| Spring 1999 The GNOA Newsletter is published three times each year in the Spring, Fall, and Winter. Submissions can be sent to Rebecca Hankins care of The Amistad Research Center, Tilton Hall/Tulane University; New Orleans, Louisiana 70118-5698; Fax (504) 865-5580: e-mail: hankins@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu
Next Meeting: |
Our Spring Meeting is being hosted by Mrs. Florence Borders and SUNO's Center for African and African American Studies, located in the Washington Memorial Library, 6400 Press Drive. Parking is available curbside, the second driveway from Haynes Blvd. The meeting will take place on the second floor of the library at 5:30 p.m.
1998 Winter Meeting
On December 9th the GNOA met at the New Orleans Notarial Archives. Sally took us on a tour of her new facilities and everyone was very impressed and envious. The meeting began after the tour. The president, Susan Tucker, welcomed members and thanked Sally Reeves and her staff for hosting the meeting. She also thanked Kathy Lang and the National Park Service for hosting the previous meeting.
The minutes of the Fall meeting were voted on, second, and approved.
Treasurer Rob Sherer gave a report of GNOA finances, showing that we are in good financial shape with close to three thousand dollars in the bank. It is time to pay dues for 1999 membership. A listing of dues paying members was handed out. Dues are $10 and can be sent to Rob Sherer in care of Tulane University's Archives Department.
Old Business:
We discussed the sale of the Jewish Guide and it is selling very well. Rob reports our receipts from sales of the
book are $1,328 so far. Lee has a press release on Special Collections website at Tulane. Cathy and Lee will develop
another press release to send to other potential buyers. We will keep a separate record of our book sales and set aside
some money for future
publications. Each repository and every paid member gets one book. We also sent Andy Simons five copies of the
Guide. Everyone is to be congratulated on this accomplishment and a standing ovation was given for Lester Sullivan,
Irwin Lachoff, Ray Nussbaum, Cathy Kahn, and Carol Bartels for the exceptional work done to make this publication a
reality.
Susan asked for suggestions for new projects for the GNOA. A website for the GNOA was suggested that would contain information about our organization, newsletters, meetings, and contacts. A committee was formed to look into designing a web page. Members of the committee are Susan, Rebecca, Carol, Irene, Wayne, and Lee.
Sally reminded us that the architectural survey is still a viable project. She will discuss with the other committee members, Bruce Raeburn and Gary Van Zante, about reviving this project. Wayne and Irene also reminded us about the Name Authority project that is ongoing, but has been stagnant. Submissions for the file can be submitted by email to the following address: nopl@gnofn.org. Susan suggested we prioritize these projects and develop other ideas.
New Business:
Susan is leaving for three months in March to work in Iceland. During her absence Rebecca will take over her duties.
We will look into the marketing of the Jewish Guide. Cathy will make available a list of places where the book is
available. The book has been sent to Times Picayune writer Susan Larson for a review. If any repository would like to
sell copies contact Cathy.
The New Orleans Public Library has a genealogy guide available to purchase for ten dollars. LAMA's Archival Guide is also available through the New Orleans Public Library website.
The meeting adjourned at 7:15
News From The Archives
Amistad Research Center at Tulane University
New Staff Appointments:
Two new staff members have been hired at Amistad--Mr. Clarence Hunter and Mr. Clifford Johnson. Mr. Hunter
comes to us from Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi and will fill the position of archivist, vacant since the
retirement of Mrs. Emmanuella Spencer. Mr. Johnson served as vice-president for development at Dillard University
and he will fill the new position of director of development.
Recent Acquisitions:
Dr. Hylan Lewis has donated his library of over 500 books and periodicals to Amistad. Dr. Lewis is a
prominent
sociologist whose personal papers are also housed at Amistad. The books cover a wide range of subjects dealing with
African and African American culture and history, sociology, psychology, and political science.
Amistad also received major donations and additions to existing collections from the following individuals and organizations: Dr. Molefi Kete Asante addendum, 2 linear ft.; (1972-97, n.d.); Beecher Memorial (Congregational) United Church of Christ addendum, 4 linear ft. (1954-98); Reverend Dr. Robert Avon Bennett addendum, 2.0 linear ft. (1948-98); Central United Church of Christ Papers, addendum, 2 large, framed photographs; Cincinnati Friends of the Amistad Research Center addendum, 3 paige boxes, 1 oversized (1945-98); Marvin E. Ellis, addendum, 2 paige boxes (1996-98); Dr. R. A. Horne, vertical file folder; (1991-97); Clifford Johnson Papers, .8 linear ft.; 1930-1967; Dr. Clifton H. Johnson, addendum, 1.4 linear ft. (1963-99); Mordecai Johnson Collection, 4 linear ft.; (ca. 1930's-ca. 1980's); Lillian Lyttle, addendum .04 linear ft. (1967-84); Maida Springer-Kemp, addendum; 4 cubic ft.; (ca. 1950's-ca. 1990's); Florence Brooks Thornton Collection, 1 hollinger; (1928-35); Roy Joseph Weems Papers, 2 linear ft.; (1909-1999); Auxiliary to the National Medical Association, 12 linear ft. (1937-98).
Archives The Dominican Congregation of St. Mary
In observance of Women's History Month, the web site of Dominican Sisters, Congregation of St. Mary, will be posting names of graduates of their academies on Dryades Street and in Greenville (St. Charles Avenue) of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. This is the first submission on the web site directly from the archives. (More to come!)
Sr. Dorothy was a speaker at Roots VIII at St. Alphonsus Cultural Center, March 6. She spoke and showed slides on the Story of Irish Dominican Education in New Orleans.
GNOA members Sr. M. Hermenia Muldrey, RSM, and Charles Nolan were among the commentators in the video documentary which aired on Channel 12 March 10 and 13 on Irish New Orleans.
Historic New Orleans Collection, Williams Research Center
The HNOC has begun an introduction to research at the Williams Research Center. Sessions are held each third Saturday of every month, February through October, from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. Research topics and dates include Historic Cemeteries, March 20; Cartographic Holdings, April 17; Microfilm from Spanish Archives, May 15; The New Orleans German Community, June 18; and Microfilm from French Archives, July 16.
Exhibits:
On view at the Historic New Orleans Collections, 533 Royal Street, is the exhibition Seen and Not Heard: Facets
of
Childhood in 19th Century New Orleans, which began in November and will continue through April 1999.
The
exhibition is free and open to the public from 10:00 a.m. until 4:45 p.m. In May this exhibition will be replaced with
The Fabric of History: the Cotton Industry in New Orleans, 1835-1885, which will be on display until July 10th.
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
Exhibits:
The Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center will be hosting the SITES exhibit, The Jazz Age in Paris, 1914-1940
(smaller
version). The exhibit will be on display in Thibodeaux from April 1 to May 28th.
Also a future exhibit will be featured at the Cultural Center titled, Alligators: Dragons in Paradise, from the Museum of Florida History. This exhibit will run from June 1 to September 1, 1999.
The park has four hygrothermographs it is willing to lend to anyone who would need them. A hygrothermograph measures temperature and humidity, and dependent upon what chart is used, it can record data monthly, weekly, or daily. The park will supply the ink, the charts, and the training.
New Orleans Public Library, Louisiana Division
The Louisiana Division's current exhibit, African Americans in New Orleans: Les Gens de Couleur Libres, mounted in honor of Black History Month, will be available for view on the 3rd floor of the Main Library, 219 Loyola Ave., through May. The exhibit is designed to display first-hand examples of the role that free people of color played in antebellum New Orleans and uses original documents from the City Archives and other Louisiana Division collections. An online version of the exhibit is available in NUTRIAS at www.gnofn.org/~nopl.
The processing of the papers of former New Orleans City Council member Peggy Wilson (1986-1998; 24 boxes and 12 volumes) has been completed, and the finding aid has been added to NUTRIAS at www.gnofn.org/~nopl/inv/council/wilson.htm. Wilson was elected to represent District A on the City Council in 1986 as a Republican. She was reelected in 1990 and four years later ran successfully for one of the two at-large seats on the Council, a seat she lost in 1998. Most of the records are from the council member's at-large term (1994-1998), but some files do date from her years as District A's representative on the Council. The records include general subject files, files on individuals, Republican Party files, and Wilson's annual appointment books.
The City Archives staff has begun a new project to digitize early pamphlets from its collection and from the Louisiana Division's Rare Vertical File. So far, 10 pamphlets are available in NUTRIAS, including "Specification of builder's work to be done in the restoration of the St. Louis Cathedral" (1849) and the "Fortieth annual and first printed report of the Poydras Female Asylum (1857). The pamphlets (with more to come soon) are online at www.gnofn.org/~nopl/spec/pamphlets/pamphlets.htm
Also new online at NOPL is a partial index to the journal Architectural Art and Its Allies, 1905-1913. The index, an electronic version of a card index prepared many years ago by Library staff members, includes references only to articles dealing with issues relevant to New Orleans, Louisiana, and, in at least some instances, neighboring states, and also indicates the presence of photographs or other illustrations. The index is available at www.gnofn.org/~nopl/info/louinfo/aart/aartintro.htm.
Digitized versions of 13 photographs by Marion James Porter documenting aspects of the civil rights struggle in New Orleans. The photos are available at www.gnofn.org/~nopl/photos/porter/porter.htm#photos.
NOPL is offering beginner classes in family research on the third floor of the Main Library, 219 Loyola Avenue. The classes will be held on Saturday, March 20 and Saturday April 24, from 9 a.m. to noon. Topics will include basic research methods and record keeping as well as local genealogical resources and an introduction to the records in the New Orleans City Archives and the Orleans Parish Civil and Criminal Court Collections. The classes are free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Reservations must be made by calling the Louisiana Division at 596-2610.
University of New Orleans Archives and Manuscripts/Special Collections
Marie Windell has completed a roster of attorneys admitted to the Louisiana Bar, 1813-1899, by the State Supreme Court; those admitted during the following years are in process. The roster includes the names of those who were examined by the Court (attorneys' committees and the justices), graduates from university schools of law (especially Tulane and Straight), or licensees from other states, and the date of admission in Louisiana courts. The first diploma in law for an attorney admitted to the Louisiana Bar was awarded in 1848 by the University of Louisiana.
News Notes
The Library Of Congress
The LOC will have a discussion of the new biography on Walt Whitman by Jerome Loving, March 22. Mr. Lovings book, Walt Whitman: The Song of Himself, relies heavily on recently unearth archival material in the Library of Congress's Walt Whitman collection and in other libraries.
Abraham Lincoln's 1861 inaugural address will be on display February 17-May 28 in "American Treasures of the Library of Congress." This exhibit and other "American Treasures" exhibitions can also be viewed online at www.loc.gov.
The American Institute of Physics/ Center for History of Physics
The AIP Center for the History of Physics announces 1999 grants to archives. The grants are intended to make accessible records and papers which document the history of modern physics and allied fields (such as astronomy, geophysics, and optics). Grants can be up to $10,000 each and can be used only to cover direct expenses connected with preserving, inventorying, arranging, describing, or cataloging appropriate collections. Expenses may include archival materials and staff salaries/benefits but not overhead. The deadline for receipt of applications is July 1, 199. For grant guidelines or for more information check the website at http://www.aip.org/history/grnt.gde.htm or call 301-209-3165.
Western Archives Institute
The 13th annual Western Archives Institute will be held at The Stanford Terrace Inn in Palo Alto, California, July 25-25-August 6, 1999. The intensive two-week program is designed to offer an introduction to modern archival theory and practice. The program will feature as the principal faculty member Frank G. Burke, renowned archivist and historian. For additional information e-mail the Institute at: ArchivesWeb@ss.ca.gov. Deadline for applying is April 15, 1999.
SOLINET
Tina Mason has joined SOLINET as a preservation field service officer. Ms. Mason is a recent graduate of the University of Texas School of Library and Information Science. SOLINET is a non-profit membership organization serving more than 800 libraries in ten Southeastern states and the Caribbean.
Note to GNOA Members
Rebecca will bring to the meeting a folder of information on the various programs mentioned above and other interesting newsletters and mailings received for GNOA members. Please look them over.
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