The GNOA Newsletter is published three times each year in the Spring, Fall, and Winter.
Next Meeting:
Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2000
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Spring 2000 Meeting Minutes:
The spring meeting took place on Wednesday 26 April 2000, in the Monroe Library on the Loyola University Campus. In attendance were Ray Nussbaum, Rob Sherer, Carol Bartels, Art Carpenter, Sr. Dorothy Dawes O.P., Rebecca Hankins, Cathy Kahn, Fred Kahn, Irwin Lachoff, Kathy Lang, Theresa LeFevre, Rachael Lyons, Philip McLeod, Rosalee McReynolds, Lee Miller, Norbet Raacke, Bruce Raeburn, Sally Reeves, Bill Reeves, Darla Rushing, Brenda Square, Lester Sullivan, and Susan Tucker. The meeting was called to order by President Ray Nussbaum who opened the meeting by thanking Loyola for being our host. Art Carpenter especially thanked Rosalee McReynolds for helping to get everything in order for the meeting. The fist order of business concerned the guide book. It was noted that a proposal had been received by Irwin Lachoff from the Family History Center, of the Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints to put the Jews of New Orleans: An Archival Guide online. Cathy Kahn noted that we still have 500 copies of the book to sell and that we have our own website should we want to put the guide online. Sally Reeves reminded the group that we still have not tried to wholesale the book or really publicized the book by getting the book reviewed in the Times-Picayune etc. Norbert Raacke volunteered to contact sources with a Jewish women's museum organization concerning the guide. Concern was issued over whether the organization would want to do a second revised and updated version of the guide. General consensus in the room seemed to be in favor of declining the offer by the Family History Center. It was brought out that in their letter the Center did not offer us any kind of monetary imbursement and no mention was made of linking to our website. The motivation of the Family History Center was questioned. It was moved that the original proposal be found and a formal letter written declining the offer from the Family History Center. The motion was seconded and all were in favor. Lester Sullivan announced that the index to the guide has been completed and that it is camera ready. What is needed is a printer who will print it on very thin paper so that it may be folded and placed into a pocket inside the book. Lester sought suggestions for a printer who would be capable of doing the job. Rob Sherer gave the treasurer's report. The GNOA has $3,633.24 in its account. Since 7 December 1999 the organization has spent $115.72 and collected $331.96 not counting the dues collected just prior to the meeting. The names of those who have paid their dues for 2000 were read aloud and some present asked Rob to check if they had paid their dues. Under old business Carol Bartels announced that the GNOA website has a new address and that members should check the Newsletter for the new address. It was announced that the membership list was removed from the website due to confusion over who was a dues paying member and that some members were not happy with their names and addresses appearing on the site. Some members expressed regret over the removal of the membership list, noting how they had used it. It was asked if the list could be posted in a way that would allow GNOA members to access it. Under new business on the agenda Carol Bartels announced the appointment of Dr. Florent Hardy as the new state archivist of Louisiana by Secretary of State, W. Fox McKeithen. Hardy replaces Dr. Donald Lemieux who retired in 1999. The appointment made by McKeithen has caused some fallout with the Louisiana Historical Records Advisory Board. One member of the Board has resigned and one is in the process of resigning. The members of the Board have been urged to resign in protest over the manner in which the appointment was made. The 18 members of the Advisory Board had been called to a meeting in which McKeithen asked for their help in determining the necessary qualifications needed for filling the vacancy of the state archivist. A committee was formed from Advisory Board members, consisting of Warren Billings, Mark Fernandez, Suzanne Hughes, Florence Jumonville and Bruce Turner who put together documentation but when their work was turned over to McKeithen he informed them that he had already made an appointment. An ensuing discussion of the matter took place. It was mentioned that one of the main functions of the Louisiana Historical Records Advisory Board is to review grant applications for federal dollars and that this might affect the flow of federal dollars into Louisiana. Concern was also expressed for the lack of respect this shows to the archival profession. The question was asked if the state organization, Louisiana Archives and Manuscripts Association, was taking any action. It was moved that a committee be formed to look into this matter and that a letter of concern be written. The motion was seconded and all seemed to be in favor. The committee to look into this matter consists of Carol Bartels, Lee Miller, and Sally Reeves. It was announced that the Fall Meeting of the Louisiana Archives and Manuscripts Association (LAMA) is being planned for sometime in October in Natchitoches, Louisiana. With no other new business the meeting was adjourned. Art Carpenter volunteered to take people on a tour of the Loyola archives facilities in the library.
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Archival News from New Orleans
New Orleans Public Library The City Archives has completed the processing of several major record series: Mayor Sidney J. Barthelemy. Records, 1986-1994 (232 cartons, 53 videocassettes, plus memorabilia). Arts Council of New Orleans. Records, 1975-1993 (150 cu. feet). The records include correspondence/subject files, grant files, financial documents, files relating to individual ACNO projects, and miscellaneous files. They document the Council's grant-making function, activities of the Board of Directors, arts and community activities of the Executive Director and other staff members, and the relationship of ACNO with individual artists, arts organizations, donors/potential donors (both individual and corporate), and government agencies. City Court of New Orleans. Suit Records, 1807-1819 (19 boxes). The suits from this early court document a variety of business, property, and personal disputes between merchants, landowners, other New Orleanians from all walks of life, and individuals from around the world who had dealings in the city or with its citizens. The City Archives has received 33 cu. ft. of audiotapes of Historic District Landmarks Commission and Central Business District Landmarks Commission minutes, 1976-1994 and three manuscript volumes from the New Orleans Police Department, including an arrest book from 1858. By the end of August, the NOPL web site, NUTRIAS, will have moved from its old server, the Greater New Orleans Freenet, to a new server housed at New Orleans Public Library. Anyone still using the old NUTRIAS address (www.gnofn.org/~nopl) should update their links or bookmarks to the new address, which is simply nutrias.org.
Touro Infirmary Archives Catherine C. Kahn, archivist, has an article on "Why New Orleans Jews Are Different From All Other Southern Jews" in Guide to Jewish New Orleans, a publication of The Jewish Federation of New Orleans. She is also leading a tour of Jewish New Orleans for the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience on September 16th. As president of the Southern Jewish Historical Society, I will be conducting their annual conference this year at the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives in Cincinnati, November 3,4,5. Our own Irwin Lachoff of Xavier University is on the program, as is Professor Lawrence Powell of Tulane University.
Tulane University Special Collections On July 13 Tulane's Special Collections hosted a reception for statewide gay and lesbian leaders from 39 states and the District of Columbia. They were visiting Tulane for the fourth annual Federation of Statewide LBGT Advocacy Organizations. Special Collections is pleased to welcome Lance Query as Tulane's new Dean of Libraries and Information Resources. Query was previously dean of the university libraries at Western Michigan University. He earned a B.S. in education with concentrations in Spanish and history from the University of Missouri in 1969. He then earned his master's and PhD in Latin American history from Indiana University and his master's in library science from the University of Chicago. Prior to his position at Western Michigan, Query was a faculty member of that school's history department and its assistant university librarian for planning and administration. Before arriving at Western Michigan, Query was the acting university librarian at Northwestern University. Query says he was attracted to Tulane by the high quality of the faculty and student body and the challenge of implementing the library's new strategic plan. Recent acquisitions by the Tulane Manuscripts Department include the records of the Sacred Heart Alumni Association; records pertaining to the production of the local children's television show "Let's Tell a Story;" records of Cancer Crusaders, a local philanthropic organization; the 50-page manuscript of Private Alexander R. Knowles from Louisiana detailing his Civil War experiences in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee; the diary of David W. James of the 56th Ohio Infantry detailing his experiences in Louisiana in 1863 and 1864; and the Kennon Family papers, which include the correspondence of Dr. Charles Erasmus Kennon who served in the 4th Louisiana Infantry, CSA. New Online Exhibits: Bruce Raeburn, Hogan Jazz Archives curator, has created Special Collections' first online exhibit, Riverboats and Jazz. The exhibit uses images from the Jazz Archives and the Tulane Manuscripts Department to introduce Captain John Streckfus and others who influenced the development of jazz dance music on Mississippi riverboats. Raeburn elaborates on these associations, discussing riverboat musicians like Fate Marable (1890-1947), the most famous riverboat bandleader, and the influence of New Orleans music on bands all along the river. Beginning with an image of the riverboat J.S. in 1901, the exhibit concludes twenty-one images later with a photograph of the last Jazz Fest riverboat concert in 1988. Special Collections' second online exhibit features original Carnival designs from the Tulane Manuscripts Department. Special Collections preserves probably the largest collection of original Carnival costume, float, and invitation designs extant. The exhibit features images from the Golden Age of Carnival, (1870-1930), when revelers emphasized the fantastic and the opulent. Visitors can view four original float designs from 1881-1904, six original costume designs from 1914, and five invitations from 1881-1903. To view either exhibit, visit Special Collections new domain on the web, special collections.tulane.edu. Tulane's Howard-Tilton Memorial Library has a new newsletter, Watermarks. Copies of Volume 1, Issue 2 will be mailed to all New Orleans area archives (as listed on the GNOA website) after September 15. If you do not receive a copy and would like to be added to the mailing list, please contact Leon Miller, 504-865-5685, Leon.Miller@tulane.edu. Leon Miller, Manuscripts Librarian, Tulane, has been elected Vice-President / President-Elect of the Academy of Certified Archivists. In honor of "The Jewish Experience in the Southern Americas," a conference held at Tulane April 7-9, the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in Jackson, Mississippi, and Tulane's Special Collections are co-sponsoring the exhibit "Bagels and Grits" through the fall. It features photographs from the museum with documents from Special Collections. Dr. Bill Aron has gained national recognition for his photographs of Jewish and secular subjects. His photographs are in private collections and museums, including the Museum of Modern Art and the International Center for Photography in New York City, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Chicago Art Institute, the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, and the Museum of the Diaspora, Israel. His book, From the Corners of the Earth, is a photographic chronicle of Jewish life in Los Angeles, New York, Cuba, Russia, and Israel. His sensitivity to images with a Jewish connection make him well-suited for bringing a careful eye to people and places that might otherwise go unrecognized. Dr. Aron holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago and lives in Los Angeles. Dr. Aron's photographs are complemented by documents from Tulane University's Southern Jewish Archives. The Southern Jewish Archives is part of the Special Collections Division's Manuscripts Department. On display are temple records, letters, diaries, minutes, scrapbooks, and other documents from the archives' extensive holdings about the Louisiana Jewish community. The exhibit is in the Special Collections gallery on the second floor of Jones Hall. It will be on display through November 15.
Tulane University, Newcomb Archives The Newcomb Archives is the recipient of an NHPRC grant to microfilm and preserve the early student records. This project is first in a series of programs, Keeping Memories, which focus on improving the environment, the physical facilities, and the public programming of the Archives. Part of the project involves a grant from the Newcomb Foundation to highlight the history of scrapbooks; another involves a grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities to focus on the lives of Ruth Dreyfous and Rosalie Cohen and other New Orleans women who, through their work together changed the city. Look for our web exhibits about these projects at www.tulane.edu/~wc".
Tulane University, University Archives Rob Sherer, Tulane University, wrote all but sections I-III and chaired the committee that produced the current revision of "Guidelines for College and University Archives" which appeared as an insert in the July/August 2000 issue of SAA's Archival Outlook. He will serve as a facilitator for a discussion session at the College and University Archives Section of SAA at its meeting in Denver. He is finishing a term on the Section's Steering Committee and is on its Nominating Committee.
The Historic New Orleans Collection The Historic New Orleans Collection announces that the sixth annual Williams Research Center Symposium, Bourbon Louisiana: Reflections of the Spanish Enlightenment, will be held Saturday, January 20, 2001, in the Grand Ballroom of the Omni Royal Orleans. Advance registration for the symposium (required by January 5, 2001), including refreshment breaks and a late-afternoon reception, is $25.00. On-site registration is $30. Student admission is $10.00 with a current ID card. Reduced rate parking will be available near the Omni Royal Orleans for those attending the symposium. As a colony of Spain during the second half of the eighteenth century, Louisiana played an important role in international politics. From 1776 until 1803, Spanish governmental policies in Louisiana were crucial to the interests of the newly formed United States. During these years, the Bourbon monarchs Carlos III and Carlos IV sponsored projects that saw a cultural flowering in Spain and in its colonies. Eight renowned experts representing institutions in the United States and Spain will give talks that portray the richness of Spanish influence in Louisiana. Bourbon Louisiana: Reflections of the Spanish Enlightenment will be repeated in Spain at the end of March, 2001, at the Universidad de Alcalá, outside of Madrid. For additional information, please call 504-598-7171. THNOC continues its ongoing "Third Saturday" program, an introduction to research at the Williams Research Center. The next two sessions are:
Please call 504-598-7171 for reservations.
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NOTES
The A&E channel produced July 29 a documentary on the antebellum chronicles of love among Creoles and Cajuns. Lester Sullivan (Xavier) and Marie Windell (UNO) were interviewed on interracial arrangements for plaçage in New Orleans from the evidence of Court cases and family papers. A special thanks to everyone who made this newsletter possible with their contributions. If your repository has any news regarding exhibitions, acquisitions, membership activities, or other matters of interest, please don't forget to send them in! Please submit any news or information you wish published in the GNOA Newsletter to Siva Blake -- siva@hnoc.org or c/o The Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres St., NOLA 70130-2102.
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