University of St. Francis Library Archives

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 Mostly autobiographies, biographies, and historical reference books the collection is available to search in the Brown Library catalog.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...

(L to R) Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Ross Perot Election Day is tomorrow , so I looked back in the student newspapers to see what USF students had to say about their elections. I found a very apt article from staff writer Paul Popek in volume 17, number 3 edition from the 1992 Encounter about the “mudsling tactics” which occur during campaigns.  For reference, there were three major candidates in 1992: Incumbent Republican President George H. W. Bush; Democratic Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, and independent Texas businessman Ross Perot. The 2016 election is one of the most divisive in our nation’s history. The article touches on how negativity and "dirty politics" has become expected during elections and the issues take a backseat to name-calling. Please take the time to read the entire article, and don’t forget to VOTE ! Volume 17, Number 3 of Encounter, November 6, 1992

The latest installment of This Week in History takes us back to the American Civil War, specifically July 27, 1861. Harper’s Weekly, A Journal of Civilization was an American political magazine which was the most widely read publications of the 19 th century. Famous for their illustrations, Harper’s Weekly featured foreign and domestic news, works of fiction, and political essays. The USF Archives holds volumes five, six, and seven (1861-1863), but today I’ll be focusing on volume 5, issue 239. It was the beginning of the war, with the Battle of Bull Run – the first major land battle of the Civil War – fought the previous week on July 21 st . However, details of battles usually came out a couple weeks later. The editors of Harper’s fully supported President Lincoln and the Union once the war began, but because of their wide readership in the southern states they took a moderate stance on slavery. Readers of issue 239 were presented with news and illustrations from earl...

"Campbell's Soup Cans" by Andy Warhol One of the reasons I enjoy working for USF are the professional development opportunities. At the end of April I attended the Midwest Archives Conference (MAC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to learn about developing trends in the archival profession. If you’ve never attended a professional conference before, it is usually made up of concurrent sessions on various topics, vendor fairs, tours, and student poster presentations. I attended a behind-the-scenes tour of the Milwaukee Art Museum conservation lab before the conference sessions officially started. Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to take any pictures of the lab, but I did see a couple of Andy Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans.” At this year’s MAC, I attended the following sessions: From Theory to Action: A Pragmatic Approach to Digital Preservation Strategies and Tools (A Digital POWRR Workshop) Where Do We Store the Action Figures? Archives and the Growth of Popular...

After my first year of being the University of St. Francis archivist, I hope to make 2016 as productive as last year. A Brief Recap Last year we created 18 individual collections relating to the University’s rich history, participated in Chicago Open Archives and showcased the Barbara A. Cooke Musical Theater Collection , implemented our records management system ArchivesSpace, and continued to fill requests from faculty, students, alumni, and the public. There are also a few new forms, making contact with the Archives easier. The Appointment Request Form can set up a time to meet with me individually or for a class session. I also created forms for our faculty and student groups to transfer  valuable  historical  records for permanent storage to the Archives. New Goals Over the next few months, my focus will be cataloging the 1,000+ books of the Barbara A. Cooke Musical Theater Collection. We will start with biographies, which focus on influential...

In honor of Veterans Day, we look back at the Encounter to see how the student newspaper staff paid respect to U.S. veterans. But first, a bit of background information! The origins of Veterans Day go back to World War I. According to the U.S. Office of Public Affairs , “World War I…officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919...However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice…or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. Professor Michael LaRocco, 1978 Taken from Sharing Our Past digital collection Since 1919, there have been changes to the holiday, but the basic sentiment is the same: honoring all Veterans wh...

Fireman tending to the controlled burn of library bookshelf fire. Last month I attended the  Illinois Fire Service Institute Burn Simulation and Recovery Workshop . Sponsored by the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI), the event aimed to teach archivists and librarians how to cope with fires in cultural heritage institutions and schools. The first half of the workshop was in-class presentations.  The two speakers were: Eddie Bain , Investigator/Public Information Officer with the Savoy Fire Department, and Jennifer Hain Teper , Head of Preservation Services at University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Bain, with over 40 years of firefighting experience, presented on fire prevention in today’s modern environment. Teper introduced us to fire disaster planning, which focused on assessing the damage, planning for recovery, and salvage operations. Aftermath of  five minute fire on library materials The second half of the ...

Hello again. This week an exciting addition to the Brown Library Archive Online Collections went live! Online collections, you say? Tell me more, you say? Absolutely! Front page of the Interlude  Vol.13 No.11; April 27, 1941 The University of St. Francis Archive currently has eight online collections on various topics related to the institution. The newest is The Interlude Student Newspaper Collection . It contains digital images of the first student newspaper for the College of St. Francis. The first issue was published December 25, 1925 and ran continuously until 1969. The Interlude offers a unique perspective of life in a Franciscan organization during the first half of the 20th century. At the time, CSF was an all-girls school in a growing suburban community. The paper focused on student driven activities, including: social gatherings, clubs, sports, and community outreach. Graduating class photographs, curriculum changes, and marriage announcements were also ...

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.

The fall semester is underway and the USF Library Archives is as busy as the rest of campus. ** August 31st saw the release of the book The University of St. Francis , a pictorial history of the school. There are copies for sale in the USF Bookstore or the Joliet Area Historical Museum as well as copies available online at Amazon , Barnes & Noble and Borders . ** Founder's Day was September 8th and once again the Archives created displays in various buildings on campus. These displays will be up for the month of September so take some time to visit the Library (just inside the interior doors), the Motherhouse San Damiano hallway (across from the Solutions office) and the Moser Performing Arts Center gallery space. ** Homecoming is the weekend of September 24th-26th . Linnea Knapp, Archives Librarian, and Sister Marian Voelker, Archivist for the Sisters of St. Francis, will be presenting at the Senior Saturdays event , Saturday the 25th at 10:00am in the Library. The...

You may have read our post here , announcing that our book proposal had been accepted by Arcadia Publishing . The work was all sent off in March and we received word that the book will be published the week of August 31st, 2010. Just in time for the start of the new school year, Founder's Day and Homecoming. We're all very excited and can't wait to share this printed collection of information and photos from the Archives. We'll post more information as it gets closer to the release date.

The USF Library Archives submitted a book proposal to Arcadia Publishing in October. This book would be a part of Arcadia's Campus History Series and would visually chronicle the history of USF. We just received word that Arcadia has accepted our proposal! We will begin work soon and hope to have the book published and available by Homecoming 2010. Go Saints!

This year, Founder's Day at USF is on September 15. To find out more about the celebration please see my previous post or the USF website . For my part this year I've created three displays of materials from the USF Library Archives showing the history of the school and celebrating the Sisters who worked so hard to make the school what it is today. Please take some time to visit the displays around campus. Be sure to look for familiar faces and places as you "Walk the Gospel Road" through history: The Motherhouse - located in the display cabinets across from the Solutions Office on the 3rd floor down the hall from San Damiano Hall. This display focuses on the Sisters and the early years of their time at USF. The Library - located in the display case just inside the main doors, across from the Circulation Desk. This display focuses on Sisters and faculty with an emphasis on more recent years. Tower Hall: Moser Performing Arts Center Gallery - located in the po...

Founder's Day at USF is Tuesday, September 15th. This is the time when we celebrate our founding congregation, the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate. They gave so much of their lives to making the school what it is today. This year's theme is Walking the Gospel Road in Faith and the activities include: 10:30 am - Blessing of the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Quad. 11:00 am - Mass in St. Joseph Chapel, Motherhouse. Noon - Lunch in San Damiano Hall. That evening at 7:00 pm in San Damiano Hall Sister Margaret Eletta Guider, OSF will be speaking at the Fifth Annual Bishop Imesch Women in the Church Lecture Series. Her talk is titled The Wonders and Woes of Mother Moes: Life Lessons from the Foundress on Being a Woman in the Church and the World . Mother Alfred Moes The USF Library Archives will be displaying materials from the Archives that celebrate the Sisters and others who have been important in the history of USF. Please take some time to look at the displa...

As the new school year starts, I thought I would share some of the changes that took place over the summer in the USF Library Archives. 1) New Student Workers - Along with Sarah and James returning from last year, the Archives is happy to welcome Samantha. We have many projects and plans for this coming year and look forward to all the wonderful work that the students do. 2) New Online Collection - The LSTA grant project is done and the new collection is now online. Sharing Our Past - A Visual History includes images and materials from 1920 to the present covering faculty, staff, students, classes, buildings, activities, athletics and much more. Be sure to visit the collection here . 3) New Comfy Chairs - We now have three comfy recliner chairs in the Archives Reading Room. As you know, the materials in the Archives have more restricted use than the general collection. In order to provide a more comfortable and inviting area for using the materials and reading the books, we ha...

In a previous post , I explained that the USF Library Archives had won a grant from the Illinois State Library under the Institute of Museum and Library Services' Library Services Technology Act . This grant has allowed us to digitize approximately 3,000 items from our Archives' collections and create an online collection to showcase them. This online collection called Sharing Our Past, A Visual History is now complete and open for use. It includes materials from 1925 to the present, covering Sisters, Faculty, Staff, Students, Buildings, Activities, Athletics and much more. The Sisters of St. Francis and the University of St. Francis are deeply rooted in the City of Joliet and in Will County. The history of the school provides insight into the daily and scholastic life of college students in the area, showing the changes over time in educational and social norms. This online collection is a visual representation of that history. Please visit the collection at http://coll...

The USF Library Archives has been fortunate to receive donations of artwork from current USF students. A selection of art projects from the Spring 2008 semester are now on display in the Library. To view these pieces please visit the Student Artwork Display area on the 2nd floor of the Library. This area is outside the Center for Instructional Delivery (CID) offices, adjacent to the classrooms. Art in this display by: Jackie Marroquin, Robbyn Yuen, Ron O'neal, Ashley Kekelik, Tricia Whybark, Brad Bourg, Jackie Oliver, Matthew Mazurowski, and Kathy High.

The USF Library Archives has been awarded the Connecting to Connections Bookshelf Award from IMLS (The Institute of Museum and Library Services) and AASLH (American Association for State and Local History) . The IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf is a set of resources selected by conservation and preservation experts throughout the country. It contains informative, practical materials to help institutions sustain the country's heritage by improving the care of their collections. The USF Library Archives will be receiving books, DVDs, and other resources that address such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific conservation issues. The Bookshelf was awarded through a competitive, expert reviewed, on-line application process where applicants demonstrated an urgent need for this permanent resource. The USF Library Archives is excited to add these materials to our resource collec...

The USF Library Archives has been awarded a 2009 LSTA grant to complete the project titled "Sharing Our Past: Digitally Archiving the History of the University of St. Francis". We received word of our acceptance (and our giant check) in 2008 and have been steadily working on finishing the project. We are about 3/4 done and as we near the end, we have prepared a small article that describes the project and gives a quick overview of the history of USF. “Sharing Our Past: Digitally Archiving the History of the University of St. Francis” is a project that will create an online collection of digitized photographs, brochures, newspapers, posters, and other materials related to the history of the University of St. Francis, the City of Joliet , and Will County . This collection will provide access to information and materials that are an important part of the history of higher education in Illinois . It will also greatly increase the USF Library Archives’ current outreach ef...