Friends of the UNCG Libraries

There’s a certain sublime beauty one sometimes encounters in the course of reading or doing research.   Scholars know the feeling of immersion into a pool of sources so deep that one cannot dive deep enough to find all of that is in the pool, yet the diving itself takes on a certain special joy. This happened to me this week, as a circle completed itself.   I was taking the opportunity to read Kwame Alexander’s novel in verse, The Crossover , which won the Newbery Award for the best in children’s literature this past year.   Mr. Alexander is visiting UNCG and Bookmarks in September, a visit I am pleased to recommend and coordinate.   Our Libraries’ annual children’s book author and storyteller series is near and dear to my heart, and I always enjoy putting it together.    When I finished The Crossover , which is a superb book for readers of any age to dive into, I read a blurb at the end from Ashley Bryan, two-time winner of the Coretta Scott K...

Clint Jackson IV and Terri Jackson The Jackson family’s legacy at UNCG extends for yet another generation, supporting the Special Collections and University Archives in Jackson Library, named for the first generation of Jacksons associated with the University.  The family’s connection to UNCG goes back more than a century, to 1909. Walter Clinton Jackson, IV (Clint) and Terri Jackson have committed to establish the Walter Clinton Jackson Family Acquisition and Preservation Endowment with a testamentary gift.  Clint and Terri’s intention in making this gift is to honor the generations of Jackson family involvement with UNCG and to support the work of the University Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives. Walter Clinton Jackson (June 28, 1879 – August 12, 1959) served as the Chancellor of the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina (currently the University of North Carolina at Greensboro) from 1934-1950.  His father was a farmer who h...

How does one best care and preserve books and archival materials so that they remain intact for the future?   A member of the Preservation Services Department at the University Libraries at UNC Greensboro is about to share her knowledge in some new ways. Isabella Baltar of Preservation Services has been awarded the Innovation and Program Enrichment grant from the University Libraries for this year.  A native of Brazil, Baltar worked at the renowned Etherington Conservation Services and worked directly with Don Etherington as an apprentice before coming to the University Libraries. The goal for her project is to create a series of five (5) short films about the care and preservation of libraries and archives materials, in three different languages, English, Spanish and Portuguese, making important basic knowledge in this area accessible through the Internet. Each short film (2-3 minutes each) will cover practical guidelines and demonstrate techniques on a specific co...

A new exhibit in Jackson Library's Hodges Reading Room,  Portable Likeness: Selected Portrait Miniatures and their Literary Context, explores the role played by portrait miniatures both in and out of the book arts. The art of miniature portraits has several early forms: Roman coins, Renaissance commemorative medals, and images within medieval manuscripts. It is this last form that is the connection in this exhibit. Medieval religious texts, such as a Book of Hours, offered an opportunity to record a patron and a patron’s family members in the portraiture found in the illustrations. By 1460, the hand-written books were competing with the printed books. The ability to include personalized portraits within the book added to both the desirability and value of the manuscript works. However, during the sixteenth century fashion shifted to the less expensive and more accessible printed works. Portrait artists shifted also, offering their services to wealthy patrons. Most portraits were ...

Assistant Dean for Collection Management and Scholarly Communications Beth Bernhardt is the Chair-Elect for the Association of Library Collections and Technical Services - Collection Management Section for 2015/16 and will become chair in 2016/17. This section supports library professionals who perform collection management and development while selecting and evaluating all types of library materials in all types of institutions.

The Friends of the UNCG Libraries book discussions for the Fall semester have been scheduled.   Selections include the UNCG First Year Common Read for 2015, a thought-provoking book about medical care near the end of life written by a fall speaker in Guilford College’s Bryan Series, and a combined lecture and discussion about the ethnographer and photographer Edward S. Curtis, who documented the Native American people of North America. September 21 at 4 p.m. Where am I Wearing: A Global Tour to the Countries, Factories, and People That Make Our Clothes , by Kelsey Timmerman.  Discussion leader: Ms. Jenny Dale. October 5 at 7 p.m. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End , by Atul Gawande.  Discussion leaders: Drs. Janne and Rob Cannon November 9 at 4 p.m. Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis , by Timothy Egan. Lecturer and Discussion leader: Dr. Bob Gatten The discussions are free and open t...

Ann Perdue of Access Services has received the University Libraries Staff Service Award for 2015. Ann Perdue The University Libraries Staff Service Award was established in 1997 upon the retirement of Martha Ransley, former Head of the Circulation Department "to recognize and reward members of the SPA Library Staff who provide outstanding leadership and service in furthering the accomplishment of the mission of the Library to provide service to students, faculty, staff and members of the community which the University serves." Ann Perdue with Martha Ransley, who created the Staff Service Award Ann has actually been employed by the library twice -- from 1994-1998 and then coming back from more in 2007.  She started in 1994 as the Circulation Desk Manager, moved into the Stacks Manager position in 1996, left the Library in 1998, but came back in 2007 when the Stacks/Remote Storage Manager position became available. In announcing her award, her nominator cited ...