University of St. Francis Library Archives

Growth Cycle of Mold Last week I attended a workshop in Springfield, Illinois at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library to learn about salvaging mold and water damaged library materials. It was hosted by Jennifer Hain Teper, Preservation Librarian and Head of Preservation Services at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Bonnie Parr, Historical Documents Conservator at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The workshop included an overview of mold and library materials including: sources of mold, a brief introduction to health risks when dealing with mold, and options for remediation/removal. I did not know much about mold going into this workshop, so I was interested to learn some basic facts. For example, mold grows best at high temperatures and high humidity, which is why cold storage is best for archival materials. I also learned too new terms. Example of foxing, taken from The Private Library Foxing and efflorescence are two types of...

Hi everyone! I'm getting this blog in on the last day of the month, hence the title. USF is halfway through the semester (Spring Break is next week) and it seems people are ready for vacations. Student nurses coming out of St. Joseph College of Nursing ca. 1980s This will be a quick one because February has been a very quiet month in the archives. I am editing metadata for the soon to be published St. Joseph College of Nursing digital collection, which I think will add a great deal to the USF community. And that's about it for February in terms of archive projects. My other library duties are taking more time and consideration, so that's what I've been focusing on. Hopefully March will bring lots of donations and interesting stories! See you then.

Entering my third year as Archivist at the University of St. Francis, I have new responsibilities in the library and goals for the archives. A Quick Recap College of St. Francis cheerleaders practicing in hallway ca. 1980-1989 At the beginning of last year my student worker, Adjo Tameklo, and history intern, Madison Bowie, worked together to add metadata for over 500 new images for the digital collection, Sharing Our Past, A Visual History . Many of the pictures depict USF athletics from the 1970s-1980s, which had been a gap in the collection. I was also able to catalog 400 books from the Barbara A. Cooke Musical Theater Collection . Mostly autobiographies, biographies, and historical reference books the collection is available to search in the Brown Library catalog. During the summer I became the Library Archives & Catalog Manager for the Brown Library. Along with managing the archives, I am now responsible for overseeing the cataloging and classification of mate...

Excerpt from The Interlude December 12, 1941 Today marks the 75 th anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor in 1941. This event propelled the United States’ military involvement in WWII. Interested to see how the attack affected the population at the College of St. Francis, I went through three of the archive’s collections ( the Interlude , Ephemera and Newspaper Clippings , and Sharing OurPast: A Visual History ) to find out. My first step was to check the student newspaper assuming there must have been something written immediately after the attack. To my surprise, I only found one small editorial written by student president, Emily Kernan. Speaking of the sudden shock, she wrote: “The psychological reaction is only natural, but we cannot rush out, grab a gun and start shooting; nor can we sit back and let out minds dwell upon the condition that have so suddenly overthrown our rather peaceful outlook upon life” (v. 14, no. 4, pg.1). Kernan stated CSF girls should contin...

Conceptual drawing of CSF Library - 1965 With the construction of the new USF science building underway, I think it’s a good opportunity to look back at another building on campus. Specifically, the Library , home to the USF Archives. Coincidentally, construction of the two buildings fall fifty years apart.   Plans for a new and modern library began several years before any dirt was moved. The previous CSF library was in the Motherhouse, the first building on campus. The collection grew steadily over the 1930s-1960s, with a total of 70,000 volumes by 1964. The amount of undergraduate students increased over this period to around 1,100 students, which gave a compelling reason to build a standalone library building. Library during construction - 1966 Another reason to move forward with construction was due to the new Higher Education Facilities Act of 1963. It states:  "To authorize assistance to public and other nonprofit institutions of higher education...

We are halfway through 2016, so I want to do a quick update for one of the projects I discussed in the first post of this year ( go check it out if you haven’t read it !). Pictured: (left) Enchanted Evenings ; (right) Strippers, Showgirls, and Sharks ; (center) Broadway Musicals Beginning in March, I started to catalog the large number of biographies in the Barbara A. Cooke Musical Theater Collection. It was decided these books are best served as reference materials, which means they do not circulate. You might ask why, since this is a library and shouldn’t all books circulate? Normally, yes. However, the books add context to the songs, lyricists, composers, and shows the archived sheet music emphasizes, so I think they are more useful as reference books. Some of the influential people in the musical theater and motion picture world includes: Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim and many more. Now they all have a place in the reference collect...

Nature Magazine cover, March 1924 With spring fast approaching, it was a good opportunity to highlight one of USF’s rare book journals . Nature Magazine , which focused on the great outdoors, began publication in 1923 by the American Nature Association’s president, Charles Pack, and his son Arthur. They heralded themselves as, “…the answer to a long-felt want—a monthly magazine where the child and the grown-up alike may revel in pictures and stories of birds, beasts, fish, tress, plants and other living, breathing evidence of the Creator’s handiwork” (1). This sentiment made its way into each issue of the magazine, until its run ended in 1959. Articles typically focused on plant development, animal evolution and biology, travel excursions from members of the American Nature Association, and advertisements for campgrounds, outdoor wear, and national parks. Celebrities were featured occasionally, as well; for example, Florenz Ziegfeld – the American Broadway producer of the Zieg...

This week is Francis Week at the University of St. Francis (Sunday, October 2nd - Friday, October 8th.  The week long celebration includes recognition events for faculty and staff, guest speakers, and a number of drives to collect books, toys, food, clothing and medical supplies to donate to local agencies. As the greater university celebrates the spirit of St. Francis, the USF Library Archives would like to share some of the items in our collection that also celebrate our Saint.  The archives has artwork depicting St. Francis as well as books within the John L. Raymond Special Collection that are both about him and by him.  To see a list of the books click here . A statue of St. Francis donated to the USF Library Archives Please feel free to stop by the USF Library Archives on the 2nd floor of the Brown Library to view these books and artifacts.

As of September 25, 2011 the library at the University of St. Francis is now known as the LaVerne and Dorothy Brown Library.  In addition to the name change, the front exterior of the library building has gone through some major changes in the last few months.  With generous gifts from both the Browns and the USF Grassroots Campaign, the front porch awning has been renovated and a new signed added to its front.  The front steps were replaced with decorative brick and the handicap ramp moved and extended for better access.  The front lawn saw new plantings and a new seating area adding even more character to the building. A Renovation Timeline: The original look of the Brown Library  Working on the awning The completed awning The porch is ready for demo   Demo of the front steps and handicap ramp   The Brown Library's new exterior - new awning, new steps, and new landscaping ready to enjoy.