WVU Libraries

Harriet Lyon

One hundred and twenty five years ago this May, Harriet Lyon became the first woman to earn a degree at West Virginia University. A free symposium hosted by WVU Libraries March 15-17 will explore Lyon’s legacy and the advancements for women since her pioneering achievement.

“We are excited and honored to pay tribute to the people whose commitment to women’s education have benefited generations of students, faculty and staff at West Virginia University,” said Carroll Wilkinson, director of Strategic Library Initiatives forWVU Libraries.

The three-day program, which is free and open to the public, builds upon the work of the celebration of the Centenary of women’s graduation in 1991. Wilkinson collaborated with librarians and library staff to create a lineup of a lecture, a forum, a panel discussion, a workshop, exhibits and a student poster session.

“Along with addressing the achievements and struggles of WVU’s women over 125 years, we will focus on recent achievements and share new perspectives on WVUwomen’s history,” Wilkinson said. “Our hope is this study will help us expand our understanding of our University.”

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Changes are coming to the WVU Libraries website, and you can try it out before it goes live!

The Libraries began offering a new search system called Worldcat on March 7. Beginning the week of March 21, the Books/Media tab on the Libraries website search box will begin searching WorldCat.  This will be the only place to find up-to-date availability for the Libraries’ print materials.

This is the first step toward a full rollout of Worldcat for finding books, articles, videos, journals, and more, which will take place after finals have ended. Worldcat will enable users to quickly search 1.9 billion items including electronic resources and print materials from a single search box.  Users will be able to quickly determine what the WVU Libraries own and seamlessly request materials through Interlibrary Loan for items we do not.

Beginning the week of March 21, Mountainlynx and Summon will no longer have up to date availability for print collections, and Mountainlynx will no longer be available beginning May 31.

For more information about these changes, please visit the Libraries website or contact Jessica Tapia at jessica.tapia@mail.wvu.edu.

Blog post by Stewart Plein, Rare Book Librarian.

Recent weather conditions have showered rain and snow on West Virginia with just a few sunny days sprinkled in between.  These bright days let us know that Spring is around the corner, but just how far away is that corner?  While it seems Spring may never get here, we can enjoy the flowers of Spring through the beauty of illustrated botanical and medical texts.  Let’s take a look at some of the beautiful flowers from William Woodville’s Medical Botany that can be found right here in West Virginia.  Read the rest of this entry »

WVU Today

Cheryl Ball

Cheryl Ball, associate professor of English at West Virginia University, has joined WVU Libraries as director of the newly established Digital Publishing Institute. Professor Ball is a leading scholar of digital publishing studies and a member of the Professional Writing and Editing faculty in the department of English.

The DPI is a hub for scholarly digital communications that will support researchers at WVU and abroad in producing journals, e-books and other multimedia-rich, peer-reviewed content, making it available online for free whenever possible.

“Dr. Ball will bring valuable expertise and vision to the Digital Publishing Institute and ensure that WVU remains committed to high standards of excellence and a rigorous peer review process while providing open access to scholarly communication,” Provost Joyce McConnell said. “WVU Libraries and the Digital Publishing Institute will be a model for innovative publishing in a time of enormous change in academia.”

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Blog post by Jane Metters LaBarbara, Assistant Curator, WVRHC.

During the 19th century, factory production and paper lace made paper Valentines more affordable and plentiful, and they continue to be popular even as times change and many people send Valentines digitally.  Some of you will remember an old exhibit of historical valentines that we used to have up on the WVU Libraries website—though that exhibit was taken down, the original Valentine cards remain in A&M 2116, Ephemera Collection.  Come to the WVRHC and take a look; they might inspire you to make a few greeting cards of your own!  Though Valentine’s Day is almost a year away, it’s never a bad time to send a card to someone you care about.  I have included ten of my favorite Valentines below; they date from the early to mid-1900s.  Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Lori Hostuttler, Digital Projects and Outreach Archivist, WVRHC.

Van A. Bittner (1885-1949) was a noted United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) representative and labor organizer.  He worked as a miner in the western Pennsylvania coal fields and became president of his local union by age 16. During his long career in the labor movement, Bittner led union drives in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama before focusing his efforts in West Virginia. His early organizing efforts in the state were largely unsuccessful, but he made great gains in the southern coal fields during the 1930s.  Bittner is also known an instrumental figure in the organization of steel workers in the United States.

Van A. Bittner speaking at a miner’s rally in West Virginia, ca. 1920-1929.

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Blog post by Michael Ridderbusch, Associate Curator, WVRHC.

“The life of Mother Jones is a faded memory, a half-forgotten story.”  So begins the 2003 biography of Mother Jones by Loyola University history professor Elliott J. Gorn.

Perhaps no longer.  The recent 26 January 2016 premiere on Public Television of “The Mine Wars” has now brought to national attention the story of coal labor strife in West Virginia, and among the characters highlighted in the documentary is the Irish lady Mary Harris Jones, otherwise known as “Mother Jones” (1837-1930).

“The most dangerous woman in America”:  these were the words federal prosecutor Reese Blizzard used to describe Jones during her trial in 1902 for involvement with strike activity in West Virginia.  Though arrested in Clarksburg and brought to Parkersburg for imprisonment, the jailer and his wife decided to let her stay in their apartment.  She was ultimately acquitted by the judge in order to avoid making her a martyr.   Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Stewart Plein, Rare Book Librarian.

“Not many things I know nor do,
But one;
This my poor heart
so vacant and so frail
can love you
can love you
and dispossess
itself of content
and of strength.”

Fragment of an unpublished poem written on a gardening catalog, pictured above

Today, February 6, we celebrate the 134^th birthday of Anne Spencer, poet of the Harlem Renaissance, civil rights activist, teacher, librarian, accomplished gardener, and West Virginian.  Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Jane Metters LaBarbara, Assistant Curator, WVRHC.

A lot of archives have what we call “hidden collections”—great materials that aren’t findable online or just aren’t described well.  At the WVRHC, one of our hidden collections is our panoramic photos collection.  The photos are large; the longest is 64 inches long—roughly the height of the average American woman!  I am working on describing and rehousing these photos so that we can put their descriptions online in our Guide to Archives & Manuscripts (check it out at A&M 4167).  In this post, I highlight one of the photographers and share some of his work.

We don’t have any photos of Ribble, but we do believe one of these shadows is him, standing next to his camera with his assistant.  Read the rest of this entry »

Help the West Virginia University Libraries recognize an exceptional librarian by submitting a nomination for a librarian who you think is doing an outstanding job.

The WVU Libraries Faculty Assembly sponsors the Outstanding Librarian Award once every three years to recognize exceptional contributions toward the delivery, development, or expansion of library services or special programs for the constituencies of WVU. Attributes sought in the finalist may include leadership, initiative, creativity, dedication, and exemplary attitude. The award is open to both current and retired WVU Libraries faculty.

Nominations will be accepted from WVU administration, faculty, and staff and must be submitted to Stewart Plein, stewart.plein@mail.wvu.edu, on the official nomination form by February 15. Selection criteria, dates, and the nomination form with submission details can be found on the Libraries’ website.

The Awards Committee includes Linda Blake, linda.blake@mail.wvu.edu, 304-293-0328; Mary Strife, mary.strife@mail.wvu.edu, 304-293-9756; and Jessica Tapia, jessica.tapia@mail.wvu.edu, 304-293-0312.

Blog post by Ashleigh Coren, Resident Librarian, WVU Libraries.

The Rare Book Collection in the West Virginia & Regional History Center recently acquired Ohioan Paul Laurence Dunbar’s (1872-1906) When Malindy Sings, an illustrated book of poems and photographs published in 1903 by Dodd, Mead and Company. While the Rare Book Collection is home to a variety of wonderfully illustrated rare books, the six Dunbar books in our collection: Howdy, Honey, Howdy; Poems of Cabin and Field; Candle-Lightin’ Time, Folks from Dixie, Li’L’ Gal, and now When Malindy Sings, are in a category of their own. Dunbar, who Darwin Turner hails as “a symbol of the creative and intellectual potential of the Negro,” died at the early age of 33. The six decorated books in the Rare Book Room showcase the wonderful marriage between text and image that was prevalent in the 19th and early 20th century. The Dunbar collection is a great example of what booksellers and bibliophiles refer to as decorated Publishers’ Bindings.  Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Stewart Plein, Rare Book Librarian.

At first glance, Puck may not be what you might consider one of the jewels among the collections in the Rare Book Room, however, it is an important publication that deserves its place in those rarified surroundings.  In its day, Puck was known as a magazine that satirized American politics and politicians, reporting events, sports and fashion trends throughout its run during the latter nineteenth and early twentieth century.  Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Jane Metters LaBarbara, Assistant Curator, WVRHC.

I wanted to write another blog post combining two things I love, food and history, and my fellow blogger Lori recommended a recently published book that has exactly what I’ve been looking for.  Serving Up History: Savor the Flavors of Early West Virginia Cookery 1776-1860 was written by Martha and Richard Hartley, who researched part of the book here at the WVRHC.  (We are ordering the book for our collection, so check the shelves soon!)  The cookbook is a companion to their earlier book, The Frontier Table: A Treatise & Source Book on Western Virginia Foodways History 1776-1860, and contains over 100 historical recipes with modern translations.  It also has “Cook’s Notes” that contain useful tips or recipe variations, and “Historic Insights” to help modern readers understand the original recipes.  Out of all the fantastic recipes it contains, I chose to make Hasty Pudding, Lemon Pudding, and A.P.s.  Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Lori Hostuttler, Digital Projects and Outreach Archivist, WVRHC.

I was attending the Harrison County Historical Society Christmas Party last weekend and some friends and I were trying to identify a postcard that was labeled as Main Street, Clarksburg.  It was unrecognizable as Main Street as we knew it, so we started talking about the clues that the postcard presented us about the time period it was created so we could use Clarksburg City Directories to find the location of the home in the photo.  Read the rest of this entry »

Two student artists in the West Virginia University College of Creative Arts have won the Dean of the Libraries Award from the Art in the Libraries Committee. Matthew Gillette won for his sculpture “Slumped,” and Floyd-Wheat Robinson for his sculpture “Tap Water.”

Matthew Gillette with his sculpture “Slumped.”

Floyd-Wheat Robinson with his sculpture “Tap Water.”

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Blog post by Michael Ridderbusch, Associate Curator, WVRHC.

During this busy time of year people often choose the convenience of eating out to save time, and the diner has always been there as an option for those with challenging schedules.  Having emerged in the late 1800s, diners are now attracting interest as a historical phenomenon as evidenced by the considerable attention given the topic by publishers in recent decades.  There are now many books that survey the subject photographically by region with some related historical narrative.  A variety of genres are represented in this publishing effort, including children’s books, cook books, mysteries, travel diaries, and even a dictionary (entitled The Diner’s Dictionary:  Word Origins of Food and Drink by John Ayto).  Read the rest of this entry »

The Downtown Campus and Evansdale libraries opened at 9 a.m. Sunday and will remain open through 2 a.m. Friday night/early Saturday, Dec. 12. Both libraries will be open Dec. 12 from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. They will then be open from 9 a.m. Dec. 13 through 8 p.m. Dec. 16.

The Health Sciences Library will be open 7:30 a.m.-1 a.m. Dec. 7-10; 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Dec. 11; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 12; 10 a.m.-1 a.m. Dec. 13; and 7:30 a.m.-1 a.m. Dec. 14-17.

Semester Break hours are available on the Libraries’ website.

Blog post by Stewart Plein, Rare Book Librarian.

From its early origins in Germany, where a cut and decorated tree was called “Tannenbaum,” to its arrival in this country in the mid-19^th century, Christmas trees have become an essential component of our holiday celebrations.  Read the rest of this entry »

Help the West Virginia University Libraries recognize an exceptional librarian by nominating a librarian who you think is doing an outstanding job.

The Outstanding Librarian Award, sponsored every three years by the WVU Libraries Faculty Assembly, honors exceptional contributions toward the delivery, development, or expansion of library services or special programs for the WVU community. Attributes sought in the finalist may include leadership, initiative, creativity, dedication, and exemplary attitude. The award is open to both current and retired Library faculty.

Nominations will be accepted from WVU administration, faculty, and staff and must be submitted to Stewart Plein, stewart.plein@mail.wvu.edu, on the official nomination form by February 15, 2016. Selection criteria, dates, and the nomination form with submission details can be found on the Libraries’ website.

The Awards Committee includes Linda Blake, linda.blake@mail.wvu.edu, 304-293-0328; Mary Strife, mary.strife@mail.wvu.edu, 304-293-9756; and Jessica Tapia, jessica.tapia@mail.wvu.edu, 304-293-0312.

Blog post by Danielle Emerling, Assistant Curator, WVRHC

The West Virginia & Regional History Center announces the opening of a new digital collection, “From Our Family to Yours: A Collection of Rockefeller Family Holiday Cards.” The collection draws on materials in the Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV papers and includes holiday cards sent by the Rockefellers to family and friends throughout his many years in public service. The cards, which became a popular collectible among some supporters, span the years 1971-2014 and feature photographs of the family, illustrations of the West Virginia Governor’s Mansion and State Capitol, and the U.S. Capitol building.

An exhibition in the John D. Rockefeller IV Gallery in the Downtown Library accompanies the digital collection and will be open December 1, 2015-January 15, 2016.

1978 Rockefeller family holiday card, Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV papers, West Virginia & Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, https://rockefeller.lib.wvu.edu/cards/catalog/wvulibraries:2599

Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV came to West Virginia in 1964 as a 27-year-old VISTA volunteer in the small community of Emmons, an experience that shaped his extensive career in public service. He entered politics in 1966 as a Kanawha County candidate for the West Virginia House of Delegates.

In April 1967, he married Sharon Lee Percy, daughter of U.S. Senator Charles Percy of Illinois. The Rockefellers had four children, John Davison “Jamie” V, Valerie, Charles, and Justin Aldrich, and later several grandchildren.

After his time in the West Virginia House of Delegates (1966-1968), Rockefeller served as Secretary of State of West Virginia (1968-1972); President of West Virginia Wesleyan College (1973-1976); and Governor of West Virginia (1977-1985).

In 1984 he was elected to the United States Senate and was reelected four times, in 1990, 1996, 2002, and 2008, before retiring in 2015. He was a leading champion for health care reform, an advocate for improving the lives of children and working families, and a supporter of the nation’s soldiers, veterans, and senior citizens.

In 2014, Rockefeller donated his papers documenting his 30-year career in the U.S. Senate to the WVU Libraries’ West Virginia & Regional History Center. To learn more about Senator Rockefeller and his Senate career, visit the Center’s “Jay Rockefeller” website at https://rockefeller.lib.wvu.edu.