University of St. Francis Library Archives

St. Francis Week at USF

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:30:00 +0000

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.

Changes at the Library

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:29:00 +0000

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.

Lewis-St. Francis of Illinois

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 13:55:00 +0000

In 1969, the College of St. Francis in Joliet began a cooperation with Lewis College in Romeoville. Students at both schools could choose to take classes at either campus, with CSF named the South Campus and Lewis named the North Campus. (The students also joked that Statesville Prison located between the two was "Central Campus")
In 1970 the cooperation became an official trial merger, and Lewis-St. Francis of Illinois was created. The students at this new school quickly adjusted to the new co-ed environments and expanded curriculum taking classes at both campuses using the student bus system to travel between locations.
While the merger did not become final, the changes that it brought strengthened both schools, creating co-ed environments with thriving athletic departments and growing academic programs. The Lewis/St. Francis Merger/De-Merger Collection (10-260) at the USF Library Archives contains 10 boxes of documents and information related to these years of cooperation and tentative merger. There are also documents and meeting minutes from the years prior when the schools were working to assess the feasibility of combining the schools in some way.

To view this collection and others related to the history of the University of St. Francis please visit the USF Library Archives on the second floor of the USF Library.

This Fall in the Archives

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 17:10:00 +0000

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 History of the University of St. Francis Book Signing and Discussion will include copies of the book to purchase.

** "Who's that USF Saint?" will also take place on the Saturday of Homecoming weekend. From 3:30 to 5:00pm in the Motherhouse 3rd floor conference rooms come view the CSF/USF history in photos. Items and memories will be on display and alumni and friends are invited to fill in missing information to help bolster the Archives' collections.

We are continuing to process new collections and add more items to the USF Library Archives. Please feel free to stop by and visit during our open hours.

Donations from Alumni and Friends

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:55:00 +0000

The USF Library Archives is very appreciative of all the donations that have been received for the collections over the years. In recent history the largest one has been The Barbara A. Cooke Musical Theatre Special Collection, a donation from Ms. Cooke that consists of sheet music, books and other materials related to musical theater.

In addition to this generous donation, the Archives has received smaller gifts of materials that both enhance the Archives' materials and increase our knowledge of the history of USF. A recent donation from Mr. James Sczepaniak included materials that his late wife, Mrs. Mary Clare (Gordon) Sczepaniak ('57), collected while she was a student and an alum. Some of the items pictured below will be used in this year's Founder's Day displays in the Moser Performing Arts Center gallery space.

If you or someone you know has materials related to the University of St. Francis or its history please feel free to contact the USF Library Archives. We would love to provide a home for these important treasures.

St. Joseph School of Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:00:00 +0000

In 1997 the St. Joseph College of Nursing joined the College of St. Francis and on January 1, 1998 became the College of Nursing and Allied Health at the newly renamed University of St. Francis. But before this storied nursing school joined USF they had been training nurses in Joliet for almost eight decades. Here's an abbreviated timeline about the history of St. Joseph School of Nursing.

1866 - 4 women form the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Seelback, Germany

1876 - Those 4 Sisters arrive in Avilla, Indiana

1881 - The Sisters traveled to Joliet to care for those affected by an epidemic of typhoid fever

1882 - Joliet donates $600 towards the creation of a hospital to be run by the Sisters

1882 - The Sisters of the Sacred Heart purchase the Motherhouse on Broadway from the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate to use as the St. Joseph Hospital

*** So begins the relationship between the two congregations. The Sisters of St. Francis provided education for the Sisters of the Sacred Heart in exchange for medical services.

1920 - A nurse training school is opened for laity - St. Joseph School of Nursing

The first laity graduates - 1922

1935 - The St. Joseph School of Nursing begins course affiliation with the College of St. Francis

1964 - School and Hospital moved to the new building

1987 - School became St. Joseph College of Nursing

1998 - January 1, St. Joseph College of Nursing became College of Nursing and Allied Health at USF.

For more information about the history of St. Joseph School of Nursing and St. Joseph Hospital visit the Provena St. Joseph Hospital website.

Miss St. Francis

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 20:58:00 +0000

The University of St. Francis has a long tradition of celebrating the accomplishments of our graduating students. In the early years of the school the highest honor for a graduating senior was to be named "Miss St. Francis." Elected by secret ballot by the student body and the faculty, this senior was most representative of St. Francis ideals. In 1935, Grace Maguire, president of the senior class, was crowned the first "Miss St. Francis" at a formal coronation ceremony held in the College Auditorium on May 19th. She had 11 ladies in waiting and four local children who formed her court.

The tradition continued until 1960 when it was decided that the Baccalaureate Graduation and Honors Day should be combined onto the same day. This merger of events left no room for the ceremonies involved with crowning a senior "Miss St. Francis" so the event was dropped. In the 1954 photo below Sister Elvira Bredel (president - 1953-1962) crowns Geraldine Knowles who had a much smaller court.

Sisters of Saint Francis Special Exhibit

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:51:00 +0000

The Joliet Area Historical Museum is hosting a special exhibit:

Sisters of Saint Francis of Mary Immaculate -
145 Years Serving God, Serving Community.

"The Sisters of Saint Francis of Mary Immaculate transformed the landscape of Joliet through their ministry and the Congregation's building of a Motherhouse, an academy, a college, an orphanage, and a retirement home. This exhibit features facts pulled from their rich history, continuing the journey that Mother Alfred Moes began 145 years ago."

Visit the Museum from June 6 through October 10, 2010 to view this amazing collection of photographs, information, artifacts, artwork and more about the Sisters' century and a half in Joliet.

The Motherhouse of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Mary Immaculate - ca. 1912

Decorative Bookends

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:30:00 +0000

What would a room full of amazing books be without bookends. Luckily for the USF Library Archives there have been several pairs of decorative bookends donated over the past few decades. They can be seen on display with the John L. Raymond Special Collection and the Rare Books Collection.

The two sets of bookends above were donated by John L. Raymond.

Come and see these helpful pieces of art in the USF Library Archives on the second floor of the USF Library.

More Sheet Music Online

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:12:00 +0000

The USF Library Archives has added more sheet music to the Barbara A. Cooke Sheet Music Collection. There are now 203 separate pieces available in the online collection.
Some fun facts about the new additions:

* You Gave Me Your Heart (So I Gave You Mine) is a song that was featured in the 1922 silent film Blood and Sand staring early American heart-throb Rudolph Valentino. The cover of the sheet music in the Barbara A. Cooke collection features a picture of Valentino from the film.
* Four songs in the online collection, An Old-Fashioned Wife, City of Dreams, Till the Clouds Roll By, and You Never Knew About Me, were written by P. G. Wodehouse, the popular British author who wrote, among others, the Jeeves and Wooster novels. Jeeves and Wooster were made famous on television in the early 1990s by Hugh Laurie (House) and Stephen Fry (Bones, Alice in Wonderland).* Mon Homme (My Man) was sung by Miss Fanny Brice in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1921. Fanny Brice was the singer and actress whose life was inspiration for the Broadway musical and 1968 film Funny Girl. Barbra Streisand won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Fanny in the film.

Summer Hours

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:18:00 +0000

The hours for the USF Library Archives will change slightly for the months of May, June and July. The Archives will be closed on Friday afternoons from May 14th through July 30th. Please be sure to visit us during the rest of our open times to explore our collections:

Monday - Thursday 9am-4pm
Friday 9am-12pm

Here's to a great summer! Hope to see you here soon.

Digital Collections

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 19:43:00 +0000

As the semester winds down, I thought I would take this opportunity to do a re-cap of the digital collections available through the USF Library Archives. There are six online collections, each offering something different. Take time to peruse the images in these collections and definitely feel free to contact the Archives with any questions or requests.

Sharing Our Past - A Visual History
This online collection contains digital images of photographs, brochures, press releases, newsletters, posters and other materials related to the history of the University of St. Francis, the City of Joliet and Will County. It is a visual history of the school showcasing Sisters, Faculty, Staff, Students, Buildings, Activities, Athletics and much more from the school’s founding in 1920 to the present.

The Encounter Student Newspaper
The Encounter Student Newspaper Collection includes digital images of the USF student newspaper from 1976 through 2008. The Encounter emerged as the student newspaper after the school was restructured following the school’s de-merger from Lewis University in Romeoville, IL. The newspaper has run continuously since 1976 with anywhere from 5 to 12 issues each academic year featuring news and articles about both on-campus and off-campus topics and events.

Barbara A. Cooke Sheet Music Collection

Barbara A. Cooke is an alumna of USF who went on to have a successful career in musical theater that spanned 30 plus years. She spent time on stage in both Chicago and New York City, all the while collecting sheet music, books and other items related to musical theater. In 2008, she approached the University of St. Francis about creating a special collection in the USF Library which would provide a valuable resource for USF students, staff and faculty as well as preserve her years of work spent building the collection.

This online collection contains digital images of sheet music from Ms. Cooke’s collection that is in the public domain. As more music becomes available it will be scanned and added.

USF Library History

The USF Library History online collection contains digital images of photographs, letters, newspaper articles, pamphlets and brochures pertaining to the evolution of the USF Library. The artifacts in the collection are from the years 1940 through 1978. The collection covers the construction and use of the current library building as well as the old library that was located in the Taylor Street wing of the Motherhouse.

USF Catalog Covers
The USF Catalog Covers online collection includes digital images of the covers of the catalogs, bulletins, brochures, posters and class schedules found in the Catalogs Collection (10-200) in the USF Library Archives. The covers span from 1925 to 2008 and show the changes to the school’s catalog materials and design throughout the years. They also highlight the name changes of the school.

Living History Project

The Living History Project is a website that was created to record the memories of the Sisters of St. Francis and others who have influenced the progress of the University of St. Francis through the years. The site includes videos of interviewees as well as transcripts of the videos. It also includes information on the history of USF, its Franciscan roots and beginnings in 1865 through the present.

USF History Book - Publishing Date

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:15:00 +0000

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.

New Collections Open!

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:18:00 +0000

The USF Library Archives has processed and completed the Finding Aids of six new collections. We are happy to open the following collections for research:

History of the University (10-117)
City History (40-100)
Diocese History (40-105)
English Department (20-120)
Speech & Speech Pathology Department (20-210)
Foreign Language Study (20-135)

See a complete list of our processed collections here.
The USF Library Archives is open Monday-Friday, 9-4am.

Thanksgiving Holiday Hours

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:44:00 +0000

The USF Library Archives will have the following schedule over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend:

Wednesday, Nov. 25 - 8:00am-3:00pm
Thursday, Nov. 26 - Sunday, Nov. 29 - Closed

We will open again Monday, Nov. 30 at 8:00am and return to our regular hours.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Class of 1939 Photo

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:40:00 +0000

In 1939, the Great Depression was nearing an end and the U.S. had not yet entered into World War II, making this an era at CSF of lightheartedness and optimism. Seniors from the class of 1939 enjoy the spring weather out on the quad. (l to r) Evelyn (Mintert) Schanzle, M. Ruth (Kerper) Tofanelli, Margaret (Zabrowski) Palinski, Olive (Pommier) Ross, Patrice (McShane) Austgen, Marie (Ribordy) Fogarty, Novita (Moddrel) Crockett, Minola C. (Williams) Sturm, Elizabeth (Assell) Wallers, and Frances (Fencel) Fordyce.

The USF Library Archives was fortunate to have help in identifying the people in this photograph. Mrs. Minola C. (Williams) Sturm (third from the right) celebrated her 70th class reunion this fall and kindly sat down to look through Archives photos from her time at CSF. Her information helped solve the mystery of "who?" in quite a few of our unidentified photos.

Many thanks from the USF Library Archives.

USF History Book

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:49:00 +0000

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!

Founder's Day Displays

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:01:00 +0000

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 portion of the Moser Gallery on either side of the ramp leading from Tower to the Music Department. This display is a timeline starting in 1925 and ending in 2009.

Coming Soon - Founder's Day

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:18:00 +0000

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 display when they go up next week in the Library, the Motherhouse and the Moser Performing Arts Gallery.

What's New in the Archives

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:45:00 +0000

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 have added these chairs to the room.

New things are always happening in the Archives so check back for more updates. We're excited about what this school year will bring and hope to see many of you in the Library and the Archives.

Sharing Our Past: A Visual History

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:07:00 +0000

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://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm4/index_usf_share.php?CISOROOT=/usf_share or by visiting the Archives home page at http://www.stfrancis.edu/content/lib/archives.html.
**If you have additional information about any photographs or items that you see in the collection please contact the Archives at libraryarchives@stfrancis.edu. We welcome your help and support in adding to our University's memory.

Student Artwork Display

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:59:00 +0000

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.

Online Resources

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:37:00 +0000

The USF Library Archives is working to create a large online collection of items from the Archives' materials called Sharing Our Past, A Visual History. (to see more about the project view this previous post). Before we share the new digital collection, I wanted to share some other worthy sites for viewing online images and information.

National Archives and Records Administration - the Nation's repository for government records. The website is full of information about the holdings and links to databases for searching through electronic records.

Library of Congress on Youtube - the Library of Congress video collection includes films dating from the earliest Edison film to the present.

Library and Archival Exhibitions on the Web - a one-stop shop database for finding online exhibits created by libraries, archives and historical societies. Updated by the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, it contains over 3,000 links.

CARLI Digital Collections - The Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries of Illinois hosts online collections from their member libraries. USF has 3 collections currently online with more to come. Please check out the Encounter Student Newspaper, the USF Library History, and the USF Catalog Covers.

The Works of the Right Reverend George Bull

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:51:00 +0000

George Bull was a theologian and a defender of the doctrine of the Trinity who lived from 1634 to 1710. He was born in Wells, Somerset, UK and educated at Blundell's School in Tiverton, Devon and then at Oxford University. He was ordained in 1655 and rose successfully to become the Bishop of St. David's in 1705.

After his death, his writings were published in the book The Works of the Right Reverend George Bull, D.D., Late Bishop of St. David's: translated into English by F. Holland, M.A. It was a multi-volume work published in London in 1730. The USF Library Archives has a copy of Volume II on display in our Rare Books Collection.

If you would like to view the Rare Book Displays or other historical materials in the USF Library Archives, please visit us on the 2nd floor of the USF Library.

John Drinkwater in the JLR Collection

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:27:00 +0000

Born in London in 1882, John Drinkwater was an English poet and dramatist during the early 20th century until his death in 1937. He was also an actor and a promoter of repertory theatre in England. During his career he published several volumes of verse, critical studies, and historical plays.

The John L. Raymond Special Collection in the USF Library Archives has 21 books by Drinkwater including his first full-length play Rebellion (1914). 4 of the books in the collection are signed by the author [American Vignettes (1931), From an Unknown Isle (1924), Poems of Love and Earth (1912), and Swords and Ploughshares (1915)], and 3 of those 4 are first editions [From an Unknown Isle (1924), Poems of Love and Earth (1912), and Swords and Ploughshares (1915)].

If you would like to view these books and other rare and exciting editions from the John L. Raymond Special Collection please visit the USF Library Archives on the 2nd floor of the USF Library.