Reminder that the Friends Historical Collection is closed on November 26 and 27 for Thanksgiving.  Our research room is open regular hours on November 24 and 25.

The Friends Historical Collection is celebrating Hege Library's Centennial year with an exhibit and other activities throughout the year.  Our centennial exhibit will be on display through the end of the Fall 2009 semester.  The exhibit will continue virtually on our web site during Spring 2010.  The library's birthday party is happening this afternoon (Nov. 18) in the original portion of the library.  Happy birthday, Library!

The Friends Historical Collection is hosting an exhibit on "Quakers and Slavery" from January - March 2010 in Hege Library.  The exhibit is on loan from the Quaker Heritage Center at Wilmington College in Wilmington, OH.  Additional information and items from the Friends Historical Collection will be displayed to complement the visiting exhibit.  Dr. Thomas Hamm of Earlham College will present a lecture on the topic on Thursday, March 4, at 7:30 p.m.  Check our web site for the latest updates early next year.

This week is North Carolina Archives Week.  This year Gov. Perdue has signed a proclamation for Archives Week (see full proclamation at http://www.ncarchivists.org/archives_week/proclamation.htm) and several archives have special programming and events.  The Friends Historical Collection is celebrating for the entire month of October since this year's Archives Week happens during Guilford College's Fall Break.  We are still open for research Tuesday through Friday during break so off campus folks may appreciate the opportunity to visit while campus is a little quieter and parking is plentiful.

Prior to the 1960s, every graduating senior at Guilford College was required to write a thesis.  The official signed copy was then deposited in the library for safekeeping.  The Friends Historical Collection and College Archives maintains this collection to this day.  Several graduates came by during Homecoming to see what they wrote fifty years early.  On the whole, they were pleasantly surprised at the quality of their work and excited to see that we still have it.  Some papers are consulted by researchers from beyond Guilford and others are used by current students as a resource.  Two theses from 1909-1910 are currently on display in the library's centennial exhibit and illustrate the diversity of topics and original work which have been an important part of a Guilford education for over a century.

While a thesis is not currently required for every graduating student, it is a recommended option for some.  Several majors continued to require a thesis.  Those graduating with honors or from the honors program also write a thesis.  Current students are reminded to consult the thesis policy as they finalize their papers for inclusion in the college's archives.  You never know who may be inspired by your research in the future!

The Friends Historical Collection, in Hege Libary, is open for special Guilford College Homecoming and Family Weekend hours on Saturday, September 26, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.  Programming will target members of the Class of 1959 but additional items will be available as space allows.  Others are welcome to visit, look at materials from the college archives, and learn more about the Friends Historical Collection.  Highlights of interest to alumni include yearbooks and Guilfordians from 1914 to present, senior theses for those who wrote them as a graduate requirement, college catalogs and alumni bulletins, and other artifacts and documents from Guilford's past. Questions?  Contact us at archives@guilford.edu or 336-316-2264.

Guilford College's new academic year is getting started with the arrival of new students this week.  Check out the newest exhibit outside the Friends Historical Collection.  See what Guilford freshmen looked like in years gone by and what their orientation schedules were like.  Featured artifact is a freshman beanie once worn by Guilford's Professor of Mathematics Elwood Parker '60.  Questions?  Contact us at archives@guilford.edu.

Would you like to learn more about how Guilford handled the 1918 Influenza Pandemic? The college archives document the college's successful quarantine and what life was like for students in 1918. See examples from primary sources and links to additional information available through the Friends Historical Collection here.

All theses written to fulfill graduation requirements and recorded on the transcipt are to be deposit in the College Archives.  Note that deposit procedures are somewhat different this year.  The final signed copy of the thesis must be deliever to the Friends Historical Collection prior to graduation.  See Guilford's Thesis Policy for additional details regarding format and other requirements.  There are specific guidelines for the title page, margins, and any electronic media accompanying the paper copy.  Contact Gwen Erickson or Liz Cook at 336-316-2264 or archives@guilford.edu if you have any questions.