Association of Jewish Libraries N E W S L E T T E R May/June 2010 Volume XXIX, No
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Association of Jewish Libraries N E W S L E T T E R May/June 2010 Volume XXIX, No. 4 Spotlight on a Judaica Special Collection The Tel Aviv Collection at the Stanford University Libraries ZACHARY BAKER This article first appeared in the 2007-2009 issue of the newslet- Tel Aviv [Haifa: Haifa University Press, 2007, in Hebrew]), who ter published by the Taube Center for Jewish Studies at Stanford spoke about “Sport, the New Jew, and the First Hebrew City.” The University. It is reprinted here with the permission of the Center. symposium concluded with a presentation by Barbara E. Mann (Jewish Theological Seminary of America; author of A Place in In 2006 we reported on an exciting acquisition by the Stanford History: Modernism, Tel Aviv, and the Creation of Jewish Urban Space University Libraries: the Eliasaf Robinson Collection on Tel [Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2005]), on “What We Write Aviv. Over a period of nearly four decades, Robinson, who about When We Write about Tel Aviv.” is one of Israel’s leading T h e s y m p o s i u m antiquarian booksellers, also marked the official collected close to 500 books launch of the library’s and thousands of archival Tel Aviv Web site: http:// documents, photographs, lib.stanford.edu/telaviv. postcards, ephemera, post- The home page for the ers, maps, architectural Tel Aviv Web site pro- plans, building permits, vides links to the online and even sewer diagrams, inventory for the archi- dating from the formative val segment of the collec- decades of Tel Aviv. Taken tion; documents, images, as a whole, this collection is and books in the collec- an extraordinary resource tion, and to an online on the economic, social, version of the exhibit. and cultural history of “the Researchers everywhere first Hebrew city.” now have ready access On April 23, 2009—al- to much of the Tel Aviv Stanford University Libraries, Department of Special Collections most one hundred years to A view of Herzl Street, leading into the Herzliah Gymnasium. Undated, 1920s or 1930s. Collection’s contents. In the day since the founding addition, the collection of Ahuzat Bayit, the garden suburb that formed the nucleus of the Web site marks the following “firsts” for the library’s Digital future metropolis—the Taube Center for Jewish Studies presented Library Systems and Services: an academic symposium to celebrate the opening of an exhibit • It is the first collection of works in the Hebrew alphabet to of the Tel Aviv Collection, “‘The First Hebrew City’: Early Tel be digitized at Stanford. Aviv through the Eyes of the Eliasaf Robinson Collection.” The • It is one of the first collections of twentieth-century archival symposium was supported by the Shoshana and Martin Gerstel files in Hebrew to be digitized anywhere. Conference Fund and the Shenson Fund. The exhibit, on view • It is the first time that such a heterogeneous body of ma- in Green Library from April through August 2009, was curated terials is being made available at Stanford from a single by Zachary Baker and designed by Becky Fischbach (Stanford launching page. University Libraries). The Eliasaf Robinson Collection on Tel Aviv has generated At the symposium, following brief introductory remarks by an extraordinary level on interest and enthusiasm, both on the Dr. Vered Shemtov (co-director of the Taube Center) and myself, Stanford campus and well beyond. A small group of Second Life three noted specialists, drawing upon materials in the Tel Aviv devotees eagerly spent evenings and weekends setting up a ver- Collection, gave presentations on aspects of Tel Aviv’s history sion of the exhibit on the Stanford University Libraries’ “island” and culture. Maoz Azaryahu (University of Haifa; author of Tel in that virtual world. And within hours after the Web site was Aviv: Mythography of a City [Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University launched, the library received a request from an Israeli publisher Press; illustrated edition, 2006]) gave a paper on “Tel Aviv’s Silver for permission to reproduce one of the collection’s vintage cinema Jubilee, 1934.” He was followed by Anat Helman (Hebrew Uni- posters. The Tel Aviv Collection promises to be one of the most versity of Jerusalem; author of Urban Culture in 1920’s and 1930’s sought-after resources in the Stanford University Libraries. Association of Jewish Libraries P.O. Box 1118 Teaneck, NJ 07666 212-725-5359, [email protected] President’s Message SU S AN DU B IN The AJL Newsletter (Irene Levin- Wixman z”l, founding editor) is published quarterly by the Associa- tion of Jewish Libraries to inform It is hard to believe that current board members are coming to the end of their members about association activi- terms of office. There are so many things had I hoped to accomplish and time ties and issues related to Judaica li- braries. Receipt of the newsletter is is growing short to get them all done. one of the benefits of membership. Annual dues are $50 for individuals or institutions. One of my more challenging goals was to become an ALA affiliate organiza- tion. Becoming an affiliate has already increased AJL’s visibility. Our awards are now announced on the ALA Web site and there is a link to the AJL Web Please send requests for member- ship and dues information to: site through ALA. We will have a voice at the ALA National Convention; El- Laurie Haas liot Gertel and Ellen Zyroff, our AJL-ALA liaisons, will represent us there. In P.O. Box 3816 Columbus, OH 43210 speaking to a publisher recently, I learned that book sales of Sydney Taylor 614-864-0299 X133 Award winners have increased, because booksellers are seeing our awards [email protected] on the ALA Web site. The increased visibility is a definite plus! Send adult books for review to: Daniel Scheide Another goal was to increase support for regional conferences. Through S.E. Wimberly Library Florida Atlantic University National funding, the Western Regional Conference on Jewish Literature 777 Glades Road for Children has become an important annual event for authors, illustrators, Boca Raton , FL 33431-6424 561-297-0519 publishers, librarians, and educators. The conference draws many public and [email protected] school librarians, who count on AJL to keep them informed about Judaica Adult Review Editor publications Merrily F. Hart 5090 Oak Tree Court The new Israel AJL Group, Igud Safranei ha-Yahadut, had its second all-day Ann Arbor, MI 48108 [email protected] workshop at the Music Library in the National Library of Israel. (See Ya’akov Aronson’s article on the next page). A regional conference also took place in Children and YA Review Editors Linda Silver & Anne Dublin Canada. Of course, the NYMA chapter held outstanding workshops again [email protected] this year, offering librarians in the New York/New Jersey area the best in [email protected] continuing education. Regional conferences that offer exciting and informa- General Editor tive programs are especially helpful to AJL members who are unable to attend Libby White our annual conventions. 20 Lamplighter Court Baltimore, MD 21208 410-580-1812 The annual conventions provide members from all over the world the opportu- [email protected] nity to get to know and learn from one another. This year the convention will Copy Editing and Page Layout take place in the Pacific Northwest for the first time. Seattle will welcome us Nancy Sack [email protected] at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, in the heart of the city, next door to the main branch of the public library (an architectural masterpiece) and a few blocks from the famous Pike’s Market. Our keynote speaker is the “Internet Librarian” Advertising Rates 1 1 himself, Joe Janes. The conference will seek to explore library services in the Full page $200 7 /2 x 9 /2 5 1 Half-page (vert) 110 3 /8 x 9 /2 21st century and our connection to education in the schools. We are inviting 1 3 Half-page (horiz) 110 7 /2 x 4 /4 5 3 educators to come and learn with us in the hopes that they will see how we Quarter-page 55 3 /8 x 4 /4 can help them reach the common goal of providing quality education through All ads must be prepaid. Please submit all inquiries, finished copy, information literacy. Many thanks to the hardworking Seattle group that is and checks to: putting this program together. Karen Ulric Solomon Schechter Day School 1418 Pleasant Valley Way Biennial elections for AJL officers were again held by electronic ballot. The West Orange, NJ 07052 new officers will be installed at the conclusion of the Seattle convention. I am 973-669-8000 x253 [email protected] confident that they will lead AJL on to even bigger accomplishments in the future. AJL Newsletter May/June 2010 Looking forward to seeing many of you in Seattle! Volume XXIX, No. 4 ISSN 0747-6175 2 AJL Newsletter May/June 2010 Spain.” The church altar pieces reflected Christian attitudes of AJL Scholarship Fund supersession through the use of symbols. ELLEN SHARE It was recently revealed that President George Washington owes You have an opportunity to help support a library student and fines for two overdue books borrowed in 1789 from the New York at the same time promote Judaica librarianship by making Society Library. This library is the oldest in New York and is still donations to the AJL Scholarship Fund. Each year AJL awards operating today. Other borrowers from the New York Society scholarships of $1000 to two talented library science students Library were Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay.