Reference point

              Browsing made easy
Library now houses children’s literature collection
Jessica Sikora can vouch for the convenient
new location of the children’s literature
collection at CMU.
When the Clinton Township senior recently
had a free moment while proctoring her Phi
Mu sorority’s study hours in Park Library,
she remembered something she learned
earlier this semester: the Betty A. McDonald
Children’s Literature Collection is on the
library’s fourth floor.
“I wanted to look at the full collection and see
what was available so I can use it for lesson
plans and for my general use in the future,”
says Sikora, a child development major.
Children’s books always have been included in
the University Libraries’ collection. However,
about 30 years ago, because of limited space
in the old Park Library the children’s books
were relocated to the Instructional Materials Center in Ronan Hall. In December 2008 the
collection was welcomed back to Park Library that was reopened in 2002 after its expansion
and renovation.
“There definitely is a convenience factor with it being in its new location. If I’m at the library,
I always can go up just to browse.” Sikora says.
Sikora learned about the Betty A. McDonald Children’s Literature Collection during the
first day of her International Literature for Children and Young Adults class. CMU English
Professor Susan Stan specifically held her class near the collection.
“Most of the students in this class are already familiar with this collection. I wanted them to
become familiar with its new home,” Stan says.
The collection supports program curricula within CMU’s academic colleges, including:
College of Education and Human Services. Collection material is useful for developing
teacher education course lesson plans and textbook evaluations.
College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Students enrolled in children’s literature classes benefit from
having primary sources and critical works located on the same
floor in the Park Library. •
REFERENCE POINT
U N I V E R S I T Y L I B R A V o l u m e 6 , I s s u e 1 R I E S N E W S L E T T E R • M A R C H 2 0 0 9
Quite the collection
The 24,000-volume Betty A. McDonald
Children���s Literature Collection includes:
• Picture books
• Children and young adult fiction and nonfiction
• K-12 textbooks
Many of these books are winners of prestigious children’s
literature prizes and have been favorably reviewed
and have achieved the status of recommended books
on published lists. The K-12 textbooks comprise a
representative collection covering many subjects written
for a wide range of reading levels.
CMU English Professor Susan Stan helps child
development major Jessica Sikora during a class exercise
to help familiarize students with the Betty A. McDonald
Children’s Literature Collection. Read more about Betty
McDonald on page 7.
2
Dean’s Column
Reference Point is published
biannually by University Libraries.
Address questions and suggestions to:
Office of the Dean
407D Park Library
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
Editorial Board
Thomas J. Moore
Dean of Libraries
Anne Marie Casey
Associate Dean of Libraries
Jodi A. Robinette
Director of Development
Gerry Edgar
Manager, Library Business Services
Reference Point Coordinator
Production
CMU Public Relations and Marketing
Writers
Tracy Burton, ’02
Sarah Chuby, ’03
Dan Digmann
Rachel Esterline
Editor
Dan Digmann
Designer
Amy Gouin
Photographers
Robert Barclay
Peggy Brisbane
Printing
CMU Printing Services
Libraries Web Site
www.lib.cmich.edu
Academic Year
Library Hours
Mon - Thurs: 7:50 a.m. - Midnight
Fri: 7:50 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sat: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sun: Noon - Midnight
Reference Desk
989-774-3470
libref@cmich.edu
CMU, an AA/EO institution, strongly and actively
strives to increase diversity within its community
(see www.cmich.edu/aaeo).
PRM 8051-4,300 (3/09)
REFERENCE POINT
Off-Campus Library Services leads the way
As I look around Park Library daily, I see not only a vibrant center
of academic and social activity but also a library staff and a
set of library and related services participating in the profound
technology-enabled changes taking place in librarianship, higher
education, and our society. Nowhere is this more true than in
our Off-Campus Library Services department, which – while
“headquartered” inconspicuously in Park Library – has key staff
located as well in Troy, Michigan, and Atlanta, Georgia.
OCLS has been serving with distinction CMU’s extensive off-campus
programs since 1976. Over the years OCLS’s exceptional
staff members have forged a lofty national and even international
reputation for leadership in library services for students and faculty
at a distance from campus. What’s more, they’ve often blazed the trail for our on-campus
library services, establishing successful practices and setting standards for “remote” library
services easily transferrable to serving our Mount Pleasant clients, who now take advantage
of e-mail reference assistance, electronic desktop delivery of journal articles, and a suite of
continuously growing online offerings. OCLS is truly a “point of pride” for the CMU Libraries.
In this and every issue of Reference Point, you’ll see stories about an evolving blend of
traditional and newer library services and the people who conduct them. I hope you’ll also
see how valuably the Libraries contribute to the quality of Central Michigan University.
If you have questions or comments, please be in touch.
Tom Moore
Dean of Libraries
Blazing service and technology trails
Tom Moore
Brian Ryckman and Jennifer Rundels
are off-campus librarians who both
use Web cams mounted on their
computers to interact with students
nationwide and around the world
and help them with using library
resources online.
3
Online learning is connection
to student needs, information
CMU Off-Campus Librarian Jennifer Rundels
has her headphones on and she adjusts her
office Web cam.
Sitting at her Park Library desk, Rundels
teaches CMU online students about what
resources the library offers and about the
best places to look for research information.
“Students can even let you know how you
are doing,” she says, pointing to a small box
in the corner of her screen with a variety
of faces. “These are emoticons. When a
student likes my presentation, I’ll get a
smiley face or a thumbs up.”
Rundels, who has been teaching online
students about library resources for more
than a year, says CMU online course
enrollment has grown at a fast pace.
“Many off-campus students are taking online
classes for convenience,” she says. “We
need to get information to these students the
same way they are getting their educational
needs met. There is a world of resources
right at their fingertips.”
Tonia Durden, who received her M.A. in
education from CMU, says the university has
great online resources.
“I used it not only for research papers but as
a resource for my classroom preparation,”
says Durden, an Atlanta, Ga., teacher.
And annually, the amount of available
electronic research materials increases.
Face-to-face online library lessons
As the library’s Web resources grow, the
need to guide students through the site
increases. Rundels and Brian Ryckman are
among six off-campus librarians who now
are giving an increasing amount of instruction
presentations to online classes.
“It isn’t just the students who learn from
our presentations,” Ryckman says. “Even
instructors are amazed at what is available
electronically.”
Rundels and Ryckman, who also give face-to-
face library lessons to off-campus classes,
say there are many benefits to the online
presentation. “The information is archived,
so students can go back to it anytime,”
Ryckman says. “And I think students are more
comfortable asking questions in an online
format.”
Regardless of the medium used, the two
off-campus librarians say their goal is to
get students connected to Park Library’s
resources.
“We are giving these students the same
information that we would have presented
to them in a traditional class,” says Rundels,
who takes off her headphones and places
them onto her desk. “This is just another way
to get information out to students. We want
students to know that no matter how close or
far away they are, we are here for them.” •
Going the distance
‘We want students to know
that no matter how close
or far away they are, we are
here for them.’ - Jennifer Rundels
Online research tips
CMU gives students access to
more than 120 online databases
that index thousands of
professional journals, magazines
and newspapers.
To find books, electronic journal
titles and other material owned
by CMU Libraries, students,
faculty and staff go to
http://ocls.cmich.edu and use
the CMU Library Catalog.
A sampling of databases to
search within specific areas
include:
Business topics
• ABI-Inform
• Lexis-Nexis
Education topics
• Education Abstracts
• ERIC
• PsycInfo
Health topics
• CINAHL
• Health Reference Center
Academic
• MEDLINE
Fast, efficient
and at your service
Off-Campus Library Services
are available at http://ocls.
cmich.edu. The site offers
students, faculty and staff:
• Research tools
• Links to online databases
and a comprehensive
selection of print and
electronic books
• Access to a variety of
academic writing guides
4
Two centuries in the making
Exhibit commemorates
Michigan’s newspaper history
An exhibit celebrating the vital role
newspapers played in documenting
Michigan’s history is on display at the Clarke
Historical Library.
“Celebrating 200 Years of Newspapers in
Michigan” commemorates the bicentennial of
Michigan’s first newspaper – Michigan Essay
published Aug. 31, 1809, in Detroit – and
focuses on five themes:
• Michigan’s first papers
• James Scripps and the daily newspapers
• Consolidation of the press and the return of
the weekly paper
• The press in the service of focused
communities
• Preserving Michigan’s newspaper heritage
Frank Boles, Clarke Historical Library director,
says the exhibit highlights the significance of
newspapers as information resources, their
longevity and the importance of preserving
newspapers as historical sources.
“We’ve come to have a deep appreciation
for what newspapers do for the state,” Boles
says. “Newspapers are the first draft of
community history and continue today as a
fundamental source of community news and
public accountability.”
The historical library also developed a related
traveling exhibit, which recently debuted
in Grand Rapids at the Michigan Press
Association’s annual winter conference that
drew more than 400 newspaper professionals
and journalism students from around the
state.
R.e. Whipple, a CMU journalism student
who attended, says the traveling exhibit
was telling.
“The handouts were especially awesome
because they detailed the changes, which
I hadn’t really gotten in any of my classes
before,” she says. “We always look at the
current and future trends, but I never really
thought about the past.”
As far as the ever-changing times in the
newspaper industry, Boles said, “Newspapers
have always had trying times … There is a
continued and vital role for the press and that
will never go away.” •
‘Celebrating 200 Years of
Newspapers in Michigan’
• On display through July 31
• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to
Friday
• Clarke Historical Library,
Park Library
• Free and open to the public
• Visit www.lib.cmich.edu/
about/clarke.html to learn
more about the traveling exhibit
and its stops in Michigan
Michigan’s first newspaper,
Michigan Essay, sits among
other historical items from the
state’s newspaper industry.
Collective effort
5
New director leads library
into electronic collection era
When Robin Sabo started doing graduate
research, she spent hours flipping through
journal pages, sorting through microfiche
and making copies.
“It is amazing how much has changed in a
little more than 20 years,” Sabo says.
Sabo, who was appointed as Park Library’s
collection development director last fall,
has many years of research experience.
Sabo become a dietitian but later shifted her
career goals.
“I stayed working in health sciences, and
before this position I worked as the
university’s health sciences bibliographer,”
she says. “But I still am licensed as a dietitian.
I worked far too hard to give that up.”
Even though the workplace is different than
her dietitian days, Sabo says working in a
library is a great fit.
“I love the research aspect of education,”
she says. “And it is in the family. My aunt
was a school librarian in Marquette. I always
thought that she had a fun job.”
Resources for different
learning styles
In the book review room, Sabo stands by a
shelf with health sciences books. She pulls
one off the shelf.
As the director, Sabo knows what work goes
into maintaining the library’s collection.
She has spent years as – and currently
is – a subject bibliographer. Bibliographers
maintain the collection and review potential
new items.
“There are 15 subject bibliographers
in all,” she says. “Working as a subject
bibliographer has helped train me for this
position.”
Sabo says the collection will continue to
grow – and it may look different in the future.
“Things always change. Look at how
different a library was when I first started
college,” Sabo says. “Collections will
continue to grow and change and that is a
good thing.”
Sabo says as technology and learning
tools evolve, so will the library. Books
and journals continue to be an important
part of the collection in print and digital
formats, but the library now is gathering
more streaming video products, sound
recordings and non-print media, Sabo
says.
“People learn in different ways,” she
says. “These products make information
accessible to all types of students and
researchers.”
She says among all of the change, there
is one thing that will stay the same: “Our
goal is to align our collection with the
university curriculum. Even as many other
things change, supporting the curriculum
remains our most important goal.” •
Robin Sabo
‘I love the research
aspect of education.’
– Robin Sabo
6
The heart of CMU
Development Column
Libraries key to student
and faculty success
To me, the CMU Libraries are the heart of
Central Michigan University. Here are some
reasons why. CMU Libraries:
• Support each and every academic program
and college and every student and faculty
member.
• Provide a knowledge center for scholarly
information and academic assistance, as
well as a high-quality study and research
environment.
• Host many wonderful speakers, exhibits
and events in the Library Auditorium,
Baber Room and other areas throughout
the year.
Both on-campus and off-campus students
rely on library services for success with
their studies and research. Our Off-Campus
Library Services is a great resource for
students taking courses in locations outside
of Mount Pleasant. We’re also proud of our
Interlibrary Loan Office. If we don’t have a
book or journal article needed for a student
or faculty member, we can have it for them in
as little as 24 hours.
Stephani Gibson, ’06, shares a little bit of her
experience:
“A huge part of my success in school was
due to the Park Library. If I hadn’t had access
to the resources and services provided
there, my grades would have suffered. …
The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful.
Whenever I needed help with anything, they
were able to provide it.”
Off-campus student Mumtaz Sunderji says:
“I feel blessed to have such wonderful staff
in the Off-Campus Library Services. They
always assisted me in a very professional
and caring manner. Thank you very much!”
To maintain the high quality of these
services, we need your engagement more
than ever. With support from the State of
Michigan tenuous, endowment earnings
down and university budgets stressed, every
donor dollar turns to service in the Libraries.
We’re committed to “being there” for our
patrons, and we’re asking you to join us by
“being there” too. The ongoing academic
support and up-to-date information the CMU
Libraries provide are due in part to your
generosity.
Thanks to all who already support the
Libraries. We appreciate your continuing
generosity.
Jodi Robinette
Director of Library Development and
Community Outreach
Jodi Robinette
A knowledgeable
investment
There are many ways to
contribute to CMU Libraries.
Here are two:
Outright gifts
These can include cash,
gifts from IRAs, retirement
accounts and gifts of stock.
Outright gifts are available for
immediate library use and are
essential to CMU Libraries’
success.
Future and planned gifts
These are popular choices
when outright gifts are
not feasible. Future gifts
can include estate notes,
bequests, charitable remainder
trusts, charitable gift annuities
and life insurance plans.
Contact Jodi Robinette
to discuss any of these
opportunities or to get more
information on how you can
support CMU Libraries.
jodi.robinette@cmich.edu
989-774-1826
‘To maintain the high
quality of these services,
we need your engagement
more than ever.’
– Jodi Robinette
Etaf Alshawarbeh, a mathematics doctoral student
from Jordan, is among the many students who benefit
from the academic environment of the Park Library.
7
Endowment supports children’s
literature collection
Betty A. McDonald remembers how much
her four children enjoyed it when she read to
them each night before they went to bed.
“I’d read the books so often that eventually
the children could say the words along with
me as I read,” says McDonald, the 1941
CMU alumna who generously began an
endowment that provides funding to help
grow the children’s collection in Park Library.
The Betty A. McDonald Children’s Literature
Collection consists of picture books as well
as children’s and young adult fiction and
nonfiction. It supports program curricula
within CMU’s academic colleges and is open
to everyone for avocational purposes as well.
“I think it’s very
important for
children to learn
to appreciate
books for
purposes of
entertainment
and knowledge,”
McDonald says.
“The books
there are a
treasure for
everyone to
enjoy.”
This gift provides an annual subsidy to
purchase new and replacement books for the
collection, says Tom Moore, dean of libraries.
In addition, naming the collection gives
it more prominent attention as a valuable
teaching, learning and research resource in
Park Library.
“As a parent, grandparent and great-grandparent
and former teacher, Betty
understands well the powerful impact of
reading and literature on the development
of children and the role that reading plays
as a skill and enrichment throughout life,”
he says. “We appreciate her enthusiasm for
supporting this wonderful collection.”
‘… a treasure for everyone to enjoy’
First CMU visit in over 60 years
McDonald grew up in
Saginaw and studied at
CMU to become a teacher.
She graduated and then
taught 52 students in a
two-room schoolhouse
outside of Saginaw.
After teaching for one
year, she served as a
recruiter during World
War II for the newly
established U.S. Coast
Guard Women’s Reserve,
also known as the SPARs.
During that time she and
Jim – her high school
sweetheart – were married
just before he went
overseas in the U.S. Navy Submarine Service.
When the war ended, the couple returned
to Saginaw and she worked as a secretary
for an airline while he worked for General
Motors. Soon they started a family and
moved several times as his work with
GM changed. In February 1981, he became
president and chief operating officer of
GM and retired in August 1987.
Until last year,
even though she
had seen much
of the world,
Betty McDonald
hadn’t visited
CMU since she
graduated. She
says that she and
Jim, who have
been married
64 years, were
impressed when
they saw the
campus and the
library.
“When we got
to the library,
we looked at
each other and
said, ��Isn’t this
beautiful,’” she
says. •
How does the
endowment grow?
The endowment established
by Betty McDonald can grow
with future gifts, which will
increase the funds spendable
every year on the collection.
Anyone can support the
collection by making a gift
to the Betty A. McDonald
Children’s Literature Collection
Endowment.
Contact Jodi Robinette to
learn more.
• jodi.robinette@cmich.edu
• 989-774-1826
Charles V. Park Library
Central Michigan University
www.lib.cmich.edu
El Gato Leo
by Opal Dunn
Goodnight Moon
by Margaret Wise Brown
Alphabet Art
Thirteen ABCs from Around the World
by Leonard Everett Fisher
Shakespeare
His Work & His World
by Michael Rosen
CMU strongly and actively strives to increase diversity within its community
(see www.cmich.edu/aaeo).
Produced by CMU Public Relations and Marketing and printed by CMU Printing Services. PRM 8086-500 (2/09)
There is no substitute for books
in the life of a child.
– Mary Ellen Chase
Renowned teacher, scholar and author
Children’s Literature Collection
Betty A. Mc DonALD
and the world
visions of themselves
shaping children’s
Jim and Betty McDonald
In her first year after graduating from
CMU, Betty McDonald taught this group
of students at a two-room schoolhouse
outside of Saginaw. ‘The children were
all so wonderful,’ she says.
8
Two-decade dean
Tom Moore reflects on leading
CMU Libraries into the future
Tom Moore studied with monks at
Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina
and earned his bachelor’s degree in
English. He later earned an M.A. degree
at SUNY Binghamton and an M.S.L.S.
from Syracuse University.
In July 2008 Moore marked his 20th year
serving as dean of libraries and has the
distinction of being the longest serving
dean at CMU. He recently reflected on his
experiences and how the events of the
past two decades are helping to direct
the library today and tomorrow.
When you interviewed for the position as
dean, you said you were impressed by the
high caliber of the staff. What’s it like to
lead such a staff?
Leadership is not only at the top. Leadership
is at a variety of levels and I find that we have
more leaders in the organization at different
levels than we used to. There are people
who have ideas, ambitions and aspirations
for their departments, the library and for
their own careers. I really appreciate that our
staff has moved along ambitiously and with
great enthusiasm, especially in making the
changes in using technology.
What have been the biggest changes in
the types of services the library needs to
provide?
The biggest change is the technology and
what it can do. To see how we can push the
services of the library out onto the campus
and out into our broader user community
and get it to desktops, that’s terrific. We’re
really increasingly effective at it and alert
to the information needs and habits of our
clientele, who span quite a range in ages.
We’ve got the 18-year-old students and the
older faculty who are still teaching and doing
research. So, now we talk about things like
instant messaging but we’re of course still
talking about the fact that we have books
and journals, in electronic media as well as
print and paper.
Sitting among the periodicals in the Mary Dow
Reading Room, Tom Moore discusses the
reasons behind some of the decisions that were
made when the Park Library was renovated and
expanded beginning nearly 10 years ago (at right).
What changes have you seen in the library’s
role in the university community?
When we built the new building we said
we wanted to do academic-related public
programming. When you look at the artwork
in the Baber Room across the hall from the
exhibit gallery of the Clarke Historical Library,
that’s not by accident. What we wanted to
do was create a rich public place for anybody
and everybody at the university and in the
broader Mount Pleasant area. Even though
we’re pushing our services out there with
technology and creating an increasingly
strong virtual library for campus and off-campus
clienteles, there’s still something
very valuable and powerful in what the library
offers as a physical place, as a common
place, where the university community
on the Mount Pleasant campus can come
together. We have the whole curriculum of
the university, and more, reflected in the
kind of collections we build and the services
we offer. I like partnering with others on
campus a lot, so whether we’re partnering
with Minority Student Services for Martin
Luther King Week or helping to sponsor
the International Film Festival or we’re
contributing to bring in a special speaker, I
like that. These things help the library be at
the center of the academic community.
Many people read in their free time. What
does the CMU Dean of Libraries do?
I like to walk. And I know it’s such a
stereotype, but I like to read. If I am reading
a book on history, or whatever I am reading,
I look for people that I can talk to who
know all kinds of stuff about the subject.
I do enjoy socializing and some of it’s job
related. I am heavily involved in fundraising
for the university and that interaction
overlaps and builds value into our social
lives.
What book are you reading right now?
I’m reading two books: a novel called
“Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson. And I just
started one called “The Ascent of Money”
by Niall Ferguson, an historian. I usually
read two or three at a time, some fiction
and nonfiction.
What excites you most about being
the CMU Dean of Libraries?
I think in so many respects it’s the
best job at CMU because we serve
everybody. We are an academic
service that reaches across the
campus and across the broad
geography of CMU’s off-campus
programs. I like knowing that we’re
helping undergraduate students
and graduate students, and we’re
helping the faculty, supporting what’s
going on in the departments and in
the research programs. I think that’s
pretty neat. •
Tom Moore appreciates that the Park Library has increased its role in the
campus community, from hosting guest speakers in the auditorium to art
exhibits in the Baber Room and being among the highlights on campus tours.
New student orientation and academic advising
sessions are conducted in the Park Library.
9
10
His story
John Cumming brings past to the
present
John Cumming comfortably sits on a fading
red leather presidential chair nestled in the
corner of a collection room in his Mount
Pleasant home.
When Cumming started serving as the
director of the Clarke Historical Library in
1961, he began with a space in Ronan Hall
“half the size of this room,” he says. In over
22 years, CMU’s collection grew with rare
books, original manuscripts, letters, diaries
and many other unusual finds.
“When I left, it was a library, and I’m proud of
that,” the since-retired Cumming says.
Cumming often searched for historical
items at auctions and antique stores around
the state. In a typical year, he traveled an
estimated 28,000 miles chasing down leads.
And he discovered some precious gems
along the way.
“I used to hold my paycheck up every two
weeks and say to myself, ‘What’s this for?’”
Cumming says. “I was having so much fun.
… I was ashamed to be paid for it.”
State 2008 Lifetime Achievement
Award recipient
The 93-year-old Cumming recently received
the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award
from the Historical Society of Michigan,
which honors those who dedicate efforts
toward the preservation and promotion of
Michigan’s history.
The Clarke Historical Library was founded in
1954 through a gift from Norman E. Clarke
Sr. to his alma mater. With Cumming’s help
the historical library has become one of
Michigan’s leading research libraries.
Frank Boles, current director of Clarke
Historical Library, says Cumming took a
From the book cellar
John Cumming, a self-taught printer, holds
open one of the 28 books he printed in his
basement.
He says his print shop took up so much
space that his wife drew a line on the
basement floor so she would have enough
room to do laundry.
Among the books Cumming printed there
were several from the diaries of men who
traveled west during the California Gold
Rush.
“There was just something about printing
that always fascinated me,” he recalls.
At 6, Cumming printed cards with his hand-operated
printing press and in high school
he printed tickets for athletic events.
John Cumming flips through a
scrapbook his wife organized for
him that includes newspaper clips
of work dating back to his early
days as a teacher and a reporter.
CMU Libraries’ exhibits
and events calendar
11
lib.cmich.edu/exhibits
‘Celebrating 200 Years of Newspapers
in Michigan’
Exhibition detailing Michigan’s vital role in
the newspaper industry
• Through July 31
• Clarke Historical Library, Park Library
‘Revisit the Horizon’
Paintings that convey a sense of nature
through abstractions
• Through May 12
• Baber Room, Park Library
Afghan Women��s Project
Photos and excerpts of Afghan women
who withstood repression
• March 17 through April 16
• Third Floor Exhibit Area, Park Library
Central Michigan International Film
Festival
Festival celebrating more than 20
domestic and international films
• March 26 through April 5
• Auditorium, Park Library; Broadway
Theatre and Celebration! Cinema,
Mount Pleasant
• For event information call 989-774-2694
or visit cmfilmfestival.com
‘Spoken’
Portraits and audio testimonies of survivors
of sexual aggression
• April 1 through April 30
• Extended Hours Study, Park Library
Friends of the Libraries luncheon
Invitation-only event featuring keynote
speaker Marie Arana, writer-at-large
for the Washington Post, editor of the
Washington Post’s recently discontinued
Book World section, and author of books
including “Lima Nights” and “American
Chica”
• 11 a.m. June 6
• Auditorium, Park Library
• For information call 989-774-3500
personal collection of material that Clarke
donated and developed it into an extensive
library of material documenting Michigan and
the Old Northwest Territory.
“John possesses an unerring eye for a good
acquisition and a pretty good sense of when
the possessor of a potential acquisition
might be willing to cut a deal,” Boles
explains. “The historical resources available
on CMU’s campus, and really the resources
available to the people of the state, are richer
because of John’s years of work here.”
In addition to his work at CMU, Cumming, a
former journalism teacher for Detroit Public
Schools, also has a special talent for writing.
He’s brought his historical perspective into
many newspaper, magazine and
journal articles and two books –
“The First Hundred Years: A Portrait
of Central Michigan University
1892-1992” and “This Place Mount
Pleasant.”
Most recently, Isabella County
established the John Cumming
Award, of which he was the first
recipient, to recognize people
for work done to preserve the
county’s history.
University Libraries
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Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
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Permit No. 93
Service ensures Michigan newspapers’ posterity
Kim Hagerty is committed to preserving Michigan’s newspapers so they are available for
current and future generations to read and enjoy.
On any given day, the preservation microfilm specialist at Clarke Historical Library can
microfilm up to 1,200 pages of newspapers. Preservation microfilming is important for many
reasons, Hagerty explains.
“Most importantly, newsprint will deteriorate from usage where preservation microfilm is
designed to last for hundreds of years,” she says. “A user copy of the film is provided for
research and master copies are stored.”
User copies of each
newspaper on microfilm
are sent to the Library of
Michigan in Lansing and the
newspaper’s local library
or historical society. A third
copy is available in the Clarke
Historical Library.
The historical library recently
added two new microfilm
viewers for patrons to
scan the film and produce
electronic and print copies of
the newspapers.
In addition, the libraries
recently purchased a scanner
that converts roll film to
electronic images. Library
staff members currently
are working to digitize back
issues of Central Michigan
Life and hope to make them available online via the Clarke Historical Library Web site. The
digitizing service for other newspapers will be offered in the near future. •
Papers to film
Kimberly Hagerty prepares to microfilm a weekly newspaper page – one
of hundreds she prepares on any given day.