Reference point

              REFERENCE POINT
UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES NEWSLETTER • FEBRUARY 2007
Volume 4, Issue 1
A Historical Event
Clarke Library to sponsor celebrated author David McCullough
Some people never forget a face.
But for Brian Palmer, he’ll always remember a certain voice.
“When you hear David McCullough’s voice, you’ll know who he is,” said Palmer, director of library development and community outreach. “We have all heard his voice. He was the narrator of Ken Burns’s Civil War, and also the narrator in the popular film Seabiscuit.”
The CMU community soon will have a chance to know historian David McCullough – by face
and by voice.
At 7:30 p.m. March 22, the Clarke Historical Library will sponsor a presentation by McCullough.
It is thanks to two very special gifts of funding by longtime library donors Bill and Jan Strickler and Sandra Croll.
McCullough’s books include John Adams, The Johnstown Flood, The Great Bridge, The Path Between the Seas, Mornings on Horseback, Brave Companions, and Truman. As of mid-January, his most recent work, 1776, published in 2005, had been on The New York Times bestseller
lists for 57 weeks.
McCullough is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize as well as a two-time winner of the
National Book Award. He also is one of the few private citizens to have addressed a joint
session of Congress.
Continued on page 6
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough will speak at 7:30 p.m. March 22 in Plachta Auditorium.Dean’s Column
Reference Point is published twice
annually by University Libraries.
Address questions and suggestions to:
Office of the Dean
Park Library 407D
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
Editorial Board
Thomas J. Moore
Dean of Libraries
Anne Marie Casey
Associate Dean of Libraries
Brian Palmer
Director of Development
Gerry Edgar
Manager, Library Business Services
Reference Point Coordinator
Production
CMU Public Relations and Marketing
Writers
Barbara Chovanec, Sarah Chuby, ‘03, Scott Davis, Dan Digmann
Editor
Dan Digmann
Designer
Amanda St. Juliana, ’06
Photographers
Peggy Brisbane and Robert Barclay
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 7401-5,200 (2/07)
Tom Moore
REFERENCE POINT
2
3
Library’s future dependent on works of today
Since January some of us have been reflecting on the fifth anniversary of the “new” Park Library (see p. 3), an activity easily given over to selective memory and nostalgic reveries. Indeed, thoughts of past days bringing what we then considered to be the “library of the future” into being provoke stimulating recollections for many of us on the library staff. Yet obviously more important than thoughts of the past, and the successes, are plans and expectations for the future.
Looking backward is always easier than looking forward, and it’s especially true in a library and technology world traveling at breakneck speed. But an outline of the future is apparent: the “digital” will dominate our information services; promoting “information literacy” will remain requisite; maintaining the distinctive environment of Park Library will take care and commitment; and funding will grow slowly while library collections and services will be expected to progress rapidly.
Already just about everything we do is supported by or expressed through technology, from our book check-out services to our reference assistance for students and faculty. Even our exhibits in the Clarke Historical Library are on the Web. However, in the wireless-saturated age of the cell phone cum video camera, text messager, and MP3 player, we need to ensure that the foundations of library services, our quality collections, are highly digital and capable of access anywhere-anytime. To that end, within 18 months we plan for 70 percent of our journal subscriptions to be electronic-only (see p. 9), which reduces costs slightly but, more importantly, allows digital delivery as the access technology develops and proliferates. While we’ll always buy physical books, our clientele will increasingly prefer electronic resources for many purposes when using the library.
With a headspinning amount of information available by keystroke, more than ever future students will need help learning to search efficiently, evaluate the information they retrieve critically, and use it intelligently for learning and research. Certainly our reference librarians will continue to teach 21st century library use skills and foster enthusiasm for gaining the best, versus the quickest, information.
While Park Library is a strikingly diverse place, with academic support services and cultural offerings extending well beyond customary library services, it is, of course, anchored by the premier study and learning environment it affords. In the immemorial tradition of libraries, it will remain the best place to study for CMU’s Mount Pleasant students – as long as we offer high-end computers, access to fine physical and electronic collections, attractive settings, and staff who are capable and helpful.
Obviously meeting the needs of the future, just like in the past, will require funding. Unfortunately, the library budget has been especially stringent in recent years. In fact, due to cost inflation unmatched by budget increases, we’ve lost 25 percent of our purchasing power for books and journals since 2001. And the outlook is no better. Thus the years ahead, as we strive to keep pace with curricular and research demand, will require us to continue matching our high aspirations for library services with uncommon resourcefulness and creativity.
So, in marking the fifth anniversary of the new Park Library, we’re reminded of the continuities and challenges of our mission. We’re reminded too that building the “library of the future” remains every present day’s task.
Please take a few minutes to examine this issue of Reference Point and let us know what you think, especially if you’d like more information.
Tom Moore
Dean of Libraries
A $50 million building project transformed Park Library into a technologically supported 21st
century information center.
January 9, 2007, marked five years since the opening of the remodeled
and expanded building.
Experiencing each building phase
Joel Lewis relaxed in a chair by the Park Library stairway and scanned the second-floor rows of movable shelving.
His gaze followed the nearby steps all the way up to the top of the sun-brightened atrium.
The Park Library that Lewis knows today as a faculty member in the CMU history department is quite different from the one that he knew as a Mount Pleasant High School student and a CMU undergraduate and graduate history student.
Lewis was a regular patron of Park Library throughout each phase of its development. He did research for high school assignments and undergraduate history projects in the old building and conducted his master’s degree research in Finch Fieldhouse when the library resources were relocated there during building construction.
Lewis then worked on his award-winning doctoral dissertation in the remodeled library and in 2006 received a joint doctoral degree in comparative modern European history from CMU and the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.
“I remember that the old library aesthetically wasn’t a very inviting place,” Lewis said. “When I first heard that they were going to do some remodeling, I had a hard time envisioning what they would be able to do with the building.
“I just love this new library and all that it offers, and I think it’s absolutely fantastic for the university.”
Park Library today
For most current students, Park Library always has been a spacious learning facility with hundreds of computer workstations and high-speed network connections, many study rooms, exhibit spaces, and an on site coffee shop.
But for many CMU faculty and staff members, Park Library still is an impressive accomplishment.
Library Business Services Manager Gerry Edgar was directly involved in the entire building project and worked closely with building planners and contractors.
“I’m still a little amazed,” Edgar said. “From time to time I shake my head and say to myself, ‘We really did do this.’”
Tom Moore, dean of Libraries, said the new building has worked out wonderfully.
“The concept of newness has diminished, but what has not diminished is the thrill,” he said. “We have such a quality environment here for the people we serve.”
Library resources
Lewis said a valuable library service in both the old and new Park Library has been the reference librarians.
“Something I emphasize to my students is to use all the resources that are available at the library,” he said.
Jacklyn Driscoll is a sports administration graduate student who shares Lewis’s appreciation.
“I’m taking a research methods course, and the reference librarians are such time-savers,” said Driscoll, who earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Celebrating five years at the Park Library
CMU Department of History faculty member Joel Lewis, who received his undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees from CMU, experienced the Park Library before, during, and after it was remodeled.
Views of the remodeled Park Library from the south, above, and from the west, right
Moore said having space available to include other academic entities, such as Information Technology, Student Disability Services, and the Faculty Center for Innovative Teaching (FaCIT), also has worked out well in the new facility.
Todd Zakrajsek, FaCIT director, said being located in Park Library is ideal.
“We’re centrally located on campus, and the physical layout of the facility is perfect,” he said.
Library continues to change
Providing the library services that people need still is the primary goal for Park Library, Moore said.
“As great as the building is, it’s still just a building,” he said. “The physical resources, the technology, the increased collections, and the services that the new building helps us to provide are more important than the building itself.”
And so, CMU Libraries officials are continually evaluating the needs of patrons and improving Park Library’s services to meet those needs. •The best of both worlds
Get your answers here
Reference librarians help patrons work smarter
Reference librarians often hear thanks from grateful patrons after helping them refine their research topics or locate elusive sources.
Michael Lorenzen, head of reference services, says he and his colleagues often help students who visit the library with a broad research topic – say American history – and need help narrowing the topic into a more manageable area. For instance, a student seeking general information on the Civil War could be guided toward a narrower idea such as the role of Michigan women in hospitals during the conflict.
The librarians also can quickly point patrons to resources they may not have discovered on their own.
“We can save a lot of time,” Lorenzen said. “It doesn’t matter how hard you work in the library, it’s how smart you go about doing your research.”
No question is too tough
The reference librarians help patrons answer tough research questions every day – anything from housing statistics by township to the per-mile cost of freeway maintenance.
“People think the questions are hard, but they’re not hard in many cases given the resources we have,” Lorenzen said.
Librarians give the students, faculty, staff, and community members the answers to their questions, or they leave them with research strategies to find those answers themselves.
Recently, a patron wanted to identify a symphony theme that he could hum but
couldn’t name.
Librarian Beth Macleod turned to a reference book that allowed her to transpose a
melody into the key of C, write down the letter names of the notes, and then look up the tune alphabetically.
In addition to tackling the tough questions, the librarians use easier queries as opportunities to teach patrons library skills.
“It may be an easy question, but that’s a good time to teach people how to use the library,” Lorenzen said.
Macleod enjoys life as
fine arts enthusiast, reference librarian
Beth Macleod often lets her fingers do the walking, either by flipping pages of a book or sweeping them across a piano.
Looking around her office, you can tell art and music are important parts of the Park Library reference librarian’s life. The walls are covered with posters from The Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Smithsonian, and the Art Gallery of Ontario.
A cardboard box shaped like a piano sits on a
corner shelf.
“It was the container for CDs,” she said. “I just couldn’t throw it out. Isn’t it wonderful?”
Macleod started working at CMU 35 years ago.
“My husband David got a job in the history department at CMU,” Macleod said. “I was fortunate that there was an opening in the library also.”
Playing for fun
Perhaps this is why Macleod has rediscovered playing the piano – for fun. After about a 30-year hiatus, she is performing again.
“Last year I began playing piano at a Unitarian Universalist Church. I was asked to play and was nervous because it had been such a long time,” she said. “I hadn’t played in 30 years, except to accompany my kids. But it’s different now – the emphasis is on the music and not on myself.”
Macleod recently learned that Clavier Magazine accepted an article she wrote about her personal experience with the piano. Part research and part anecdote, it compares the attitudes of a music student with those of an older adult. It will be published in the fall.
Playing one of Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words on the piano at her Mount Pleasant home, she looked at ease. Books were in piles around her. And artistic posters hung on the walls.
With her life interests surrounding her, all of Macleod’s fingers gracefully touched the piano keys – except when her right hand reached up to turn the page of the musical score. •
Park Library Reference Librarian Beth Macleod plays Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words on the piano in her Mount Pleasant home. This fall, Clavier Magazine will publish an article Macleod wrote about her experiences with the piano.
“Thirty-five years is a long time, but right now I don’t have plans to retire. When you enjoy what you do, it is hard to separate it
from your life.”
–Beth Macleod, reference librarian
“There’s no reason that an 18-year-old freshman should know how to use our library. It’s not like any high school or public library they’ve ever seen before.”
Got a question?
The CMU reference librarians stand
ready to help.
Visit them in person, e-mail libref@cmich.edu, or submit your questions online through the “Ask a Librarian” form on the libraries Web site www.lib.cmich.edu.
Finally, researchers who have complicated or particularly tough questions are welcome to schedule individual consultations. Call the Reference Desk at (989) 774-3470. •
Robin Sabo, a health sciences reference librarian, helps Christina Keogh, a junior who is majoring in athletic training, find information for a class project.
From music to books
Coming to CMU was the easy part. Before
that, it had taken a little more time for Macleod to discover her inner librarian.
“My undergraduate degree is in music. I had planned to go to graduate school for music, but I wanted to be more social than that,” Macleod said.
After graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, she spent time with her aunt in New York City.
“While I was there, I got a job at the New York
Public Library,” she said. “I figured I had some experience because I worked in the library when I
was an undergrad.”
Macleod then went to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to earn her master’s degree in library science.
“Working in the New York Public Library showed
me that I could do that as a job and not abandon the arts altogether,” she said. “Now I am the person who orders books and CDs in the fine arts. I enjoy looking for information and helping people find
what they need.
“Not a day goes by that I don’t say to myself, ‘I can’t believe that I work here.’ Thirty-five years is a long time, but right now I don’t have plans to retire. When you enjoy what you do, it is hard to separate it from your life.”Event highlights
Clarke Library
Promoting the Clarke Historical Library through a distinguished speaker is a great way to create a special experience for students and the whole community, Palmer said.
“The Clarke Library is such a wonderful resource for Michigan history,” he said. “We thought that having Mr. McCullough speak would be the perfect way to highlight the historical resources we have at the Clarke.”
Jack R. Westbrook, a local historian who has assisted with previous Clarke Library exhibits, said he was pleased when he heard McCullough would speak at CMU.
“Anyone with a casual to a professional interest in history should take this opportunity to see him,” Westbrook said.
Palmer said the CMU community will be impressed by McCullough’s talk.
“He is arguably the most well-known historian out there,“ Palmer said. “I heard him speak elsewhere, and he talked about the trials and tribulations that went on during the Revolutionary War and compared them to today. He is amazing. The auditorium can be packed, but you feel as if you are in a room with him all by yourself.”
During his career, McCullough has been an editor, essayist, teacher, lecturer, and familiar presence on public television – as host of Smithsonian World and The American Experience and as narrator of numerous documentaries including The Civil War and Napoleon. •
Tax-free IRA Rollover is here!
Brian Palmer
Development Column
Clarke Historical Library Presents David McCullough
Presentation featuring two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author
• 7:30 p.m. March 22
• Plachta Auditorium, Warriner Hall
• Event is free and open to the public
Continued from page 1
I want to take this opportunity to make certain that our supporters are aware of the recently passed Pension Protection Act of 2006. This legislation opens up new gift planning opportunities for the 2007 tax year for qualified donors.
To qualify for the tax-free IRA Rollover the donor must meet the following criteria:
• The donor must be 70 years of age or older
• The IRA transfers must go directly from the
IRA to qualified charities
• Gifts cannot exceed $100,000 per taxpayer
• Gifts must be outright
• Gifts must be made in the 2007 calendar year
Until the Pension Protection Act of 2006 went into effect, a withdrawal from an Individual Retirement Account was treated as taxable income. Although a charitable deduction was allowed, it was subject to a percentage limitation of 50 percent of the adjusted gross income.
The new legislation passed for the calendar year of 2007 removes many of these impediments and creates significant IRA gift opportunities.
Individuals who take mandatory minimum withdrawals from their IRAs may benefit significantly, along with individuals who do not itemize or whose major assets reside in their IRAs.
Pension Protection Act in action
Let’s take a look at a few examples:
John, age 71, has a comfortable standard of living and does not really need to take the taxable distribution from his IRA. However, John’s required minimum distribution from his IRA in 2007 is going to be $200,000, on which he would incur $70,000 in federal income tax (assuming a 35 percent bracket). With the new Pension Protection Act, he can give half of his mandatory IRA withdrawal ($100,000) to Central Michigan University. By transferring funds straight from his IRA to CMU, John avoids $35,000 in income taxes.
Jane, age 71, usually makes a charitable gift to CMU in an amount less than the standard deduction ($5,150 for single filers, $10,300 for married filers). By making her gift to CMU through an IRA withdrawal, she will avoid the usual tax on the IRA withdrawal. Jane still has made her annual gift and has avoided the tax penalty on the withdrawal from her IRA.
Mary, age 71, is a generous CMU alumna and usually gives 50 percent of her adjusted gross income each year to various charities (50 percent is the maximum allowable charitable deduction for any year). Through the new Pension Protection Act, Mary is able to contribute up to an additional $100,000 from her IRA account, which is in addition to the 50 percent ceiling of charitable giving and will not be taxed.
For more information on the Pension Protection Act legislation or other gift planning questions, visit the Web site www.giftplanning.cmich.edu or contact me at (989) 774-1826.
In closing I would like to thank all of our generous library donors who assist us in making quality library services available to our students and our entire campus community. We appreciate it.
Brian A. Palmer
Director of Library Development
and Community Outreach
Nickel and Dimed fitting for today’s state economy
Mid Michigan
Reads begins in
late February
As Michigan’s economy struggles, mid-Michigan communities are poised to read a celebrated book about the plight of minimum-wage workers.
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, the 2001 exposé by Barbara Ehrenreich, is the featured book for Mid Michigan Reads.
This is the second year for the community program, which was the first of its kind and includes Central Michigan University’s Charles V. Park Library, the Chippewa River District Library, Mid Michigan Community College, and public libraries in Mount Pleasant, Harrison, and Clare.
Pamela Grudzien, head of technical services at Park Library, said a Mid Michigan Reads committee selected Nickel and Dimed after hearing input from community members at a series of meetings last fall. Michigan’s failing economy was foremost on the minds of many, she said.
“There was considerable discussion of the elements of the book that make you aware of how a minimum-wage position locks you into a limited quality of life,” Grudzien said.
Living life on minimum wage
Nickel and Dimed chronicles how Ehrenreich fared on the lowest rungs of America’s working class. In 1999, the journalist left behind her middle class background for many months to pose as a minimum-wage service worker and document her struggles.
Grudzien said the subject and content of the book generate a lot of programming potential.
“You could take the conversation about the book in a number of directions,” she said.
The program is scheduled for late February through April 13. At participating libraries, social service advocates will present programs on topics including job interviews, résumé writing, child care, and health insurance.
Last year, the reading program selected Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 for its first book. Grudzien said program officials hope this year’s book will draw even more readers and help bring the communities together. Copies of Nickel and Dimed will be available at participating libraries.
Entities providing funding for the program include local Friends of the Library groups, Michigan Center for the Book, the Michigan Humanities Council, and Isabella Bank and Trust. •
Come Together @
Your Library
National Library Week is
April 15 through 21
The written word again is at the heart of Park Library’s celebration of National Library Week, April 15 through 21.
A reception for CMU authors and a book sale are among the festivities Charles V. Park Library is planning in conjunction with the Chippewa River District Libraries. The theme of the event is “Come Together @ Your Library.”
National Library Week, created in 1958, is a nationwide observance sponsored by the American Library Association and libraries across the country each April. It’s designed to celebrate the contributions of the nation’s libraries and librarians and promote use of libraries.
Some of this year’s activities, all of which are open to the pubic, will include:
The Third Annual Book Recognition Ceremony
This ceremony honors CMU faculty, staff, and emeriti who have written, edited, or translated books published in the past year. The event will be at 3:30 p.m. April 17 in the Baber Room
at Park Library.
Library Book Sale
Scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 19 in the Baber Room, items for sale also will include magazines, compact discs, and videotapes.
Weeklong film series
The Chippewa River District Libraries will sponsor a series of films to supplement the Mid Michigan Reads program. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, the 2001 exposé by Barbara Ehrenreich, is the featured book for Mid Michigan Reads.
For more information about the week’s activities, visit www.lib.cmich.edu or www.crdl.org.
Pamela Grudzien, head of technical services at Park Library, displays a copy of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich, the featured book for Mid Michigan Reads community reading program.Libraries responding to faculty survey
A one-stop research shop onsite and at home
Anne Casey, associate dean of libraries, said it is important for CMU Libraries to follow up on the survey that assessed CMU faculty needs for library services.
Availability of electronic resources a priority need
Interest in faculty needs for library services didn’t stop when CMU Libraries received the results of an independent survey conducted in fall 2006.
Library officials now are reviewing survey results and discussing ways to develop and implement feasible plans that effectively respond to the study, which indicated an overall interest in increased availability of library resources electronically.
Library Needs of Faculty in a Changing Environment evaluated the needs of faculty for library services in an environment where Web and electronic resources are replacing print resources and budgets are severely constrained.
Anne Casey, associate dean of libraries, said completion of the Center for Applied Research and Rural Studies (CARRS) Web-based survey is just part of the process to ensure that the Libraries are fully serving this key group of patrons.
“What’s really important for me is the follow-through,” said Casey, who initiated the study with CARRS.
Student employee Kristen Tasker looks up an article in a medical journal. She has both the print and electronic versions of the journal.
Library to offer more electronic-only journals
When Associate Dean of Libraries Anne Casey does research, she doesn’t have endless stacks of articles and books around her workstation.
She gets online and types in what she is seeking.
“I know how people do research today. They don’t want to leave the comfort of their homes or workplace,” Casey said. “So it is important for the library to be flexible and go with the trend.”
The Libraries are transitioning to electronic journals after studying how people primarily do research and realizing the increasing costs of maintaining both the electronic and print forms.
E-journal process already under way
Putting journals online is something CMU has been doing since the late 1990s, Casey said. Until recently, Park Library also had print forms of the online versions.
In fall 2005, CMU Libraries had 21 percent of its journals available only in the electronic form. But by September 2008, the goal is to be at 70 percent e-only journals.
“For several years we got an introductory rate. If we bought print journals, we could get the electronic version for the same price or only slightly more,” she said. “But now, we are looking at the costs of continuing with both and we decided to migrate to e-only.”
Casey said that before making any changes, the E-only Periodicals Committee wants
to get faculty input.
“From talking to different departments, I know that some images don’t replicate well online, such as images from art, biology, and music books,” she said, “We will take that into consideration.”
Making sure CMU has rights and access to the e-journals is another concern the Libraries is addressing.
Casey said the library has become a partner in the electronic archiving service, Portico, to ensure access to the electronic back files of current subscriptions.
“I jokingly call it an insurance policy,” she said. “We are reviewing contract and licensing information and looking at what will work best for CMU. Before we make changes, we need to know that the information is ours to keep and that it can’t be taken away.”
Making a smooth transition
Although the results of a 2006 faculty assessment survey favored the change to e-only, Casey knows it will be a difficult transition for some.
“We know there are people who are used to going to the library, picking up a journal, and leafing through the pages,” Casey said. “But we also know that there are many people who want to be able to do research 24/7
from the comfort of their homes.”
That is something Casey looks forward to having available.
“It is so easy. You go to the library Web site, pick a subject or journal, and type in a term,” she said. “If we have it electronically, information on the article will come right up. Personally, as a researcher, I am very excited about the change. It can’t get more convenient than that.” •
Report summarizes results
The CARRS report summarizes the responses of the 264 on-campus and 111 off-campus CMU faculty who completed the survey. According to the report, survey conclusions include:
• The two services used most by on-campus faculty are interlibrary loan/document delivery and electronic books and journals.
• Faculty consider it to be “very important” to have
access to the Libraries through all available means, especially in access to library resources from the office and from home.
• Faculty are most likely to support canceling print journals if electronic journals with guaranteed
permanent access to back issues exist, but faculty oppose canceling print journals if such access cannot be guaranteed.
• If faced with the need for budget cuts,
on-campus faculty report a preference for reducing the collection of electronic books and print journals and the number of hours the library
building is open. Off-campus faculty are more likely to support reducing the collection of
print books.
Casey said the faculty members’ interest in electronic journals and books didn’t surprise her. In fact, the Libraries already are engaged in an effort to have 70 percent of the current journals available only electronically by September 2008.
Survey surprises
“My real big surprise with the results was that I expected more people would have filled it out,” said Casey, who noted that just more than 17 percent of all full-time and part-time on-campus and off-campus faculty members responded to the survey.
For Casey, survey responses also indicated a need for the libraries to increase awareness of their services and community outreach.
According to the survey report, “Relatively high numbers – although definitely less than one half – of on-campus faculty are not aware of a number of services provided by CMU Libraries, and many do not use library services even when they know they exist.”
“Reviewing the survey results, it seems that what faculty members want are the materials available right on their desktops,” Casey said. “But what we don’t want to lose is the human component. We need to look at how do we show people that we can help them find their information more quickly.”
Along with following up on the faculty needs assessment survey, library staff members are initiating a similar survey of CMU student needs for library services. •
“Reviewing the survey results, it seems that what faculty members want are the materials available right on their desktops.”
– Anne Casey, associate dean
of libraries10
11
Library archivist finds ‘a gold mine’ in carnival memorabilia
Presents from the past
Collection documents nearly
six decades of Pollie carnival
Archivist Marian Matyn was 4 years old when she went to the circus for the first time. And she was very disappointed.
“All I wanted to do was see an elephant, and they didn’t have an elephant,” Matyn said. “They just had dogs and ponies. Isn’t it amazing what things you remember?”
Her opinion about the circus changed after she found a 35-box collection of carnival manuscripts and photos at the Clarke Historical Library.
The boxes were full of personal and business letters from operator John Pollie, instructions on how to set up a 12-seat Ferris wheel, and bookings of the different acts at the carnivals. The collection spanned from 1910 to the 1960s.
“John Pollie’s letters let you see behind the scenes,” said Matyn, who has worked at the Clarke Historical Library for approximately 10 years. “When I was reading those letters, it was like John (Pollie) was talking to me over a cup of coffee. And it is not just him. It is about the whole carnival circuit in general. This collection is a gold mine.”
From February 1 to April 15, the Clarke Historical Library’s Celebrating Our Legacy: The Collections of the Clarke Library is featuring some of the items from the Pollie collection. It is the first time the collection will be on display.
Among the items Clarke Library Archivist Marian Matyn found in the 35 boxes of the Pollie Carnival collection were, left, a 1929 flier that advertises that Madam Orva the psychic could correctly guess the name of carnival patrons or she would give them $200, and, right, a 1926 Ferris wheel structure erection manual for a 12-seat Eli Big Wheels ride.
Entertaining idea for research
No one knows how or when the Pollie collection came to the Clarke, but Matyn is looking into it.
“It was here when I got here,” she said. “John Pollie died in 1969, but I was able to track down his son Curtis. His son was very pleased that we have these documents.”
Matyn plans to take a sabbatical starting
July 1. Traveling to Midwestern states, she will visit historical and research libraries to find more information about the Pollie carnival and other Michigan circus-type entertainment.
“I am currently looking for people who have any information about carnival or circus life from the years 1910 to the 1960s,” she said. “I hope to write a book about this. A large part will come from the Pollie information, but I am hoping to find out more.”
Matyn said she is focusing on the Pollie collection because of her curiosity about carnival life as well as the lack of information about those types of entertainment events. She also wants to conduct the research because she feels a connection with the Pollie family.
“When I first read it, I couldn’t pull myself away. I skipped lunch and stayed at work late,” she said.
While going through the boxes, she found that there were exotic animals in the Pollie carnival.
“They had a lion. I believe his name was Rollo,” she said. “And they had other animals.”
However, there weren’t any elephants.
But this time, Matyn was not disappointed. •
Carnival life in Michigan
Contact Marian Matyn, archivist at the Clarke Historical Library, if you have any information or photos about circus or carnival life in Michigan from 1910 to the mid-1960s.
• marian.matyn@cmich.edu
• (989) 774-3990
Best of historical library collections open to public
Emerging from his Clarke Historical Library office, Frank Boles held a green and gold Aladdin Homes genie lamp in his hand.
“Who wants three wishes?” Boles, the Clarke director, asked with a smile across his face. “Today is a good wish granting day.”
But for the Michigan history buff, there are more than three wishes granted with the spring exhibit at the Clarke Library. The number of wishes is closer to 100, which is approximately the number of pieces displayed in Celebrating Our Legacy: The Collections of the Clarke Library.
The exhibit, held in conjunction with 1776 author David McCullough’s visit, is now open and will be displayed through April 15.
Boles said there will be a little bit of everything in the exhibit. And just about everyone will find appealing items.
“There will be something here that interests you,” he said. “We are serving a buffet of Michigan history.”
Celebrating Our Legacy: The Collections of the Clarke Library exhibit will be held in conjunction with author David McCullough’s visit to CMU March 22. Items included in the exhibit are, clockwise from the upper left corner, Roy Gerrard’s painting that accompanied the children’s book, Jocasta Carr, Movie Star; a 1910 bird’s-eye view done by the Arnold Transit Company of the Les Cheneaux Islands; French-Canadian book from the International Children’s Book collection; a 1921 catalog and promotional genie lamp for Bay City-based Aladdin Homes; Chief Pokagon’s bark book, Algonquin Legends of South Haven; and a 1796 land contract signed by Native Americans by using totems.
Something for everyone
Boles said the new exhibit was based on the staff’s collective knowledge and what they believe is interesting and symbolic of Michigan.
Librarian Marian Matyn said she chose an almost 60-year history collection of a Michigan-based carnival owned by John Pollie.
Boles said he chose to include the 1921 Bay
City-based Aladdin Homes catalogs. Aladdin Homes, which went out of business in the early 1970s, was important to the Michigan economy, Boles said.
“They made these homes in Bay City and shipped them all over the country,” he said. “That shows the national impact that came from this part of Michigan. It also makes the point that Michigan has an industrial history that doesn’t include automobiles.”
Other items on display include a 1796 Potawatomi Tribe land treaty marked by totems as well as items from the international children’s book collection. •
Celebrating Our Legacy: The Collections of the Clarke Library
• What: The Clarke Historical Library exhibit held in conjunction with 1776 author David McCullough’s March 22 visit to CMU.
• When: February 1 to April 15
• Where: Clarke Historical Library
• Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday except March 3,
10, and April 7
• Cost: Free
• Information: (989) 774-3352
CMU Libraries exhibits and
events calendar
Analog to Digital:
Evolution or Revolution
Exhibit illustrating changes in the photographic process
• Baber Room, Park Library
• March 1 to March 31
Central Michigan International Film Festival
Festival celebrating a variety of internationally recognized films
• March 22 through April 1
• Auditorium, Park Library; Broadway Theatre; and Celebration! Cinema, Mount Pleasant
• For event information, visit the Web site cmfilmfestival.com
or call (989) 774-2694
Fishing for History
Exhibit exploring important books regarding fly fishing in Michigan and fishing’s importance to the state
• Clarke Historical Library, Park Library
• May 1 to October 8
Friends of the Libraries luncheon
Invitation-only event featuring keynote speaker Jeffrey Brown, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer senior correspondent
• 11 a.m. June 16
• Baber Room, Park Library
• For information call (989) 774-3500
A Day with Ernest Hemingway
Clarke Historical Library’s Michigan Hemingway Endowment fundraiser including a tour of Up North with the Hemingways exhibit in Petoskey
• August 6
• Crooked Tree Art Center and a visit to the Hemingway family cottage on Walloon Lake, Petoskey
• Visit www.lib.cmich.edu/clarkeUniversity Libraries
Park Library 407
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
Non-profit Organization
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Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
Permit No. 93
CMU community members can schedule rooms
CMU community members were asked for input on what they wanted in their library before Park Library reopened five years ago.
“I was on a committee, and I was asked to consult with the library about what facilities should be in there,” said Mark Poindexter, a CMU broadcast and cinematic arts professor and Central Michigan International Film Festival advisor. “Having rooms for campus events was very important.”
And that is why, since the festival started in 2003, the event has used the Park Library Auditorium as a film viewing site.
“I was aware a year or two before the new library’s completion that there was a room we could show films in,” Poindexter said. “We wouldn’t be able to rent space like that.”
Stephanie Mathson, library faculty member, said the library offers meeting rooms, private study areas, and display cases for campus community members to use for hosting special events, film screenings, lectures, and speeches. The rooms require reservations, but they are offered at no cost.
“The facility is state-of-the-art and centrally located here on campus,” Mathson said. “The library is more than books and computers. It is what is happening at CMU.”
In addition to the Central Michigan International Film Festival, other campus and community events hosted in Park Library include the Michigan Story Festival, CMU Book Recognition Event, and Mid Michigan Reads programs. •
Rooms to use
Here is a listing of the Park Library rooms available for campus community members. There is no cost to use the rooms, but reservations are required.
Park Library Auditorium
This state-of-the-art event room contains seating for up to 140 people, has one LCD projector and screen, and four coinciding plasma screens.
Individual study rooms
More than 40 individual study rooms
are available for yearlong use by
CMU faculty, staff, emeriti, and
graduate students.
Strosacker Room
This formal meeting room has seating for up to 40 people. The room has tabletop Internet connections at each table and an LCD projector and screen.
Baber Room
In addition to serving as an art gallery and study space, the Baber Room serves as a great place to host meetings and receptions.
Group study rooms
The Park Library contains 20 group study rooms.
For more information visit the Web site www.lib.cmich.edu/facilities.
Campus happenings have
a place at Park Library