Illumination Winter 2015

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

IN THIS ISSUE

Winter 2015

Alice’s Timeless Tale

By Amber Kohl, Doug McElrath, Brin Winterbottom and Edie Sandler

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Student Spotlight

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Frederick Douglass Exhibit

Musical Milestones

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Celebrating IPAM’s 50th

LEWIS CARROLL’s timeless tale begins with a young girl named Alice, whose tedious summer afternoon unexpectedly is interrupted by the appearance of a harried white rabbit. Alice soon falls down a rabbit hole and commences her adventures in the delightfully imagined world of Wonderland.

In the exhibition Alice 150 Years and Counting…The Legacy of Lewis Carroll: Selections from the Collection of August and Clare Imholtz, open through July 2016, visitors can take their own trip down the rabbit hole and celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Designed by Special Collections and University Archives staff, Alice 150 Years and Counting showcases the collection of long-time Carrollians and friends of the Libraries, August and Clare Imholtz. The exhibition features rare early editions and translations of Alice as well as illus­ trated editions from across the globe.

This broad, colorful selection from the continues on page 6

MIKE MORGAN

Dear Friends, I’m pleased to welcome you to our newest issue of Illumination, and my first issue as Dean of the Libraries.

DR. HUGO KEESING’S long history with the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library started in 1996 when he began donating generous portions of popular music materials he amassed over several decades of personal collecting. Since then, he continues to make annual gifts including thousands of pop singles and LPs, ninety years of sheet music, research files, books, and various collectibles.

In 2014, Dr. Keesing offered financial support to ensure the archival processing and description of the 350+ linear feet of his collections, and those of his late brother Wouter, for the benefit of our researchers.

With his generous gift of $25,000, we hired two graduate students from

S T U D E N T

JOHN CONSOLI

A Gift of Music

the School of Music’s Musicology program who are not only specializing in popular music, but are eager for hands-on experience working with primary source materials. Thanks to Dr. Keesing’s support, these students are realizing that goal, while rendering these rich collections accessible to their peers.

— Vincent Novara

S P O T L I G H T

I may be a new face to you, but I have served this library for more than five years. In my capacity as Associate Dean for Digital Systems and Stewardship, I’ve been on the ground, rallying our team around new technology and cutting-edge initiatives designed to maneuver this library into a prominent position on this campus and in the community.

It’s only been a few months, but I have a bold vision for our library. Our future is in our ability to meet the demands of our users and our partners, and increasingly, that comes in the form of information management in the broad sense. We have a way to go, but I look forward to sharing more of this journey and our story with you.

EDIE SANDLER is making her mark at UMD! While earning her Master of Library Science degree, Edie works as the Graduate Assistant for Instruction & Outreach in Special Collections & University Archives (SCUA).

Among Edie’s notable achievements are her contributions as cocurator of the Alice 150 Years and Counting exhibit. She is creative, focused, and a natural collaborator. Her positive energy and fresh ideas also attribute to her success coordinating

i­nstruction, web design, and social media in SCUA. In both work and class, Edie enjoys exploring how to make special collections more accessible to the public through outreach efforts.

“Edie brings a background in teaching and enthusiasm for literature to this position,” says her supervisor, Laura Cleary. “Her unique skills have shaped our outreach program and made us better.”

—Amber Kohl

Thank you for all your support.

Sincerely,

Babak Hamidzadeh Dean of the Libraries

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S AV E T H E D AT E !

The University of Maryland will hold the first ever Giving Day in March 2016. UMD Libraries will be highly involved in this day and we need your support!

More information to follow! To make a donation, please visit our Giving Page at ter.ps/makeagift

Celebrating Frederick Douglass MARYLAND NATIVE Frederick Douglass stands as a monumental figure in the story of the abolition of slavery in the United States. On November 18, 2015, the University dedicated a square on the plaza in front of Hornbake Library that honors the legacy of Douglass with a statue and inspirational quotations from his speeches and writings. The square was the idea of Distinguished University Professor Ira Berlin of the Department of History. Assisted by a group of campus leaders known as the North Star Committee, he also led the fundraising campaign.

Born a slave on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Douglass later worked as a ship caulker in Baltimore before escaping to freedom in 1838. Douglass wrote three autobiographies over the course of his life as a social reformer, abolitionist, and orator. Published in 1845, 1855, and 1891, Special Collections in Hornbake Library houses originals versions of all three of these accounts in addition to manuscript collections, maps, newspapers and other primary source materials that provide context about Maryland during this era.

— Elizabeth Novara

Left: Guests at the statue unveiling attended a reception in Hornbake Library lobby and viewed a temporary exhibit there. Above: The statue, show­ing an impassioned Douglass in midsentence. Below: The plaza around the statue is engraved with Douglass quotes such as “Once you learn to read you will ever be free.”

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IN SIDE T H E VAU LT

Musical Milestones: A History of the University of Marylan

By Amanda Hawk SINCE THE SPRING of 2013, stu-

dents, faculty, staff, and visitors to McKeldin Library have been able to explore interesting aspects of campus history through a series of exhibits curated by the University Archives staff. This fall’s presentation — a visual history of the marching band — highlights the achievements and milestones of one of the university’s longest-running student organizations.

From the original 28 members of the first cadet band in 1908 to the 250 musicians of the current Mighty Sound of Maryland, the marching band’s legacy continues to develop while maintaining long-standing traditions.

The featured item on exhibit is the baton used by drum major and twirler Murray McColloch, Class of 1949. A se-

ries of photographs documents significant “firsts” in the history of the band, including the first female band members, the first female drum major, and the first African American drum major.

Visitors can also take a closer look at the manuscript of the Maryland Fight Song, written by Ralph Davis in 1941; examine a chart for the band’s famous ‘M’ formation; and compare hats worn by band members past and present.

“Musical Milestones” will be on view on the first floor and in the second floor Portico Lounge until January 22, 2016. For more information about the items on display, contact Amanda Hawk at 301-314-3287 or ahawk@umd.edu. To make a donation to the University Archives, please visit ter.ps/terpforlife.

Left: Majorette, ca 1948.

Below: On-field Maryland script formation, a longstanding tradition.

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MARCHING ALONG TO VICTORY Clockwise, from top: the 1902-1903 Mandolin Ensemble and Glee Club, a student-run organization before the creation of the first marching band in 1908; exhibit poster; fight song, written in 1941 and still played today at athletic events.

nd Marching Band

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Imholtz collection opens a window into the ongoing popularity and reimagining of Carroll’s beloved story.

The exhibition goes beyond the Alice books, highlighting Lewis Carroll’s work as mathematician, photographer, and his non-Alice prose and poetic works. In its first month open the exhibition has attracted 155 spirited Alice fans, art and math students, bibliophiles, and many more.

On October 16th, 2015, UMD Libraries hosted the opening reception for Alice 150 Years and Counting, welcoming almost 200 Alice enthusiasts to Hornbake Library. Guests were treated to Wonderland-inspired delicacies like “Off with her head!” Red Velvet Ice Cream. At least on this occasion, all the visitors to Wonderland left without losing their heads!

The festivities included a white rabbit scavenger hunt, mad tea party photo booth, and a chance to ‘AdoptA-Book’ and save fragile items from the Libraries’ rare book collections.

Additional Alice items were on display, including a letter written by Lewis Carroll about a gift of some scrumptious marmalade.

For more information, stop

by Hornbake Library or visit www.lib.umd.edu/alice150.

CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER Below: Guests viewed how artists and illustrators across the globe interpreted Carroll’s creations.

Antoinette Sebastian (MA ’76, MA ’99, PhD ‘08) especially enjoyed the illustrations of Barry Moser.

Far right: Cut-outs transformed guests into Alice characters.

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THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS Above, from left: Guests gathered in Hornbake Library for a reception featuring Wonderlandinspired delicacies; a modernday Alice; collectors and friends of the Libraries Clare and August Imholtz, who shared their collection of Carroll books.

Below: Books “adopted” by Patricia Leppert (MA ‘79) for preservation treatment.

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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 7649 Library Lane 6131 McKeldin Library College Park, Maryland 20742-7011

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— I N S P I R I N G

M A R Y L A N D

P R I D E —

50th Anniversary of International Piano Archives at Maryland

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— UPCOMING CONCERTS — URSULA OPPENS February 4, 2016 MARGARET LENG TAN April 12, 2016

PHOTO: MICHAEL DAMES

LAUNCHING A YEAR of celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the International Piano Archives at Maryland (part of the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library), acclaimed pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin played a recital for a cheering, sold-out audience on October 4 at Gildenhorn Recital Hall in The Clarice.

The University of Maryland Libraries and The Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts will present additional concerts in the coming months to highlight this unique collection. As the world’s most extensive concentration of piano recordings, books, scores and archival papers, the archive offers a unique resource for the study, appreciation, and preservation of the classical piano repertoire and its performance.

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www.go.umd.edu/ipam50

Margaret Leng Tan