BANCROFTIANA Number 135 • University of California, Berkeley • Fall 2009
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Newsletter of The Friends of The Bancroft Library BANCROFTIANA Number 135 • University of California, Berkeley • Fall 2009 Gold Rush Daguerreotypes Donated n recent years, ambitious endeavors guerreotypes, measuring 41/4 × 51/2, are The late photographic historian Peter Ihave dominated Bancroft Library unusual; the majority produced were Palmquist published an article in news. Building infrastructure for the quarter-plate (31/4 × 41/4) or sixth-plate the Daguerreian Annual (1993) that 21st century, providing state-of-the-art (23/4 × 31/4). While the Weber pioneer analyzed the Stockton views. The preservation environments, exploring portraits are priceless additions to Ban- Bancroft Library is honored to have cutting-edge approaches to bringing croft’s Pictorial Collections, priceless been chosen as the permanent home historical content to the internet: these among other reasons because, unlike for these unique images, and to make are just a few of the challenges and many daguerreotypes, the sitters are them available, along with the Weber improvements that occupy Bancroft identified, the jewels in the crown of Family Papers, to future generations of staff and our Friends. this gift are 12 views of the town of historians. Happily, these undertakings have Stockton. They consist of four pictures The Weber and Murphy family not meant that collecting the pioneer of the Weber home, two of El Dorado photographs are not the only excep- West has abated! While Bancroft has Street from the Stockton Channel, tional gold-rush era images to come been engaged in preparing for the new and six of the waterfront, two with the Continued on page 3 century, core holdings in 19th-century side-wheel steamer Saga- California have been richly enhanced more at dock. One bears by two magnificent gifts of gold-rush an inscription to Weber era photographs. Daguerreotypes, from photographer Wil- unique photographic images on silver- liam Henry Rulofson, plated copper, are the products of the who later became one earliest photographic process. They are of the partners in the highly valued both for their early date famous San Francisco and their remarkable beauty. Daguer- photography studio of reian portraits of California gold Bradley & Rulofson. miners and outdoor daguerreotype The Weber family scenes of any kind are among the most daguerreotypes are true sought-after 19th-century photographs. treasures of California In late 2004, just as Bancroft history. Through the prepared for renovation, the descen- family’s forethought dants of Captain Charles M. Weber and recognition of of Stockton, members of the Weber, their significance, they Kennedy, and Cahill families, donated had been conserved, their trove of Weber and Murphy fam- studied, and occasion- ily photographs from the 1850s, 1860s, ally exhibited before and later. It includes dozens of first-rate their arrival at Ban- portraits of their California pioneer croft. Some had been forebears—from a large “half plate” shown at the Haggin portrait of Captain Weber himself, to Museum of Stockton, charming hand-tinted glass ambro- others at the Oakland Alonzo J. Doolittle posed in miner's clothing with small leather bags of gold nuggets, types of his children. Half-plate da- Museum of California. ca. 1850-1854. Quarter plate daguerreotype. BANC PIC 2005.071:01--CASE. Newsletter of The Friends of The Bancroft Library From the Director Bancroft and the Budget One of the real opportunities we see in both on and off campus; interviewing for the current situation is a great expan- oral history projects. sion in our use of volunteers. We have Our collections and programs are so always had some volunteers in Bancroft, broad and varied that we have something primarily to help with processing collec- of interest for practically anyone. e live in interesting times. You tions, but usually never more than one One of the things that makes it pos- Wwill, of course, understand or two at a time. sible to contemplate a greatly expanded the allusion to the old Chinese curse. Volunteers can help Bancroft in a volunteer operation is the renovated However, there is an even more appo- whole variety of different ways: building. After about a year of teething, site reference to Chinese: My colleague Behind-the-scenes work in Techni- we have resolved the inevitable problems, Peter Zhou, Director of the East Asian cal Services: processing archival and we know how it works, and we have Library, reminds me that “the Chinese manuscript collections by sorting, become comfortable with its quirks and word weiji ‘crisis’ is composed of reorganizing, and rehousing materials; foibles. More importantly, we have much two characters, ‘danger’ wei and ‘oppor- cataloguing the negatives and prints more staff space now than we had in the tunity’ ji.” from the San Francisco Examiner photo- old building. We would be delighted to Make no doubt about it: The 20% graphic collection; copy cataloguing new make some of it available for volunteers. cut in the budget of the University of printed materials; helping to maintain What do we need from volunteers? California is a real crisis and presents Bancroft’s various web sites; scanning Enthusiasm, commitment, time, and real dangers. It affects the University Li- and digitizing materials for web presen- knowledge. In order to make this work, brary at Berkeley as well as the academic tation; transcribing original Mark Twain we will need individuals who can commit departments. The Library has lost 30 letters and manuscripts or papyri held to one or two days a week for a total of staff positions through attrition during by the Center for the Tebtunis Papyri four to eight hours for a period of at least 2008-2009 and will need to shed an- (a knowledge of classic Greek would be a year. The Library is currently work- other 30 during 2009-2010—this from essential for the latter!). ing through its procedures and policies its staff of 318 (down from a high of 472 Public Services: staffing the in- in order to make it feasible for us to use positions in 1990-91). Moreover, fund- formation desk in the Bancroft gallery more volunteers than we have in the past: ing for the Library’s 700 student em- and the registration desk in the Heller Are there liability issues? How do we ployees (60 of them in Bancroft) will be Reading Room, photocopying printed handle access outside of public hours for cut by 25%, and all staff will take a pay and manuscript materials for patrons, non-employees? We expect that sometime cut of 4%-10% in the form of a required handling orders for Bancroft publica- this fall we shall be able to issue a call for furlough. This requires us to rethink the tions. volunteers (a postcard invitation to all kinds of services we can provide to our Administrative support: coordna- members of the Friends). Additionally, users both on and off campus. tion of other volunteers (reviewing we shall post volunteer positions with de- In the first instance we shall most applications, matching qualifications to tailed job descriptions on VolunteerMatch likely have to reduce the hours we are job descriptions, scheduling), telephone (http://www.volunteermatch.org/), a local open as a result of the furlough. If the reception, maintenance of mailing and non-profit agency that puts individuals in campus is simply shut down for a longer e-mail lists for the Mark Twain Project, contact with organizations. period over holiday breaks, Bancroft the Regional Oral History Office, and The Friends of The Bancroft Library would be closed at the same time. Al- the Friends of The Bancroft Library, have been remarkably generous with their ternatively, we might have to reduce our maintaining correspondence and acqui- gifts to Bancroft for more than 60 years. opening hours by four to eight hours a sition files, personalized acknowledg- We still need your financial assistance, but week in order to maintain a balance be- ments of gifts. increasingly we shall need the gift of your tween public and back-office operations. Outreach: docents for Bancroft time and energy as well. Together we can But with danger comes opportunity. exhibitions; assistance to curators in help Bancroft maintain its stature as one We shall be taking a hard look at all of selecting materials for exhibitions and of the great libraries of the world. our operations and procedures to ensure classes and reviewing recent acquisitions that they are still needed and are done by those with specialized subject knowl- as efficiently as possible, not simply be- edge; exhibition preparators; helping to cause “we have always done it this way.” organize, host, and staff Bancroft events The James D. Hart Director The Bancroft Library Page 2 / Fall 2009 Newsletter of The Friends of The Bancroft Library photographic city of Burbank. An unusual group additions, all portrait that includes Mayor Charles made since the J. Brenham of San Francisco and a library’s 1999 striking daguerreotype portrait of Fer- Cased Photo- dinand Ewer, publisher of the Pioneer graphs Project Magazine (and the famous Dame Shir- put its earliest ley Letters), were significant acquisi- photographic tions of 2006. holdings online The growth of Bancroft’s daguerre- (bancroft. otype collection provides an excellent berkeley.edu/ example of curatorial efforts to build collections/ on the library’s strengths while also casedphotos/ documenting contemporary facets of a project.html). diverse California. Twenty-first-century Several signifi- improvements and the preservation Stockton founder Captain Charles M. Weber’s prominent home, photographed from cant purchases challenges posed by vast modern film the south, ca. 1850-1852. Half plate daguerreotype by William Henry Rulofson. BANC PIC 2005.029:01--CASE have been made archives like that of the San Francisco possible by generous donors and the Examiner dominate staff efforts, but under Bancroft’s care during our Friends of The Bancroft Library.