June 2014 Archives

June 12, 2014

The Beinecke Library acquires papers of writers Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson

Archives of famous British literary couple add to holdings in 20th century British literature

The Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University just announced its acquisition of the papers of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson, prominent figures in English arts and letters in the 20th century whose complex relationship was intimately recounted in the 1973 best-selling biography, “Portrait of a Marriage.”

“The Sackville-West and Nicolson archives are an exciting addition to Beinecke Library’s deep holdings of 20th century British literary figures,” says Timothy Young, curator of Modern Books and Manuscripts at the Beinecke Library. “They not only provide extraordinary insight into a remarkable literary legacy, they will be useful in enlightening an entire period in arts and letters, social history, and garden history.”

Sackville-West, an accomplished writer and gardener, is best known for her novels, poetry, and gardening books. She won the prestigious Hawthornden Prize in 1926 for her long narrative poem, “The Land,” and again in 1933 for her “Collected Poems.” Nicolson is remembered as a diplomat, novelist, and historian. His literary output includes biographies of the poets Paul Verlaine, Lord Tennyson, and Lord Byron.

The Vita Sackville-West Papers consist of archives that were until recently stored at Sissinghurst Castle, the magnificent estate and garden the couple transformed from near-desolation into one of the most-visited places in England. The papers include drafts of lectures, broadcasts, and articles (including a manuscript of her 1942 novel, “Grand Canyon”); letters from her mother and father; long series of letters from close friends and lovers, including Rosamund Grosvenor, Pat Dansey, Geoffrey Scott, Hilda Matheson, Christopher St. John, and Gwen St. Aubyn; and diaries and garden journals ranging from 1930 to 1962.

The Harold Nicolson Papers contain notes, manuscripts and typescripts for many of his publications and lectures, a series of appointment diaries, and substantial correspondence. Among the manuscripts are notes for and extensive correspondence regarding King George V and drafts of more than 100 articles and lectures. Correspondence files document his relations with many of his publishers and organizations such as the National Trust, the Royal Literary Fund, and the Society of Authors.

Sackville-West and Nicolson remained a committed couple throughout their nearly 50-year marriage while each pursued other passionate relationships, as recounted in “Portrait of a Marriage,” a memoir by their son, Nigel Nicolson. The Beinecke Library holds a separate group of material documenting Sackville-West’s relationship with novelist Violet Trefusis that details their love affair and curtailed elopement in 1920.

Among the archives at the Beinecke that document the same spheres of influence in 20th century English arts and letters are: the papers of writer James Lees-Milne; the papers of artist/gallerist Eardley Knollys; the papers of socialite and writer Stephen Tennant; and the papers of travel writer Robert Byron.

A recent acquisition that links with the social world of Sackville-West and Nicolson are the papers of Mary Hunter of Hill Hall, which includes letters from Henry James, Edith Wharton, Claude Monet, Auguste Rodin, Max Beerbohm, John Singer Sargent, George Moore, and Henry Tonks, as well as an unpublished group of letters from Virginia Woolf to Elizabeth Williamson.

Vita Sackville-West’s extensive files on gardening complement a number of archives on plantsmanship acquired by the Beinecke Library in the past decade, including the papers of artist and gardener Robert Dash, the founder of the Madoo Conservancy on Long Island; and the papers of poet Douglas Crase and his spouse, Frank Polach, which contain the papers of renowned botanists Rupert Barneby and Dwight Ripley.

Posted by Amanda Patrick on June 12, 2014 10:58 AM

Appointments of two new Associate University Librarians at the Yale Library

The Yale University Library recently announced the addition of two new leadership positions within the library system – the Associate University Librarian (AUL) for Arts and Humanities, and the AUL for Science, Social Science and Medicine. The two new positions will join a team that reports to the University Librarian and oversees the programs and operations of the 15 libraries, as well as the management of over 550 staff that currently make up the Yale Library.

Jill Parchuck, previously Director of the Center for Science and Social Science Information (CSSSI), will hold the title of AUL for Science, Social Science and Medicine. In addition to oversight of Science and Social Science Libraries and the Map Department, Jill’s portfolio will also expand to include liaising with the Medical Library. This strategy is aligned with the University’s desire for significantly greater collaboration between the sciences and medicine at Yale. Jill was the Director of Yale’s Social Science Libraries from 2007-2011, during which time she co-led planning efforts for the creation of the CSSSI and the transfer of materials from the Mudd Library. She currently serves on the University’s President’s Award Committee, the ITS Research Technologies Committee, and is the outgoing chair of the Library Promotion Committee. She chaired the Library’s Cost-Savings Initiatives Work Group in 2010. Jill has been a member of the Academic Business Library Directors’ group since 1993 and was chair of the Group from 2001-02. Prior to her time at Yale, Jill was on the staff of the Columbia University Libraries as the Head of Business and Economics Library and Head of Original Monographs Cataloging. Jill was a member of Yale’s team participating in the ARL/DLF eScience Institute in 2011 and she was a fellow in the Association of Research Libraries’ Research Library Leadership Fellows Program from 2004- 2006. She holds a Masters in Library Science and a Masters in English Literature from the State University of New York at Albany and a B.A. in English from LeMoyne College.

Allen Townsend, the former Director of the Arts Area Libraries, will hold the title of AUL for Arts & Humanities. In addition to his current oversight of the Arts and Music libraries, Allen’s portfolio will expand to include the Divinity Library and the departments of Humanities Collections & Research Education (HCRE) and International Collections & Research Support (ICRS). This combination acknowledges the frequency with which the research interests of students and faculty cross the organizational boundaries of libraries and departments throughout the arts and humanities. Allen Townsend's career in libraries spans more than thirty years. Before coming to Yale, he was well known in the field of art museum librarianship, serving as director for the libraries of the Dallas Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. He has been an active leader in the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) including a three-year term on the ARLIS/NA Executive Board, during which he served as President of the Society. He has published articles in ARLIS/NA's peer-reviewed journal Art Documentation, as well as other Society publications, including Art Museum Libraries and Librarianship. Since coming to Yale in 2007 as the Arts Library director, Allen's leadership roles have included service as Chair and Co-Chair of the Library Management Committee, Chair of the Technical Services Task Force (2010), and a 2-year term on the Library Executive Committee. He is the current Chair of the Promotion Review Committee and has held the position of Arts Area Libraries Director since 2011. Allen holds a Masters in Library Science from the University of North Texas and a Masters in Music from Southern Methodist University.

Together, Jill and Allen will work in concert to continually refine Yale Library’s research support services, outreach programs, liaison responsibilities, collection strategies and instruction services in support of the University’s teaching and research missions across all of the disciplines.

Posted by Amanda Patrick on June 12, 2014 11:58 AM

June 13, 2014

A Tale of Two Globes: Alumni Support Conservation of the Library’s Coronelli Globes

"It was the best of times; it was the worst of times"....this famous opening line from Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities is the best way to describe the work that occurred in early 2014 to kick off conservation treatment for a pair of globes (one terrestrial and one celestial) produced by noted maker, Vincenzo Coronelli.

In spite of winter weather and an “obstacle course” inside the Library resulting from ongoing renovation work in Sterling Memorial Library’s nave, the two globes were expertly packed in custom crates and safely transported to an outside conservation lab.

The Coronelli globes are the first of the Lanman Globe Collection to be sent for specialized conservation work following a collection condition survey carried out in the fall of 2011 by T.K. McClintock, Director of Fine Art Conservation for TKM Studios, whose lab will also treat the globes. McClintock is one of a very small number of conservators worldwide who specialize in the conservation of globes. Over the years, the surfaces of the Coronelli globes became discolored from exposure to atmospheric contaminants and the degradation of varnishes applied to the paper surfaces.

This project is also the story of Yale alumni and their passionate support for the Library. The core of the Lanman Globe Collection was donated to the Library in 1980 from the collection held by Yale alumnus Jonathan Lanman ’40,’43 MD. When the Library decided to focus preservation attention on this impressive collection, Allan Bulley III ’86, a Yale Library Associates Trustee, stepped up with a generous gift in honor of his 25th class reunion in 2011. Mr. Bulley’s gift laid the foundation for storage improvements and conservation treatment. The following year, Stephen Gates ’68, a globe collector and member of the University Library Council, made a splendid gift that is allowing the Library to carry out priority treatments like those for these spectacular Coronelli globes.

Posted by Amanda Patrick on June 13, 2014 1:59 PM

Digital Innovations: Bringing the Classroom into the Archives

Last fall, Dr. Mark Turin led Himalayan Collections at Yale, an innovative course employing web tools, digital and analog media, and subject experts to help students understand four Yale collections centered on the Himalayan region: Tibetan Buddhist scrolls at the Beinecke Library, photographs at the Yale Art Gallery, missionary documents at the Divinity School Library, and a former United States ambassador’s papers at Sterling Memorial Library.

The thirteen undergraduate students in the course were tasked with exploring the collections, cataloging their contents, and analyzing the materials by constructing web exhibitions in an open academic-source platform. The course served as a hands-on introduction to both Yale’s collections and Digital Humanities, and for many students it provided their first opportunity to work directly with archival materials. As one student noted in a course evaluation, “Examining different materials every week and engaging with collections in various ways led to a completely different perspective on how courses could (and should) be taught at Yale.”

The course was made possible through the support of the Yvonne and Jack McCredie Fellowship in Instructional Technology. A selection of student exhibits and more detailed information can be found at http://himalayancollections.commons.yale.edu/.

Posted by Amanda Patrick on June 13, 2014 2:12 PM

June 17, 2014

 

An Ecumenical Community of Students: Archival Documentation of Worldwide Student Christian Movements

This new exhibition at the Yale Divinity Library traces the history of ecumenical student Christian movements. It features archival documentation from the Library's extensive holdings in this area. Over the past 150 years these movements have provided community for Christian students and opportunities to engage with social issues of the time. http://www.library.yale.edu/div/exhibits/StudentChristianMovements.html

Posted by Amanda Patrick on June 17, 2014 11:34 AM

Library adopts a new system to better track and access electronic resources

On Monday, June 23rd, the Yale University Library migrates to a new system for tracking and accessing electronic resources, which will result in a new YaleLinks menu and a new A-Z title list for journals. This migration will move Yale’s electronic access systems onto a single integrated system, with better linking out of Articles+ and more consistent holdings information across access points, including Articles+, the YaleLinks menu, and the Journal title list.

The new YaleLinks menu retains all of the same functionality as before, promoting direct access to full text articles and linking out to Inter Library Loan (ILL) and the Orbis (Yale Library) and Morris (Law Library) catalogs. Search the new Journal list to find coverage information for individual titles including what database they’re in and what date ranges are available as full text.

Link to the Journal Title list at: http://wa4py6yj8t.search.serialssolutions.com/?L=WA4PY6YJ8T&tab=JOURNALS

Link to the Sample YaleLinks menu at: http://wa4py6yj8t.scholar.serialssolutions.com/?sid=google&auinit=L&aulast=Snavely&atitle=The+information+literacy+debate&id=doi:10.1016/S0099-1333(97)90066-5&title=Journal+of+academic+librarianship&volume=23&issue=1&date=1997&spage=9&issn=0099-1333.

If you encounter trouble accessing Yale’s electronic resources, contact AskYale at http://ask.library.yale.edu/. This service provides troubleshooting advice by email, chat, or phone. If you would like to provide specific feedback, please contact Angela Sidman, Electronic Resources Librarian, at: angela.sidman@yale.edu or Jenn Nolte, Applications Manager/Database Administrator for Library IT at: jennifer.nolte@yale.edu

Posted by Amanda Patrick on June 17, 2014 3:22 PM

June 18, 2014

 

Periodical Reading Room moves to a new location

Beginning Thursday, June 19th, all of the periodicals in Sterling Memorial Library’s Franke Family Reading Room will begin being relocated to the room formerly known as the Newspaper Reading Room, just adjacent to the entrance to the Music Library in SML. The move will be completed by Wednesday, July 2nd. At the end of the transition, the former Newspaper Reading Room will become the new “Periodical Reading Room (PRR).”

Periodicals will remain accessible throughout the transition. As materials are relocated from the Franke room to the new PRR, library staff will affix signs indicating the new location status.

The Franke Room will become the Beinecke Library’s temporary reading room, once the Beinecke closes for renovations next spring. Meanwhile, the move is happening now so that the room can be prepared and transformed. The other current services and functions in the Franke Room–such as circulation–will remain there until the nave is returned to full service in late August.

The former Newspaper Reading Room has served a variety of purposes over the years. In fact, this function as the new Periodical Reading Room returns the room to its originally designated purpose.

If you have any questions about the move, please contact Michael.bell@yale.edu or phone: (203) 432-1810.

Posted by Amanda Patrick on June 18, 2014 1:07 PM

New Librarian and Executive Director of the Lewis Walpole Library

The Yale University Library announced this week the appointment of Nicole Bouché as the new Librarian and Executive Director of the Lewis Walpole Library. She will begin her new position in Farmington, CT on August 18th.

Nicole is currently the Director of the Albert & Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia (UVA). In this position she oversees a staff of 17 (plus students and volunteers) who are responsible for curation, outreach and instruction, reference and research services, metadata and collections management, preservation and general administration. Under her leadership the Library expanded its curating and collection development capacities, revitalized its exhibitions program and enhanced faculty and donor outreach. Nicole has also worked with the Rare Book School and UVA’s vibrant digital humanities program.

The Lewis Walpole Library is a research center for the study of the eighteenth century. Part of the Yale University Library system, it is based away from the central Yale campus, in Farmington, CT. Its collections are centered around the life and times of Horace Walpole, with strong collections of books, manuscripts and prints. Reporting to the Director of the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Nicole will be responsible for establishing a vision for the Lewis Walpole Library and for setting priorities that support the teaching and research mission of Yale, as well as supporting scholarship about eighteenth-century Great Britain. She will oversee all administrative aspects of the Library, including public services, collection development, digital collections, technical services, academic programs, exhibits, personnel management and facilities management.

Posted by Amanda Patrick on June 18, 2014 8:52 PM

June 27, 2014

 

Borrow Direct service expands to include Johns Hopkins Libraries

Beginning Wednesday, July 2, Borrow Direct users will see holdings from the Johns Hopkins Libraries, at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), become the newest member of the Borrow Direct consortium. The libraries at JHU hold more than 3.7 million books and include the Milton S. Eisenhower Library, which is the principal research library for the university. Additional JHU libraries include the Welch Medical Library, the School of Advanced International Studies Library, and the Friedman Music Library.

With the addition of JHU, Borrow Direct now has eleven member libraries, including Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, MIT, University of Chicago, and Yale. For information about Borrow Direct go to: http://guides.library.yale.edu/getit. Any questions can be directed to: kendall.crilly@yale.edu

Posted by Amanda Patrick on June 27, 2014 1:30 PM