forum clopedia, edited by Paula E. Hyman and Yiddish publication activity are noted. in 1930 and 1931, respectively. Her Deborah Dash Moore. New York: Rout speech, delivered when she presided over ledge, 1997, pp. 847-849. Judaica Librarianship Vol. 10 No. 1-2 Spring 1999-Winter 2000 69 Traces the role played by Jewish women in worked. We propose that a national system boasts a high literacy rate, and it is not the development of general as well as of college, school and public library net uncommon for a volume of poetry to sell Judaica librarianship in the United States. works be created as an essential prerequi more than 10,000 copies. Jewish religious Beginning with Fanny Goldstein, "the most site to enable equal access to educational publications play a primary role, while prominent and creative of the earliest resources by the information-poor sectors books dealing with Jewish history, archae American Jewish librarians," the article of Israeli society. This could improve their ology, Middle East, art, and travel appear identifies significant contributions made by socioeconomic position, thereby enhancing with frequency. Publishers fall into three women to Judaic bibliography, the estab political stability. To this end the University categories: institutionally owned publish lishment of professional organizations and of Haifa Library has proposed several proj ers-Am Oved, Magnes Press; publishers cooperative programs for Jewish libraries, ects: 1 . A digital library of Hebrew periodi owned by newspaper groups-Schocken professional publications, and the adminis cals, where scanned full images of articles, (Ha'aretz), Ma'ariv Book Guild; and pri tration and management of Judaic library connected to an index, will serve net vately owned publishers-Keter, Carta. collections. worked students. 2. Electronic reserves The biennial Jerusalem International Book that will provide required reading materials Fair and the Jerusalem Prize for the "Free Schmelzer, Menahem. "Guides to the Per for University of Haifa users. 3. A digital dom of the Individual in Society'' are presti plexed in the Wilderness of Hebraica: slide collection that will make 160,000 gious events on the world literary scene. From Historical to Contemporary Bibli annotated slides available to all interested Veteran Hebrew writers, well known and ographies and Catalogs of Hebraica," users. widely translated-Amos Oz, A. B. Harvard Library Bulletin, New Series 6:2 Yehoshua, Aharon Appelfeld, etc.-are (Spring 1995), pp. 9-23. Raising the funds for such projects needs joined by new authors, among them much effort, in face of rising expenses, women writers, authors of Sephardic back Paper presented as the Max and Irene technological change and diminishing bud ground and interests, and writers of chil Engel Levy Memorial Lecture at the gets. Regarding networking as a national dren's books. Widener Library on May 8, 1995, to cele priority should lead to government funding. brate the publication by K. G. Saur of the Our library has submitted several grant Weinberg, Bella Hass. ''The Earliest eleven-volume Catalog of the Hebrew Col applications this year; one was rejected, Hebrew Citation Indexes," Journal of the lection of the Harvard College Library. and the others are pending. The develop American Society for Information Sci ment of a virtual library needs state invest ence, JASIS 48:4 (April 1997), The author presents a sweeping overview ments, as this could lead to far-reaching pp. 318-330. of more than three centuries of Hebrew bib benefits for a developing country like Israel. liography, beginning with Sifte Yeshenim by As in past ventures, lack of resources The invention of the citation index was Shabbethai Bass (Amsterdam, 1680) and might influence the pace at which Univer credited to Shepard (1873) until Shapiro ending in the present day. The characteris sity of Haifa Library projects are carried described a legal citation index published tics of Hebrew bibliographies are identified, out, but not our determination to proceed in 1743. A similar index was embedded in compared and contrasted, and their unique with or without external funding.