University of St. Francis Library Archives

DISASTER PLANNING: Mold and Water Salvage

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 16:00:00 +0000

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Librarian and Head of Preservation Services at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Bonnie Parr, Historical Documents Conservator at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.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 damage often mistaken for mold, explained Jennifer Hain Teper. Foxing is the result of the paper making process for pulp or rag based books. Brown or reddish spots appear on pages of books, stamps, or other paper based records. The rust chemical in the water used during the paper making process embeds itself into the paper. It makes it nearly impossible to eliminate.

Efflorescence occurs on leather when the environment humidity is too low. It is a salt crystalline structure that creates a white film across leather surfaces. To combat this, libraries used to perform “leather dressing” on materials, which involved rubbing oil on books to hydrate the leather. Unfortunately, this process increases efflorescence because it adds moisture to something that can’t soak it up.

Salvaging water damaged books

The second part of the workshop was about salvaging wet library materials. This included an introduction to disaster response when water strikes and an overview of methods for drying various types of materials found in library collections. Bonnie Parr placed bins on our tables which were filled with water and various library materials (books, DVDs, pictures, etc.). She walked us through how best to drain and dry each item, or deciding what to throw away.

In a real situation the number of items affected by water would determine the best course of action. A small number can be dried in-house with paper towels, fans, or freezer space. For entire sections of a library that need to be closed off, it is best to have a contract with a salvaging company.

At our tables we pulled items from the bin to see what the damage had been. The books were completely soaked through and weighed about sixty percent more. The ink from book covers leaked into magazines and pictures, and left the water blue.

Clothesline with pictures and film strips

There was a clothesline under the table for film strips and photographs because using a paper towel to dry them might ruin the emulsion. This small scale experiment was useful to imagine a real world situation and just how much worse it would be.

I would like to thank Jennifer Hain Teper and Bonnie Parr for presenting to us, and for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library for hosting this event.

Celebrating 50 Years of Science: Fermilab

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Tue, 27 Jun 2017 19:38:00 +0000

Last Thursday I traveled to Batavia, Illinois for a tour of Fermi Laboratory and its archives, hosted by the Chicago Area Archivists and Fermilab archivist, Valerie Higgins. If you are unfamiliar with Fermilab here is a brief summary from their website:

“As the United States' premier particle physics laboratory, we do science that matters. We work on the world's most advanced particle accelerators and dig down to the smallest building blocks of matter. We also probe the farthest reaches of the universe, seeking out the nature of dark matter and dark energy....Fermilab's 6,800-acre site is…managed by the Fermi Research Alliance LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science.”

I only had a general understanding of what Fermilab does before this trip, so I was excited to learn more. We traveled by bus through the campus to get to the archives. On the way, I learned the first director of Fermilab, Robert Wilson, was a skilled sculpture and architecture designer. Most of the trees were planted during his time there and he was responsible for bringing a small herd of buffalo to the site. You can still visit them in their pasture.

Archivist Higgins showed us through Fermilab's archives, which is located in “The Villages,” a town formally known as Westin, Illinois. The town was purchased by the state of Illinois so Fermilab could be built in the 1960s. The archives are housed in a former ranch-style home, but the foundations have been strengthened to hold the weight of compact shelves. Higgins provided an overview of the collections and a history of its development, and answered questions from the group.

Since we were escorted by Higgins, we also stopped at Fermilab's linear accelerator (LINAC). All of the science performed at Fermilab is available to the public because it is under the Department of Energy. Which is why I was able to take a picture of the LINAC control room.

While standing outside the room, Fermilab's deputy department head of operations provided an impromptu overview of the science conducted at Fermilab and some of the challenges of building and maintaining the high-tech and highly sensitive equipment. We covered the electricity bill for the site (close to $14 million/year!), how they detect earthquakes halfway around the world, and their collaborations with CERN.

We finished the tour by going to the fifteenth floor of Wilson Hall to see the entire 6,800 acres. From there I saw the rings of the particle accelerators, the protected prairies and grasslands, and much more. The public is allowed to explore the lands with walking/biking paths and go up to the fifteenth floor any day of the year.

Thanks to Valerie Higgins for showing and telling us all about the great history of Fermilab and Chicago Area Archivists for sponsoring this event.

Gateway to the West: #OMAMAC

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 18:54:00 +0000

Spring is in the air and it’s the time of year for archivists across the Midwest to commiserate and share innovations and stories from their institutions. The Midwest Archives Conference occurred in Omaha, Nebraska last week, and I was fortunate enough to attend. Having never been to Omaha I was not sure what to expect of the city, but it is a lovely town with a rich history.

Chief Standing Bear

One of these rich histories is the impact of Chief Standing Bear of the Ponca tribe and the landmark court ruling in his favor. During the opening session of the conference journalist and historian Joe Starita and Nebraska Educational Television producer Christine Lesiak presented Standing Bear’s story. From the MAC program:

“…Ponca chief Standing Bear, who, in 1877, was forcibly removed along with his tribe from his Nebraska homeland and marched to what was then known as Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). In an attempt to honor his son’s dying wish to be returned to their traditional burying ground, Standing Bear gained access to the United States court system, and the ensuing landmark trial in 1879, held in Omaha, established the “personhood” of Native Americans under the Constitution.”

Starita and Lesiak passionately described the conditions of the forced march. They also showed clips of the trial reenactment from their PBS documentary Standing Bear’s Footsteps. The entire video is available on PBS’s website, and I encourage you to watch it.

Conferences are full of interesting sessions on a variety of topics, and this year I wanted to hear about unique projects and perspectives within my field. While completely different topics each touched on the outreach aspect of my job. I attended:

Cross Disciplinary Instruction: Course Engagement Beyond the History Major
Listen In: Podcasting in the Archives
It Takes a Village: Building Professional Capacity through Informal Peer Networks

Sculpture from the Kaneko's exhibit
Passion and Obsession: From the Collection

MAC also had a reception where we ate, drank, and mingled with our colleagues. In the Old Market of Omaha is the Kaneko, an institution intended to be a creative space for artists across the world. As a work place, exhibit space, educational center, and archives the Kaneko offers a lot to the people of Omaha.

Mission statement of the
Queer Omaha Archives

There is an important art scene in Omaha which was made clear to me on my historic walking tour. We stopped during the tour to warm up a little at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art and met the curator. He asked in an excited tone: “Are you guys archivists?” Turns out he worked for an Omaha archivist who established the Queer Omaha Archives.

On display at the Bemis is a small selection of artwork donated to the archives and a large description of the mission of the archives. I found this visit extremely important because archives across the world should be working to include records of marginalized groups, such as the LGBTQI+ community.

Overall, MAC was wonderful and I look forward to attending next year in Chicago!

This Week in History: Part Six

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 21:01:00 +0000

Part six of This Week in History will be diving into Scribner’s Monthly: An Illustrated Magazine for the People, specifically the March edition from 1877. Scribner’s Monthly was a pictorial publication focusing on bringing art, science, and literature to the American people. Unfortunately, this publication was short-lived, only lasting from 1870-1881. Scribner’s Monthly was renamed to The Century Magazine following the sale of the company. Founder Charles Scribner came back and created Scribner’s Magazine in 1887 to compete with the highly successful Harper’s Weekly (which is discussed in Part Four of this series).

Interior of New York Aquarium

Fortunately, the March volume of Scribner’s Monthly is full of interesting articles, poetry, literature installments, advice, and a few other oddities. The headliner for March was the New York Aquarium, which opened December 10, 1876. The article has no author but the illustrations were provided by a local artist who documented their experience.

The New York Aquarium was the first of its kind in the United States and was the creation of William C. Coup, co-founder of P. T. Barnum's Museum, Menagerie and Circus. According to the article: “…it was during a European tour made four years since, that [Coup’s] attention was first attracted and his interest engaged by the number of great public aquaria there…” (p. 577).

Illustration of angler fish and its prey

Most of the article describes the challenges faced by the architects, namely the aeration and filtration systems needed for fresh and salt water tanks. There are numerous illustrations of aquatic animals, including: sea lions, angler fish, crabs, and a mermaid riding a seahorse, which is: “something that cannot be seen at the aquarium” (p.584). The aquarium also housed a free scientific library, naturalists’ laboratory, and reading room. Open to the public these rooms were intended to further scientific research in America.

The March volume also included works of fiction: part two of Farmer Bassett’s Romance and chapter eight of Nicholas Minturn by Josiah G. Holland. Holland was a founder and editor of Scribner’s Monthly and later went on to become good friends with poet Emily Dickinson.

Cane fight between Princeton freshmen and sophomores

There is also a second feature article detailing the founding and political importance of Princeton College. As one of the original four pre-revolution colleges in America Princeton’s history is illustrious and counts many statesmen as alumni. However, it was an illustration of “the annual cane fight on the campus between freshmen and sophomores” which got my attention. Nowhere in the article is this fight described or even mentioned, so I had to look it up. According to Princeton’s website:

"Cane Spree…grew out of riots between freshmen and sophomores…in the 1860s. It was the fashion of the times for gentlemen to carry walking sticks, but freshmen who did so were subject to hazing. Sophomores, provoked by freshmen flaunting their canes…felt obliged to wrestle the canes away. In 1869 the sophomore class issued a proclamation that prohibited freshmen from carrying canes, but it was often ignored…cane-equipped freshmen met the sophomores in front of the University's main gates, and melee ensued."

This spontaneous outburst has changed over the last 140 years, but the original is worth remembering.

If you are interested in reading about the New York Aquarium or Princeton College, please visit the archive’s Reading Room and ask about the Rare Books. We are open Mon.-Thurs. from 9am-5pm.

Better Late than Never

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 18:55:00 +0000

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.

Keep Moving Forward - 2017

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 19:14:00 +0000

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 materials for the general collection of the library. With my time split between two departments I have a greater understanding of the inner workings of the Brown Library and where improvements can be made.

In the Future

Even though I am in charge of the cataloging department, this blog will continue on a monthly basis and remain archives focused. Projects I hope to accomplish this year include: creating a new digital collection for the St. Joseph College of Nursing photographs. The collection is the most requested from researchers, faculty, and alumni and I think would be a welcomed addition to our digital collections. Once it goes live, I will let you know!

I also plan on making the Barbara A. Cooke Musical Theater Collection more accessible. Complete lists of books, sheet music, LPs, and other records should be available later this year on the Archive website. I would also like to continue attending archive related conferences and events to showcase the variety of my profession.

That’s all I have for now, so come back next month to see what we’re up to at USF!

AMERICA AT WAR: USF During WWII

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 17:21:00 +0000

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 continue going to classes, writing papers, taking tests, and studying because that was their responsibilities as students.

1943 VBC poster.
Image from University of Illinois.

While the student newspaper did not have much to say on the beginning of the war effort, local newspapers like the Joliet Herald provided interesting insights. From the January 7, 1942 edition was an article titled: “Academy and College Will Aid Defense.” Reverend Mother M. Thomasine, Superior General of the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate, offered all available resources to the Joliet Civilian Defense Committee. This included facilities at the College, St. Francis Academy, St. Francis Preparatory, and St. Clare dormitories. Additional first aid classes were offered to students, faculty, and Sisters, and the Sisters at the Motherhouse pledged sixteen hours of daily prayer as part of a “spiritual crusade.”

CSF also participated in the nationwide Victory Book Campaign. “Originally named the National Defense Book Campaign, [VBC] was established in 1941 by the American Library Association, the American Red Cross, and United Service Organizations (USO). The Campaign's purpose was to collect and distribute books to members of the armed services” (Victory BookCampaign records, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York PublicLibrary).

Librarian at CSF, Sister M. Alvira, was named to the local VBC committee by Joliet Mayor George T. Jones in April 1942. Mayor Jones said: “There are many thousands of good books in the homes of this city that would be greatly appreciated by the men in our armed forces….I hope there will be an immediate response and that we will go over the top in Joliet” (Joliet Herald, April 14, 1942). The VBC only operated from 1941-1943, but in that time over ten million books were sent to service men and women.

CSF students write letters - ca. 1945

A few other ways CSF students aided the war effort, include: alumni sponsored dances and dinners for servicemen, volunteering with the Red Cross and Civilian Defense Committee, and graduating and taking jobs as chemists at the DuPont plant. Writing letters to soldiers was also a favored activity among the girls, with the creation of a Writing Army in 1942.

On this 75^th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, let us remember the small but important steps the community of St. Francis took to aid in the war effort.

This Week In History: Part Five

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 17:42:00 +0000

(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

Chicago Open Archives 2016

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 18:38:00 +0000

Research room in the Chicago History Museum

October is American Archives Month and in celebration I attended Chicago Open Archives: Yours to Explore last week. Over thirty local archives, research centers, and cultural institutions in the Chicago area offered special events open to members of the public. I visited three archives, each with different missions and goals for their collections.

First up, the Chicago History Museum. “The Chicago History Museum is a research center and exhibition space focused on collecting and telling Chicago's stories. In addition to exhibitions on Chicago’s history, the Chicago History Museum houses a Research Center which serves the research collections of the museum—archives and manuscripts, prints and photographs, published material, and architectural drawings.”

With such vast holdings the archivists focused on their sports-related collections. The two-hour tour began in the museum with the typical cases the public can easily view. The next stop was the research room where materials were laid out for viewing. The librarians and archivists reminded us that all this material is available to the public for research and we should not be afraid to investigate. Finally, we were taken to the back offices where the processing, preservation, and hands-on work occurs. The archivists pulled some of their favorite pieces, including materials from the failed 2016 Chicago Olympics bid.

Exhibit programs from Museum of Contemporary Arts

My second stop was the Museum of Contemporary Art. “Since 1967, the MCA has been in the vanguard of contemporary art, making history with provocative and engaging programming. The archival collections tell the story of the MCA's exhibitions and programming through a rich variety of materials, including publications, photographs, exhibition records, ephemera, videos, and audio tapes.”

The archives and library are in the basement of the museum. This is an institutional repository with papers and materials from the organization. Again, records were displayed for us and the grouping was of exhibit programs through the years. As a contemporary art museum, artists take greater risks with how information about their pieces is shared, including creating Russian-doll-type boxes.

Chinese passport at NARA

Finally I went to the open-house at the National Archives at Chicago, where I first learned about archives. There is “over 120,000 cubic feet of historical records created or received by U.S. Government offices and federal courts in six Midwestern states dating from 1800 to the 1990s. Among subjects of local interest are: the Great Lakes and inland waterways, Native Americans, immigration and naturalization, inventions and technology, railroads, the automotive industry, and domestic conditions during World Wars I and II.”

Unprocessed materials at NARA

This was my first time back to NARA as an archivist, so I appreciated all the work which goes into maintaining the nation’s records much more. We were taken through the climate controlled stacks and into the processing room, where a variety of records were displayed. One of my personal favorites was a Chinese passport which was involved in a legal case of some kind. There was also a box with unprocessed dispositions covered in coal dust, showing how the condition of materials varies depending on where they were located before the archives.

I just want to thank the Chicago Area Archivists for putting this all together, and for the Chicago History Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, and NARA at Chicago for participating.

Thank You, Alumni!

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 15:21:00 +0000

This past weekend was homecoming at USF and I hosted a “USF History in Pictures.” Over the two hours, there were alumni from the 1991 nursing class, a couple 1992 business majors, and about 10 women from the 1966 class. They were celebrating their 50^th reunion!

They reminisced about dorm living in Tower Hall, which consisted of 10pm curfews and 10 person rooms during their freshmen year. Still an all-girls school in 1966, they needed permission from their parents to go on dates with students from Lewis University.

They also pointed out that the Uno Lounge where my display was used to be the mail room and a security guard was stationed there at night.

Thank you to everyone who came out on homecoming weekend!

The Library at Fifty

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 15:20:00 +0000

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 in financing the construction, rehabilitation, or improvement of needed academic and related facilities in undergraduate and graduate institutions."

This act allowed CSF to receive a grant one-third the total cost of the building from the Federal Government. The other two-thirds was covered with a loan from the State of Illinois, and fundraising efforts. In total, the library cost a little over $1,000,000.

The Board of Trustees consulted Frazier Poole, the head librarian at the University of Illinois at Navy Pier, for help with the design, statistics of the college, and work of the building committee. He notes: “The building of the library is the problem of the architect. The functional ideas are the problem of the librarian.” Architects J.A. Semitekol and R.V. Larson handled the plans, and previously worked for CSF on the new residence hall, which was built a year earlier.

LaVerne and Dorothy Brown Library exterior - 2016

The groundbreaking occurred April 14, 1966. Over the next year, all the equipment and furniture required to fill a much larger space was purchased. The library opened to students in September 1967, and had a capacity for 200,000 volumes. March 24, 1968 was the dedication of the library, attended by Board of Trustees members, Sisters, donors, librarians from other Chicagoland colleges, and the public.

Since 1968, the library has undergone little change. A few classrooms were added to the basement level, the open spaces on the third floor have been changed to the Archives and Academic Research Center (ARC), and the outside entrance has gotten a face-lift. However, the original open-floor plan and 1960s aesthetics are still prominent.

If you would like more information about the library and its importance to the University of St. Francis, please check out the Library Administration (10-250) and Buildings (30-100) collections.

This Week in History: Part Four

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Thu, 28 Jul 2016 15:24:00 +0000

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 earlier in the month, including the “Grand Review of New York Troops on July 4^th”. A Harper’s Weekly correspondent described it thusly: “The parade of twenty thousand New York troops…come off in the morning according to programme. A stand was erected on the sidewalk of Pennsylvania Avenue, in front of the White House, which was occupied by the President… (page 479).”

"Grand Review of New York Troops on July 4th"

The illustration shows the moment President Lincoln introduces General Winfield Scott, the longest active duty general in American history:

"Fellow citizens—I trust you will not blame me today for standing in front. It is a sort of rule that constrains me to do so. I know that a sight of your noble and gallant and revered General Scott would be more gratifying to you than a speech from me. I take great pleasure, therefore, in introducing that distinguished gentleman to you (page 479)."

Chapter 56 of Great Expectations

While the war and news from Congress took up a majority of the magazine, there was space for authors to send in chapters from their books. Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations was featured in Harper’s from November 1860 to August 1861. The fifty-nine chapter book was released in nine parts over that period, with chapter fifty-six in the July 27^th issue. Accompanied with illustrations from John McLenan, the chapter sees the death of Magwitch, the convict turned secret benefactor to Pip, the protagonist.

Advertisements for medical remedies, hair treatment for mustaches, wedding cards, and employment opportunities are also featured in Harper’s Weekly.

After the war, the magazine fully supported the Republican Party and cartoonist Thomas Nast made it famous with his attack on corrupt New York politician William “Boss” Tweed and Tammany Hall.

If you are interested in reading the full July 27, 1861 issue please stop by or make an appointment to visit the USF Archives, open Monday to Friday.

Musical Theater Collection - UPDATE

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 20:01:00 +0000

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 collection.

Toward the end of May I finished the cataloging biographies I moved onto the behind-the-scenes type books. These feature timelines of musical theater and Hollywood musicals, never before seen photographs, stories from producers and actors, etc.

Hollywood Musicals by Ted Sennett, featuring
"Betty Grable in Springtime in the Rockies"

As of today, nearly 200 books have been cataloged! The next batch of books will be about specific shows, like Wicked and The Sound of Music. There are still a couple hundred to go, but I’m very happy with the progress of this project.

If you’re interest in viewing the Barbara A. Cooke MusicalTheater Collection and all these wonderful books, please stop in to the library Monday-Friday.

Time Spent in Milwaukee

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Tue, 17 May 2016 19:50:00 +0000

"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 Culture and Fandom Collections
Let’s DIVE into Archives
Playing Outside: Opportunities for Community Engagement Beyond the Archives
“The Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good”: Creative Solutions and Common Sense Approaches to Archival Problems
One Acid-Free Box Fits All: Exhibits That Work for Every Archives

As you can tell, the topics varied from broad, “Playing Outside: Opportunities for Community Engagement beyond the Archives,” to very narrow with, “Where Do We Store the Action Figures? Archives and the Growth of Popular Culture and Fandom Collections.” The archivists who presented were from all types of institutions, such as: historical societies, colleges and universities, businesses, museums, religious orders, etc. Having such different archive experiences helped me get a better sense of where archivists are around the Midwest, and what challenges face them.

1936 Harley Davidson motocycle

There was also a reception at the Harley Davidson Museum, which was extremely cool. A polka band played through dinner and the over 400 archivists in attendance were given tickets to the museum. You move through the museum chronologically and see the development of Harley through a timeline of motorcycles.

As a business archive, they focus on the motorcycles which made them famous, so their needs are very unique in terms of storage.

High density storage racks in the archives

High density racks are used to organize hundreds of bikes, which are on the 3^rd floor of the museum. That’s a lot of weight! Mechanics also work in the archives to maintain the usability of their material. Without working machines, the accessibility of the archives plummets.

All in all, I enjoyed myself immensely!

Rediscovering Chicago's Film History

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 17:42:00 +0000

Last year I became the LIBRAS Archives Special Interest Group Chairperson; part of my job is to put events together which interest archivists and librarians within the LIBRAS community. The most

recent event was a visit and tour of the Chicago Film Archives. Their website states: “The Chicago Film Archives is a non-profit 501(c) (3) institution established in late 2003 in order to preserve and catalogue over five thousand 16mm films donated by the Chicago Public Library.”

Extra copies of films donated by the Chicago Public Library

During the visit, we discussed how the film industry in Chicago boomed during the early 20^th century with actors including Charlie Chaplin getting their first start at Essanay Studios. Chicago was the film industry hub until the production companies moved to Hollywood.

The films at CFA cover the “dark ages” of Chicago and Midwest filmmaking. As a regional archive their collections relate to Midwest history, amateur filmmakers, and home movies from donors. They also hold the film collection donated from the Chicago Public Library, which includes educational and travel films, silent films, foreign and American-made theatrical films, documentaries, industrials, newsreels, sports events and children's films.

CFA staff with Kinetta Archival Film Scanner,
taken from CFA's Twitter

One of the films shown to us was The Fairy Princess from amateur filmmaker Margaret Conneely. WATCH IT HERE. From the CFA website: “[Conneely] frames stop-motion animation and trick photography with live action footage to fuel her very own Christmas fairy tale.” We then compared it to a Christmas home movie from the Stacy Maugans Collection, 1965-1984. Even though the films are from the same era with similar subject matter, the Conneely film was purpose built and told a story, while the Maugan’s home movie captures real life for this family.

The 3 person staff also performs conservation work to restore or recreate a film's original look and sound. They recently purchased a Kinetta Archival Film Scanner, which captures 4K resolution images for digitization purposes. It helps them create access copies of films which are shown at local and international film screenings. In terms of preservation, films that are no longer stable for physical handling can be run through the Kinetta to create a beautiful reproduction.

Work station to check physical conditions of films

Amidst all that, we discussed how CFA compares to colleges or historical institutions, particularly in light of service functions, approaches to access, funding, and collection content. The main differences we found were funding and associations with other institutions. CFA relies on grants, donations, and a business model of charging for goods and services. It is also not affiliated with a college, university, or historical society, making the mission of CFA very specific.

I encourage everyone to check out their website and watch some of the 1600 films available online.

I’d also like to the Nancy, Amy, and Brian for a fantastic experience!

This Week in History: Part Three

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 15:30:00 +0000

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 Ziegfeld Follies (1907–1931) – was highlighted in the March 1931 issue. His 100 acre estate Hastings-on-Hudson was called a “Nature lover’s paradise,” and Mr. Ziegfeld said: “I suppose you would call it a ‘kick’. It is my chief pleasure, and it never wearies me. I get more fun out of staying at home with my animals and birds than I do out of interviewing the most famous stars of the stage and screen” (172).

"Dinty, a Pet Porcupine," page 135

There are also featured stories about unique pets written by members of the National Association of Audubon Societies. In the March 1924 edition is an article titled: “Dinty, a Pet Porcupine,” by William and Irene Finley. Finley was a photographer, filmmaker, and author who wrote and lectured extensively on wildlife conservation issues. Dinty the porcupine was delivered by caesarian after his mother was killed by a trapper, then given to the Finley’s to raise to maturity. The article discussed Dinty’s life with the Finleys and how their goal was to determine, “whether kindness would counteract his wild instincts” (134).

The efforts of the Finley’s included filming Dinty for their conservation lectures. “…The response was always greatest when Dinty walked awkwardly across the screen on his heels….As a moving-picture actor, Dinty won the hearts of the audience” (137). They hand-fed Dinty and introduced him to their dog Peter, who soon realized Dinty’s quills did not make for good cuddle buddies. However, over the course of the year, Dinty’s natural instincts became apparent when he left the safety of the Finley home for the woods, eventually becoming the wild animal he was meant to be.

If you’re interested in Nature Magazine, come by the Archives Reading Room or make an appointment.

Snapshots of USF History - Updated!

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 20:05:00 +0000

CSF Francisline cheerleaders in formation

Over the past month my student worker, Jojo, and intern, Madison, have been busy, busy, busy! I tasked them with creating original metadata (information about information) for over 600 images, which depict events, people, and places from the University’s past. These images were added to the Sharing Our Past, A Visual History online collection.

This project was achieved through a number of steps; the first included digitizing the physical photographs. This was completed at the beginning of 2015. Over December 2015 and January 2016, I looked over all the images to see which ones would be selected for the online collection. This is known as “appraisal” and done at least twice to determine which images should be included based on their historical significance to the institution. Reasons images might not be included in the collection are:

Redundant/duplicate material
Photographs which are blurry and/or of poor quality
Material that is the physical and/or intellectual property of another agency or individual (copyright infringement)
Sensitive items that contain social security numbers or other information (health, educational) that is protected through federal legislation designed to safeguard the privacy of individuals

For our purpose, only the first two rules applied in the selection process. The next step was to upload the files into our digital collection management software, ContentDM Project Client. This software allowed us to add all the original metadata for each of the images, based on our metadata template. In the Sharing Our Past collection there are 11 metadata fields within the template: Title, Description, Subject, Date, Language, Type, Format, Rights, Publisher, Collection, and Identifier.

Screenshot of ContentDM Project Client

Jojo and Madison used a prepared Excel spreadsheet to help them fill in all the information, such as, names and dates, but needed to use their research skills to fill in any blanks. This included looking through the CSF yearbooks, Interlude, Encounter, and the main USF website. Once the metadata was added I checked their work and made any necessary changes, like spelling mistakes or formatting issues.

After the upload to the CARLI servers, the images were approved and indexed into the current collection, then made available on the finished website. A majority of the photographs were from the 1980s, and feature commencement ceremonies, men’s and women’s athletics, and general student life at USF.

Concept art for proposed baseball stadium, Gillespie Field

New Year, New Goals, New Dreams - 2016

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 16:58:00 +0000

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 people in the musical theater world, including: Fred Astaire, Marilyn Monroe, Bing Crosby, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and many more.

My student worker, Adjo Tameklo, and newest intern, Madison Bowie, will be adding over 500 images to our Sharing Our Past: A Visual History online collection. The work includes using our ContentDM software to write descriptions for each photograph, and searching for corresponding names and dates. Sometimes the names and dates are difficult to come by, so I intend to upload small batches over the coming months.

I will leave you with this inscription from the class of 1936 (which will hopefully be displayed in the future science building!)

Blessing of St. Francis: "May the Lord bless thee and keep thee. May He show His fact to thee and have mercy on thee.
May He turn His countenance to thee and give thee peace. May the Lord bless thee." - Presented by Class of 1936

If you have any questions regarding USF archival collections and/or have a donation, please contact Gloria Hendrickson, Archives Librarian, at ghendrickson@stfrancis.edu or 815-740-3539.

Christmastime at USF

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 19:32:00 +0000

For the final blog post of 2015, I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read about the goings-on at the University of St. Francis Archives. I really enjoy writing this blog every month, so please stay with me in 2016!

As its December, I thought it would be nice to share some photographs of Christmastime gone by. The pictures below range from 1938-2012, and offer a brief glimpse into the past. All images are taken from the Sharing Our Past: A Visual History online collection. Enjoy!

Student Christmas Carolers ca. 1940-1950

Students in winter coats outside Tower Hall ca. 1940s

Students decorating for
Christmas season, ca. 1970s

Students sorting Christmas presents in their dorm
room, ca. 1938

Student cheerleaders participating
in Light Up the Night event, 2012

Men's NAIA cross country team and Bernie
walking in Light Up the Night parade, 2012

This Week in History: Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Tue, 10 Nov 2015 19:52:00 +0000

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 who were honorably discharged.

Over the years, Encounter staffers highlighted faculty members who served in all branches of the Armed Forces. In the November 1, 1978 issue, “Old Soldiers Reminisce about Military Past” recorded Michael LaRocco, Lyle Hicks, Tom Boeke, and Jerald Saimon’s experiences from World War II and the Vietnam War. Michael LaRocco served as a Sergeant E-5 in the Marines during the Vietnam War. He states, “The most valuable things he got from his military experience were a great sense of self-discipline and ‘a great way to get your head together.’”

Recently retired Therapeutic Recreation professor Lyle Hicks is also cited in this article. Having served in Vietnam, Hicks was a Captain in Military Intelligence for five years. “The Army helped him greatly in decision making and in managing men. He also recommended the Army for students undecided about their goals in life.”

In a more recent issue, guest writer Bruce Foote – a veteran and Executive Director of Financial Aid Services at the University of St. Francis – gave his opinion on the reason people choose the Armed Forces. From “VeteransDay 11/11/11,” Foote acknowledges a kind of “calling” for most men and women who enlist. He writes:

Bruce Foote, 2012
Taken from Joan Ramuta Golf Outing
digital collection

In the days after Pearl Harbor, hundreds of thousands of Americans rushed to enlist in the Armed Forces. Throughout U.S. history there have always been those who answer the call. And anyone who answers that call, in time of war or peace, knows in the back of their mind that they could ultimately pay a very great price. They disregard that though, because as you know, military service is for now, voluntary.

At the time of writing this, there were forty veteran students throughout the Joliet and Albuquerque campuses. Foote is a leading advocate on campus to keep USF a certified Military Friendly School.

This Veterans Day, keep this quote from G.K. Chesterton in mind when you thank a veteran: “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”

Music History is a Beautiful Thing

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 16:26:00 +0000

Image taken from presentation

This past weekend, on October 10^th, I held the Barbara A. Cooke Musical Theater Collection Showcase. This was my opportunity to highlight one of the Archive’s special collections to the public, who might have been unaware of its existence. This event was in cooperation with Chicago Area Archivists and Chicago Open Archives: Collecting and Connecting.

Alumna Barbara Cooke gave a wonderful presentation on the history of sheet music, which she separated into three different time periods: the Vintage Era (1860-1880), the Victorian Era (1880-1900), and the Golden Age (1900-1935).

Selection of sheet music covers from 1900-1935

The Vintage Era produced sheet music with basic and functional covers, primarily in black and white. These pieces are very rare because it was expected that a sheet would be thrown away when the song’s popularity faded. The Victorian Era was heavily influenced by European ideas, especially from England’s Queen Victoria. Subject matter focused on the home, sentimental love songs, and heartbreak.

Ms. Cooke explained how the dull sheet music covers drastically changed when music publisher E.T. Paull (1858-1924) invented a way to create covers with full color. Sales of sheet music skyrocketed because people bought songs for the gorgeous covers, not for the songs within. This marked the beginning of the Golden Age. Composers and lyricists wrote music people could dance too, which meant incorporating jazz, blues, ragtime, and the music of black minstrel shows. The covers reflected the subject matter.

Visitors listening to presenter Barbara A. Cooke

The end of the Golden Age came when film studios sent head-shots of actors to the music publishing houses, instead of paying an artist to create a painting. Photographs were faster and cheaper to produce, but the cover designs suffered as a result.

Archives Librarian Gloria Hendrickson
and alumna Barbara A. Cooke

After Ms. Cooke’s presentation, attendees viewed selected covers and visited the room with the entire collection. People spent time talking with Barbara and listening to her stories from her theater career, as well.

I want to thank everyone who attended and expressing interest in another one of these sessions. As always, feel free to contact me at 815-740-3539 or libraryarchives@stfrancis.edu if you have any questions.

UPCOMING EVENT THIS OCTOBER

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 18:39:00 +0000

An exciting event is happening next month in the USF Archives as a part of Chicago Open Archives: Collecting and Connecting. Over twenty local archives, research centers, and cultural institutions in the Chicago area will offer special events open to members of the public on October 8-10, 2015. Chicago Open Archives: Collecting and Connecting is an opportunity to discover unique historical materials and engage with archivists, librarians, and museum curators.

I will present one of the Archive’s special collections, the Barbara A. Cooke Musical Theater Collection on Saturday October 10^th. Barbara Cooke is an alumna of USF whose career in musical theater has spanned over 30 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. Visitors will have the chance to view rare materials and hear how the Archives acquired the collection. The collection includes sheet music, complete scores, musical theater reference books, theater magazines, audio, moving images, and more.

"Oh! Mister Gallagher and Mister Shean"
by Edward Gallagher and Al Shean (1922)

Ms. Cooke will also be on-hand to discuss and answer questions about her time as a College of St. Francis student, her career in musical theater, and how she ended up collecting sheet music. Guests will also have an opportunity to take a self-guided tour of the Archives Reading Room, which includes the John L. Raymond Special Collection and our Rare Books.

The event is FREE and registration is required. Refreshments will be available. Further details can be found at the USF Archives page of the Chicago Area Archivists.

If you have specific questions about the event or the Archives, please call (815) 740-3539 or email LibraryArchives@stfrancis.edu.

Looking forward to seeing everyone this October!

FIRE IN THE ARCHIVE: Response and Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 19:45:00 +0000

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 workshop included hands-on experience with fire and water damaged library and archival materials. Since we were at the Illinois Fire Service Institute in Champaign, Illinois, firefighters were on hand to set discarded library materials on fire! There were two bookcases full of books, CDs, pamphlets, floppy discs, microfilm, film reels, and VHS tapes; typical library and archive holdings.

I went into the building and watched from a safe distance the fire work its way up the shelves, and the smoke and heat fill the air. To get the fire going, the firefighters used straw to increase the temperature to over 1400°. After five minutes the fire was extinguished and everything was burnt and water logged.

Now came time for recovery, which was dirty and time consuming. High temperature and high humidity equals a breeding ground for mold, so in a real library or archive fire the main objective is to move everything affected to a clean, and secure location. At the workshop, we moved the objects to one of the firetruck bays so we could assess the damage. Some of the books were un-salvageable, but a majority could be cleaned and rebound because the fire only burned the spines.

The effects on the CDs, film reels, and other plastic objects was really fascinating. Most of the cases melted and completely encased the artifact within, but others only partially melted leaving the object intact. The polyester film reels melted and fused together, making them worthless. For salvage operations, we practiced washing books and wrapping them for freeze drying, which is done to delay any preservation action until time and money allows.

I walked away from this workshop with an abundance of disaster planning knowledge, and some very cool pictures. I thank CARLI, the Preservation Committee, and the Illinois Fire Service Institute for allowing us to participate in this unique learning experience.

This Week in History

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Fri, 10 Jul 2015 18:57:00 +0000

America: A Catholic Review of the Week
Vol. 13 No. 13 (1915)

Now and again it’s fun to look back on history and wonder what the hot topics of the day were. For the first installment of This Week in History we’ll be focusing on the week of July 10^th, 1915; specifically, what was mentioned in volume 13, number 13 of America: A Catholic Review of the Week.

As a weekly Catholic journal of opinion, topics included: social justice, liturgy, music, world news, editorial reviews, education, sociology, and much more. The USF Archives holds the first forty-five volumes of this journal, which has been continuously published since 1909.

As you might imagine, the issue focused on the circumstances and events of World War I. In news bulletin style, the issue highlights the movements of German troops in France as they make their way to Verdun. It reads:

“The Crown Prince according to reports is in command, and large bodies of troops are said to be gathering for an new assault that has the isolation of Verdun for its objective….Already Verdun is surrounded on three sides, and if the Germans could succeed in forcing their way south from Binarville, …they would necessitate the evacuation not only of Verdun but of a large part of Lorraine” (pg. 313).

In 1916, the Battle of Verdun was one of the lengthiest, and some say greatest, battle in world history. Other aspects of the war detail the decline in French birth rates since the start of the war, German Catholics showing their patriotism at home, and British casualties at the front.

Joseph Hilaire Pierre Rene Belloc
(1870-1953)

Under the Topics of Interest section are brief essays from various Catholic persons of the time, expressing opinions about books, songs, or Catholic misconceptions. The prominent review for this issue was written by Joseph Hilaire Pierre Rene Belloc (1870-1953), a poet, writer, politician, and staunch Roman Catholic. “An Open Letter to H.G. Wells” was Belloc’s attempt at reviewing the newest book from the father of science fiction. Belloc writes:

“A review is either a summary, telling people what is in the book, or a judgment of that book, or a mixture of both. Now your book upon the First and Last Things contains so much of a human being, and is so full and free from repetition that I don’t see how it would be possible to summarize it, except as one summarizes a character or an historical period by reading over and over again, and by leaving one’s judgment to the process of time” (pg. 317).

Even with this admiration for Well’s writing, Belloc took the rest of his essay to debate the growing divide between what he calls two bodies of thought: “Catholicism, and the other is that which you see shaping around you.” (pg. 318) This initial criticism would lead to Belloc and Wells’ disagreements in the 1920s about the validity of natural selection, and Wells' book Mr. Belloc Objects (1926).

That's all for This Week in History, but stay tuned for more installments of this new series on the University of St. Francis Archive's blog.

A Wonderful Donation

noreply@blogger.com (USF Library Archives) — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 19:34:00 +0000

This week the Brown Library Archives received an exciting new addition from one of our alums. Beverly (Bajt) Kopman, a 1966 graduate from St. Joseph College of Nursing (SJCN), donated her St. Joseph Hospital nurse cape and cap. Both pieces are in excellent condition and are welcomed additions to the St. Joseph College of Nursing collection.

Cape donated by alumna Beverly Kopman

The cape is wool with a dark navy and red color scheme. Along the collar is“STJH” in gold stitched letters, which stands for St. Joseph Hospital. Inside the left-hand flap are Mrs. Kopman’s initials “B.A.B” in white and black stitching. The white cap was awarded during a “capping ceremony,” which occurred before students began their hospital training.

Nurse's cap donated by alumna
Beverly Kopman

Detail shots of gold lettering on
cape's collar and inside flap

The cape was used by nursing students beginning in the 1920s, when the SJCN was first established. Course affiliation with the College of St. Francis occurred in 1935. The nursing hospital ran freely with affiliations with numerous colleges, until it became a division of CSF and took on the Allied Health Programs. In 1998, CSF gained university status was formalized and the division was renamed the College of Nursing and Allied Health. It is currently named the Leach College of Nursing after long-time USF supporters, Cecily & John Leach.

Graduating class of 1953 walking with
capes and caps in Downtown Joliet

This donation joins the other 30+ items of clothing in the St. Joseph College of Nursing collection, which also houses administrative papers, photographs, and other wonderful material. The collection is available to view at the LaVerne and Dorothy Brown Library.