Friends of the UNCG Libraries

Carl Sandburg died in July of 1967, but director Paul Bonesteel finds his life story and his creative legacy as relevant and provocative as it was in 1916 when his "Chicago Poems" changed American poetry. “Labor unrest, global wars, socialism, immigration and race issues… this was the subject matter that fueled Sandburg for much of his poetry and writing that shocked the world.” comments Bonesteel. “The intensity of his work was over simplified later in his life. He was both an anarchist and a deeply patriotic American.” The Friends of the UNCG Libraries are pleased to present a screening of Paul Bonesteel’s new documentary film, “The Day Carl Sandburg Died.” Bonesteel will introduce and discuss the 82 minute film on Tuesday, November 1, beginning at 7 pm in the Elliott University Center Auditorium. Please join us in re-examining the life and work of the poet/biographer/ troubadour/ journalist/philosopher who spent the last years of his life at Flat Rock in the North C...

Dr. Allen Trelease, Emeritus Professor of History and former member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries, has died. Among other accomplishments, Dr. Trelease was the author of Making North Carolina Literate: The University of North Carolina at Greensboro from Normal School to Metropolitan University , covering the period 1892-1994. In doing so, he spent many hours over a ten-year period in the University Archives, and was a familiar sight in Jackson Library. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries for a total of six years. He was known to the Board for his generosity and wry sense of humor, and once told us, “I wanted to make the title ‘Making Carolina Literate,’ but was dissuaded from doing so in deference to the sensibilities of our colleagues at Chapel Hill.” Trelease was also the author of the books Indian Affairs in Colonial New York: The Seventeenth Century , White Terror: The Ku Klux Klan Conspiracy and Souther...

Sometimes, a picture is worth more than a thousand words. Combine a picture with the story of four generations of African American photographers, and you have even more: an eye on history. Matthew Lewis was the first photographer at the Washington Post ever to win a Pulitzer Prize when he did so in 1975 for a portfolio of his color pictures. Now “retired” and living in Thomasville, NC, Lewis is coming to the University Libraries at UNCG on Wednesday, October 19 at 5 pm in the Jackson Library Reading Room to display and talk about some of his favorite photos for an event moderated by News & Record columnist and Friends of the UNCG Libraries Board member Jeri Rowe. The list of famous people photographed by Lewis ranges from Muhammed Ali to Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko. Included are politicians , musicians, celebrities and movie stars. All his photos, says Lewis, have a story. He is an enthusiastic man, with many stories. As he speaks, one senses that Lewis has...

Ms. Anne Courts Herman ’87 has established The Carol Walker Courts Children’s Literature Preservation and Acquisition Fund for the University Libraries in honor of her mother. Anne’s mother graduated from Woman’s College with a degree in Physical Education in 1947. Because of her love of books and reading, she came back to UNCG to get her M.Ed. in Library Education in 1968. Mrs. Courts served as a librarian for almost 30 years in the High Point school system including Griffin Elementary School and Andrews High School. Anne received a Business Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1981, then earned an M.L.S. at UNCG in 1987. She served as a librarian for 12 years at Summit School in Winston-Salem and currently works at Cash Elementary. Anne honors her mother’s love of libraries with a gift that will continue to provide ongoing support for acquisitions and the preservation of children’s literature. The fund will be used to support the Girls B...

This year we celebrate ten years of the faculty-led Friends of the UNCG Libraries Book Discussions. Please join us as we peruse a history of Islam, a comic academic novel, an account of a brief life and immortal cells, a Victorian classic, a new analysis of cities, and a "story of stuff." Come for one; come for all--register today at http://library.uncg.edu/giving/friends_of_the_libraries/Register.aspx . Schedule of Discussions all discussions will be held in the Hodges Reading Room on the second floor of Jackson Library Monday, September 26 at 4:00 pm Dr. Omar Ali , African American Studies, selected No God But God by Reza Aslan, because it provides a comprehensive and highly readable overview of the history of Islam. As Booklist notes, "Beginning with an exploration of the religious climate in the years before the Prophet's Revelation, Aslan traces the story of Islam from the Prophet's life and the so-called golden age of the first four cal...

Stories are powerful. A well-told story even more so. Five years ago, the University Libraries began a series that brings children’s book authors and storytellers to campus. The goal? To reach out to area school children and to teach future educators about using stories in the classroom. This year, Bobby Norfolk, co-author of “Anansi and the Pot of Beans,” “The Moral of the Story: Folktales for Character Development” and “Anansi Goes to Lunch,” will share his tales with area school children and the public Sept. 12. The event is made possible by the Pam and David Sprinkle Children's Author and Storyteller's Series Fund. Norfolk, who began his career as a stand-up comedian and actor, discovered storytelling in 1979. Since then he has performed living history programs that highlight the African-American experience as well as musical shows that feature live musicians. His stories promote character education traits (such as respect and responsibility), cultural diversi...

Rosann Bazirjian, Dean-University Libraries, David Arneke - Sponsor of the Award & Dana Boyle, Winner of Outstanding Libraries' Student Worker