Friends of the UNCG Libraries

The University Libraries Parents' Fund has been established to accept gifts for use by the University Libraries to purchase books and monographs.  Parents are encouraged to make contributions to the Fund by giving online . For more information, contact Linda Burr at 336-256-0184.

The Portico Entrance to Jackson Library grew brighter and more beautiful in December, when a local garden company donated violas to create two large beds on either side of the stairs leading into the building from College Avenue. The flowers are the gift of  High Performance Flowers , which operates at the Colfax Farmer's Market off Sandy Ridge Road during the growing season.  After a conversation with a customer who also works in the University Libraries, Michael Turner, UNCG class of 2005, and the company owner, Branson Davis, class of 2000, decided to donate some their flowers for us to enjoy.  Michael, in particular, says he used to spend a lot of time in our library when he was in school, and was happy to work with Branson to arrange this gift to us.   Thanks for giving back, gentlemen. Thanks also to Kevin Siler, Jeff Hawkins, Chris Fay and our other groundspeople for preparing and planting the beds for us. Photo by Carolyn Shankle ...

The University Libraries have recently acquired a 1964 print of Taylor Garden at Elliott Univeristy Center at UNCG by Un-Ichi Hiratsuka, a gift of Miss Katherine Taylor to the Weatherspoon Art Museum in 1977.  Read more about the artist at http://unichihiratsuka.com/

Author Margaret Maron speaking at UNCG We are delighted to announce this honor for Margaret Maron, who attended UNCG and whose papers are on long-term loan to our University Libraries.    Mystery Writers of America Announces Ken Follett & Margaret Maron as their 2013 Grand Masters Plus Raven and Ellery Queen Awards     December 3, 2012 – New York, NY – Ken Follett and Margaret Maron have been chosen as this year’s Grand Masters by Mystery Writers of America (MWA). MWA's Grand Master Award represents the pinnacle of achievement in mystery writing and was established to acknowledge important contributions to this genre, as well as a body of work that is both significant and of consistent high quality. Mr. Follett and Ms. Maron will be presented with their awards at the Edgar Awards Banquet, which will be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City on Thursday, May 2, 2013. Margaret Maron is the author of twenty-six novels and two shor...

  During this holiday season, we are especially thankful to our Friends of the UNCG Libraries and other donors for your membership and support, enabling us to offer a better library experience for students, faculty, staff and Friends than would be possible without you. Click here if you’d like to make a year-end contribution to the Friends and here if you would just like to make a contribution to support the University Libraries.

Monday, January 28 — Book Discussion of When God Talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship with God by T. M. Luhrmann, led by Dr. Ben Ramsey, Religious Studies. Hodges Reading Room, Jackson Library, 4 p.m. FREE   Wednesday, February 13 — UNCG alum Wiley Cash, author of A Land More Kind Than Home . Hodges Reading Room, Jackson Library, 7 p.m. FREE   Monday, February 25 — Book Discussion of Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence., led by Dr. Keith Cushman, English. Hodges Reading Room, Jackson Library, 7 p.m. FREE   Wednesday, March 6 — Christopher Hodgkins and Robert Whalen Present "The Digital Temple of George Herbert." Hodges Reading Room, Jackson Library, 4 p.m. FREE.   Monday, March 18 — Book Discussion of In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror & an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson, led Dr. Karl Schleunes, History. Hodges Reading Room, Jackson Library, 7 p.m. FREE   Wednesday, March 20 — Joseph ...

Among the programming and service highlights of 2012: January ·          BOOKMARKS Presents a Conversation with Kim Edwards ·          “Learn: Space: Learn” presented by Patrick Lee Lucas, Interior Architecture.   February ·          A Dickens of a Celebration (Bicentennial celebration of the birth of Charles Dickens) March ·          Matthew Pearl, author of The Technologists , and The Last Dickens   ·          Saving the Hansen House” documentary film screening ·          The Friends of the UNCG Libraries Annual Dinner “A Celebration of the Blues” with William Ferris and Lorenzo (Logie) Meachum April ·          The third of six faculty-led book discussions hel...

Military Times Edge magazine has named UNCG a “Best for Vets” school. UNCG is the only public university in North Carolina included in the annual ranking.  As the home of the Betty Carter Women Veterans Historical Project, the University Libraries takes special pride in receiving this recognition.

In this season of Thanksgiving, we take a moment to appreciate one of the many special donors to our University Libraries and say thank you to all. Carolyn Weill LeBauer, a 1936 graduate of Woman’s College, cherished her alma mater.   She was a Greensboro native who contributed greatly to the community through her association with civic, cultural and medical auxiliary activities over many years.   She died in March 2012, and we are pleased to announce that her estate has now established the Carolyn Weill LeBauer Fund to support the book arts collection housed in the Special Collections of Jackson Library at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro..   “This is an appropriate way to honor Carolyn’s memory and interests,” says Dean Rosann Bazirjian of the University Libraries.   “She was a member the Friends of the UNCG Libraries for many years, and she and her husband Maurice gave a special volume to the book arts collection back in 1975, one which re...

From our Friends at the Center for Creative Writing in the Arts at UNCG comes this calendar of upcoming events: Winston-Salem Writers’ Open Mic Night —Tuesday, November 20 th , 7:00PM Community Arts Café, 411 West Fourth Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101 Free and open to the public You’re invited to join in on the third Tuesday of each month for an open mic. Read 5-minute excerpts from your prose or poetry to a friendly and receptive audience. Unlike a “slam,” there’s no judging. Sign-up begins at 6:30 p.m. Food and beverages are available for purchase. Local Author Mary Flinn Book Launch: A Forever Man — Tuesday, November 20 th , 6:00PM Bistro 150—Oak Ridge Commons, 2205 Oak Ridge Road, Oak Ridge, NC 27310 Free and open to the public Award-winning Greensboro author Mary Flinn launches A Forever Man , her fourth novel in the saga beginning with The One . Autographed copies will be available for purchase just in time for holiday shopping. Guests are encouraged to stay and dine...

Reference Librarian Steve Cramer is doing some training at the Chamber of Commerce next Wednesday as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week. His course will be Marketing Research Tools to Grow Your Business at Greensboro Entrepreneur on Wednesday, November 14, 2012 from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM (EST). Register at http://gewnov14mrt-rest.eventbrite.com/ The North Carolina Library Association held the 2012 Leadership Institute on October 25th thru October 28th at the Caraway Conference Center. The mission of the Leadership Institute is as follows: "The Mission of the North Carolina Library Association (NCLA) Leadership Institute is to create opportunities for learning and skill building in leadership and mentoring. The Institute will cultivate an improved understanding of self and others, while inspiring participants to serve in leadership roles within the profession at local, state and national levels" The University Libraries were well represented by four of our li...

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the death of our colleague Mr. Robert Bixby , who passed away on Friday, October 26, 2012 after an extended illness. Rob was an employee of the University Libraries working as a Digital Imaging Technician in Jackson Library since May 2009. Rob joined UNCG in April 2003, and worked for the Center for Youth, Family & Community Partnership as a Computing Support Tech II prior to transferring to the University Libraries. His obituary can be found online at: http://obituaries.news-record. com/obituaries/news-record/ obituary.aspx?pid=160734518  

We have recently learned of the death of retired historian Richard Current, who taught at UNCG for many years. Dr. Current was one of America's leading historians, with a particularly strong reputation for his work about Abraham Lincoln. Dr. Current served as head of the Department of History and Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro from 1955-1960, and was a University Distinguished Professor of History at UNCG from 1966 to 1983. His papers are in the UNCG Archives and are described here . See his obituary from the Washington Post here .

You are invited to attend a presentation by author Marjorie Hudson about Virginia Dare, the first English child born in America, at 4 pm on Thursday, November 8 in the Virginia Dare Room in the Alumni House. The event is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by the Friends of the UNCG Libraries. This project is also made possible by a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information, see http://uncgfol.blogspot.com/ 2012/10/virginia-dare-in-fact- and-fancy.html . An interpreter for the hearing impaired will be available.  

This blog on library web design,  http://emilysingley.net/how- to-get-students-started-with- research-best-academic- library-websites-2012-part- iii/ , calls out and links to the PATH Tutorial that Beth Filar-Williams and the instructional tech team at UNCG put together. 

Left to right are LaTesha Velez, Nataly Blas, and Jason Alston At the recent Joint Conference of Librarians of Color in Kansas City  all three UNCG diversity residents stopped together for a photo.  "We are very proud of our Diversity Residents," noted Dean Rosann Bazirjian, who also attended the conference.  Reference Librarian and Diversity Coordinator Gerald Holmes was also happy to get to see them.  LaTesha is now in PhD program at The University of Illinois, Jason is in the PhD program at The University of South Carolina, and Nataly has recently begun her residency at UNCG.

On Thursday, November 8 at 7:00 pm, the UNCG Student Libraries Advisory Council, along with the UNCG Historical Society, will host a book talk in the Reading Room of Jackson Library.  Author Jonathan Shectman will discuss his new book, Bound for the Future: Child Heroes of the Underground Railroad . These student groups welcome community attendance at this free event.  A book signing will follow the talk. Jonathan Shectman is former editor of a series of science education books published by the National Science Resources Center, an arm of the Smithsonian Institution. His published works include Greenwood's Groundbreaking Scientific Experiments, Inventions, and Discoveries of the 18th Century. As the publisher describes, Bound for the Future "illuminates the vital contributions of specific, underappreciated child activists within the extremely local circumstances of their daily work. It also provides meaningful context to the actions of these young activists within the...

A student working on a report . . . A traveler with an interest in historic literary sites . . . A teacher preparing a lesson plan . . . A writer interested in places that have inspired other writers . . . A book club planning its discussions centering around a particular author or set in a particular place . . . These are but some of the users of the North Carolina Literary Map , a new, free resource produced by the University Libraries at UNC Greensboro in collaboration with the North Carolina Center for the Book. The NC Literary Map, found on the Internet at http://library.uncg.edu/dp/nclitmap/ , identifies the North Carolina places associated with more than 3000 writers and more than 4700 of their books with an interactive online tool that is designed to foster interest in the state’s rich literary tradition. In recognition of the strong literary tradition at UNCG and its award-winning MFA Writing program, and utilizing the strong technical development staff in the Univers...

The Virginia Dare Room at UNCG is 75 years old this year.   The child for whom it is named was born 425 years ago.   “Why not celebrate both?” we asked as we proposed the free program to be offered November 8 at 4 p.m. at the Alumni House on the UNCG campus. Virginia Dare is a historical figure dimly remembered more than 400 years after her birth. She was the first English child born on American soil, part of the disastrous Lost Colony of Sir Walter Raleigh which disappeared into a shroud of mystery shortly after she was born. A close scrutiny of new research in archaeology and dendrochronology has revealed new theories that may result in a solution to the mystery before long. More than that, however, the tangle of legends, oral histories, Native American connections, and even pop culture that have built around Virginia Dare over four centuries are astonishing, entertaining, and even amusing. In this program, Marjorie Hudson explores new research and old legends, from...

You Are Invited . . .  What:   A book talk by Professor Kelly Ritter on To Know Her Own History: Writing at the Woman's College. 1943-1963 . When: Thursday, October 25 at 4 pm Where: Hodges Reading Room, Jackson Library   As Professor Kelly Ritter (English Department) describes in her introduction, " To Know Her Own History is a sociohistorical study that focuses on the intertwined histories of first-year composition and creative writing at a public Southern women’s college in the mid-twentieth century in order to examine how evolving definitions of literacy, as well as evolving views of women as writers, shaped American college writing instruction during the postwar era. I offer new historical insight into the historical happenings in women’s writing postwar through an extended case study of the English department of the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina, and spotlight the national curricular trends and local institutional conditions ...

Nataly Blas has been named the 2012-2014 Diversity Resident at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro libraries. Nataly was awarded a Master’s degree from the School of Library and Information Studies at Florida State University in August, 2012. While in the program, Nataly worked as a Graduate Assistant in the Robert Manning Strozier Library, providing reference and research assistance to graduate students.  In addition to coordinating Scholar Commons programs and events, she also developed collections for the Hispanic Marketing Communication program and assisted with acquiring resources for Latin American Studies.  Nataly received her Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from Florida State University in 2010 and worked as a Library & Museum Assistant while obtaining her undergraduate degree. The two year Residency Program at UNCG’s University Libraries was established to further increase the diversity of the  professional staff and foster the g...

Jerry Ensminger is an American hero to many.   His service to his country is inspiring, and his belief in his adherence to the Marine Corps motto, Semper Fi, meaning "always faithful" has been unswerving.  Jerry served as a master sergeant in the United States Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune North Carolina, where he and his family were exposed to lethal levels of toxins in the drinking water on the base.  His daughter Janey died of childhood leukemia at age nine.  Since hearing  initial news reports about the contamination of Camp Lejeune in 1997, Jerry has spent 15 years advocating for justice due to Marines and their families as a result of this exposure.  On Monday, October 22 at 7 pm in the Elliott University Center Auditorium on the UNCG campus, the Friends of the UNCG Libraries will present a screening of Semper Fi: Always Faithful , a documentary film by Rachel Libert and Tony Hardmon about Jerry’s story.  We do so to help inform t...

photo by Sarah Dorsey What a difference color (and new shelving and furniture) make!    So says Music Librarian Sarah Dorsey, noting that visitors will find that the Harold Schiffman Music Library has undergone renovation following the recent naming of the library for composer and Greensboro native Harold Schiffman. As reported in June ,   the Music Library was named in honor of a large planned gift from Schiffman and his wife Dr. Jane Perry-Camp.   At the time, Dean John Deal of the School of Music, Theatre and Dance noted "This generous bequest from Harold Schiffman and Jane Perry-Camp, along with their previous gifts to the Jackson Library, constitute the largest gift to the School of Music, Theatre and Dance since its inception in 2010 and to the School of Music since 2001.  The scholarship endowment component will provide financial assistance to hundreds of future music students.  It is truly a transformational gift.  We are tremendously ...

(L-R) Mac Nelson, John Baga Paul Hessling (photo by Carolyn Shankle)    Paul Hessling has been a cataloger at UNCG for 25 years. John Baga is beginning his career as a cataloger at Mississippi State after getting his M.L.I.S. degree from UNCG in 2011. They are linked by a passion for UNCG’s cello music collection, and their relationship with Mac Nelson, UNCG’s cello music cataloger.  Here is their story.  UNCG’s cello music collection is believed to be the world’s largest.  It has been built over nearly half a century, beginning with the acquisition of the Luigi Silva Collection by the Friends of the Library in 1964. Seven other collections have been acquired and processed in the intervening years, and the web site at http://library.uncg.edu/info/depts/scua/collections/cello/   draws more than 6000 web page views per year from  students and scholars from throughout the world each year, as well as hundreds of visitors in...