Illumination Winter 2014

ILLUMINATION KNOWLEDGE for the 2Ist CENTURY at the UNIVERSITY of MARYLAND LIBRARIES

Winter 2015

IN THIS ISSUE

Beyond the Battle Bladensburg Rediscovered O

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Student Spotlight

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90 Million Reasons Why We Love the Big Ten

FTEN CALLED the forgotten war in American history, the War of 1812 suffers from obscure origins and an indecisive outcome. Yet it produced, among other things, our national anthem. The state of Maryland has a special affinity to the events chronicled by Francis Scott Key, who affirmed in the Star-Spangled Banner that “our flag was still there” during the shelling of Fort McHenry in Baltimore in September 1814.

For the past three years many aspects of the War of 1812 in Maryland, including an embarrassing defeat at the Battle of Bladensburg, have been well documented and retold through countless bicentennial commemorations. However, the story of Bladensburg as an historic site is not so well known, and the town’s proximity to the campus of the University of Maryland made it a natural choice for the latest exhibit in the Hornbake Library Gallery.

“Beyond the Battle: Bladensburg Rediscovered,” designed by the staff of Special Collections and University Archives, focuses on a largely forgotten place that once was a seaport for international trade and continues on page 4

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MakerSpace Opening

Remembering the Queen’s Game

Kevin Foster (below) prepares a diorama of Bladensburg in 1770 on display in Hornbake Library. The diorama is one in a series commissioned by the Prince George’s County Jaycees for the Bicentennial celebrations of 1976.

ON EXHIBIT Beyond the Battle: Bladensburg Rediscovered is on display in Hornbake Library through July 2015. For gallery hours or to view the virtual exhibit and videos of the full-day symposium, please visit: www.lib.umd.edu/bladensburg

S T U D E N T

S P O T L I G H T

Dear Friends, It’s been a busy semester for the University Libraries. I hope this issue of Illumination gives you a sense of the excitement we experience every day. Some days, we explore our region’s past with our newest exhibit. Other days, we embrace our future by opening our John and Stella Graves MakerSpace.

Our future is bright and complicated. Libraries are changing, and we must balance our central mission—to preserve and provide information—with the new ways in which information is delivered, used, dissected and created. Luckily, we’re able to tackle these challenges through generosity. Donors make our exhibits and public programming possible.

Your support of our initiatives allows us to think big, plan, and then DO! We DID our MakerSpace through our partnership with the Academy of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the generosity of two amazing donors, John and Stella Graves. These partners and friends see our vision and have shared ownership of this idea. By creating items ranging from miniTestudos to prosthetic hands, our students are engaging with this space and turning the library into a place where things are made, problems are solved, and the future is now.

Thank you for supporting our mission through your attendance at events, your gift, and your friendship.

Sincerely,

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Patricia A. Steele Dean of the Libraries

Jessica Davis A SENIOR studying marketing at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, Jessica Davis one of about 25 student assistants who help staff the main service desk in McKeldin Library.

Jessica distinguishes herself with her approachable manner. “She has a bright, sunny attitude,” says her supervisor, Liz Larson, “and she is dedicated to serving the UMD community in and out of the library.”

Jessica answers questions, directs

patrons, checks out books and helps troubleshoot printing problems. But she is also a programming assistant at the Stamp Student Union—located almost right across the street from McKeldin Library. With a foot in both camps, she helps the units promote joint interests, such as Homecoming or stress-reducing activities during final exams.

“Jessica brings as much enthusiasm to helping patrons find a book on the shelf as she does brainstorming about improvements to library processes,” says her supervisor.

90 million reasons why we love the Big Ten Of the many benefits associated with the university’s membership in the Big Ten, one that’s already showing significant payoff is the opportunity for faculty, students and staff to borrow items from our Big Ten partner libraries.

UBorrow is a service offered by the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), the academic consortium of Big Ten institutions plus the University of Chicago. By requesting books through UBorrow, we’re also able to obtain books faster than we do through traditional interlibrary loan. In fact, more than half of the books borrowed from CIC libraries since we introduced UBorrow have arrived in less than a week. The average delivery time for traditional interlibrary loan is 17 days.

More than 90 million books (printed books, that is) and other materials, such as films, are available from the 15 CIC libraries and the Center for Research Libraries, a consortium which has especially strong collections in area studies.

Objects printed on a 3-D printer (left) are created either with 3-D modeling software or by replicating existing objects using a 3-D scanner.

Google Glass (right) enables users to experience an augmented reality.

Equipment includes: n 3-D Printers

Ready, Set, Innovate In September the University Libraries and the Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship formally opened the John and Stella Graves MakerSpace in McKeldin Library. Conceived as a space for students of any major or interest to unleash creativity, the MakerSpace models a new environment in the library where students can use technology and tools to create prototypes, experiment, and innovate.

“What better place than a library?” asked Dean Patricia Steele at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “We’re open to all. This is the democracy forum.”

The MakerSpace is open to all members of the community. For hours and additional information: www.lib.umd.edu/tlc/makerspace

n 3-D Scanners n Oculus Rift virtual-reality headset n Google Glass n 24” Vinyl Cutter n SparkFun Inventor’s Kit n Soldering Kit

(Below) At the opening, from left: Gary White, Associate Dean for Public Services, University Libraries; John (‘77) and Stella (‘74) Graves; Patricia Steele, Dean of Libraries; Dean Chang, Associate Vice President for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

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Bladensburg, continued from pg 1

an important market town. The exhibit also explores the reasons for Bladensburg’s subsequent decline into obscurity. The town’s history is replete with negative associations –defeat in battle, duels, scandals—but it also was the home to many significant individuals whose lives illuminate our understanding of the past.

On October 10, 2014, the University Libraries hosted the official opening for “Beyond the Battle,” and participants had a firsthand opportunity to rediscover the town and its rich historic narratives. Among the most eye-catching features on display was the seven-foot wide diorama of the

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port of Bladensburg in 1770 – itself an historical artifact from the 1970s.

The next day, Hornbake Library welcomed attendees to an all-day symposium, “Beyond the Battle: Bladensburg’s History in Context.” This event represented the culmination of a partnership between the University Libraries and a community research project exploring the lost history of Bladensburg. Supported by a grant from the state’s Star Spangled 200 program, 12 presenters and keynote speaker Alan Virta shared their findings and engaged in lively discussions on the significance of the town and region in the era of the War of 1812.

Bladensburg was famous for its dueling grounds (below) where Washington politicians and others came to settle their scores using pistols like those on display in the exhibit (right).

Exhibit curator Douglas McElrath and Dean of Libraries Patricia A. Steele welcome guests (far right).

Crab cakes and beef Wellington honored Maryland’s heritage and the British victors of the Battle of Bladensburg.

Below: Guests included (from left) Faye (’51) and Sheldon (’51) Cohen, Michael Rosenzweig (’65, ’70), Patrick Cuniff, Dick Charlton (’54), Ralph Eschelman, and Marie Foss.

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IN SIDE T H E VAU LT

Tea with the Queen Participants recall the royal visit

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NE SUNNY OCTOBER afternoon in 1957, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited Byrd Stadium to see “a typical American sport,” as the Terrapins took to the gridiron to face the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, an event in UMD history that has become known as the “Queen’s Game.”

On Friday, October 3, 2014, the University Archives celebrated “Memories from the Queen’s Game” with a light English tea and reminiscences from four very special guests: Carole Elkins Neal, Margaret Elkins Frost, Eugene Verardi, and LeRoy Dietrich.

Carole and Maggie are the daughters of former University of Maryland President Wilson Elkins, who served

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as one of the Queen’s hosts for the afternoon, and they were seated in the royal box during the game. Maggie even presented the Queen with two gifts for her children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne.

Gene and Roy were sophomores on the football team, and both recalled that they were not at all focused on who was sitting in the stands that day—they just wanted to beat the Tar Heels, under the leadership of former UMD head coach Jim Tatum. And beat them they did, 21 to 7!

The event concluded with a showing of the documentary, “Maryland’s Queen for a Day,” produced by local videographer Mike Springirth for the

50th anniversary of the game in 2007.

The event honored the Archives’ current exhibition, “Royal Remembrances: Celebrating Maryland’s Queen for a Day,” on the first and second floors of McKeldin Library.

The exhibit will remain on display through the end of the fall semester, and we encourage you to stop by for a glimpse of this landmark day in University of Maryland history.

The University Archives hold many resources relating to the “Queen’s Game,” including photo­graphs, film, documents, and memor­a­bilia. For more information contact University Archivist Anne Turkos: 301-405-9060 or aturkos@umd.edu.

SISTERS CAROLE ELKINS NEAL (‘63, top left) and Margaret Elkins Frost (‘68, top right) shared the royal box with their father, UMD President Wilson Elkins. Margaret presented gifts to the Queen for her children as Governor Theodore McKeldin (to the left of the Queen) looked on.

TEAMMATES EUGENE VERARDI (‘61, running with the ball, left) and LeRoy Dietrich (‘61, above, from the program booklet) recalled being so focused on the game that they were barely aware of the Queen’s presence.

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N ON PR OFIT OR G .

U.S. POSTAG E

PA ID

PE RMIT N O. 1 0 COL L E G E PARK , MD

www.lib.umd.edu Dean of Libraries 6131 McKeldin Library College Park, Maryland 20742-7011

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— C O M I N G

T H I S

S P R I N G —

International Piano Archives Celebrate 50th 2015 WILL MARK THE 50TH anniversary of the International Piano Archives at Maryland (IPAM).

Housed within the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library, the archives comprise the world’s most extensive concentration of piano recordings, books, scores, programs and related materials, including the archival papers of many great keyboard artists.

The UMD Libraries, together with The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, the UMD School of Music,

and the UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, are planning a year-long celebration of this anniversary. Beginning in fall 2015, look for performances and lectures, guest appearances by prominent concert pianists, exhibits and digital projects, plus a few surprises . . .

For more about the International Piano Archives at Maryland,

visit www.lib.umd.edu/ipam