LHRT Newsletter JUNE 2012 VOLUME 11, ISSUE 2 BERNADETTE A. LEAR, EDITOR BAL19 @ PSU.EDU Greetings from the Chair BAL19 @ PSU.EDU out directions and Rights: African Americans additional information and American Library shortly before the History.” Our distinguished conference. I’d like to invited speakers are: thank all the members of • Karen Cook, "Breaking the MOC for their efforts the Chains: Freedom during the past year. Libraries in the 1964 Mississippi Summer The Carnegie library tour is Project" particularly appropriate this • Cheryl Knott, "Questions year, since our speaker for of Access: The the annual Edward G. Institutionalization of Holley Memorial Lecture Racial Segregation in Public Tom Glynn, current chair of LHRT. will be Abigail Van Slyck, Libraries in the First Half the author of, among other of the Twentieth Century" works, Free to All: • Steven Harris, Dear Friends and diversity/spectrum_), Carnegie Libraries and "Preserving the Union: Colleagues, which is the association’s American Culture, 1890- ALA and Its Southern diversity and recruitment 1920 (University of Chapters during the Civil I hope everyone is enjoying effort, designed to increase Chicago Press, 1995). Her Rights Movement" wonderful spring weather the representation of talk is entitled “Thinking The respondent will be and looking forward to underrepresented groups in Globally about Carnegie Renate Chancellor. I meeting up at the ALA the profession. The Libraries” and examines encourage you to attend Annual Conference in executive committee voted the role that Carnegie what promises to be a very Anaheim this summer. It is to donate $1,000 to this libraries in New Zealand interesting and thought- with great pleasure that I worthy effort. played in Andrew submit this brief report on Carnegie’s effort to forge a — continued, page 2 the activities of your round The LHRT membership “Race Alliance” among table this year. and outreach committee people of British ancestry (MOC) has been very in North America, Great One important item on our active in the past several Britain, Australasia. agenda at the executive months. In particular, the Established in 1995 and committee’s mid-winter committee, chaired by named for a preeminent meeting in January was a Dominique Daniel library historian, educator, report from our new ([email protected]), has mentor, the Holley lecture webmaster, Julia Skinner arranged two fun events is delivered by a prominent ([email protected]). for the Anaheim scholar from outside the We are making a concerted conference. On Saturday, library field on a topic effort this year to connect June 23rd, at 1:30 p.m. relating to library history. I Inside this issue: and share information there will be a tour of the am pleased and grateful relating to library history in city’s Carnegie Library, that Dr. Van Slyck has various social media. Please which opened to the accepted our invitation. Research Forum 2-3 “like” us on Facebook, reading public in 1909. And Her talk will be at 4:00 p.m. follow us on Twitter. If you later that same day, at 6:00 on Saturday, June 23rd, Web Site Review 3 have any questions or p.m., we will gather at the room 206A in the suggestions in this regard, Story Teller’s Café in the convention center. Tropic of Cancer 4 please contact Julia directly. Grand Californian Hotel Another important for food, drink and The title of this year’s Crossword Answers 5 discussion at the meeting stimulating conversation. Invited Speakers Panel, to was support for ALA’s This is a great way to meet held at 10:30 a.m. on Classics of American 6-7 Spectrum Scholarship fellow LHRT members and Sunday, June 24th in Librarianship Program (http:// learn more about the round Laguna B of the Hilton, is www.ala.org/offices/ table. Dominique will send “Public Libraries and Civil Award Nominations 8-9 LHRT N EWSLETTER Page 2 Greetings from the Chair, cont. provoking panel. The LHRT year to explore the possibility In conclusion, I’d like to thank Research Forum, organized by of starting a new journal for everyone who has contributed our vice chair, Mark McCallon, library history. This topic and to the success of LHRT this will take place at 1:30 p.m. that the recent changes at Libraries past year. Especially (but not same day and is entitled & the Cultural Record (now limited to) Norman Rose, our “Intellectual Freedom and entitled Information & ALA liaison; Bernadette Lear, Libraries in America and Culture) engendered a spirited our newsletter editor; the Abroad: Historical exchange on our listserv. Please members of the executive Perspectives.” For more join us for a full discussion of committee, the award information, please see the this important matter. Another committees, and the article below. significant agenda item will be membership and outreach the venue for the Library committee. I’ve enjoyed Finally, the round table’s History Seminar XIII. Or working with all of them. executive committee will hold rather the current lack thereof. its annual meeting on Sunday at If you’d like information about I look forward to seeing 8:00 a.m. at the La Jolla Room submitting a proposal for your everyone in Anaheim in June. in the Hilton. These are open institution to host this very —Tom Glynn, Rutgers meetings. All LHRT members important conference, to be University are very welcome to attend. held in 2015, contact our past One important item on the chair, Melanie Kimball agenda will be a report from (melanie.kimball@ the committee appointed last simmons.edu). LHRT Research Forum Please make plans to attend the • “From Inferno to Freedom: Sime Road Camp, 1942–1945,” 2012 LHRT Research Forum. Expanding Access in the Lim Peng Han, Loughborough It will be on Sunday, June 24th, Chicago Public Library, 1910- University 1:30–3:30 p.m. at the ALA 1936,” Eric Novotny, Penn • “Heat, Humility, and Hubris: Annual Conference in State University the Conundrum of the Fiske Anaheim, California. The • “Re-examining the Origins Report,” Joyce Latham, theme for this year’s LHRT of the Adoption of ALA’s Bill University of Wisconsin- Research Forum is “Intellectual of Rights,” Doug Campbell, Milwaukee Freedom and Libraries in University of North Texas —Mark McCallon, Abilene America and Abroad: • “The Japanese Occupation Christian University Historical Perspectives.” of Singapore and the Presentations at the forum will Forgotten Libraries at the include: Civilian Gaols at Changi and PUBLISHING STATEMENT LHRT Newsletter (ISSN forthcoming) is the official newsletter of the Library History Round Table of the American Library Association. LHRT’s mission is to encourage research and publication on the history of libraries and promote awareness and discussion of historical issues in librarianship. LHRT Newsletter is an open-access, semi-annual publication, available free of charge at http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/lhrt/popularresources/ lhrtnewsletters/lhrtnewsletters.cfm . LHRT members may obtain a paper copy upon request by contacting ALA’s Office for Research and Statistics, American Library Association, 60 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL, 60611 (phone: 1-800-545-2433, extension 4283). LHRT Newsletter is not currently indexed in Library Literature or other databases. All submissions are subject to editorial review, but authors are responsible for facts and opinions expressed in their articles. Views expressed in LHRT Newsletter do not necessarily reflect official LHRT or ALA policies and positions. Contact the editor, Bernadette A. Lear ([email protected]), with queries about advertising, submissions, and other concerns. Page 3 VOLUME 11, ISSUE 2 Web Site Review: Paper Through Time Homepage of Paper Through Time . Courtesy of the University of Iowa. T. Barrett et. al, “Paper The primary goal of Paper Many pages in Paper Through Through Time,” http:// Through Time is to disseminate Time have photos, graphs, and paper.lib.uiowa.edu/ research, and so it is much tables that make it easier to index.php, (accessed May more academic than some of understand the authors’ 15, 2011). the sites I have reviewed research protocols and how previously. For example, there paper has changed over time. Paper Through Time is an effort is a lengthy “Procedures” My only suggestion for to document extensive testing section which explains how improvement would be to on paper from the 14th Barrett and his team selected include a brief summary at the through 19th centuries, more than 1,500 specimens beginning of each page, so undertaken in fall 2010 by from the University of Iowa’s readers can get a quick sense of Timothy Barrett and his and the Newberry Library’s what is going on. Overall I research team at the University collections, and used an XRF think this site is very enjoyable of Iowa, and funded in part spectrometer to measure and nicely laid out. It does a through the Institute of various elements and chemicals great job of showing how a Museum and Library Services. in the paper. They also used research project can be adapted The study began through a ultrasonic methods to predict to the web, and how realization that some historic the papers’ tensile strength. researchers can add more to papers are much more durable This said, the site includes the results they share by than others, but that no one material that could be easily choosing this format. I am fully understood why. I became understood by someone looking forward to seeing familiar with this project during without scientific research where this work goes in the my time at the University of experience. The “Background” future! Iowa Center for the Book. section of the site was of —Julia Skinner, Florida Although I toured the facilities particular interest to me, as it State University and talked with some people includes a substantial essay on involved with the project, I still papermaking techniques, learned a great deal from this including raw materials, retting, site.