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North Carolina Libraries

Spring 1998

way 2 § 1998

EAST CAROLINA
UNIVERSITY

: 73 : Gumant if Nm
real. or oven by lhe Mincster

» Being 1 Jtrivat Ovkorbahen be aft
rhond be bade Care a har Seules.

... innovation comprises a rearticulation « '
of the libraryTs essential role in society,
respect for a great deal more in life

than the bottom line of the budget,

or obeisance to the conventions of
Byzantine terminology meant to impress
administrators by its obscurity ...

"James V. Carmichael, Jr.
Page 24.

" North Carolina Library Innovators: Lessons Learned from the Past

a

With the variety of databases available
today, why should yours contain
redundant articles " articles that are
clones? That won't happen with SIRS full-
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pass a rigorous selection process that

refe re Nn ce d atabases? eliminates redundancy and duplication.

Our experienced research team of edu-
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Call 1-800-232-SIRS, or visit www.sirs.com

Volume 96, Number 1
ISSN 0029-2540

gues =NORTH CAROLINA LIBRARY INNOVATORS:

11
16

19

23
28

36

i

Advertisers: Broadfoot's, 44;
Checkpoint, 46;

Current Editions, 42;

Ebsco, 10;

Mumford Books, 9;
Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc. 27;
Quality Books, 22;

SIRS, front cover;

UNC Press, back cover.

39
40
48

50
53
54
55

Cover:

IDRARIES ©

Spring 1998

Lessons LEARNED FROM THE PAST
Guest Editors, Plummer Alston Jones, Jr. and Thomas Kevin B. Cherry

Saved: The Gambold Collection of Moravian Devotional Books, Rose Simon

Alexandre VattemareTs System of International Exchanges in North Carolina,
Maurice C. York

Bringing Boston Books to the Carolina Mountains: Charles Hallet Wing and
the Good-Will Free Library at Ledger, Robert G. Anthony, Jr.

oIn My Mind ITm Going to Carolina...�: Bruce CottenTs Passion for North
Caroliniana, Eileen McGrath

Mollie Huston Lee: Founder of RaleighTs Public Black Library, Patrick Valentine

Innovation in Library Education: Historical X-Files on Technology, People,
and Change, James V. Carmichael, Jr.

Newfangled & Highfalutin: North Carolina Library Innovations Over the
Decades, Plummer Alston Jones, Jr. and Thomas Kevin B. Cherry

ERAS URS Gagner a ees asone sn ape aSee OeNeA RE RPE TED I RIS

From the President
Wired to the World: Java and the Web, Ralph Lee Scott
North Carolina Books

Lagniappe: Learning WhatTs New from Library Newsletters: A Selected List of
North Carolina Resources, Gillian M. Debreczeny

NCLA Minutes
About the Authors
Executive Board

Editorial Board

In December 1700, the Colony of North Carolina received its first catalog of books,

which was intended for the use of the inhabitants of Bath, then called Pamplico. This first
public library collection was housed at St. Thomas Church. The original catalog is held by
the North Carolina Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Photos courtesy of this collection.

North Carolina Libraries is the official publication of the North Carolina Library Association.
Art direction and design by Pat Weathersbee of TeamMedia, Greenville, NC.

~Prom the President

Beverley Gass, President

eems to me that it is important to begin at the beginning when becoming president of an

organization such as NCLA. And where is the beginning? Is it where the last president

left off? Is it a totally new place where the Association has never been before? This is a

rather foolish question in some respects since NCLA, its new executive board, and

president are all clearly part of a continuum of events, conferences, issues of a journal,
projects, and members making it impossible to consider just starting over. Being a new
president, then means picking up and going from where NCLA is, doesnTt it?

It is a time of reflection, of reviewing the purpose of NCLA and making sure that the
purpose still fits and applies. It is a time for asking questions " a time for wondering about
everything we do and how we do it. Starting a term as president should mean a time of
planning for the biennium and maybe even beyond that. It is a time for renewal and refur-
bishing. It is a time when a president sets a direction for the Association with a clear vision
for the future.

With those things in mind, therefore, the new Executive Board members gathered at the
Public Library of Charlotte/Mecklenburg County on January 22-23 for a retreat/planning
session and first board meeting for 1998-99. Consultant and librarian Lea Wells led us
through a series of processes designed to assist us in developing a vision statement and
objectives for the biennium. The vision statement and objectives are printed below. As you
read the vision statement be aware that it is a draft based upon ideas for the next eight to ten
years. The draft was written at the retreat and has not been reviewed by anyone as of this
writing. The objectives are the ones that the Executive Board developed for the biennium
with designations of time lines, groups responsible, and action plans omitted here, since not
all objectives have yet been completed at the same level of detail.

Vision for NCLA

= We are a member-focused organization

Provision of services for members is based on continuous input from our members. We develop services and ac-
tivities to meet membersT needs. Membership in NCLA is strong and vigorous. The membership count is more
than 3,005 by 2005. All members belong to at least one section and a significant majority of members attend
conferences and workshops and clamor for more member services from the Association. Everyone in North Caro-
lina who works in any library is a member of NCLA. Membership in NCLA is required for employment within
every library in the state. Many of our members, in fact, are librarians. We have a simplified and unified organi-
zation with ample staff to perform the work of NCLA and its sections and round tables.

" We are the association of choice for information professionals

NCLA is recognized and respected outside of the library/information community and is the leading voice for all
types of libraries. Leaders of the association are spokespersons for all major information issues within the state.
NCLA uses media outlets as a means to deliver the message to the citizens of North Carolina in a manner that
garners support for libraries and information professionals.

" We are committed to continuing education and the professional development of our members

Sections and round tables consistently cooperate to plan and deliver continuing education programs. We con-
tinue to deliver excellent continuing education workshops and seminars. Our biennial conference is the premier
membership event for the Association. In the non-conference year, we hold an oevent� for the Association where
several sections and round tables have a common site and time for their professional development activities. The
NCLA Leadership Institute provides a reservoir of leaders for the Association and the profession. We partner with
the State Library of North Carolina, the constituent representative organizations where librares are located in-
cluding the North Carolina Community College System, the North Carolina Council of Independent Colleges
and Universities, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the University of North Carolina, and other
affiliated agencies, associations, and corporations to provide leadership in professional development for all who
are engaged in the delivery of library and information services.

" We use information and communications technology to serve our members effectively and efficiently

We are committed to maintaining a large virtual Association and an active electronic outreach program for our
members and our profession. We maintain an active Web site where members can conveniently locate all kinds
of information about NCLA. We provide leadership in the use of technology and cyperspace for communicating
among the members. We use videoconferencing and other technologies to make continuing education more ac-
cessible to all who seek it in the field of library and information services.

" We are a fiscally robust organization
Financial matters are no longer a concern within NCLA. We look beyond membership dues and operation of NCLA
for support for our initiatives. We seek funding through an active and robust program of Association develop-

2 " Spring 1998 North Carolina Libraries

ment. We have strong partners and allies with business and corporate North Carolina. We have built a sizable
endowment fund, a foundation, and Friends of NCLA that support many of the new and ongoing programs of
NCLA including our award-winning journal and the Leadership Institute. We are proactive in our support of li-
brary and information technologies issues and have been instrumental in achieving increased funding from the
North Carolina General Assembly for all types of libraries within the state.

Objectives for NCLA 1998-99
1. Increase membership in NCLA through an increased perception of worth and benefit in belonging
to NCLA
1.1 Publish a bi-monthly newsletter in which all sections and round tables publish news.
1.2 Expand and revise Web site to provide extensive information about the Association
1.3 Actively recruit library school students
1.3.1 Change dues structure for students to reflect their student status
1.3.2 Work with library educators to encourage library students to join the Association.
1.3.3. Create a section for library school students
1.4 Create a mentoring program for 1st year librarians who are NCLA members
2. Continue advocacy of and education for the principles of intellectual freedom
2.1 Create model policies
2.2 Review existing collection/selection policies to include new technologies
2.3 Conduct staff development/workshops on intellectual freedom issues
2.4 Educate the public about the Freedom of Information Act through public service announcements, a
speakers bureau, a Web page, and a series of press releases to North Carolina media outlets
2.5 Form coalitions with other local, regional, state, and national organizations to promote intellectual
freedom issues.
2.5.1 Identify groups " PTA, NCAE, ACLE, ASCD & SELA
2.5.2 Join/co-sponsor events and publications
3. Provide access to the Internet for all populations served by the library
3.1 Secure grants for hardware and access to the Internet
3.2 Develop outreach programs
4. Expand continuing education programming
4.1 Increase accessibility of continuing education to all members
4.1.1 Repeat workshops across the state
4.1.2 Use technology, when appropriate, to deliver programs
4.1.3 Schedule programs at times most ouser friendly� for members
4.2 Market and promote continuing education opportunities effectively
4.2.1 Obtain planning data " osurvey with specific workshop topics�
4.2.2 Market affordability of workshops through a oContinuing Education Newsletter� or an NCLA
newsletter (of all opportunities provided by all sections and round tables)
4.3 Identify and maximize continuing education resources
4.3.1 Canvas membership for specialized knowledge and skills
4.3.2 Promote cooperative ventures among sections and round tables
4.3.3 Develop funds for project grants
4.4 Encourage administrators to promote continuing education
4.4.1 Establish minimum standards for staff development
4.4.2. Develop an NCLA oaccreditation� process for libraries
4.4.3 Lobby legislators on behalf of schools and community colleges
4.4.4 Establish grants for continuing education in cooperation with the Department of Public
Instruction
5. Communicate with members using electronic means
5.1 Provide a list of free e-mail providers to new and renewal members
5.2 Subscribe all new and renewing members to NCLA-L (list serve)
5.3 Request e-mail addresses on all membership applications (all formats)
5.4 Survey memberships connectivity (e-mail and/or Web vs. snail mail) " ask for e-mail addresses; home
or work access; possible volunteer(s) for virtual mentor to Ist year librarians
5.5 Develop an electronic newsletter to include news of continuing education activities, advocacy
opportunities, legislation, committee/round table/section minutes and announcements, new releases
and jobs
5.6 Charge committees, round table, section chairs with using NCLA-L

We invite you to review and react to the draft vision statement and objectives. Let us hear
what you think. It is as simple as writing, calling, or e-mailing me or any member of the
executive board. The full list of executive board members is at the end of this issue (page 54).
Better yet, post your reactions to NCLA-L. If you do not belong to NCLA-L, send an electronic
mail message to listserv@ils.unc.edu Do not enter anything in the subject line. In the body of
the letter type SUBSCRIBE NCLA-L yourfirstname yourlastname

North Carolina Libraries Spring 1998 " 3

Saved:

The Gambold Collection of Moravian Devotional Books

he box contained a couple
dozen small, unmistakably old
volumes. A few had paper covers;
some wore leather bindings; most
had cardboard covers with thin
leather spines and corners. The
pages were in good condition; the
font a precise, exotic Fraktur type
that varied only in size from volume
to volume, an occasional word on a
title page printed in red instead of
black. The imprints listed unfamiliar,
faraway places and printers: Barby,
Gotha, Hirschberg, oZu finden in den
Briidergemeinen.� The years of publi-
cation ranged from 1724 to 1818. The
only duplicates were copies of a title
printed by Henrich Miller in Philadel-
phia in 1769 " the sole non-European
imprint.

It did not take a sophisticated com-
mand of German to discern that these
were religious titles: a New Testament in
LutherTs translation; ReichelTs Ghostly
Hymns and Songs; a biblical concor-
dance; GregorTs Prayers and Meditations
in Verse for all the Days of the Year;
RislerTs Historical Excerpts from the Books
of the Old Testament; SpangenbergTs Life
of Nicholas Lewis, Count and Lord of
Zinzenberg and Pottendorf (Part IV).
These were not merely eighteenth
century German devotional books;
they were Protestant " specifically,
Moravian " devotional books. Their
connection to Salem College (founded
by Moravians in 1772) was certain.
First, they were a gift from a Salem
alumna whose family once had lived at
Salem and had kept the books for over
150 years. Second, an inscription in
one of the books shows that it was
given at Salem, on the 7th of Septem-
ber 1805, by Carl Gottlieb Reichel (fu-
ture Inspector of the Salem GirlsT

4 " Spring 1998

by Rose Simon

Boarding School) to John and Anna
Rosina Gambold.

Inscriptions are plentiful in this
little collection, and indicate that it
was part of the personal library of Anna
Rosina. Of the 23 volumes (20 titles) in
the Salem Gambold Collection, eight
bear her name, often with her maiden
name, Kliest. Three more bear her
fatherTs name. Two are inscribed to
both John and Anna Rosina. Four bear
the name of John Gambold, albeit not
in his own handwriting. Only three
volumes have no inscriptions at all.

Within the history of the
Moravian Church in America, John
and Anna Rosina Gambold are rela-
tively familiar figures, for they were the
principal Moravian missionaries to the
Cherokee nation. Ten days after the

presentation of ReichelTs gift, the
Gambolds embarked from Salem on
the 400-mile journey to Springplace in
northwest Georgia. They were accom-
panied to a place near Pilot Mountain!
by a group of girls and teachers from
the recently established Boarding
School. Presumably, the Gambolds
took ReichelTs gift (the Ghostly Hymns
and Songs� book compiled by his father,
Carl Rudolph Reichel, in 1798) with
them. Did all the volumes in the
Gambold Collection go with the mis-
sionaries to Springplace? What other
books did they have at Springplace,
and how did the books printed after
their departure from Salem come to be
part of the collection? How did it come
about that these particular volumes
were preserved and brought back to

Hymnals with printed music were not the norm in the eighteenth century. Several different

sets of lyrics could be applied to the same tune.

North Carolina Libraries

Salem? The answers to these questions
are interwoven with the story of the
Gambolds themselves, their friends
and supporters, and the nature and fate
of the Cherokee mission.

The Moravian Church? traces its
origins back to the followers of the
early Protestant martyr, John Hus (d.
1415). The Unitas Fratrum, as these
believers were known, were largely sup-
pressed for the next three centuries,
and emerged again among those Prot-
estants (many from Moravia, in what is
now the Czech Republic) who took ref-
uge on the Saxony estate of Nicholas
Lewis, Count von Zinzendorf, in the
early eighteenth century. Zinzendorf
became an active patron of the group
as it defined itself anew, emphasizing a
commitment to serving the unfortu-
nate throughout the world. This was
the first Protestant sect oto declare the
evangelization of the heathen the duty
of the Church.� As early as 1732, two
Brethren sailed to the Danish West
Indies to work among the slaves. Then
came a mission to the Inuit peoples of
Greenland. Moravian migration to the
American colonies was undertaken
with the clear intention of establishing
missions to the Indians. In the north-
ern colonies, the Delaware were served
by the noted Moravian missionary,
David Zeisberger, and his assistant John
Heckewelder.® In the southern colo-
nies, there was some preliminary work
among the Indians which had to be
abandoned in 1740, when the
Moravians were compelled to leave
eastern Georgia for Bethlehem, Penn-
sylvania. The Revolutionary War and
its turbulent aftermath fostered Chero-
kee hostility towards American settlers,
precluding significant mission work
before the end of the century.

Finally, in 1799, the Cherokees in-
dicated that they were willing for the
Moravians to come to the Cherokee
Nation® to set up schools for teaching
English and other skills needed in deal-
ing more successfully with the white
culture. The missionaries, on the other
hand, gave highest priority to impart-
ing salvation, without which education
was deemed to be of little value. Their
vision was that as the Indians con-
verted, they would join the established
Moravian community, and their chil-
dren would then be educated as mem-
bers of that community. Consequently,
the first Moravian missionaries concen-
trated their efforts on building the
means of establishing and sustaining
the physical community " houses,
barns, fields " while allowing Indians,
slaves, and other interested parties to

North Carolina Libraries

attend their worship services.

In 1803, and again in 1804, the
Cherokees noted with impatience that
the Moravians had not yet established
a boarding school at Springplace, and
should leave. Negotiators (for the Indi-
ans) and carpenters (for the missionar-
ies) were dispatched from Salem.
Meanwhile, a school established by the
Presbyterians was opened at Hiwassee
in eastern Tennessee, only 60 miles
northwest of Springplace. A new, De-
cember 1804, deadline for an operating
school was set and barely met. One of
the two couples at the mission now
asked to be released from their assign-
ment. The survival of the mission
seemed to depend on the careful selec-
tion of their replacements. The
Gambolds proved to be a good choice.

Of the two Gambolds, more is
known of Anna Rosina,T owing largely
to her 17 years as an exceptionally tal-
ented and popular teacher at the
Bethlehem Female Seminary. Born in
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 1762, she
was the daughter of the locksmith
Daniel Kliest and Anna Felicitas
Schuster (who died in 1765). At the age
of 26, this Single Sister began her teach-
ing career at the Seminary. Her range of

Leben

des

Herren

Nicolaus Ludwig

Grafen und Herrn
pon

Sinzendorf

und

Potcendore,

befchvieben

von

Nuguit Gottlies Spangenberg.

Vierter Theil,

Wu te
WON Ue :
ae

AIRC CARH CMR CAIRN \

. Bu finden
in den Briidergeneinen,
17-73.

Above: Part IV of SparngenbergTs
biography of Count von Zinzendorf,
patron of the Brethren, survived the trip to
Springplace; it is quite possible the
Gambolds did not own the other parts.

Right: The sole American imprint in the
Gambold collection is The History of the
Days of the Son of Man from Martyr
Week to His Ascension (Philadelphia,
1769). The book first belonged to Anna
RosinaTs father, Daniel Kliest.

+ Die

ee

interests included the natural sciences
as well as literature, and she wrote
verse (English as well as German) for
student recitations and other special
occasions. She was imaginative, ener-
getic, and clever"dqualities often
masked by the sober reports, diaries,
and letters that make up the official
record of her years at Springplace. In
1803, she accompanied George Henry
Loskiel and others on a trip to
ZeisbergerTs mission at Goshen on the
Muskingum River in Ohio. Her per-
sonal interest in fulfilling the core
Moravian commitment to serving the
American Indian coincided with the
expressed desire of John Gambold,
hatter and leader of the Single Broth-
ers at Salem, to serve in the recently
established Moravian Mission to the
Cherokees.

In 1802, Gambold had been se-
lected to travel from Salem to
Springplace to bring news and instruc-
tions to Jacob and Dorothea Byhan, the
couple then serving alone at the Mis-
sion. He remained with them for six
very satisfying weeks. He returned still
willing and eager to serve the Chero-
kee, and willing servants were badly
needed; but the Lot, to which the
Moravians referred as an indication of
divine will, determined that this was
not the time for John Gambold to go to
Springplace. Instead, he became assis-
tant vorsteher (warden) at Salem, and
married Catherina Lanius.§ Within two
years, John was called to serve as pas-
tor in nearby Friedberg, where both he
and his wife were stricken with a severe
fever. He recovered; Catherine died on

October 30, 1804.





GSefdhbidte

) der

TUGE
Menkoen-SoHues

von

Der Marter-Wode at

bis

ar Seinee Hinrmelfabrt.

ans pes

e
Lee Rize x
Ko Awe ©
Pee
4 fat ha

Philadelphia, Gedrudt im Nahr i769.
Bey Henrid Milter yw haben, mit obey ohne
Wilcoks Gonig-Tropien

ec Skliret.

7

4

Spring 1998 " 7

John Gambold was at last ap-
proved in early 1805 for his Cherokee
mission"provided that he remarry. He
promptly set out for Bethlehem, Penn-
sylvania, and for the accomplished
schoolteacher, Anna Rosina Kliest.?
They were married in May, and set out
for Salem soon thereafter.

It is easy enough to picture Sister
Gambold packing up as many as pos-
sible of her possessions, including
books and pictures. Both parents were
dead, and at the age of 43, she was
marrying for the first time; she was
leaving the community into which she
had been born, and heading out for the
frontier to serve the Lord and the
Cherokee. She labored at Springplace
for 16 years, following her close friend
Peggy Crutchfield (the GamboldsT first
convert) in death by four months.

The Moravians were meticulous
record-keepers, and consequently the
GamboldsT reports, diaries, and letters
to their friends and supervisors back at
Salem have been preserved.!° Regretta-
bly, the correspondence that was sent
to Springplace, like the GamboldsT
many books, has disappeared.
The Moravian missionaries who
survived the Gambolds (John
died in 1827) were forced to
leave Springplace in 1831 for re-
fusing to swear allegiance to the
state of Georgia, one more dis-
graceful aspect of the govern-
ment policies associated with
the infamous removal of the
Cherokees from their lands in
the East.

While at Springplace, the
Gambolds drew up two listings
of the books they had with
them. One of these, oBooks in
the Possession of John & Anna
R. Gambold at Springplace
Cherokee Country,� is preserved
among the manuscripts in the
American Philosophical Society
in Philadelphia." It is written in
the same handwriting as the in-

RosinaTs ownership of selected

books now in the Salem

Gambold Collection. While there has
been speculation that some of the reli-
gious books on the list might have be-
longed to John Gambold, it is at least
as likely that all of the books on this list
belonged to the veteran schoolteacher
rather than to the hatter/minister.'�
The books are listed in subject catego-
ries: Religious Works (15 titles), On Sci-
ences (13), On Education (4), Miscella-
neous Works (8), Poetry (11), and
School Books (11). The most notable

6 " Spring 1998

Surgical instruments of the eighteenth
century were illustrated in RichterTs

scriptions that establish Anna The Rudiments of Surgery (7782).

thing about these books is that all 79
titles are in English. This is not entirely
surprising, as the Gambolds were bi-
lingual; despite the closeness of the
German-speaking community in
Bethlehem and Salem, both had been
born and raised in the American colo-
nies. Anna Rosina had taught most, if
not all, of her classes at Bethlehem
Female Seminary in English, and her
fluency in English is clearly evident in
her verse.

The titles on the oPossession� list
include authors and titles still familiar
to the well-read English major: Joseph
AddisonTs Evidences of the Christian Reli-
gion; John BunyanTs Grace Abounding to
the Chief of Sinners; Works of the late Dr.
Benjamin Franklin; John GerardTs Medi-
tations; The Book of Common Prayer of the
Protestant Episcopal Church in the U.S.;
Gilbert BurnetTs Abridgement of the Ref-
ormation of the Church of England and his
Some Account of the Life & Death of John,
Earl of Rochester; Samuel JohnsonTs Lives
of the English Poets; James ThomsonTs
The Seasons; Robert BurnsTs Poems; John
GayTs Fables; Edward YoungTs Night

Thoughts; John MiltonTs Paradise Lost;
William CowperTs The Task; Thomas
CampbellTs The Pleasures of Hope. Three
of the titles listed under Education
clearly reveal Anna RosinaTs profes-
sional concerns at Bethlehem Female
Seminary: Hannah MoreTs Strictures on
the Modern System of Female Education;
Charlotte SmithTs Rural Walks; and Les-
sons of a Governess to her Pupils. So, too,
do the books On Sciences, including
Daniel FenningTs A New and Easy Guide

to the Use of the Globes; Joseph MoxonTs
A Tutor to Astronomie and Geographie;
and James FergusonTs Astronomy Ex-
plained Upon Sir Isaac NewtonTs Prin-
ciples. This large selection of moral but
secular titles casts some light on the
fact that among the books in the Salem
Gambold Collection are three titles!
that are not part of the Moravian devo-
tional canon.

The publishing history of these
titles in English'* confirms the possibil-
ity that most of these books came with
Anna Rosina from Bethlehem to
Springplace in 1805. Those listed under
oSchoolbooks,� written in slightly
larger, neater script than the other cat-
egories and titles, may have come from
Bethlehem with Anna Rosina and/or
from more than one source. In August
1808, for example, the reading material
for the school was supplemented by a
gift: oa boat from Major Anderson ar-
rived here and brought various needed
articles ... for each of our brown chil-
dren as a present, a whole lot of use-
ful " and what is the most important
for us " very religiously written books
for our school.�!5

The Springplace Diary and letters
reveal that distant as it was from
Salem, the mission
was not cut off from
travelers and area
friends, White and
Native American,
who delivered pack-
ages and bundles
and even casks of
documents and
gifts. Gambold al-
ways speaks of the
delight and grati-
tude with which
| these materials, in-

_ cluding books, were
| received " grati-
tude for the materi-
als, and gratitude
_ for their actual ar-
rival, which could
never be guaran-
teed. At least once,
the delivery of a
packet to Springplace was delayed for
some ten weeks at the home of people
who could not read, and therefore
could not determine to whom the
packet should go.'® Another delivery
(containing a $100 bill) was set aside
en route in a place owhere the mice are
playing post-master and wanted to for-
ward it, but found it too large for their
mail and reduced it to many small
parts, of diverse shapes, perhaps like
plots of land.� The parts were discov-

North Carolina Libraries

ered some weeks later, with the address
gone, and eventually made their way
to the missionaries " with the bill
odamaged only a little and can pass at
full worth.�!7 Some documents, usually
reports of developments at various
Moravian congregations, had to be
sent on to others located in distant
outposts; documents often had to be
returned because it was too trouble-
some to make and disseminate mul-
tiple copies. Titles drifted in and out of
Springplace.

At times, the demands of securing
food and shelter precluded the writing
of letters to Salem; at other times, the
letters and diaries mentioned the desire
for more reading material:

If there should be space left in
the little chest, then you might
find something useful for us, as
for instance the last volume of
MilnerTs Church History. N. B.
the first three volumes are in
the Mission Archives. (DonTt be
alarmed over this large effort, it
is only in Diminutivo), and the
first 4 volumes of the same
work were given to us by a
friend in Pennsylvania. Perhaps
It would be best, if I would
include here the catalog of

the Springplace Archive,

which we would indicate in
the best way what might be
sent to us when there is a

good opportunity. !®

Gambold did indeed draw up
such a catalog, listing English titles
on one side of the page, and Ger-
man titles on the other. What is
truly revealing about this document
is the extent to which it does not
correlate with the titles in the Salem
Gambold Collection or with the
titles on the oPossession� list. Very
little overlap exists among the
three. Two titles, Elements of Useful
Knowledge 2 vols. and The American
Young ManTs Best Companion, on the
oArchives� list appear on the oPos-
session� list, and three other oAr-
chives� titles (Pastor ReichelTs
Ghostly Hymns and _ Songs,
Zinzendorf's Thoughts Concerning
Various Evangelical Truths, and
GregorTs Prayers and Meditations in
Verse for All the Days of the Year) are
represented in the Gambold Collec-
tion, which also includes the
BrethrenTs Hymn Book. (The oAr-
chives� list also includes a standard
hymn book and its supplement.)
Both lists " one by Anna Rosina
and one by John " may have been

North Carolina Libraries

drawn up around 1816; they suggest
that the Gambolds made a clear dis-
tinction between their personal books
and those belonging to the mission.
Busy as they were in their work,
the Gambolds obviously were eager to
receive reading material as well as the
official publications needed for hold-
ing services. The GamboldsT work "
teaching as well as preaching " was all
conducted in English, meaning that
the German books in their possession
mostly were read privately, perhaps pro-
viding the basis of ad hoc translation
for use in public services. The letters
and diaries reveal that the services and
devotions, including Singstunden,!�
they observed were carried out much as
they would have been back in Salem or
Bethlehem, albeit in English, and re-
quired the use of standard materials.
An important Moravian devotional
volume was the oLosungsbuch,�?°
which established the framework and
theme for daily worship. The Gambolds
were always especially grateful to re-
ceive a copy of the next Daily Text book
from friends in Bethlehem or Salem,
and great satisfaction when enough
copies arrived to give each member of
the mission his own.?! The Gambolds

te seagl vchen

oShe sings so beautifully!� " one of four
ohistorical engravings� from Suvarov and the
Cossacks in Italy (1800), one of the few non-
devotional volumes in the Gambold collection.

held a second daily service in which
they frequently incorporated a prayer
or meditation from oGerhard� " most
likely the oGerardTs Meditations 1635"
on the oPossession� list. Another fre-
quently cited source for this second
service was ZinzendorfTs The Harmony
of the Four Gospels, which appears on
the oArchives� list, as was the case with
onews of the visit of the blessed Brother
John ... read from the mission history
of Greenland.��� Use of the German
titles in the Gambold collection is con-
siderably less evident.

Despite the late date at which the
two lists of books were drawn up, they
do not include all the titles the
Gambolds had at Springplace. In
March 1818, they wrote friends in Sa-
lem, oIn the evening we are reading
together the History of the Missions of
the Propagation of the Gospel among the
Heathen Since the Reformation by Will-
iam Brown, with particular pleasure.��°
This title appears on neither of the sur-
viving lists nor among the surviving
books. Yet it is a significant title, repre-
senting core professional reading for
these missionaries. Similarly, in report-
ing on the personal injuries and ill-
nesses that befell the missionaries far
too often, the Gambolds refer to a
medical book (EwellTs Medical Compan-
ion)** not listed in the surviving docu-
mentation. The titles they did have,
however, are of interest. William
BuchanTs Domestic Medicine (on the
oPossession� list) bears a revealing sub-
title: A Treatise on the Prevention and
Cure of Diseases by Regimen and Simple
Medicines: with An Appendix Containing
a Dispensatory for the Use of Private Prac-
titioners, to Which are Added Observa-
tions on the Diet of the Common People,
Recommending a Method of Living Less
Expensive and More Conducive to Health
than the Present.2° The Gambolds were
living inexpensively.

The German medical volume that
is part of the Gambold Collection, on
the other hand, is a chilling reminder
of the missionariesT remove from pro-
fessional medical help. It is volume
one of the Rudiments of Surgery, and its
engravings provide pictures of some
singularly wicked-looking tourniquets
and instruments. The Gambolds were
more prone to the ailments of arthri-
tis, and oneurasthenia.� John
Gambold reported in 1817, for ex-
ample, that oLittle Mother Anna Rosel
has to suffer with all kinds of pain, in
particular with arthritic attack, for sev-
eral weeks already, the thumb of her
left hand has been quite lamed and 4-
5 days her walking has been made dif-

Spring 1998 " 7

ficult by similar pains in her right
leg.�26 Indeed, the letters of the
Gambolds reveal increasingly frequent
allusions to the physical limitations of
these hard-working and unmistakably
aging people. Anna Rosina died
(opassed over�), in GamboldTs arms, in
early 1821, as they were packing to
move to a new mission outpost in
Oochgelogy, Georgia.�

The bereaved widower went on to
Oochgelogy, and then returned to Sa-
lem for a period of recovery; but he did
not ask to be excused from his service
to the Cherokee. The mission board de-
termined that he clearly needed help at
his new post, and so he was married to
the Widow Anna Maria Grabbs Schultz,
who left her two daughters at the Sa-
lem GirlsT Boarding School, and accom-
panied Gambold to Oochgelogy in
1823. Anna Maria was perhaps less
prepared than her predecessor for mis-
sion work (which included establishing
a school for both Cherokee girls and
boys, the school at Springplace having
become a boysT school in 1819); but
with experience, she grew into the job.
Gambold himself died at Oochgelogy
in 1827, and yet she remained " un-
married " with the other Moravian
missionaries in Georgia until they all
finally were expelled by the state gov-
ernment in 1831.

What happened to the books that
had been in the possession (whether
listed or not) of John and Anna Rosina
at Springplace? Most of the books, in-
cluding those inherited by Anna

Dr. Martin LutherTs Christly Precepts for All the Days of the Year (1817) was one of the

Rosina from her father Daniel, would
have been inherited by John Gambold
in 1821. Some or all of them might
have returned with him to Salem in
that year. It is far more likely that they
remained in Georgia. They might have
been divided between Springplace and
Oochgelogy, but " especially given the
sort of distinction made between the
Mission Archive and the personal pos-
sessions of the Gambolds " it is more
likely the library was moved in toto to
the latter. When Anna Maria returned
to Salem, she probably brought her late

husbandTs library with her.

By 1831, the extent to which Ger-
man was the preferred tongue among
the Moravians was probably diminish-
ing. It is probable that the German
books in the Gambold library were be-
coming increasingly appreciated as
quaint artifacts by Anna MariaTs de-
scendants, while the books in English
would have remained oin circula-
tion� " more ordinary, more easily re-
placed, and less likely to be preserved
over the years. It is possible that the in-
scription of John GamboldTs name in
the three volumes of RislerTs Historical
Excerpts from the Books of the Old Testa-
ment was written by Anna Maria or one
of her daughters; it appears to be the
same hand that wrote oSister
Gambold� in two of Anna RosinaTs vol-
umes. Yet another hand, probably later
but also probably within the family,
wrote o(Anna MariaTs husband)� next
to John GamboldTs name in one of the
Risler volumes. We do know that Anna

many titles published to celebrate the tricentennial of the'beginning of the Protestant
Reformation. The title page proudly explains that the engraving is based on the Cranach

portrait of Luther.

8 " Spring 1998

MariaTs daughter Dorothea married the
book binder David Clewell in 1839,
and through their descendants the
German books that now constitute the
Salem Gambold collection survived.

It is in this light that we look at the
last book to be added to the Gambold
Collection during Anna RosinaTs life-
time, Dr. Martin LutherTs Exegesis of
the Fifteenth Chapter of St. John.
(Neudietendorf: 1818). The inscription
shows it to be a gift to Anna Rosina
from Elisabeth Horsfield, almost cer-
tainly the Eliza M. Horsfield who had
taught with her at the Bethlehem Fe-
male Seminary some twenty years be-
fore.�® Like an earlier gift�? from their
friends, Christian and Maria Schaaf,
this book was part of the wave of
Luther celebrations that came with the
tricentennial of the Reformation. The
Horsfield gift is an 1818 edition of a
German text originally printed in
1538"an early Reformation text. That
is the point: for these spiritual descen-
dents of John Hus, LutherTs triumph is
ultimately their triumph.

The Springplace grave of Sister
Anna Rosina Kliest Gambold was, and
is yet, unmarked. A small part of her
personal library is preserved in the Sa-
lem College Library, a memorial to her,
and to her remarkable fulfillment of
the ideals of her faith.

The author gratefully acknowledges the
assistance of Ms. Martha Giles, Techni-
cal Services Librarian; Ms. Susan Taylor,
Public Services Librarian; Mr. Adam
Stiener, Associate Professor of German;
and Dr. Craig Atwood, Chaplain and
Assistant Professor of Religion, all of
Salem College; Dr. C. Daniel Crews, Mr.
Richard Starbuck, and Mrs. Grace
Robinson of the Moravian Church Ar-
chives of Winston-Salem; Dr. Nola
Knouse of the Moravian Music Founda-
tion, Winston-Salem; Mr. J]. Thomas
Minor, Library Director at Moravian
College, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; and
Mr. Scott DeHaven of the American
Philosophical Society, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.

References

! The best route from Salem to
Springplace went north over the Blue
Ridge Mountains to a place near
Abingdon, Virginia. They followed the
valley from Bristol to Knoxville, and
then took the more difficult road to
Springplace. Frances Griffin, Less Time
for Meddling A History of Salem Academy
and College 1772-1866 (Winston-Salem,
NC: John F. Blair, 1979), 59, observes
that this field trip was an unusually

North Carolina Libraries

distant venture for the students.

2 At this time, hymnals contained
words, but not the notes, staffs, and
other representations of the music that
we are used to finding in modern hym-
nals. Dr. Nola Knause of the Moravian
Music Foundation and Dr. C. Daniel
Crews of the Moravian Church Ar-
chives, have explained that very differ-
ent verses (songs) with a common
meter could be sung to the same tune.
That is, a given set of words did not
belong exclusively to a given tune.
Joint interview, Winston-Salem, De-
cember 4, 1997.)

3 The Moravian Church maintains a
very informative Web page (http://
www.moravian.org). The basic histories
of the Moravian Church include E. A.
DeSchweinitz, History of the Church
Known as Unitas Fratrum (Bethlehem,
PA: Moravian Publications Office,
1885); J. E. Hutton, A History of the
Moravian Church 2d ed. (London:
Moravian Publications Office, 1909);
and J.T. and K.G. Hamilton, History of
the Moravian Church: The Renewed
Unitas Fratrum 1722-1957 rev. ed.
(Bethlehem, PA: Interprovincial Board
of Christian Education, Moravian
Church in America, 1967).

4 Muriel Wright, Springplace Moravian
Mission and the Ward Family of the
Cherokee Nation (Guthrie, OK: Co-op-
erative Publishing Co., 1940), 34. The
standard history of the Springplace
Mission is the Rev. Edmund Schwarze,
History of the Moravian Missions Among
Southern Indian Tribes of the United States
(Bethlehem, PA: Times Publishing
Company, 1923) Transactions of the
Moravian Historical Society, Special Series.
Vol. I. Wright borrowed extensively
from Schwarze.

HeckewelderTs daughter Polly was
reportedly the first White child born in
Ohio, and a student at the Bethlehem
Female Seminary in the first years of
Anna RosinaTs tenure there. One of the

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volumes in the Salem Gambold Collec-
tion, Some of the Last Discourses of the
Blessed Count Nicholas Lewis von
Zinzendorf (Barby, 1784), is a gift from
Polly to her former teacher inscribed,
oJohanna Maria Heckewelder to A. RO.
G.� The book might have been pre-
sented just before Anna RosinaTs 1805
departure from Bethlehem, or it might
have been sent out to Springplace at
any time up to 1821.

6 William G. McLoughlin, Cherokees
and Missionaries, 1789-1839, (New Ha-
ven: Yale University Press, 1984). This
and the next paragraph are drawn from
McLoughlinTs chapter, oThe Cherokees
and the Moravians, 1799-1803,� pp.
35-53. In general, the books by
McLoughlin and Schwarze provide the
basis for the general summary of the
Moravian Mission to the Cherokees in
this paper.

7 Daniel L. McKinley provides a
splendid biography of the Gambolds in
oAnna Rosina (Kliest) Gambold (1762-
1821), Moravian Missionary to the
Cherokees, with Special Reference to
her Botanical Interests,� Transactions of
the Moravian Historical Society 28 (1994):
59-99.

8 Adelaide Fries, trans. and ed.,
Records of the Moravians in North Caro-
lina. 13 vols. (Raleigh: State Depart-
ment of Archives and History, 1927-47;
reprinted 1970), v. 6, 2688. I have
made extensive use of this invaluable
resource in this paper.

9 Anna Rosina and John had both in-
habited the small Moravian commu-
nity of Bethlehem from 1773 to 1782
and from 1785 to 1790. JohnTs age dur-
ing those periods would have been 13
to 22 and 25 to 30 years; Anna Rosina
would have been two years younger. In
short, they would have made one
anotherTs acquaintance, however sepa-
rate their lives must have been as
Single Brother and Single Sister.
(Moravians were divided into ochoirs,�

or social groups based on age and mari-
tal status.)

10 The GamboldsT letters and other
documents are preserved in the Ar-
chives of the Moravian Church in
America, Southern Province, Winston-
Salem, NC. In 1802, Salem received of-
ficial oversight of the Cherokee mission
activities. Gambold addressed letters (as
well as reports) to his supervisors in the
Diacony and General Helpers Confer-
ence there. The letters have been trans-
lated into English by the late Elizabeth
Marx of the Moravian Church Archives.
Three years (1815-1817) of the
Springplace Diary have been translated
and edited by Rowena McClinton, The
Moravian Mission Among the Cherokees at
Springplace, Georgia. (Ph.D. Dissertation.
University of Kentucky, 1996).

11 oBooks in the Possession of John
and Anna Rosina Gambold at
Springplace Cherokee Country,� Mis-
cellaneous Manuscripts Collection
(MLS-3), American Philosophical Soci-
ety, Philadelphia. The list itself has sur-
vived by an extraordinary stroke of
luck. It is accompanied by a note ex-
plaining that in 1934 the list had been
ofound on the street by a passerby and
brought in, thinking that it belonged
to the American Philosophical Soci-
ety.�

12 Daniel McKinley has written a de-
tailed analysis of the English titles on
this list, The Books of John and Anna
Rosina Gambold (S.1.: n.p., n.d.) 47 pp.
Two copies are in the Moravian Collec-
tion of Reeves Library at Moravian Col-
lege, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

13 These are Fruits of my Nightwatches
in Cayenne, originally in French,
(Gotha, 1799) and a play, Rinaldo
RinaldiniTs Suvarov and the Cossacks in
Italy (Leipzig, 1800). The latter includes
an engraved portrait of the Russian
general Suvarov and four ohistorical
engravings� "i.e., illustrations of the
text; one portrays the next best thing

MUMFORD

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. North Carolina Representative " Phil May

oNothing like seeing
for yourself.T

MUMFORD LIBRARY BOOKS, SOUTHEAST, INC.
7847 Bayberry Road ¢ Jacksonville, Florida 32256

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North Carolina Libraries

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Spring 1998 " 9

to ColeridgeTs damsel with a dulci-
mer " a genuine image of the Roman-
tic era. The third non-devotional title
is a medical book.

14 A title and/or author check of the
list entries in the LOCIS databases,
PREM and BKSA, confirms that edi-
tions of most were in print before 1805.
Two exceptions are Christian
Correspondence ... the late Rev. John
Wesley &c. to the Late Mrs. Eliza Bennis
(1809) and Elias BoudinotTs Memoirs of
the Life of the Rev. William Tennent, Late
Pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Free-
hold in New Jersey , which first saw print
in 1806. McKinley, The Books, provides
a thorough study of the titles on this
list.

IS August 22, 1808. Gambolds to
Brother Benzien. Moravian Church Ar-
chives, Winston-Salem M411:6:22. All
following letter citations are abbrevi-
ated to date, writer, and addressee.
They are found in boxes M411 and
M412. While the oPossessions� list has
a School books category, the books re-
ceived in this gift may never have been
listed separately. In his oArchives� list,
Gambold gives these gift items a single
entry, odifferent Schoolbooks pre-
sented by Col Meigs and Col. Anderson
& others,� while also entering two
other titles that appear on the oPosses-

IN

10 " Spring 1998

INTEGRATED

sions� list.

16 February 28, 1808. Gambolds to
Brother Benzien. This had happened
some 18 months before, when the
Gambolds had been at Springplace for
less than a full year.

17 July 8, 1816. Gambolds to Brother
van Vleck.

18 July 1, 1816. Gambolds to Brother v.
Schweinitz.

19 oSingstunde� means an hour of
singing. This was a form of worship ser-
vice that was based on selecting a series
of hymns that developed a particular
theme. Otto Dreydoppel, Jr. and C.
Daniel Crews, oMoravian Meanings A
Glossary of Moravian Terms,� http://
www.moravian.org/meanings.htm.

20 Dreydoppel and Crews,. oLosung�
means watchword, in this case a se-
lected Bible verse for the day. Count
von Zinzendorf began the practice of
sending out a daily watchword to the
Moravians at Hernnhut in 1732. The
Daily Text books are annual compila-
tions of these verses, selected by lot
and in advance, and translated into
over 40 languages around the world.
21 April 22, 1816. Gambolds to
Brother Van Vleck.

2 Diary, January 7, 1816; McClinton,
pp. 369-70.

?3 March 23, 1818. John and A. R.

INFORMATION SERVICES

INFORMATION

Gambold to Brother and Sister Stoz.

24 June 11, 1818. Gambolds to Brother
Van Vleck.

*S This title is an early North Carolina
imprint: Halifax, NC: Printed and sold
by Abraham Hodge, 1801.

76 August 17, 1817. Gambolds to Jacob
Van Vleck.

27 Schwarze, p. 143.

*8 William C. Reichel, A History of the
Rise, Progress, and Present Condition of
the Bethlehem Female Seminary with a

- Catalog of its Pupils, 1785-1858 (Phila-

delphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1858),
294.

29 Dr. Martin LutherTs Christly Precepts
for All the Days of the Year...Also a Me-
mento of Thankful Remembrance of his
Service in Having Begun the Reformation
of the Church 300 Years Ago. With
LutherTs Picture After the Original Paint-
ing by Lucas Cranach ... (Neudietendorf,
1817). The Schaafs moved from
Bethlehem and arrived in Salem on
May 20, 1819. Two months later, John
Gambold wrote that the Schaafs oshall
have a loving kiss in spirit for their love
that they have brought something for
us from Bethlehem as far as Salem and
have turned it over for further send-
ing.� (July 24, 1819. John Gambold to
Brother Van Vleck.)

MANAGEMENT

North Carolina Libraries

Alexandre VattemareTs
System of International Exchanges
in North Carolina

he power of eloquence spurred
legislators in 1849 to authorize
North CarolinaTs participation in
an innovative international ex-
change program that led to a brief,
but interesting, sharing of informa-
tion. That year Nicolas Marie
Alexandre Vattemare, a French ventrilo-
quist, impersonator, and philanthro-
pist, came to North Carolina to gain
support for his system of literary and
scientific exchanges. Inspired by his ide-
als and persuasive manner, the General
Assembly added the state to a roster of
countries and American states that had
already begun to exchange publications
and artifacts in an effort to promote
good will and understanding. After a
flurry of activity, North Carolinians lost
interest in the program, even though
the State Library had received consider-
ably more material than the state sent
to VattemareTs agency in Paris. The ex-
change program, which dwindled in
importance prior to VattemareTs death
in 1864, had little impact on the people
of North Carolina. The programTs sig-
nificance lies not in what North Carolina
gained through exchange, but in the
light it sheds on the state and its people
at a progressive moment in history.
Alexandre Vattemare (November 8,
1796-April 7, 1864), was born in Paris
and grew up on his fatherTs small estate
in Normandy, where he discovered his
talent as a ventriloquist. He studied at
a seminary and at lTHospital Saint-
Louis, but ultimately chose to pursue a
career as a ventriloquist and imperson-
ator. Monsieur Alexandre, as he called
himself, entertained commoners and
kings throughout Europe. During his
travels, Vattemare visited libraries and

North Carolina Libraries

by Maurice C. York

museums. He noticed that many of
them held duplicate books, documents,
art objects, and artifacts. Considering
this wasteful, he conceived the idea of
an international exchange program and
garnered support for it in Europe.!

Encouraged by the Marquis de
Lafayette and other prominent support-
ers, Vattemare promoted his exchange
program in the United States during a
performing tour that began in 1839. In
19 months he visited many American
cities, extolling the virtue of his idea
while advocating the development of
public libraries. VattemareTs hard work
and eloquence bore fruit. Many Ameri-
cans signed petitions and wrote testi-
monials in favor of his plans. In re-
sponse to a memorial Vattemare pre-
pared late in 1839, Congress in 1840
authorized the librarian of Congress,
under the supervision of the Joint Com-
mittee on the Library, to exchange
documents and duplicate books.� The
legislatures of several states quickly
voted to participate in the program.
Louisiana appropriated $3,000 in March
1840, and New York joined the effort in
May. In March 1841, Maine agreed to
print and distribute 50 extra copies of
its public documents.*

Vattemare returned to France in
1841 with tangible evidence of his suc-
cess " as he put it, o... upwards of 1,800
volumes of books, 500 engravings, 250

The programTs significance lies not in what North Carolina
gained through exchange, but in the light it sheds on the

original drawings, many specimens of
natural history and mineralogy, (among
them a piece of native iron, weighing
2,500 lbs.) and several interesting relics
of the aborigines.�* His commitment to
the exchange program thus strength-
ened, he distributed the materials and
convinced the French government in
1846 to provide limited financial sup-
port. Various French agencies provided
him with additional publications to dis-
tribute. It was during this time that
Vattemare formally created a central
agency for exchanges in Paris, with
himself as agent and with the assistance
of his son and son-in-law.°

Seeking additional participation
from Congress and individual states,
Vattemare returned to America in 1847.
He brought with him a collection of
books, prints, and medals valued at
$80,000, which he expected to use to
attract support for his program. The
energetic Frenchman made a second
appeal to Congress in February 1848.
Accordingly, in June Congress enacted
legislation that fostered VattemareTs ef-
forts by appointing him agent, appro-
priating $1,500 for the exchange
agencyTs expenses, and allowing ex-
changes to enter the country free of
duty. It also granted franking privileges.
Congress required Vattemare to stamp
exchanges with the name of the pro-
gram and to ship packages in care of the

state and its people at a progressive moment in history.

Spring 1998 " 11

collector of customs at the port of des-
tination.T� Later that year, Vattemare
published Report on the Subject of Inter-
national Exchanges, which he used to
account for his activity as agent of
five states and to encourage other states
to support his endeavors. He also ad-
dressed legislatures as they met. By
the time Vattemare left for France in
December 1850, 17 states had made
commitments to assist him in some
fashion.®

Vattemare appears to have con-
tacted North CarolinaTs governor, Will-
iam Alexander Graham late in 1848.°
On December 11, Graham wrote the
General Assembly to recommend that
legislators appropriate a small sum for
use by the governor to facilitate the
stateTs participation in the program of
o... Mr. Alexander Vattemare, a distin-
guished citizen of the French Republic,
for a system of International Exchanges,
of Works of Literature and Science, and
of the products of Nature and of Art in
different Countries.� Graham attached
a pamphlet describing the program and
suggested that the governor be autho-
rized to exchange copies of the revised
statutes and other public documents.!°
That Graham would take VattemareTs
proposal seriously is not surprising.
During his two terms as governor, he
had served as a trustee of the State Li-
brary, located in the State Capitol " it-
self a monument to the stateTs progres-
sive mood " and was aware of the
libraryTs long-standing practice of ex-
changing printed documents with Con-
gress and with other states. He had
played a key role in developing the State
LibraryTs well-selected collection by
overseeing the efforts of Joseph Green
Cogswell to collect in America and Eu-
rope such notable works as John James
AudubonTs Birds of America.'!

The timing of VattemareTs contact
with North Carolina was fortuitous,
too, because of the progressive spirit
prevalent at that time. Beginning in
1835, the Whig Party had dominated
the General Assembly, which supported
the development of railroads, public
schools, and a school for the deaf and
dumb, among other improvements.
The stateTs economy advanced during
the 1840s. Scientific farming methods,
promoted in journals and by local soci-
eties, assisted some farmers in enhanc-
ing their yields. Fisheries contributed
significantly to the economy of eastern
North Carolina. The importance of gold
mining in the state had led in 1837 to
the establishment of a branch of the
United States Mint at Charlotte. Iron
mining was carried out successfully, but

12 " Spring 1998

on a small scale, in the Piedmont. Tur-
pentine distilleries in the southeastern
counties and a fledgling textile industry
flourished. Although North CarolinaTs
cultural achievements did not rival
those of some states in the North, the
development of the University of North
Carolina and a few private colleges, the
appearance of newspapers throughout
the state, and the publication of books
and pamphlets of varying types were

M. FABI QVINTILIANI
Oratoris cloquentiffimiInft- Wl

TYTIONVM 0: ORIARVM LIBRI Xi,

~ / poft omnes omnium editiones Gognlari cum ftodio
7 se eye e cam judi.

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Cum priuilegio fupremi é
SENATVS AD TRIENNIVM:

Title page from book 12 of Institutio
oratoria, by Marcus Fabius Quintilianus
(c. AD 35-after 96), an important
contribution to the field of rhetoric. This
volume is one of the few gifts of
Vattemare still in the State LibraryTs
collection. Note the official stamp of the
Systeme DTEchange International at the
bottom of the page. Courtesy of the
State Library of North Carolina and the
North Carolina Division of Archives and
History, Raleigh.

evidence of a growing interest in educa-
tion and reading. A survey published in
1851 noted that the State Library in
Raleigh contained 3,000 volumes and
briefly described libraries associated
with the University of North Carolina,
Davidson College, Wake Forest College,
oFayette Academy� in Salem, and a mis-
sion school at Valle Crucis, although
other libraries certainly existed.!�
Actions of the General Assembly of
1848-1849 epitomized this forward-
looking mood. During the session leg-
islators incorporated the North Caro-
lina Railroad Company and authorized
the development of a hospital for the

insane. They gave their blessing also to
many private academies and institutes,
including Plymouth Academy. The
Mecklenburg Agricultural Society was
incorporated, as was the Williamston
Library Association, founded to support
a library in the town of Williamston.'4

The General Assembly lost little
time in responding to Governor
GrahamTs recommendation. On motion
of William Nathan Harrell Smith of
Hertford County, the Senate voted on
January 6, 1849, to send a message to
the House of Commons proposing that
a joint select committee of eight be
formed to consider the adoption of
VattemareTs plan. The House of Com-
mons promptly concurred.'*

The appointment of a remarkable
group of legislators foreshadowed sup-
port for the exchange program. The
Senate chose Smith, a graduate of Yale
College who later would serve in the
United States House of Representatives
and as chief justice of the North Caro-
lina Supreme Court; William Henry
Washington, a founder of the New Bern
Literary Society; and William D. Bethell
of Rockingham County.

The House of Commons selected
five members. Hamilton Chamberlain
Jones, a lawyer and journalist, had pub-
lished the Carolina Watchman , an anti-
Jackson weekly newspaper in Salisbury.
Rockingham CountyTs Daniel William
Courts served as state treasurer both
before and after his tenure in the House
of Commons. James Cochran Dobbin,
whose impassioned support insured the
passage of legislation creating North
CarolinaTs hospital for the insane, rep-
resented Cumberland County. Later he
served as Franklin PierceTs secretary of
the Navy. An avid Whig who served
terms in the United States House of Rep-
resentatives and, in 1862, a stint as
Abraham LincolnTs military governor of
North Carolina, Edward Stanly repre-
sented Beaufort County. Kenneth
Rayner, a planter from Hertford County
who had served in the United States
House of Representatives from 1839 to
1845, was elected chairman of the com-
mittee. It is possible that Rayner ac-
cepted this role because he had served
in Congress when Vattemare first ad-
dressed that body.'®

On January 8, the committee in-
vited Vattemare, who had arrived in
Raleigh on January 4 to gain support for
his system, to address both houses of
the General Assembly and the public
oon the subject of that noble and phil-
anthropic purpose, to which you are
devoting the labors of your life.� The
Raleigh Register heralded the arrival of

North Carolina Libraries

othis distinguished French gentleman�
and informed the public that he would
deliver on the evening of January 9 a
lecture in Commons Hall of the State
Capitol.'°

VattemareTs reputation attracted a
ocrowded and intelligent audience,�
which responded enthusiastically to his
eloquent and very lengthy speech.� In
it Vattemare told about the libraries he
had visited and the duplicate or un-
wanted books and manuscripts he had
seen in them. He boasted of his success
in promoting exchanges in the old
world:

Within the last twenty years
more than 500,000 exchanges
have taken place; thousands of
volumes have been withdrawn
from darkness and the dust, and
countless libraries enriched by
these exchanges, while nobody
has been taxed, nobody empov-
erished; missing volumes have
been supplied, mutilated series
made perfect .... Exchanges have
taken place between Moscow
and Lisbon, Madrid and London,
Rome and Constantinople " Paris
and the rest of the old world.!

The Frenchman described the oexalted
approbation� of emperors, cardinals,
and bishops. He reveled in his passage
through the otribunal from whose judg-
ment there is no appeal� " England
and France.�

After describing his accomplish-
ments, Vattemare lamented AmericaTs
shortcomings " its lack of libraries ac-
cessible to the public and the state of its
museums, which he found to be ode-
graded raree shows.� He told the audi-
ence that state libraries were the insti-
tutions most suited to rectifying
AmericaTs literary shortcomings.
Vattemare believed that most state li-
braries consisted chiefly of legal works
intended for the use of legislators and
thus of little interest to the public. He
envisioned them becoming a cultural
resource for scholars and laymen alike:
oThis would be a true intellectual de-
mocracy " the best books, selected to
suit the wants of all classes and profes-
sions, freely thrown open to the use of
all.��° His system of exchanges, admin-
istered through state libraries, could
help effect this metamorphosis.�!

Realizing that Americans could not
match the literary resources available in
Europe for exchange, he suggested ap-
propriate alternatives, including public
documents. He urged his listeners to
compile detailed responses to a series of
15 questions designed to provide infor-

North Carolina Libraries

mation about the natural history,
people, government, economy, educa-
tional institutions, religious denomina-
tions, charitable institutions, and litera-
ture of their localities. He also provided
a copy of printed instructions outlining
the best methods for collecting, preserv-
ing, and transporting objects of natural
history.2�

Vattemare augmented his oratory
with a tangible expression of his com-
mitment to working with North Caro-
lina. He presented the State Library over
50 books, pamphlets, and issues of pe-
riodicals, most of which had been pub-
lished in France during the 1840s. Prac-
tical in nature, they pertained to such
agricultural topics as silk culture, irriga-
tion, horse breeding, and the diseases of
the lungs of cattle. Crowning the gift
was an engraving, oSir Walter Raleigh
spreading his Cloak at the feet of Queen
Elizabeth,� given to the General Assem-
bly on behalf of the engraver, Mr.
Girard.�

Impressed by VattemareTs speech
and gifts, public officials and the press
responded enthusiastically. Kenneth
Rayner, Edward Stanly, Daniel Coutts,
and James Dobbin, as well as North
Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice
Thomas Ruffin and former United
States Senator Robert Strange, ospoke

Pencil drawing of Alexandre Vattemare (n.d.) by William
Walcutt (b.1819), portrait painter and sculptor from
Columbus, Ohio, who studied art in Paris in the early
1850s and later worked in New York City. Original in the
Print Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art,
Prints and Photographs, The New York Public Library, Astor,
Lenox and Tilden Foundation.

with animation and force� on the im-
portance of VattemareTs mission. The
editor of the Raleigh Register declared
that oIt would argue a deplorable state
of barbarity among us, if this proposi-
tion of the distinguished Frenchman,
were met by a niggardly and stupid par-
simony.� William Woods Holden, pub-
lisher of the North Carolina Standard,
also endorsed North CarolinaTs support
of the exchange program.�*

Legislators acted swiftly and deci-
sively. During the evening session of
January 9, Kenneth Rayner reported a
resolution and bill in favor of
VattemareTs work, and they were or-
dered to be printed. RaynerTs report as
chairman of the joint select committee
appointed to consider the exchange
program was dated January 10. In flow-
ery language equal to that of the
Frenchman himself, the legislator from
Hertford County praised Vattemare and
the fruits of his work. He felt that the
ostupendous� program belonged oem-
phatically to this age of rapid improve-
ment and discovery, in which destiny
has cast our lot.� He emphasized the
positive effects the program would have
on the development of art, science, lit-
erature, and a spirit of conciliation
among peoples of the world. In return
for the orich stores of the intellect and

genius of Europe,� Rayner
suggested that the state con-
tribute its laws, legislative
journals, and court decisions,
which reflected well on this
countryTs mastery of the osci-
ence� of government.�
Despite this outpouring
of support, Vattemare re-
mained in Raleigh while the
General Assembly pondered
the matter. State librarian
James Fauntleroy Taylor in-
vited Vattemare to his home
several times during this pe-
riod. Taylor told University
of North Carolina president
David Lowry Swain on Janu-
ary 20 that oWe have found
him a perfect specimen-avis
rara.� Vattemare, who knew
the most distinguished men
in Europe, entertained Taylor
with numerous anecdotes.�°
Final passage of the reso-
lutions and law in support of
the system of international
exchanges took place four
days later. The resolutions
expressed appreciation for
VattemareTs work and for his
gifts to the State Library. Leg-
islators authorized the gover-

Spring 1998 " 13

nor to insure that Vattemare be given
six copies each of several legal publica-
tions and histories of the state written
by William Henry Foote, Joseph Seawell
Jones, Francois-Xavier Martin, and
Hugh Williamson. The Frenchman also
was to receive six copies each of
Denison OlmstedTs geological survey of
North Carolina, oall the papers and pro-
ceedings relating to the Mecklenburg
Declaration of Independence,� and
Fordyce Mitchell HubbardTs biography
of William Richardson Davie. Two cop-
ies of the latest state map and five cop-
ies of Indexes to Documents Relative to
North Carolina during the Colonial Exist-
ence of Said State were to be included in
the gift. In the future, the governor
would oversee the transmittal to
Vattemare of six copies of all state docu-
ments, including laws, journals, and
court reports.?�

The act to provide for the support
of the exchange system contained addi-
tional instructions. The sum of $300
was to be appropriated annually to de-
fray expenses of the central agency in
Paris. Lawmakers authorized the gover-
nor to appoint a person to serve as the
stateTs agent in Paris, and to transfer
appropriated funds to the agency after
it had been officially established. An-
nual reports of the agent were to be sub-
mitted to the governor, who would re-
port biennially to the General Assem-
bly. The act called for the printing of
1,000 copies of the proceedings of the
General Assembly on the subject of in-
ternational exchanges, which were to
be distributed to legislators, academic
institutions in North Carolina, and the
governors of each state.�8

The state and individual legislators
acted promptly to fulfill commitments.
Governor Charles Manly appointed
Vattemare the stateTs agent and gave
him $300 for the 1850 calendar year.
On January 26, 1849, Manly instructed
state librarian James F. Taylor to procure
multiple copies of books and docu-
ments for the exchange program. He
asked Henry D. Turner, a bookseller in
Raleigh, to obtain books and send them
to Paris.2? Some of the works specified
by the General Assembly and a few ad-
ditional titles probably were given to
Vattemare before he left Raleigh; others,
including those obtained and shipped
by Turner, were lost when the packet
Oneida sank off the coast of England in
February 1850.°°

In response to VattemareTs request
during his speech and personal contacts
he made while waiting for the General
Assembly to act, at least ten legislators
and a few other men wrote descriptions

14 " Spring 1998

of their counties or legislative districts.
In general, they reflect the writersT pride
in the natural resources and economic
conditions of their localities, as well as
appreciation of the value of sharing
such information with others. Some of
the accounts shed light on the progres-
sive spirit of the period. Alexander
Murchison noted that there were 45
saw mills, seven cotton factories, and
two turpentine distilleries in
Cumberland County. Seven steamboats
owned by citizens of the county plied
the Cape Fear River to transport lumber
and turpentine. Senator William
Albright of Chatham County men-
tioned the specimens of bituminous
coal and iron ore he had given
Vattemare. Other accounts touched on
iron forges in Catawba, Lincoln, and
Gaston counties, osheep walks� in Ma-
con County, commerce in the town of
Washington, and the potential eco-
nomic impact of the North Carolina
Railroad. Of particular importance are
Samuel Finley PattersonTs description of
gold mining in Burke and McDowell
counties, Kader BiggsTs account of the
vast fisheries of the Albemarle Sound
region, and an exposé on the Roanoke
River Valley by Henry King Burgwyn.*!

This flush of enthusiasm did not
last long. Despite the fact that
Vattemare supplied two shipments of
books in 1850, North Carolinians, like
exchange participants elsewhere, lost
interest in the program. The state ap-
pears not to have contributed addi-
tional volumes for exchange, and no
further payments were made. In De-
cember 1850, the General AssemblyTs
Joint Select Committee on the Library,
which had studied the matter, reported
a bill to repeal the act in support of the
system of exchanges. Legislators ratified
the bill on January 28, 1851.°* The
French government had withdrawn fi-
nancial support in 1848, and Congress
rescinded its legislation in 1852. New
York, Massachusetts, and a few other
states contributed to the program
longer, but most governments ceased
their support because the expenses in-
volved outweighed the value of the
books Vattemare supplied, and because
the Frenchman was unable, with lim-
ited assistance, to organize the program
efficiently.*8

Vattemare refused to acknowledge
failure. Although he appears to have re-
ceived no official correspondence from
North Carolina after 1850, the deter-
mined philanthropist submitted annual
reports in 1851 and 1852. He made two
or three shipments of books and docu-
ments in 1851. Such actions were typi-

cal of his optimistic relationship with
other governments prior to his death in
1864.*4

VattemareTs failed experiment had
little lasting impact on North Carolina.
The State Library acquired at least 165
publications through exchange. Rang-
ing in date from 1526 to 1850, they
pertained to such subjects as agricul-
ture, criminology, geography, history,
and religion. Most of them were written
in French or Latin, however, and it is
doubtful that they were heavily used by
the libraryTs patrons. Some multi-vol-
ume sets were incomplete when they
were sent to the State Library, a fact that
lessened their utility. Today, only a
handful of the titles remain in the State
LibraryTs collection.*®

Yet the episode is significant for

several reasons. It provides further evi-
dence of a charismatic cosmopoliteTs
burning desire to foster cultural devel-
opment and a cooperative spirit among
the peoples of the world. Reflecting the
optimism of the times, it reveals the
desire of broad-minded leaders to try
something new in an effort to enhance
the value of the State Library " one of
the stateTs principal literary resources.
Finally, through the thoughtful re-
sponses of legislators to VattemareTs re-
quest for information about their locali-
ties, it provides valuable insight into
how educated men viewed the natural
resources, economic conditions, and
potential of their state during a time of
relative prosperity.

References

1 Dictionary of American Biography, s.v.
oVattemare, Nicolas Marie Alexandre,�
hereinafter cited as DAB; Elizabeth M.
Richards, oAlexandre Vattemare and His
System of International Exchanges,�
Medical Library Association Bulletin 32
(October 1944): 414-416, hereinafter cited
as Richards, oAlexandre Vattemare.�

2 DAB; Richards, oAlexandre
Vattemare, o 418-422; Dictionary of
American Library Biography, " s.v.
oVattemare, Nicolas-Marie-Alexandre,�
hereinafter cited as DALB.

3 George Burwell Utley, The LibrariansT
Conference of 1853: A Chapter in American
Library History, ed. Gilbert H. Doane (Chi-
cago: American Library Association,
1951), 174.

4 Proceedings of the General Assembly of
North Carolina on the Subject of Interna-
tional Exchanges, Session 1848-T49 (Ra-
leigh: Seaton Gales, Printer for the State,
1849), 37, hereinafter cited as Proceedings
of the General Assembly.

S Richards, oAlexandre Vattemare,�
426; Proceedings of the General Assembly,

North Carolina Libraries

38-39. lina, 1848-1849, January 6, 1849; Journal of Charles Manly, 1849, GLB 39, State Ar-
6 DALB; Richards, oAlexandre the House of Commons of North Carolina, chives, Division of Archives and History,

Vattemare,� 426. 1848-1849, January 6, 1849. Raleigh; Alexandre Vattemare to Gover-
7 DALB; Richards, oAlexandre 18 Proceedings of the General Assembly, [4]; nor David S. Reid, November 10, 1852,

Vattemare,� 426-428. Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, s.v. William Gaston Papers, Southern Histori-
8 Richards, oAlexandre Vattemare,� oSmith, William Nathan Harrell,� oWash- cal Collection, hereinafter cited as

428-429; Utley, LibrariansT Conference, ington, William Henry,� oJones, Hamilton Gaston Papers.

lig Chamberlain,� oCourts, Daniel William,� 30 Vattemare to Reid, November 10, 1852,

9 Graham (1804-1875), a lawyer and oDobbin, James Cochran,� oStanly, Ed- Gaston Papers; Manly to Vattemare, June
planter, served as governor from Janu- ward,� and oRayner, Kenneth�; John L. 17, 1850, GLB 39, State Archives; Vattemare
ary, 1845, until January, 1849. During Cheney, Jr., ed., North Carolina Government, to his Excellency the Governor of the State
his tenure he promoted humanitarian 1585-1979: A Narrative and Statistical His- of North Carolina, September 30, 1851,
causes and internal improvements, in- tory (Raleigh: North Carolina Department GovernorsT Papers, David S. Reid, G.P. 127,
cluding the development of railroads. of the Secretary of State, 1981), 316-317. State Archives; Manly to Vattemare, Janu-
President Millard Fillmore selected Gra- 16 Proceedings of the General Assembly, |4]; ary 26, 1849, Correspondence (1838-64),
ham in 1850 to serve as secretary ofthe Raleigh Register, January 10, 1849. The Letters Arranged by Place of Origin, New
Navy. Dictionary of North Carolina newspaperTs notice of the public meeting York-North Carolina, Microfilm Reel 4,
Biography, s.v. oGraham, William appeared the day after VattemareTs speech. Alexandre Vattemare Papers, Rare Books &
Alexander,� hereinafter cited as DNCB. 17 Weekly Raleigh Register, and North Caro- Manuscripts Division, New York Public Li-

10 Proceedings of the General Assembly, lina Gazette, January 17, 1849. brary, hereinafter cited as NC Letters,
[3]. It is likely that the pamphlet was 18 Proceedings of the General Assembly, 27. Vattemare Papers. This series of letters in-
VattemareTs Report on the Subject of Inter- 19 Proceedings of the General Assembly, 28-29. cludes also two lists of books and docu-
national Exchanges, published in 1848. 20 Proceedings of the General Assembly, 33- ments pertaining to North Carolina. One
A card file in the North Carolina State 34, 64. of them contains the oPresentation of the
Archives in Raleigh indicates that a 21 Proceedings of the General Assembly, 64-65. State�; the other, works that onever reached
copy of this pamphlet was in the papers 22 Proceedings of the General Assembly, 38- their destination.�

of GrahamTs successor, Charles Manly, 40, [67]-114. 31 NC Letters, Vattemare Papers.
but the writer was unable to locate it. 23 Proceedings of the General Assembly, 32 Vattemare to His Excellency the Gov-
11 Cogswell (1786-1871), who became [115]-118. ernor of the State of North Carolina, Sep-

librarian of the Astor Library in New 24 Weekly Raleigh Register, and North Caro- tember 30, 1851, GovernorsT Papers,
York in 1848, was hired by North Caro- lina Gazette, January 17, 1849; North Caro- David S. Reid, G.P. 127, State Archives;
lina in the early 1840s to recommend _lina Standard (Raleigh), January 10, 1849. Journal of the House of Commons of North
and purchase a broad range of literary, The favorable comments published in the Carolina, December 5, 16, 1850; Laws of
historical, and scientific works to re- Standard may have been written prior to North Carolina, 1850-1851, c. 61.
plenish the State Library, which had "_ VattemareTs speech. Ruffin was a trustee of 33 Richards, oAlexandre Vattemare,�
been destroyed in 1831 when the State _ the State Library. Strange in 1839 had pub- 432-435, 441-443,446. The decision of
Capitol burned. He worked on behalf of lished Eoneguski, or The Cherokee Chief: A Congress to end its association with
North Carolina while collecting books Tale of Past Wars, the first novel set in Vattemare may have resulted in part
for the Astor Library. Maurice C. York, North Carolina. Roy Parker, Jr., from the newly created Smithsonian
oA History of the North Carolina State | Cumberland County: A Brief History (Ra- InstitutionTs involvement in exchanging
Library, 1812-1888� (masterTs thesis, leigh: Division of Archives and History, textual and other materials.

University of North Carolina at Chapel = North Carolina Department of Cultural 34 Vattemare to His Excellency the Gover-
Hill, 1978), 20-22, 33-41; Maurice C. Resources, 1990), 30. nor of the State of North Carolina, Septem-
York, oBorn Again: Rebuilding the 25 North Carolina Standard (Raleigh), Janu- ber 30, 1851, GovernorsT Papers, David S.
North Carolina State Library, 1834- ary 17, 1849; Proceedings of the General As- Reid, G. P. 127, State Archives; Vattemare to
1847,� North Carolina Libraries SO sembly, [7]-13. David S. Reid, November 10, 1852, Gaston
(Spring 1992): 32-34. A new State Capi- 26 Ja[me]s F. T[aylor] to Dear Sir [David Papers; J. H. Sawyer to His Excellency the
tol was completed in 1840 at the enor- Lowry Swain], January 20, 1849, David Govy[.] of No[.] Cal.], January 14, 1852, Gov-
mous cost of $530,000. It was thought Lowry Swain Papers, Southern Historical ernorsT Papers, David S. Reid, G. P. 129, State
of as one of the most beautiful ex- Collection, University of North Carolina Archives; Richards, oAlexandre Vattemare,�

amples of Greek Revival architecture in Library, Chapel Hill. 435-436.
the country. Hugh Talmage Lefler and 27 Laws of North Carolina, 1848-1849, 35 ©. H. Perry, Catalogue of Books Belong-
Albert Ray Newsome, North Carolina: 230-231. ing to the North Carolina State Library, Pre-

The History of a Southern State (Chapel 28 Laws of North Carolina, 1848-1849, c. _ pared by O. H. Perry, Librarian (Raleigh:
Hill: The University of North Carolina 63. This impressive pamphlet of 116 pages, Nichols, Gorman & Neathery, Book and
Press, 1973), 352. cited above, includes Governor GrahamTs Job Printers, 1866), 76-79. This catalog
12 William S. Powell, North Carolina communication; the joint select committeeTs contains a separate listing of the works
through Four Centuries (Chapel Hill: The correspondence with Vattemare; the report obtained through the system of interna-
University of North Carolina Press, of the joint select committee; copies of the tional exchanges. The writer wishes to
1989), 308-327; Charles C. Jewett, No- committeeTs proposed resolutions and bill; thank Mrs. Cheryl McLean, head, Infor-
tices of Public Libraries in the United States VattemareTs address; instructions for collect- _ mation Services Branch, State Library of
of America (Washington: Smithsonian _ ing, preserving and transporting objects of North Carolina, for locating in the State

Institution, 1851), 148-149. natural history; and a list of works presented LibraryTs collection a few books obtained
13 Laws of North Carolina, 1848-1849, to the State Library by Vattemare. through VattemareTs exchange program,
c. 1, 82, 112, 120, 148. 29 Governor Charles Manly to James F. and for arranging to have their title pages

14 Journal of the Senate of North Caro- Taylor, January 26, 1849, Letter Books of " photographed for this article.
North Carolina Libraries Spring 1998 " 1%

Bringing Boston Books

to the Carolina Mountains:
Charles Hallet Wing and the Good-Will Free Library at Ledger

he name of Charles Hallet Wing
appears on no library building in
North Carolina. His portrait
hangs in no library foyer, confer-
ence room, or auditorium. No local
or state library association presents
an award in his memory. Indeed,
only a handful of North Carolina li-
brarians recognize his name today.
Yet, few Tar Heels have ever demon-
strated a stronger belief in the value of
public libraries and the importance of
providing them in every community,
no matter how small or remote.

Wing was born on August 5, 1836,
in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended
the Lawrence Scientific School at
Harvard University where he received
a Bachelor of Science degree in 1870.
Later that year, he was appointed a pro-
fessor of chemistry at Cornell Univer-
sity. He remained there until 1874,
when he accepted a professorship
teaching analytical chemistry at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in the Boston suburb of Cambridge.!

Wing quickly distinguished himself
in the academic world. As early as 1870,
he had begun publishing on scientific
topics. In that year, his article oOn Cer-
tain Double Sulfates of the Cerium
Group� appeared in the highly re-
spected American Journal of Science.� In
November 1874, the prestigious Ameri-
can Academy of Arts and Sciences
elected him a fellow. In 1881 he pub-
lished Notes on Quantitative Analysis as
Used at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. Administrators at the Mas-
sachusetts Institute of Technology
turned to him to plan and direct con-
struction of the Kidder Chemical Labo-
ratories, which would become recog-

16 " Spring 1998

by Robert G. Anthony, Jr.

nized as model facilities.* For a decade,
Wing led an active life of research and
teaching.

In 1885, however, WingTs life sud-
denly changed. He quit academia and,
in a dramatic move, relocated from
cosmopolitan Boston to the small com-
munity of Ledger in Mitchell County,
North Carolina, one of the most iso-
lated areas in Southern Appalachia.
It is not known for certain what
prompted WingTs decision to leave
Massachusetts. He had visited western
North Carolina with friends to study
the emerging mica mining industry
there and had been immediately capti-
vated by the beauty of the mountains.
He may have decided to settle in Led-
ger and oversee his friendsT mining in-
terests, or exhaustion and other health
concerns may have led to his move.
When New York writer/photographer
Margaret Morley, who shared WingTs
fascination with Southern Appalachia,
visited his Ledger home and described
it in her book The Carolina Mountains,
she explained his move as the result of
a need oto escape the turmoil of the
outer world.�*

Regardless of the reason or reasons
for his move, Wing quietly and easily
settled into the Ledger community. It
was a world quite different from Bos-
ton and the academic one he had left
behind. Mitchell County, lightly popu-
lated with 9,435 people scattered over
220 square miles, was a land of small
farmers. Nearly all of his new neigh-
bors struggled to make a living from
the crops of corn, oats, wheat, tobacco,
and Irish potatoes they planted on the
mountain ridges and in the more fertile
valleys. More than 95% of them had

been born in North Carolina, and
nearly all the rest came from nearby
parts of Tennessee, which bordered
Mitchell to the northwest. Most had
never traveled far from their homes.
Only eight individuals in the county
were foreign born.°

Many of the adults Wing encoun-
tered in his new community were illit-
erate. Although the county operated a
system of small public schools, its ef-
forts to provide a quality education for
its children were limited severely by a
lack of funding. In the late nineteenth
century, no North Carolina county
spent much on its public schools when
compared to most non-Southern coun-
ties, especially those in New England
and the Northeast. Yet Mitchell ranked
poorly even if compared only to Tar
Heel counties. During the school year
that ended November 30, 1886, for ex-
ample, only three of the stateTs 96
counties spent less on its schools, even
though Mitchell ranked seventy-sec-
ond in population.® The impact of such
poorly funded schools would continue
to plague the county for years to come.
When the U.S. Census for 1910 com-
piled statistics on illiteracy in North
Carolina, it revealed that 24.1% of the
White voters in Mitchell could not so
much as sign their names, the third
highest rate among the stateTs one hun-
dred counties.T

Despite the great difference be-
tween WingTs educational and cultural
background and that of his neighbors,
the retired professor won quick accep-
tance in his new community. He
bought several tracts of land and began
developing a model farm. He hired
Stephen Willis, as his overseer, a local

North Carolina Libraries

man, paying him the very generous
wage of fifty cents per day. The people
of Ledger watched with great interest as
Wing began construction of a two-
story, six-room log cabin, which con-
tained no interior stairs, but rather two
exterior stairways leading from the
front porch to the upper floor.®

Although he put much energy into
developing his mountain homestead, a
greater passion soon seized Wing.
Greatly concerned by the high illit-
eracy rate and poor schools around
him, he resolved to improve educa-
tional opportunities in the area. He rec-
ognized that in order to encourage a
love of learning and education he
needed to make good books more
readily available in the community.
The retired professor, accustomed as he
had been to fine libraries in the Boston
area, determined to build one in Ledger
that would be free and open to all.

On several acres of land he had re-
cently purchased, Wing began con-
struction of an impressive two-story
building. He designed the first floor as
a library; the second, he reserved as a
community assembly hall, where civic
and social gatherings could be held. He
personally financed the $2,500 project
and named the facility the Good-Will
Free Library. Nearby, he built a small
cottage to house a librarian.?

The new library, of course, needed
books, which were not all that easy to
acquire in the western North Carolina
mountains. Wing eagerly donated
many of his own, and he appealed to
Northern friends to contribute vol-
umes. But a large number, apparently
most, he acquired from the Boston
Public Library, where they were being
withdrawn from the collection and dis-
carded. Wing arranged for them to be
shipped to Ledger.!°

The new library opened in 1887,
and the community welcomed it en-
thusiastically. Many people living
nearby made immediate use of it, but,
for those living farther away in the
county, travel to Ledger could be diffi-
cult, often over rough and muddy
roads. To make books more accessible,
Wing organized several small traveling
libraries, each with about seventy-five
books. These collections could be
picked up by interested individuals and
placed in general stores or homes dis-
tant from Ledger for use in those
neighborhoods. Every three months or
so, a collection was to be returned to
the Good-Will library and exchanged
for a new one. Unfortunately, neither
a list of books in the library nor formal
circulation records exist for Good-

North Carolina Libraries

WillTs earliest years. But when Margaret
Morley visited Ledger several years
later, she was informed that oat the end
of the first year not a book was missing,
none had been kept out overtime,
while less than six per cent of those
taken had been fiction!�!!

Many of the books donated to
Good-Will had been damaged or worn
during earlier use, so Wing secured the
necessary tools and supplies to repair
and rebind them. He trained Avery
Willis, son of his overseer Stephen, to
perform these tasks.!� For several years,
the younger Willis also served as librar-
ian. In 1917, his wife appears to have
assumed that duty.'%

When the newly established North
Carolina Library Commission pub-
lished its First Biennial Report in 1910,
it made available for the first time de-
tailed statistics on the growing number
of libraries in the Tar Heel state. The re-
port also illustrated just how remark-
able Charles Hallet WingTs accomplish-
ment at Ledger was. At the end of 1910,
North Carolina had 82 libraries, a fig-
ure that included college, special, and
public libraries. Sixty-two of the stateTs
92 counties had no public library. Yet
in the tiny community of Ledger,
population 52, located in a remote, im-
poverished area, Wing had built the
stateTs largest library intended for pub-
lic use. Indeed, only six Tar Heel librar-
ies " those at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, Davidson Col-
lege, Trinity College, Wake Forest Col-
lege, the North Carolina State Library,
and the North Carolina Supreme Court
Library " exceeded in collection size
the 12,000 -volume Good-Will Free Li-
brary.'4

The state Library CommisionTs first

N.C. Library at Chapel Hill.

Good-Will Free Library at Ledger. Photo courtesy of North Carolina Collection, University of

eight biennial reports, covering 1909
through 1924, reveal other impressive
facts about the Good-Will Free Library.
In 1911-1912, for example, it was one
of only 15 public libraries in North
Carolina to receive financial assistance
from its host town or county. Good-
Will received $105 from Mitchell
County that biennium. In 1913-1914,
the biennial appropriation grew to
$150, a figure that remained constant
through 1919-1920.

Book circulation totals at Good-
Will appear to have varied considerably
over the years, however. In 1909-1910,
the library reported that 50 borrowers
used 800 volumes. A circulation of
5,000 books to 100 borrowers was re-
ported for both the 1913-1914 and
1917-1918 bienniums. For the 1919-
1920 and December 1920-1922 peri-
ods, circulation totals of 590 and 1,600
were reported, respectively. Borrowers
numbered 93 and 200. The Library
Commission reports, however, do not
explain why such variations in circula-
tion totals occurred. But it is likely that
circulation increased whenever new
books arrived from donors or when
traveling library collections were re-
placed around the county, making new
titles available to borrowers.

After opening his library, Wing
turned to a new project, construction
of a school nearby. As with the library,
he personally financed the building,
which was large enough to accommo-
date 125 students. The two teachers he
hired taught the standard othree Rs� "
reading, writing, and arithmetic. The
retired professor directed a manual
training department in the buildingTs
basement. There boys could learn car-
pentry, woodworking, and other skills

oi

Spring 1998 " 17

useful to a small farmer. Girls could
learn sewing and other domestic
crafts.15

For 20 years after his arrival at Led-
ger in 1885, Wing had dedicated him-
self to improving the lives of the
people in his adopted community. He
had built a remarkably large and much-
appreciated library, open to all who
wished to use it. He had even arranged
for small collections of books to be de-
posited around the area so that people
unable to travel to his library would
have access to good reading material.
In addition, he had financed and
taught at a free school for his neigh-
borsT children, providing them an alter-
native to the poorly funded and inad-
equate skeletal public school system
the county was attempting to operate.
But as the first decade of the twentieth
century passed, Wing began to look
back toward Boston.

WingTs health had begun to
worsen, and he and his wife made the
difficult decision to return to Massa-
chusetts for their final years. After ar-
riving in Boston, however, he contin-
ued to think about the library and
school he had left behind in the Caro-
lina mountains. He decided to donate
the library to the county, with the con-
dition that county officials continue to
operate it. The minutes of the May 3,
1909, meeting of the county board of
commissioners stoically record WingTs
gift " a oCertain library and building
land and so forth Situated at Led-
ger ....�'© The deed of conveyance, reg-
istered a few weeks later, detailed the
gift more fully. Wing had given the
people he had grown to love and ad-
mire during 20 years among them
o,, the buildings thereon known as the
~Good-will Free LibraryT and librarians
house, together with books and library
materials therein contained.� The deed
also recorded the commissionersT
agreement to operate the library for at
least eight more years.!� Two years
later, local citizens successfully peti-
tioned the county board of education
to purchase the Wing school and adja-
cent teacherTs house from the retired
professor for $770, half of which the
citizens agreed to raise privately. !®

During the next several years,
however, without Wing to promote it,
the Good-Will Free Library declined in
significance to the people of Ledger
and the surrounding area. One prob-
lem was that it added few new books.
Its holdings never exceeded in size the
estimated 12,000 volumes that it had
when it opened in 1887. Indeed, at the
end of 1924, the libraryTs holdings had

18 " Spring 1998

dropped to 10,025, probably the result
of discarding irreparable volumes.�
Another factor lessening the libraryTs
importance was that in 1919-1920 the
North Carolina Library Commission
began depositing its own traveling li-
braries around Mitchell County, all but
eliminating the demand for ones from
Good-Will.�°

Recognizing that these changes re-
duced the need for Good-Will and, ap-
parently unwilling or unable to finance
the improvement and expansion of its
book collection and operations, the
county commissioners decided to close
the library. They already had operated
it longer than the eight years agreed
upon when Wing had deeded it to
them. Since WingTs departure, the
countyTs public school system had
grown in size and quality and could
easily absorb the Good-Will books. Also,
because the county had acquired WingTs
former school, there was no longer a
private school at Ledger dependent on
Good-Will. In 1926, when the state Li-
brary Commission released its report for
the preceding two years, the Good-Will
Free Library was not included. The
monument to Charles Hallet WingTs
belief in the importance of free libraries
was no more. Although the Good-Will
Free Library no longer existed, most of
the books that had once made it the
largest library intended for public use in
North Carolina were now serving duty
in nearby schools.�!

After his return to Boston, Wing
never visited Ledger again. His health
continued to decline, and on Septem-
ber 13, 1915, he died. The library he
had built in a small, isolated commu-
nity in the western North Carolina
mountains would continue for another
decade; then it too would pass from the
scene, all but forgotten today. But to
North Carolina librarians seeking an
example of the belief in public librar-
ies, no finer example exists than
Charles Hallet Wing and his Good-Will
Free Library.

References

| Proceedings of the American Academy of
Arts and Sciences, LI (May 1915-May
1916): 928-929.

2 American Journal of Science, 2nd se-
ries, 49 (1870): 354-361.

3 Proceedings of the American Acad-
emy of Arts and Sciences, pp. 928-929.

* Margaret W. Morley, The Carolina
Mountains (Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Co., 1913), 326-328.

5 Compendium of the Tenth Census
(June 1, 1880), Part 1 (Washington:

Government Printing Office, 1883),
365, 523, 802-803.

® Biennial Report of the Superintendent
of Public Instruction of North Carolina for
the School Years 1885 and 1886 (Raleigh:
P. M. Hale, State Printer and Binder,
1887), 130-132.

� Adult Illiteracy in North Carolina and
Plans for Its Elimination (Raleigh: State Su-
perintendent of Public Instruction,
1915), 15.

8 Lorene P. G. Willis, oStephen Morgan
Willis,� in The Heritage of the Toe River
Valley (Durham, N.C.: Lloyd Richard
Bailey, Sr., 1994), 448; Ashton Chapman,
oUnique Landmark Moved and Rebuilt,�
in The State 38 (15 February 1971): 11-12.

° Mary B. Palmer, oCharles Hallet
Wing, Founder of the Good- Will Free Li-
brary,� in North Carolina Library Bulletin
2 (September 1915): 126-127.

10 Tbid.

1 Morley, The Carolina Mountains, p.
3270

12 Lorne P. G. Willis, oStephen Morgan
Willis,� p. 448.

13 Second Biennial Report of the North
Carolina Library Commission, 1911-1912,
p. 24; Fifth Biennial Report of the North
Carolina Library Commission, 1917-1918,
p. 23. Actually, the report lists oMrs. H.
W. Willis� as librarian, apparently a mis-
print. The next biennial report, the Sixth,
corrects the error.

14 First Biennial Report of the North Caro-
lina Llbrary Commission, 1909-1910, pp.
25-27. Although this report does not in-
clude collection size for the library at
Wake Forest College, the report for the
next biennium revealed that its collec-
tion was larger than that of Good-Will.

1S Morley, The Carolina Mountains, p.
326; Lorene P. G. Willis, oStephen Mor-
gan Willis,� p. 448; Mary E. Palmer,
oCharles Hallet Wing, Founder of the
Good-Will Free Library,� p. 127.

16 Minutes, Mitchell County Board of
Commissioners, Vol. 1, 1908-1914, p, 73.

17 Mitchell County Deeds, Book 61, p.
479.

18 Minutes, Mitchell County Board of
Education, 7 August 1911.

19 Eighth Report of the North Carolina Li-
brary Commission, July 1, 1922-June 30,
1924, p. 18.

20 Sixth Biennial Report of the North Caro-
lina Library Commission, 1919-1920, p. 13.

21 Wendell W. Smiley, Library Develop-
ment in North Carolina before 1930
(Greenville, N,C.; Library, East Carolina
University, 1971), 81; Thornton W.
Mitchell, The State Library and Library
Development in North Carolina (Raleigh:
North Carolina Department of Cultural
Resources, Division of State Library,
1983), 3.

North Carolina Libraries

oIn My Mind ITm Going to Carolina ...�:

Bruce CottenTs Passion for North Caroliniana

n the 1890s, a tight-knit family
in rural eastern North Carolina
was under siege. The Cotten fam-
ily was a prominent one, respected
locally and with civic and political
ties across the state. Like many
southern farm families, they had ex-
perienced several financial ups-and-
downs, but the steep decline in cotton
prices, together with a risky switch into
tobacco production, had forced the
Cottens to the edge of ruin. The plan-
tation was mortgaged and then put up
for sale; only the intervention of a fam-
ily friend prevented loss of the home
place. Mr. Cotten was distracted by
these financial crises, while his wife
was still mourning the death of her el-
dest son a decade earlier. Their oldest
surviving son had yet to find his place
in business or society. His sisters and
their friends loved the young manTs
good looks and easy charm, but with-
out secure prospects, heTd be always a
houseguest, never the master. What
was this young man, Bruce Cotten, to
do? oGo west,� as the slogan of the era
urged? Go west he did, but at an emo-
tional cost. To assuage the loneliness
and estrangement he felt, Cotten
turned to a ogentle pastime�! and in
doing so made himself the preeminent
twentieth-century collector of North
Caroliniana.

Bruce Cotten, the fifth child of
Robert Randolph Cotten and Sallie
Southall Cotten, was born in Wilson,
North Carolina, on March 3, 1873.
Robert Randolph Cotten, a native of
Edgecombe County, was a prominent
businessman, planter, and civic leader
in eastern North Carolina for over sixty
years. The elder Cotten began his busi-
ness career as a Clerk in Tarboro, but he

North Carolina Libraries

by Eileen McGrath

later moved to Baltimore, Maryland,
where he was a partner in a cotton bro-
kerage. CottenTs firm dissolved at the
start of the Civil War, and he returned
to North Carolina to join a Confeder-
ate cavalry unit. While in North Caro-
lina on leave near the end of the war,
Cotten met a young teacher, Sallie
Swepson Sims Southall. They were mar-
ried in 1866.

Sallie Southall Cotten was a native
of Amelia County, Virginia. Mrs.
Cotten spent the first decades of her
marriage at home raising her family,
but after most of her children were
grown, she began a public life as an ad-
vocate for women and children in
North Carolina. She was one of the
North Carolina olady managers� for
the 1893 Columbian Exposition, an or-
ganizer of the North Carolina Federa-
tion of WomenTs Clubs, a participant in
the first National Congress of Mothers,
and the author of numerous poems
and essays.

The Cottens settled permanently
at Cottendale, a Pitt County planta-
tion, in 1879. The household at
Cottendale consisted of Robert and
Sallie Cotten, their seven offspring, an
older, unmarried white woman who
helped manage the household, and
several African-American servants. Iso-
lation forced family members to de-
pend on each other for entertainment,
education, and emotional sup-
port. Mrs. Cotten was the most
important early influence in
Bruce CottenTs life. He later
characterized his mother as a
loving and devoted mother, but
also dreamy and unconven-
tional, a good reader and a ro-
mantic. He remembered her as

a woman tormented by private fears as
well, oan unaccountable, but pro-
nounced temperamental brooding and
apprehension of ill that might befall
her or those she loved.�� Misfortune
did strike Sallie CottenTs family: two of
her children died as infants and her
oldest son, Robert Randolph Cotten,
Jr., drowned on his fifteenth birthday
in 1883. Mrs. Cotten took her oldest
sonTs death especially hard; she wore
partial mourning attire for the rest of
her life.

The 1890s were especially difficult
years for Robert CottenTs businesses.
Cottendale was mortgaged in 1893 and
put up for sale in 1897. It remained in
the family only because former North
Carolina Governor Thomas Jordan
Jarvis gave the family a new mortgage.
Despite such well-placed friends, the
familyTs financial situation remained
precarious for several years.

Bruce Cotten was little help in this
family crisis. He followed his fatherTs
example and went to Baltimore in
search of employment, but he could
not secure a position. Years later,
Cotten admitted that the world of busi-
ness did not appeal to him and that his
heart was not in this search for work.
In an unpublished memoir, Cotten
confessed o[I] was conscious of being
influenced by my own peculiar tem-
perament and a strong dislike I had of

His passion was to amass a

library that reconnected

him to the land of his birth.

Spring 1998 " 19

an ordinary business life, " that per-
petual buying and selling of things... .
I wanted something else, the nature of
which I can not define. I dreaded the
sameness and monotony of the life or-
dinary.�?

Fortunately for Cotten, gold was
discovered in the Yukon Territory in
1896, triggering the Alaska Gold Rush
of 1897-1898. Cotten became obsessed
with the possibilities for wealth and
adventure that Alaska might offer. To
finance a trip to Alaska,
Cotten tried to organize an
investment group from
among his familyTs friends.
The attempt failed, but
Cotten left for Alaska in Oc-

tober 1897. William
Stephenson, a biographer of
Sallie Southall Cotten,

thought that CottenTs at-
tempt to raise funds for the
Alaska trip had dishonored
the family; family correspon-
dence hints that CottenTs
drinking concerned his par-
ents.4 The remaining evi-
dence does not allow us to
know the exact reason for
CottenTs departure,° but what
we do know is that Cotten
had not found a place for
himself in North Carolina
business or society commen-
surate with his familyTs stat-
ure or his image of himself.
Even if he did not dishonor
the family, he was not able to
help them in a material way.
At the least, this was a blow
to his pride.

When he reached Se-
attle, Cotten sought to join
any expedition going north
to the gold fields. Unbe-
knownst to him, the expedi-
tion that accepted Cotten

1898, Cotten joined a battalion of
Washington volunteers organized to
fight in the Spanish-American War;
later he joined the regular army. In the
army he found some of the adventure
that he was seeking, serving in China
during the Boxer Campaign and in the
Philippines during the insurrection
there. Cotten returned to the United
States as a second lieutenant in 1902.
In early 1907, while stationed at Fort
Monroe, Virginia, as part of the

This caricature of Cotten appears at the end of Housed on the
Third Floor. Courtesy North Carolina Collection, University of N.C.

Library -Chapel Hill.

certs, and trips to spas in America and
abroad. It is telling that Cotten dedi-
cated An Adventure in Alaska to Edyth,
calling her othe little nugget and great
possession� that all his efforts had been
leading to.® Cotten once referred to his
Alaska experience as an attempt oto
win at one turn of the wheel, that for-
tune and affluence that is denied many
deserving millions after a life of toil and
labor.�? Winning Edyth TysonTs hand
was CottenTs lucky turn at the wheel; af-
ter their marriage he never
wanted for affection, com-
fort, or status.

Cotten traced the ori-
gin of his interest in collect-
ing North Caroliniana to
his motherTs experiences
when she was preparing
the North Carolina exhibit
for the 1893 Columbian Ex-
position. Sallie Southall
Cotten wanted the exhibit
to include a collection of
books about North Caro-
lina, but as she traveled the
state, sometimes with Bruce
accompanying her, she
found few libraries of North
Caroliniana. For Cotten the
experience oplanted the
germ and desire in me to
know and to possess some-
thing of the books and lit-
erature that had been pub-
lished in and about my na-
tive State.�!° Cotten began
collecting for himself when
he was in the army. He fre-
quented used bookstores
and curiosity shops. Al-
though hindered because
oboth money and knowl-
edge were entirely lack-
ing,�" Cotten did amass a
collection of about two
hundred volumes before he

was a fraud: the organizers of
the expedition solicited investors, re-
cruited and outfitted a crew, dropped
the crew in a remote location, and then
absconded with the remaining funds.
The crew was left to die when their sup-
plies ran out, or find their way back to
civilization. Cotten, hearty and re-
sourceful, came out alive. Rather than
being shaken by this brush with death,
he was exhilarated. oDrills, Raids and
Escapades� opens with CottenTs judg-
ment of his Alaska experience: oThis
trip to Alaska had been an experience
very excellent, hardening and educat-
ing; it had set me aright with myself
and with the world.�®

Upon returning to Seattle in June

20 " Spring 1998

Jamestown Tercentennial, Cotten met
Edyth Johns Tyson. Edyth Tyson was
the widow of Jesse Tyson, a Baltimore
industrialist who had made a fortune
mining chrome. Beautiful and wealthy,
she was a grande dame of Baltimore
society. For Cotten, it was love at first
sight. Although Cotten was discreet
about the courtship, he did confess in
oDrills, Raids and Escapades� that oI
instantly liked her far better than any
person I had ever seen. She was my
fate, my joy or sorrow.�T The couple
were married three years later in En-
gland.

Cotten easily adjusted to a life
filled with parties, club meetings, con-

left army service.

Bruce Cotten wrote his parents
only infrequently between 1898 and
1902. This was very hard on Mrs.
Cotten. When correspondence be-
tween mother and son picked up in
1902, Sallie CottenTs letters to her son
were filled with assurances of love and
pleas for him to visit. oWe are all crazy
to see you again " and you know that
a warm welcome awaits you whenever
you come.� o[Y]ou must constantly
bear in mind that we all love you "
that time and long absence and dis-
tance " all tend to make us love you
better and long more to see you.�
oNever mind, son, when you come
home " no matter what month the

North Carolina Libraries

calendar may record, it will be Christ-
mas to us, because our hearts will be
full of gladness.�'* After all this
prompting and pleading, Cotten vis-
ited Cottendale in the fall of 1905. The
prodigal son returned; a reconciliation
was effected. His interest in North
Caroliniana helped with that reconcili-
ation. Family members, particularly his
mother, became participants in the
collecting process, inquiring about
books with friends and associates, fol-
lowing leads about particular
titles, and purchasing books for
Cotten. CottenTs parents,
through their travels around the
state on civic and social affairs,
provided Cotten with contacts
and information that enabled
him to locate and acquire many
obscure titles.

All through the 1910s and
well into the 1920s, Mrs. CottenTs
correspondence with her son
shows evidence of the familyTs
collaboration with Cotten, and it
also gives glimpses of the books
that Cotten was seeking. Robert
Cotten was the one to locate
John LawsonTs A New Voyage to
Carolina (London, 1709); Sallie
Cotten tried for eight years to get
Joseph BiggsTs A Concise History of
the Kehukee Baptist Association
(Tarboro, 1834). Mrs. CottenTs
diligence eventually paid off with
that book and with Edwin
FullerTs Sea-Gift, which she also
pursued for years.'8

Cotten did not rely solely on
family contacts. As all collectors
do, he read dealersT catalogs. By
the time he published Housed on
the Third Floor, a catalog of the
highlights of his collection,
Cotten estimated that he had
read over a half a million pages of cata-
logs.!4 He also used book dealers and
book scouts in North Carolina and
neighboring states. He even published
a newsletter that he mailed to such
agents. He used the bulletins to inform
ocertain dealers, scouts and friends of
my Collection of North Caroliniana�
about his most notable acquisitions.!»
He also included pointed, but friendly,
jabs in the bulletin to goad scouts into
giving his interests more attention.

The collection that Cotten
amassed consisted of almost two thou-
sand titles. It contained books printed
in North Carolina, books by North
Carolinians, books about North Caro-
lina, and a few associational volumes.
Addresses, biographies, catechisms,
college and school publications, gene-

North Carolina Libraries

alogies, histories, memorial volumes,
natural histories, novels, poetry, and
religious tracts were all present. Unlike
that other great collector of North
Caroliniana, Stephen B. Weeks, Cotten
limited his collecting to books that
were wholly about North Carolina or
some area of the state. As a professional
historian, Weeks collected to support
his research interests, while Cotten had
no research needs or institutional con-
straints. This freedom, together with

Bruce Cotten, courtesy North Carolina Collecion, University of
N.C. Library -Chapel Hill.

his wealth and contacts, helped him
become the greatest amateur collector
of North Caroliniana. His passion was
to amass a library that reconnected
him to the land of his birth. This very
personal impetus led to some idiosyn-
cracies in his collecting. Because poli-
tics was distasteful to him, he made
little attempt to collect political ad-
dresses and public documents; he also
excluded items that rarely came as
complete sets, such as newspapers,
church minutes, and school catalogs.
He was overy partial to items of some
interest large enough to stand in their
own binding,�!® so he rejected many
pamphlet items. The physical condi-
tion of an item was important to
Cotten. He would successively buy and
sell copies of a title until he had a speci-

men that met his standards for condi-
tion. There is also evidence that Cotten
rebound volumes in order to possess an
aesthetically pleasing collection.

Cotten was not a scholar, but he
was knowledgeable about the history
and publishing heritage of North Caro-
lina. Cotten knew which early Euro-
pean titles to collect, but despite his
wealth and contacts abroad, he had dif-
ficulty acquiring first editions of Euro-
pean works on North Carolina. He felt
great pride that he was able
to acquire Sir Walter
RaleighTs The History of the
World (1614).

Cotten was far more suc-
cessful at acquiring titles
published in North Carolina.
He had 44 eighteenth cen-
tury North Carolina im-
prints; he also had 71 Con-
federate imprints, chiefly
from North Carolina presses.
Cotten discriminated se-
verely among twentieth cen-
tury imprints; the twentieth
century portion of the collec-
tion is heavily weighted to-
wards materials on the east-
ern part of the state.

After his wifeTs death in
1942, Cotten sold their es-
tate, Cylburn, to the city of
Baltimore and moved to
smaller quarters. No longer
would CottenTs collection be
ohoused on the third floor.�
Edyth CottenTs death, and
CottenTs dissatisfaction with
how his books were handled
in the move from Cylburn,
caused Cotten to worry
about what would become of
his books when he died.
There is no indication which
side made the first move, but by the
mid-1940s, Cotten and the library staff
at the University of North Carolina
were engaged in a steady correspon-
dence about CottenTs collection. In De-
cember 1948, Mary Lindsay Thornton,
the librarian of the UniversityTs North
Carolina Collection, visited Cotten at
his home. The trip cemented the rela-
tionship between Cotten and the Uni-
versity Library. Cotten then consulted
John Sprunt Hill, a prominent benefac-
tor of the university and someone
whom Cotten much admired, about
how his will should be amended to
give his collection to the university.
University Librarian Charles E. Rush
made several suggestions, most of
which became part of the final docu-
ment. The notable suggestion that

Spring 1998 " 21

Cotten rejected was that the collection
be named for his mother.

Cotten was revitalized by the suc-
cessful conclusion of negotiations over
the will. In his correspondence with
Mary Lindsay Thornton, he began to
address her as oMy dear Partner.�!�
Cotten also began to re-write his manu-
script catalog of the collection. This,
too, renewed his interest in the collec-
tion, and he was surprisingly active as
a collector during the last few years of his
life. Library staff continued to visit and
correspond with Cotten; his correspon-
dence with Mary Lindsay Thornton was
interrupted only by his frequent bouts of
ill health. The last letter from Miss
Thornton reached Cotten just a week
before his death on April 1, 1954.

Bruce Cotten was buried in Balti-
more, but his book collection came
home to North Carolina, to the North
Carolina Collection at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Cotten
left North Carolina to find his place in
the world, but he still needed some
connection to his family and his home
state. Collecting North Caroliniana
provided him with that connection. It
became his passion. He combined that
passion with great wealth and many
family connections, and in doing so
amassed a private collection of North
Caroliniana not equalled to this day.

References

! The term is the one used by Bruce
Cotten in the dedication of his Housed on
the Third Floor (Baltimore: Horn-Shafer,
1941).

2 Bruce Cotten, As We Were: A Personal
Sketch of Family Life (Baltimore: Privately
Printed, 1935), 23.

3 Bruce Cotten, oDrills, Raids and Esca-
pades: A Personal Narrative of Life in the
Army, 1898-1910,� 17. North Carolina
Collection, University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill.

4 William Stephenson, Sallie Southall
Cotten: A WomanTs Life in North Carolina
(Greenville, NC: Pamlico Press, 1987),
123; Bruce Cotten to Robert Randolph
Cotten, October 3, 1897, Cotten Family
Papers, Collection #3589, Southern His-
torical Collection, University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill.

~ The chief sources for studying the
Cottens are the Cotten Family Papers
(Collection #3589) and the Sallie South-
all Cotten Papers (Collection #2613) in
the Southern Historical Collection, Uni-
versity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The later collection consists primarily of
letters from Sallie Southall Cotten to her
son Bruce, 1902-1926. Unfortunately,
the correspondence is one-sided; we read
news of Cottendale and many protesta-
tions of a motherTs love, but nothing
concrete about why Bruce Cotten left

home or what kept him away.

6 oDrills, Raids and Escapades,� 1.

7 Tbid., 238.

8 Bruce Cotten, An Adventure in Alaska
during the Gold Excitement of 1897-1898:
A Personal Experience (Baltimore: Sun
Printing Office, 1922), dedication.

° Bruce Cotten to Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Randolph Cotten, 14 April 1925. Letter
bound in oDrills, Raids and Escapades.�

10 Housed on the Third Floor, 7.

11 Jbid., 8.

12 Sallie Southall Cotten to Bruce
Cotten, January 1, 1903, June 23, 1904,
December 18, 1904, Sallie Southall
Cotten Papers, Southern Historical Col-
lection, University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill.

13 Sallie Southall Cotten to Bruce
Cotten, June 17, 1915, February 20,
1916, March 13, 1921, February 18,
1923, January 7, 1924, Sallie Southall
Cotten Papers.

14 Housed on the Third Floor, 11.

1S Only a few bulletins remain. They
are in the Bruce Cotten files, North Caro-
lina Collection, University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill.

16 Housed on the Third Floor, 10.

17 Bruce Cotten to Mary Lindsay
Thornton, January 16, 1950, Bruce
Cotten files, North Carolina Collection,
University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill.

John Higgins, Sales Representative

ww
OXFORD

22 " Spring 1998

P.O. Box 21011
Columbia SC 29221

1-800-222-9086
Fax: 803-731-0320

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS Ce QUALITY BOOKS INC.

North Carolina Libraries

et a Ts ~ = =

Mollie Huston Lee:
Founder of RaleighTs Public Black Library

by Patrick Valentine

Mollie Lee otalked of her library as though it was a living entity of vast importance.�

"W.E. B. DuBois!

As children owe went religiously to the Richard B. Harrison Library.�

ollie H. Huston Lee was an
energetic apostle for libraries
and for her race at a time and
place that gave little respect to
either. Whatever her personal
feelings may have been, she
knew how to work within the
existing power structure to bring librar-
ies and their treasures to her people. Her
great achievement lay in developing,
maintaining, and increasing public li-
brary service to the African American
people of Raleigh and Wake County
while never losing the dream of ensur-
ing equal library service for everyone.
When people would not come to the
library, she took a omarket basket in
hand� and brought books to them "
and more.* The esteem in which she
was held later in life is indicated by her
selection as an UNESCO library delegate
and her appointment as a trustee of the
State Library of North Carolina.*
Although public library service was
extended to Blacks in Charlotte in 1905,
Raleigh had to wait another thirty
years.» No documentation appears to
exist today that can explain the long
delay " there were twelve Black public
libraries in operation across the state by
1935° " but White resistance, includ-
ing that of librarians, was largely to
blame. While some White librarians
were in favor of extending services to
Blacks, little was done in most areas of
the state.? Whatever the truth may be,
Mollie Huston Lee was in the forefront
of those advocating and working for
such a library in Raleigh. She helped

North Carolina Libraries

persuade the White mayor of Raleigh,
George A. Isley, to form a biracial com-
mittee in 1935 to establish a oNegro Li-
brary.�® She was not alone in her desire,
and the push fox the library must have
aroused strong and wide support to win
the mayorTs quick action, not just in the
African American community but
among powerful Whites as well. It is
notable that Raleigh had the first bira-
cial governing library board in the
South. !°

African Americans in North Caro-
lina had largely lost the right to vote
early in the 1900s. Economically and
socially, as well as politically, they were
segregated and held down. But by the
1920s, some White support was evident
for increasing their access to educa-
tional and other cultural institutions.
Within the Black community, segrega-
tion had the effect of strengthening
Black-owned businesses and institu-
tions, so that by the time of the Depres-
sion, North Carolina had a small but
firmly entrenched African American
elite of small business owners, minis-
ters, and educators. Black women like
Mts. Lee often were better educated and
maybe freer than their male counter-
parts to stand up to and manipulate the
establishment.'! Still, the attempt to
foster Black library access in Davidson
and Mecklenburg counties in the late
1920s, funded by the Rosenwald Foun-
dation, had mixed results at best.!?

One of the most remarkable things
about Mollie Huston Lee was that was
she was not raised in the South and was

" Audrey V. Wall?

not returning from college to help her
people: she had a bright and relatively
easy future stretching before her in the
North. Lee had been raised in Colum-
bus, Ohio, attended Howard Univer-
sity, and then took her library degree at
Columbia University in New York in
1930 " where she was the first African
American to graduate. She then chose
to work at Shaw University in Raleigh,
where she served as librarian until the
Richard B. Harrison Library opened on
November 12, 1935. It may be unusual
today for a college librarian to enter
public library ranks, but the situation
was much more fluid then. As a college
librarian, she had been instrumental in
the founding of what became the Ne-
gro Library Association of North Caro-
lina.¥3

While the Harrison collection,
named after a recently deceased profes-
sor of drama at North Carolina A&T
College famous for his role as oDe
Lawd� in the popular play, Green Pas-
tures, contained only 890 books, they
were public books, accessible to all, man-
aged by a professional librarian paid by
the public. The city of Raleigh agreed to
pay $2,500 and the county $750 for
support of the Harrison Library.'* At
this time, one-third of Wake County
was Black, with an average income con-
siderably less than that of Whites who
themselves earned only slightly more
than half the national average. Two-
thirds of the African Americans in the
county lived in rural areas."

Within two years, the Harrison Li-

Spring 1998 " 23

brary held 3,310 volumes, was open 42
hours-a week, and had an annual circu-
lation of almost 15,000. This compared
favorably with many of the 17 other
Black public libraries in existence in
North Carolina. (Greensboro, whose
White business community had given
early support to the concept of a Black
public library, funded its Negro library at
26¢ per Black person and Durham,
which had a vigorous Black business
community, provided 17¢ while Raleigh
and Asheville managed only 10¢.)!¢
Lee was not content to rest, but
looked upon it as her duty to provide li-
brary services for all the Blacks, whether
they lived in the city or not, whether
they particularly concerned themselves
with libraries and books or not. As she
told a radio audience in 1951, oa public
library is the recorded memory of man-
kind, serving the community. Its func-
tion is to make available to all, informa-
tion and thought in all fields of human
knowledge and experience and to help
each person, whatever his interest may
be, to find and use the books and other
library facilities and material which best
serve his needs.�!� One of her major
achievements was building what was

aimed at reaching and up-
lifting blacks. Under her di-
rection, the Harrison Li-
brary in 1941 established a
branch in Apex and shared
the use of a bookmobile for
the rural areas of the
county.!* In addition to
her regular duties, she
served as part-time supervi-
sor of the Raleigh school li-
braries. In 1943, she helped
to organize a five-day work-
shop at Shaw University on
operating Negro public li-
braries.2° The next year,
under her prodding, Wake
County purchased for
Harrison its own bookmo-
bile.�! By this time 45 coun-
ties provided some library
service to Negroes, a situa-
tion State Librarian
Marjorie Beal was deter-
mined to improve.?�

In 1949, Beal recom-
mended the employment
of a full-time Negro super-
visor of rural libraries as
part of a nine-point pro-

Mollie Huston Lee arranges books before the opening of
the new library building in 1948. Richard B. Harrison
collection. Photo courtesy of Wake County Public Library.

later called the oLee Collection� of books gram for improving Black public li- _a part-time assistant " and naturally
by and about African Americans.'* Lee _ braries.�* While she did not get allshe | chose Mollie Huston Lee. Lee held this
also directed many innovative programs wanted, she did get permission to hire position while also maintaining her job

"~

North Carolina Libraries

as the Harrison librarian " perhaps a
wise precaution as the state job died
away after Beal left in 1950. The cause,
effect, and sequence of LeeTs departure
remain unclear. Beal herself considered
Lee oa stimulating influence for Negro
library development.�*

But on the local front, pressure was
mounting to combine the Richard B.
Harrison with the White Olivia Raney
Library and then add other town librar-
ies to create a comprehensive county-
wide system. Negotiations were long
and somewhat tortuous " at one point
some at Olivia Raney wanted to merge
with the State Library! Part of the prob-
lem in Wake, as elsewhere, was a gen-
eral indifference to libraries on the part
of the public.�° In 1965, after six long
years of dispute, the city merged the
Raney and Harrison libraries, but kept
the individual facilities open. The new
system, called the Olivia Raney Library,
Inc., had a biracial, 22 member board.
Only after 1970 did a true county-wide
system emerge.76

Combining libraries and merging
staffs and policies is never easy, and
can be made better or worse depending
on the personalities and circumstances
involved. Differences in cataloging, ac-
quisition, personnel policies, staffing
levels, and outreach services affect the
process. Even leaving aside the delicate
business of Black-White integration,
the list of potential trouble goes on.
Records about such matters, as for li-
brary integration itself, tend to be
sketchy.?� We do know that Lee was in
favor of the merger, for financial if no
other reason, as was William OTShea,
director of the combined system, for
administrative if no other reason.�®
Both worked together to harness what
could be, and in some other systems
has been, a difficult merger.

Lee remained in charge of the
Harrison Branch Library until her retire-
ment in 1972, at which time there was
an outpouring of community and staff
love and respect.?� She had committed
her life to a southern Black community
that had little voice and fewer resources.
She had insisted on helping others and
making them help themselves. She
knew the power of reading and good
books and worked tirelessly to promote
them. Yet she also knew how to work
within the system to promote the best
goals of both races.

Mollie H. Huston Lee died unex-
pectedly on January 26, 1982. Her hus-
band, Dr. James S. Lee, retired head of
the Biology Department at North Caro-
lina Central University, had prede-
ceased her, and a son and two grand-

North Carolina Libraries

children survived her.*° Her legacy in
Raleigh and North Carolina and the
South remains and has grown.

References

' Quoted in Ray Nichols Moore,
oMollie Huston Lee: A Profile,� Wilson
Library Bulletin 49 (1975): 434. This ex-
cellent article (pp. 432-439) remains a
prime source for information about
Lee and her times.

2 Oral interview in Linda Simmons-
Henry and Linda Harris Edmisten, Cul-
ture Town: Life in RaleighTs African
American Communities (Raleigh: Ra-
leigh Historic Districts Commission,
1993), 83.

3 Moore, oMollie Huston Lee.� See
also Benjamin F. Speller, Jr., oMollie
Huston Lee,� Notable Black American
Women, Jessie Carney Smith, editor
(Detroit: Gale Research, c1992), II, 406-
408; Benjamin F. Speller, Jr., and James
R. Jarrell, oProfiles of Pioneers: Selected
North Carolina Black Librarians,� The
Black Librarian in the Southeast: Reminis-
cences, Activities, Challenges, ed. by
Annette L. Phinazee (School of Library
Science, North Carolina Central Uni-
versity, 1980), 78-81; Virginia Lacy
Jones, oA DeanTs Career,� The Black Li-
brarian in America, ed. E. J. Josey
(Metuchen: Scarecrow Press, 1970), 35;
and A. P. Marshall, oThe Search for
Identity,� ibid., 179.

4 North Carolina State Library, News
Letter (October 1961) 27; oScott An-
nounces Posts,� News and Observer
(April 13, 1972), 68.

5 See Patrick M. Valentine, oSteel,
Cotton and Tobacco: Philanthropy
and Public Libraries in North Carolina,
1900-1940,� Libraries & Culture 31
(Spring 1996): 272-298; and oThe
Spread of Public Libraries: The Com-
munity of the Book in North Carolina,
1900-1960,� North Carolina Libraries
(Fall 1996): 113-121.

6 Asheville, Charlotte, Durham,
Greensboro, Henderson, Laurinburg,
Lexington, Raleigh, Thomasville,
Weldon, Wilmington, and Winston-
Salem. It appears that the libraries in
Oteen and Hendersonville also served
African Americans. (oNorth Carolina
Libraries 1935-1936,� statistics com-
piled by the North Carolina Library
Commission.�) High Point, New Bern,
Hendersonville, Rocky Mount,
Sanford, and Warrenton added Black
branches the next year.

7 See Minutes, North Carolina Li-
brary Association, 3rd Biennial Confer-
ence, November 2, 1927; and North
Carolina Library Commission, 62.9,
Administrative Section, Minutes,

meetings of September 30, 1924 and Sep-
tember 22, 1927 (both in North Carolina
Department of Archives and History).
Typically, a tenth of the stateTs appropria-
tion for library work, mainly for travel-
ing libraries, would obe used for Negro li-
brary work.� North Carolina Library Bul-
letin 6 (December 1926): 202. The first
two librarians at RaleighTs White Olivia
Raney Library had no library training.
Jonathan Daniels remembered them as
oold maiden ladies ... whose qualifica-
tions as librarians were that there was
then no old age assistance roll upon
which their influential relatives could
put them.� oAddress before the American
Library Association, in Philadelphia, July
8, 1955,� University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, Southern Historical Collec-
tion [cited hereafter as SHC], Jonathan
Daniels papers, 3466, folder 2268, p. 11.)
The first trained librarian was Miss Clyde
Smith, who was hired in 1936. While li-
brary officials later claimed that Olivia
RaneyTs state charter limited its service to
Whites only, this charter was amended
in 1927 to allow services to Negroes.

8 Race nomenclature remains a sensi-
tive and shifting field. This paper will use
oBlack� and oAfrican American� inter-
changeably. Earlier terms will be used
where historically appropriate. For in-
stance, the first Black library, in Char-
lotte, later called the Brevard Street Li-
brary (or Branch), was titled the oChar-
lotte Public Library for Colored People�
for years. In the late 1940s Weldon and
High Point had oNegro Branches� while
Asheville had a oColored Public Library.�

° See for instance, A. T. White, Chair-
man, (Library) Location Committee, to
Drs. [Lemuel T.] Delany and [George]
Evans, September 18, 1935, and WRAL
radio typescript, 16th Anniversary of Ri-
chard B. Harrison Library, in the
oHarrison Library " History� files, Rich-
ard B. Harrison Branch Library [cited
hereafter as RBH]. Delany and Evans
agreed to give the entire first floor of
their building to the library. That Mayor
Isley became chairman of the library
board, which consisted of three Whites
and three Blacks, surely was a compli-
ment to LeeTs abilities.

10 Eliza Atkins Gleason, The Southern
Negro and the Public Library (Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1941), n. 13,
p. 82. On the composition of the board,
which included Julia B. Delany, an in-
structor at St. Augustine College, and
Pearl L. Byrd, supervisor of North Caro-
lina colored elementary schools, see
News and Observer (November 12, 1935):
10. Julia Brown Delany was Dr. Lemuel
DelanyTs wife. (oRaleigh Physician Dies,�
News & Observer (January 10, 1956), 3.)

Spring 1998 " 25

8 eee eee

11 Note in particular the pioneering
but largely forgotten work of John R.
Larkins, The Negro Population of North
Carolina; Social and Economic, Special
Bulletin #23 (Raleigh: N. C. State Board
of Charities and Public Welfare, 1943);
oThe Negro Population of North Caro-
lina, 1945-1955,� typescript, North
Carolina State Board of Public Welfare
(August 1957); and Patterns of Leadership
Among Negroes in North Carolina (Ra-
leigh: Irving-Swain Press, 1959). Good
background studies are Glenda Eliza-
beth Gilmore, Gender and Jim Crow:
Women and the Politics of White Su-
premacy in North Carolina, 1896-1920
(Chapel Hill: University of North Caro-
lina Press, 1996); Jacqueline Jones, La-
bor of Love, Labor of Sorrow: Black
Women, Work, and the Family from Sla-
very to the Present (New York: Basic
Books, 1985); and Evelyn Brooks
Higginbotham, Righteous Discontent: The
WomenTs Movement in the Black Baptist
Church, 1880-1920 (Cambridge:
Harvard University Press, 1993). The
North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance
company, based in Durham, was of
course not a osmall business� but had
tentacles reaching into every Black
community in the state. Its agents were
often aspiring and prospering members
of the local elite, but they were hard
pressed by the Depression.

12 James V. Carmichael Jr., oTommie
Dora Barker and Southern Librarian-
ship� (Ph.D. diss., University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1987); and Val-
entine, oSteel, Cotton and Tobacco,� of-
fer the most recent assessment and fur-
ther references.

13 oColored Library Conference Meets
at Shaw University,� typescript, oNe-
groes " N.C. - Libraries,� RBH files.
(The author thanks Wanda Cox-Bailey
for her help in using the wonderful ma-
terials at Harrison.) See also Mollie
Huston Lee, oDevelopment of Negro Li-
braries in North Carolina,� North Caro-
lina Libraries I] (May 1944): 1-2. Most
of the professionally trained Black li-
brarians working in North Carolina
were from the Hampton Library School,
with one each from Simmons, Michi-
gan and Columbia (Lee). Albert P.
Marshall, oThe North Carolina Negro
Library Association,� Handbook of Black
Librarianship, comp. & ed. E. J. Josey
and Ann Allen Shockley (Littleton, CO:
Libraries Unlimited, 1977), 54-57.

4 Cited in George Stradley Browning,
oThe Services of the Richard B. Harrison
Public Library, Raleigh, North Caro-
lina,� (Thesis, University of North Caro-
lina at Chapel Hill, 1962), 4. The Olivia
Raney Library received $7,000 from Ra-

26 " Spring 1998

leigh and $3,250 from Wake County.
oNorth Carolina Libraries 1935-1936,
statistics compiled by the North Caro-
lina Library Commission.�

1S Additional statistics for Wake can be
found in Charles S. Johnson, Statistical
Atlas of Southern Counties... (Chapel Hill:
University of North Carolina Press,
1941), 192.

16 The statewide average for commu-
nities that provided Negro library ser-
vice " and reported on it " was 6¢ per
capita per year. Based on oNews Notes
prepared by the North Carolina Library
Commission,� October 28, 1937. Over
half the state did not provide any li-
brary service to Blacks.

17 WRAL radio transcript.

18 This collection was especially im-
portant at a time when Black research-
ers were not welcome at mainstream in-
stitutions. See John Hope Franklin, Race
and History: Selected Essays, 1938-1988
(Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University
Press, 1989), 288-289; and Michael
Kammen, In the Past Lane: Historical
Perspectives on American Culture (New
York: Oxford University Press, 1997), 33-36.

1 Mollie Huston Lee, oDevelopment
of Negro Libraries in North Carolina,�
North Carolina Libraries Ill, (May 1944):
3. Hertford County had the first Black
bookmobile in the state, in 1939, and
Durham the second. Blacks in Hertford
raised over $1,000 for their bookmobile,
and later another $500 for a permanent
branch library. North Carolina Libraries
Newsletter (3 May 1938). RBH, on the
other hand, shared its bookmobile with
the Olivia Raney Library. On foreign re-
action to the use of bookmobiles in Ra-
leigh and Wilson, see oLibrary System
in South Lauded,� News and Observer (6
March 1949), 12.

20 "Library Studies Will Open Today,�
News and Observer (19 June 1944), 10.
Mrs. Ann Robinson also served at RBH.
North Carolina Library Commission
News Letter, November 18, 1946), 2.
Beatrice R. Hamlin, who later received
her graduate degree from North Caro-
lina Central University, became the
childrenTs librarian at Harrison in 1952.
Oral interview, Culture Town, 139-143.

21 By 1949 ten counties had bookmo-
biles for African Americans and another
13 shared a bookmobile between
Whites and Blacks. See oNorth Carolina
Negro Public Library Service " 1949�
map (RBH files).

22 Marjorie Beal, ed., oLibraries in
North Carolina: A survey, 1946-1947�
(mimeograph, Raleigh: North Carolina
Library Association, 1948), 19.

3 Public Libraries Section report,
NCLA Records, Vol. 1, 1937-1951, (un-

cataloged files, State Library of North
Carolina), 3. The North Carolina Negro
Library Association had first broached
the idea in 1944 to the legislature. Lee,
oDevelopment of Negro Libraries,� 2.
BealTs efforts in many directions, during
a difficult time, have gone largely unap-
preciated.

4 Beal, oLibraries in North Carolina,�
19. See also North Carolina Library
Commission, News Letter (November
18, 1946), 2. For an example of LeeTs
work at the State Library, see oBibliog-
raphies of Holdings of North Carolina
Libraries� and the reactions it spawned.
SHC, 3823, North Carolina Council on
Interracial Cooperation, folder 52. An-
other example is LeeTs candid report on
the Brevard Street and Fairview Homes
branches in Mecklenburg County, May
13, 1948, uncataloged files, State Li-
brary of North Carolina.

25 For instance, in 1960 a bond issue
passed in Wake County but a library tax
vote did not. Valerie W. Lovett, ed., oA
Closer Look: A Community Analysis
and Library Evaluation of Wake
County� (Raleigh: Department of the
Wake County Library, 1979). As Doris
Rosemond commented, oSelling librar-
ies in North Carolina seems to be one of
our problems, however.� (Mrs. D. G.
Rosemond to McNeill Smith, United
States Commission on Civil Rights,
North Carolina Advisory Committee,
Duke University, Rare Books, Manu-
scripts, and Special Collections Library
Box 3, September 2, 1960. Rosemond
was head of the Wilson County Negro
Library.)

26 See the extensive material under
oWake County Public Library,� uncata-
loged files, State Library of North Caro-
lina. In 1951 Lee had established a sec-
ond branch library, in Washington Ter-
race. North Carolina Library Commis-
sion News Letter (March 1951), 4.

27 See, for example, the paucity of ma-
terials in the United States Commission
on Civil Rights, 52-A, even though use
of public libraries was a major focus of
the Commission.

28 For the latter, personal conversation
with Bill OTShea in 1980.

29 See Charlotte Hilton Green, oOut-
of-Doors in Carolina,� News & Observer,
June 18, 1972 V-11; Leon White, oTar
Heel of the Week,� ibid., April 1, 1971;
Mary Day Mordecai, oMrs. Mollie Lee
and a Little Faith Built Richard B.
Harrison Library.� ibid., June 2, 1972, 17

30 Tn addition to sources noted above,
see oChairman Of NCC Dept. Of Biol-
ogy Dies At Age Of 59,� Durham Morn-
ing Herald (June 13, 1963).

North Carolina Libraries

itTs a relief to Know thereTs fellow librarian Allen Benson.

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Internet into traditional library services.

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100 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013

North Carolina Libraries

ConnecTING KIDS AND THE INTERNET:

A HANDBOOK FoR LIBRARIANS,
TEACHERS, AND PARENTS

By Aten C. Benson AND LinpA FopEMsKI

Designed to help school media specialists,
teachers, parents, and home-schoolers get
children learning online, this user-friendly
handbook includes:

© a general guide to the best Internet resources
for kids

e information on setting up pen pal programs

e ways to research and contact childrenTs book
authors and illustrators online

e helping children take virtual field trips

e enabling kids to share interests with peers
through Internet discussion groups

e lesson plans and sessions that can be copied
for use in classroom presentations

1-55570-244-9. 1996. 8 1/2x 11. 300 pp.
$35.00.
oA true handbook...� Database

oAll of what one needs to become a competent
user is covered here....a rich and valuable
resource.� VOYA

othe ideal tool for getting yourself " and
your kids " on the Net...� Valley Parent/Bay
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BensonTs guide offers both onewbie� cybrarians
and Internet veterans everything they need to
master todayTs Internet and incorporate it into
their services.

No other source " virtual or print " offers
more step-by-step instructions, explains more
Internet tools and protocols, or uses library
examples to illustrate both basic and advanced
techniques. This incomparable resource will
help you:

e Learn about recent developments like
intranets and digital copyright issues

e Discover new Internet and Web tools and
resources " many of them free

e Select and install the hardware, software, and
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e Integrate the Internet into your library
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Internet policies

The manual also includes a glossary written in
language you can actually read, a listing of
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1-55570-317-8. November 1997.
8 1/2 x 11. 525pp. $65.00.

VUAUANVAaleteleasveltlUlnarslamexe)in

Spring 1998 " 27

Innovation in Library Education:
Historical X-Files on Technology, People, and Change

Nn spite of the random accolade
occasionally tossed to the unusu-

ally prominent professor, most
practitioners regard library educa-

tors with distrust, disdain, or at
best, strained tolerance. Academi-
cians generally are viewed as self-
serving, indulgent, and effete due to
the supposed flexibility of their sched-
ules and their philosophical flirtations
with irrelevant and perhaps erroneous
theory from other fields. It is assumed
that they are somehow intellectual,
meaning removed from the day-to-day
concerns of real librarians and their
customers. Some state legislatures have
promoted the idea that the entire pro-
fessorate represents a high-paid welfare
class, and several have abolished ten-
ure. In North Carolina, the legislature
has called for proof that professors

should be compensated for time be--

yond their actual 6-to-9 contact hours
with students per week. Practicing li-
brarians may feel that library educators
are oout of touch� with marketplace
developments, particularly technologi-
cal ones, and with good reason, since
no one seems to stay abreast any more.
Some librarians may fear that their job
performance is being mocked by super-
cilious professors in the classroom for
the sake of a laugh. Yet all of these
fears, justified or not, underscore the
fundamental misunderstandings about
the role of higher education generally
and library education in particular,
many of which are firmly rooted in
professional history, millennial hype
about innovation notwithstanding.
Few librarians can name ten fa-
mous library educators other than the
ones who taught them in their own li-
brary education programs, or to enu-
merate the contributions of Pierce But-

28 " Spring 1998

by James V. Carmichael, Jr.

ler, Jesse Shera, Charles Stone, Sarah
Bogle, Virginia Lacey Jones, Frances
Cheney, or Evelyn Parsons Jackson (for
example) to librarianship, although
their achievements were substantial.
Librarians consider as remarkable the
ability to recall the fact that Melvil
Dewey began the first library school at
Columbia University in 1887, or notice
only in passing that the author of a
book or article they are reading hap-
pens to be written by a library educa-
tion professor. Generally, however, li-
brarians donTt read much library litera-
ture " most donTt have time " and
unfortunately, such is the quality of
much library literature that it is prob-
ably not to their credit to do so. The lot
of the library educator, known chiefly
through publication and teaching, is
consequently even more ignominious
than that of librarians, who are usually
only remembered by posterity if their
name happens to be inscribed on a
building. The reasons for this
ahistoricity have been reiterated many
times before: librarians adopt a self-ef-
facing stance with regard to their own
achievements, in light of the fact that
librarianship is a service profession; li-
brarians and their professors tend to
destroy their own records while saving
those of the greater society; and most
of all, librarians operate
under the perception
that their function is
subsidiary to the inven-
tion, discovery, and cre-
ativity in which their
public(s) engage.

The intellectual en-
ergy represented at the
early ALA conferences
may never have been
equaled, and that is

why, perhaps, leaders like William
Frederick Poole were so bitterly op-
posed to Melvil DeweyTs proposal for
formal library education. There were
already brilliant practitioners in the
field suited to the challenge of imple-
menting the omodern library idea,�
Poole opined, and these persons were
suited ideally to train their own assis-
tants in house, as had been the stan-
dard practice up until then.! The li-
brary pioneers addressed all manner of
library problems in the papers they pre-
sented to the association in its first sev-
eral decades, and the solutions that
they devised have received only mod-
est modification in recent times: library
services to children, mobile library ser-
vice, library publicity and marketing,
remote storage, services to excluded
minorities, the physically challenged,
and the foreign-born, bibliographic
standards, alternative collection orga-
nizational schemes, and the need for
more comprehensive (and cooperative)
periodical indexing.

Many prominent North Carolina
library pioneers were trained or self-
taught through the apprentice system,
notably under Louis Round Wilson of
the University of North Carolina"ar-
guably the most influential librarian of
the first half of the twentieth cen-

In the historical sense, at least,
library educators serve as obe-
lisks " landmarks on the library
landscape " more than they do
bellwethers of things to come.

North Carolina Libraries

tury " but also under Cornelia Spencer
Love of Massachusetts, whom Wilson
employed as order librarian through
inquiry to DeweyTs school, and later ap-
pointed his second-in-command. Al-
though Love was Radcliffe-educated
and later obtained a library certificate
from DeweyTs school at Albany, she
credited her greatest professional expe-
rience to a self-trained librarian at Epis-
copal Theological Seminary named
Edith Fuller " oa homely little woman
with a screw of grey hair here at the
back of her neck. She wasnTt in the least
good looking. [But] She had the sweet-
est smile, and she was a very, very kind
person.�� By the same token, Nellie
Rowe Jones, librarian of Greensboro
from 1920 to 1948, received her library
certificate from the Library School of
the Carnegie Library of Atlanta (begun
by another self-trained librarian, Anne
Wallace), yet she was already far ahead
of her classmates when she entered the
class of 1920, thanks to the daily tuto-
rial ministrations of GreensboroTs self-
taught librarian, Bettie D. Caldwell
(1901-1920).

The establishment of formal edu-
cation for librarianship faced many ob-
stacles, most of them from within the
profession. Melvil Dewey made many
enemies during his long career, not
least of all because he was able to spear-
head an effort that librarians had until
then thought impracti-
cal " the formation of.a
viable and strong national
library association " but
also because he lost no op-
portunity to claim credit
for his ideas, some of
which were not his own,?
and some of which are
touted mistakenly by
ahistorical practitioners as ya
recent innovations: inter-
institutional and multi-
type library cooperation,
outreach of myriad stripes,
library extension services,
standardized library
equipment, and the use of
business methods in li- 4
braries, all of which were |
in the minds if not the
practice of the 100 del-
egates to the first meeting )
of the American Library
Association (ALA) in
Philadelphia in 1876.

Dewey had an alter-
native scheme to ad hoc
training, of course, and,
most unusually, the plan
included women " cheap

v

Figure 1

North Carolina Libraries



Annals of Library Technology, 1905.
The elongated loops of Lila May ChapmanTs handwriting so unnerved Anne
Wallace that she required Chapman to prove that she could master olibrary hand�
(block printed form) by sending in samples of her work the summer before she
entered the Carnegie Library of AtlantaTs oSouthern Library School� class of 1906.
[Special Collections Department, Robert W. Woodruff Library, Emory University. ]

labor, yes, but women all the same. Not
surprisingly, the plan did not minimize
his central role in conceiving the first
library school, which eventually pro-
vided an outlet for part of the library
and office staples he marketed through
ALATs supply arm, the Library Bureau.
The school also provided him with a
ready-made laboratory in which to
vent his Tayloristic obsession with ef-
ficiency. On a more positive note,
DeweyTs initial curricular plan involved
interdisciplinary study, and lectures
from the field of library practice. He
thus made clear to novices just how
vast was the universe of knowledge,
and how essential some systematic
manner was to grappling with such a
diversity of methodologies, competing
theories, and literature.* Ironically,
one could not hope better for todayTs
graduates than that they gain a sense of
humility before the breadth and depth
of knowledge structures"not just the
sound byte or database of the mo-
ment " and that library education in-
still in these students a desire to im-
merse themselves in interdisciplinary
connections, a wide range of academic
and popular reading, and familiarity
with the bibliographic apparatus that
attempts to track it all.

In the historical sense, at least, li-
brary educators serve as obelisks "
landmarks on the library landscape "




ep 7 Oe Fe

Library Schoot
Carmegie Library

tuvwrxyz
jae BEAYe 6 T8940
Southern Library Sehoot

more than they do bellwethers of
things to come. The library educator
distinguishes the new from the fad-
dish, tests new theories and discounts
redundant or false ones, defines and ar-
ticulates the core professional func-
tions, and incidentally, or luckily, con-
tributes to the improvement of library
practice and information techniques.
The first formal review of library
education, the famous Williamson Re-
port of 1923,5 criticized existing library
programs for their clutter of busy-work,
which was essentially no more than
glorified secretarial practice, and their
lack of intellectual substance. Courses
in standardized printing and handwrit-
ing, known as olibrary hand,� still were
required in some parts of the country
because it could not automatically be
assumed that typewriters would be
available for use in the production of
catalog cards. Anne Wallace, self-
taught principal and director of the
Southern Library School (after 1907,
the Library School of the Carnegie Li-
brary of Atlanta, and after 1925, the
School of Library Science of Emory
University), told one of the applicants
to the class of 1906 that oour chief ob-
jection to your writing lies in the loop
letters ... which must be short and per-
pendicular� and advised her that oIt is
a quite serious matter to change the
form of your handwriting, but I am
sure you will be able to accom-
plish the vertical hand.�® It was
futile for the prospective student
to protest that she had experi-
ence on a private typewriting
machine in her uncleTs office,
since many southern communi-
ties were strapped for funds, not
only for library otechnology,�
but for book stock
and salaries as
well. She therefore
practiced assidu-
ously all summer,
and regularly sent
Wallace samples
of her script and

Pianta,

block printing (see

WBeGelE F Gina aa ant figure 1). Another
OeRS TU Ve wee more fortunate
AbedeFghij Kimnoe classmate whose

handwriting was
less eccentric was
hired as librarian
at Winthrop Col-
lege, and boasted
that oPresident
Johnson has been
so good to give us
everything we
asked for lately

Spring 1998 " 29

that we are meditating a petition fora
typewriter. I am sure you ... most de-
voutly hope he will grant us one.�� Ex-
perience on a typewriter was desirable
but not essential, although great quan-
tities of typewritten letters were issued
from the Atlanta school praising gradu-
ates who used their creativity in intro-
ducing victrola technology into the li-
brary for a Halloween Virginia reel, for
example, or toting in equipment for a
lantern-slide show into the libraryTs lec-
ture hall, or else requesting detailed
technical specifications for white ink

and pen nibs used in labeling books,
with EsterbrookTs JudgeTs Quill 112 rec-
ommended above all others. Some
even contemplated adding moving pic-
tures to the libraryTs standard fare for a
bit of excitement.

Yet between 1876 and 1925, the
main progress made in the modern li-
brary idea was not technological, but
attitudinal. Whereas at the beginning
of the period, customers often were
seen as the enemies of the libraries,
with dirty hands, larcenous tendencies,
and careless habits which would de-

plete library stocks, some librarians re-
alized that patrons oare worth more
than the books� and were willing oto
lose several dollars worth a month
rather than close the library against a
single reader.�® The Atlanta School,
until 1930 the only oapproved� school
for White librarians in the South,
therefore followed the example of
DeweyTs school in demanding an ex-
traordinary specific background knowl-
edge of literature, foreign languages,
history, and current events of its appli-
cants, as well as a great deal of facility

What Every Librarian Should Know, ca. 1905
Entrance Examination (excluding page of French or German translation)
Southern Library School, Carnegie Library of Atlanta

Il. HISTORY AND GENERAL INFORMATION
(1) Give in chronological order the wars in which the United States has
been engaged, with causes and results of each.

|, LITERATURE
(1) Give a synopsis of the important periods of English literature
naming the chief writers of each period. Mention a work of each

writer. (2) Name the ruling houses of England, beginning with the Norman

(2) Name 3 New England poets Conquest. Characterize each briefly.
2 Southem poets

2 American historians
2 American novelists

1 American essayist

(3) What national policies were the following men responsible for or
associated with

Alexander Hamilton

Thomas Jefferson

Wendell Phillips

James Monroe

William McKinley
(Or) Give the names of those who hold the following offices at the
present time

Mayor of New York

Ambassador at Court of St. James

Secretary of State of U.S

President of the Senate of U. S.

Speaker of the House of Representatives

(3) Name the best English translation of the following:
Homer's Iliad
DanteTs Divine Comedy
Goethe's Faust

(4) Mention the names of
2 Greek dramatists
2 Roman historians
1 French essayist
2 modern Spanish novelists
2 German philosophers
1 English historian
(Or) Name a representative work on one of the following subjects,
giving the author
Biology
Pedagogy
Sociology
Eastem situation
French revolution

(4) What is meant by the Renaissance? What period did it embrace?
Give some of the great names connected with it, and its effect upon the

history of Europe.

(5) What was the

Magna Carta

Coup dTEtat

Feudal system (Answer 2)

Gunpowder plot
(5) State briefly what is suggested to your mind by the following Crusades
Realism in literature
Transcendentalism
Meistersingers
Pre-Raphaelitism

Bayreuth

(6) When and under what circumstances did England and Scotland unite
under one govemment?

(7) Name 2 scientific discoverers, with their contributions to science
2 great styles of architecture, with a building illustrating each
2 famous sculptors, with nationality, and one important work
2 philosophers, with system with which they are identified
(Or) Name a Portugese navigator
Swedish king
Spanish king
Japanese general
French philosopher
Norwegian explorer

(6) What do you consider five important names in modern literature?

(7) Who wrote the following? Answer ten.
Hypatia
Rasselas
Silas Lapham
Portrait of a Lady
Stones of Venice
Consuelo
Descent of Man
Blue Flower
Lady RoseTs Daughter
Tom Sawyer
American Commonwealth
Vicar of Wakefield
Confessions of an English Opium Eater

English educator
Italian scientist
Dutch painter
Scotch reformer

(8) Discuss any one of the following subjects
. College settlements
Trades unions
Government ownership

30 " Spring 1998 North Carolina Libraries

with the English language (see figure
2). The final exam, on a range of sub-
jects ranging from oEstablishing a Pub-
lic Library� to oAdministration of the
Library,� tested the written communi-
cation skills of the student as much as
it did the points of content in any li-
brary plan.

Not surprisingly, then, some li-
brary educators developed a reputation
for picayune nit-picking in matters of
grammar, usage and syntax, a reputa-
tion which has not entirely disap-
peared as of this writing for educators
who read carefully what graduate stu-
dents write. Nietzsche, the great proto-
atheist of modern philosophy, argued
that ounfortunately� civilization could
not dispose of God so long as it had
grammarians, and certainly, the lin-
guistic piety of the early library educa-
tors could not be questioned. In 1903,
for example, Mrs. Salome Cutler
Fairchild, who by then had assumed
the role of Principal in DeweyTs School,
wrote to one of AlbanyTs graduates,
Edna Bullock, then serving as Secretary
of the Nebraska Library Commission,
ostensibly to compliment her upon her
first biennial report and oState Fair cir-
cular,� but in reality to point out a
otiny blemish� in the report resulting
from the use of owill� instead of oshall�
in the last line. Bullock lost no time in
replying to Fairchild that

I am almost as much of an
iconoclast about language as
Mr. Dewey is about spelling. I
believe that usage is what
makes and unmakes language,
and I believe the greater
proportion of educated people
use these two words inter-
changeably to a certain extent.
If they do, then I donTt care
what the grammars and the
dictionaries say. They are made
by scholastics, and I believe the
general average makes lan-
guage, history and everything
else. I do not, however, use the
two words interchangeably,
and in the connection you
mention, I used the word that
expressed my meaning.T

Mrs. Fairchild, never one to yield a
point lightly, reminded Bullock by re-
turn post that

[... ] the librarian would better
stick to his own task and
conform in conventional
matters whether he believes in
it or not, for otherwise he gets
the reputation of a crank in

North Carolina Libraries

such things and loses part of
his influence in his own field.
Is not this position a sound
and sensible one?!°

One has the impression that Miss Bul-
lock and Mts. Fairchild would have
greatly enjoyed the convenience of the
e-mail environment, where their barely
contained expressions of heat could
have found suitable form in oflames.�

Some technological innovations
became embartrassments once they were
fixed as library staples " consider the
microcard, for example " and the same
principle applied to sacrosanct library
practice. What librarians remember,
therefore, about Fremont RiderTs fa-
mous work on managing growth in li-
braries, The Scholar and the Future of the
Research Library, is not the particular
technological solution he proposed
(copy all books on microcard, attach the
copy to the back of the catalog card,
and thus eliminate the need for the
physical book), nor the rate of growth
he predicted (he underestimated) but
that his prescient grasp of the particu-
lar social context of knowledge in 1944
presaged the postwar growth in scien-
tific knowledge and the current oinfor-
mation explosion� hysteria.

Former ALA President Marilyn
Miller was famous among students at
the University of North Carolina at
Greensboro for her hilarious satire of
the accessioning process utilized at one
Kansas field site, and the minutiae
taught to her in library school of ohow
to open a new book properly.� Such a
level of mundane detail has never been
unimportant to librarians whose book
stock is scarce and aged, who do not
have the autonomy and political clout
in their jobs to gain increased appro-
priations, who rarely receive additional
training in new technology, or who are
never permitted to attend national pro-
fessional meetings. Such individuals
have to learn book-repair on the job, as
it is rarely taught in library school, they
know how to fall back on a Brodart
charging machine if the electronic cir-
culation system crashes, and many will
not give up a hard-copy shelflist no
matter how many promises the cata-
loging software vendor tenders to
them. One of the most persistent prob-
lems faced by academic libraries,
misshelved and lost books, may ulti-
mately be simplified by electronic in-
ventory systems, but they will be effec-
tive only part of the time (right after an
inventory is made), and only if a suffi-
cient number of reliable student
shelvers can be found who understand

the torturous intricacies of classifica-
tion and cuttering.

How has technology affected edu-
cation, really? At school media centers
and community college and university
reference desks everywhere, one hears
that the demand for technology is up,
not necessarily because so much more
information is available, but because
teachers and professors are requiring
students to bring in printouts of their
searches as proof of library use. It is fu-
tile to describe to these students or
their teachers the data jungle that ex-
ists on the World Wide Web, or suggest
a monographic substitute " the
myriad of ohits� on almost any topic
reeks of power and sex appeal " never
mind the inefficiencies of data over-
load, or lack of intellectual authority.
Information itself " however one de-
fines that term " has assumed an os-
tensible primacy it never possessed in
the Gilded Age due primarily to the
growth of knowledge industries, tele-
communications, and technological
breakthroughs barely conceivable only
15 years ago. Yet the revolution in in-
formation technology has not obliter-
ated the human component of library
work: a 1995 survey of employers of
library education graduates of the
University of North Carolina at
GreensboroTs Department of Library
and Information studies found that li-
brarians are generally satisfied with the
level of technological competence of
graduates, but are still somewhat con-
cerned about their communication and
other interpersonal skills.

Changes in library education in
the past 125 years are largely cosmetic,
and reflect to a greater or lesser extent
changes in the profession, in educa-
tion, and in society. The establishment
of an accreditation process in 1925 in
effect dealt the death blow to in-house
training programs as an acceptable cre-
dential for emerging professionals. Li-
brary programs over the next several
decades became less self-governing and
more like established disciplinary pro-
grams, subject to university executive
fiat and accountability pressures.
When the fifth-year BachelorTs degree
replaced the library certificate in 1925,
and when the MasterTs degree replaced
the fifth-year BachelorTs degree as the
terminal professional credential in
1948, many experienced librarians
found themselves unable to advance
further or to re-enter the field until
they refreshed their professional union
card.

Library education and scholarship
involve constants as well as change. It

Spring 1998 " 31

is not the job of the li-
brary educator to incul-
cate the novice in a litany
of technological trivia
except insofar as that ter-
minology and technique
informs society as a
whole, and even then,
technology does not pro-
vide the end of library
education, but the means
to fulfill the basic library
functions in a better way.
These functions were de-
fined by former ALA
President Josephine
Rathbone in 1934 as col-
lecting, organizing, and
making available obooks
or other printed material
for the use and benefit of
a given constituency.�!!
Today librarians preserve
information in a variety
of media besides print
(and a great deal besides
that over-used word oin-
formation,� which is of-
ten confused with
oknowledge�), but their
functions remain basically unchanged.
The graduate of 1910 possessed the
ability to collect, organize, and dis-
seminate in no lesser degree than the
graduate of 1950, or hopefully, 1998,
with only the social context of infor-
mation delivery changed " that tem-
poral emphasis that library educators
supply. For this reason, classic library
literature rarely becomes dated. Prob-
ably no more basic or profound percep-
tion of the librarianTs function has ever
been formulated, for example, than
that provided by Pierce Butler in his An
Introduction to Library Science (1933, first
reprinted in 1961), nor of library edu-
cation than Jesse H. SheraTs The Foun-
dations of Education for Librarianship
(1972). Lester E. AsheimTs 1954 state-
ment on censorship!* has never been
surpassed. Historians of library educa-
tion reiterate time and again how little
the relationship has changed between
library education and the library pro-
fession, whatever the particulars of cur-
ricular reform, the nature of mercurial

A Techie Haunt, c. 1912; Student Break Room, Carnegie Library of Atlanta.
Here aspiring novices could immerse themselves in copies of Dewey
Decimal Classification (in bookshelves on left), or ponder the profundities
of ChamberTs Book of Days, atlases, encyclopedias, or other reference
works while sipping tea. New students were also required to attend a
Saturday seminar to review news and current events " training for the
reference mind set. [Special Collections, Atlanta-Fulton Public Library].

have survived bril-
liantly.'3

The same principle
applies in library prac-
tice, where job ads seem
to demand _ change
agents, when in reality
factotums are desired.
Earlier in ShoresTs career,
his lack of guile and fear
in the face of the profes-
sional power structure
earned him a reputation
as a professional misfit.
When the Brooklyn-
born graduate _"_" off
ColumbiaTs School of Li-
brary Service became li-
brarian at Fisk University
in 1930, he organized a
Southern Negro Library
Conference on his own
initiative, and ruffled
feathers in the ranks of
southern White library
establishment and the
ALA. Tommie Dora
Barker (Atlanta), Louis
Round Wilson (Univer-

credentials, or the vagaries of institu-
tional funding and politics.
Interestingly, those who in fact try
something innovative in library educa-
tion are often discounted by their
peers, and ignored by the profession.
Certainly, Louis Shores of the Univer-
sity of Florida " godfather of the oli-
brary college� idea based on Justin
WinsorTs much earlier maxim that the
library should be othe heart of the uni-
versity� " was provocative because of
ShoresTs overweening ego. His attempts
to make library instruction central to
the education of every University of
Florida undergraduate were exemplary
and valorous, if somewhat misguided.
Florida did in fact require credit courses
in library instruction for several years
during the 1950s, and although the
sheer size of the university and the in-
evitable campus bureaucracy eventu-
ally toppled ShoresTs plan, in a different
higher education environment, at
Earlham College, ShoreTs basic ideas,
realized and refined by Evan Ira Farber,

... technology does not provide the end of library
education, but the means to fulfill the basic library

functions in a better way.

32 " Spring 1998

sity of North Carolina)
and Mary Utopia Rothrock (Knoxville)
conferred with ALA before they agreed
to speak at the conference, not so
much because they were racist " in
fact, they were considered somewhat
progressive in their time " but because
Shores was apparently unaware of the
covert vested interests of ALA in south-
ern librarianship. In 1925, Wilson had
selected the site for a Black library
school (Hampton Institute, Hampton,
Virginia) under the aegis of the ALA
and the Carnegie Corporation. The
schoolTs head from 1925 to 1939 was
Florence Rising Curtis, a Quaker from
upstate New York who was a close per-
sonal friend of Sarah Bogle, Secretary of
the Board of Education for
Librarianship. CurtisTs senator father,
General Nathaniel Curtis, had been
commemorated by a huge bronze
statue in Ogdensburg, New York, for
his bravery in capturing Fort Fisher,
North Carolina (the last Confederate
port to fall), as well as for his progres-
sive views on abolition and the abol-
ishment of capital punishment. Curtis
was a osafe� candidate for the Director-
ship, since it would have been impoli-
tic to promote a southern White direc-
tor, and unprecedented to select an
African American candidate. ALATs
stance on library education for minori-
ties in 1925 was in fact accomodationist
if not retrogressive, because there were
very few public libraries in the South

North Carolina Libraries

where people of color could be em-
ployed as librarians. Shores ignored the
regulatory power of the ALA and the
southern White library establishment
in addressing the orace question� in
southern librarianship, but it was his
unbridled initiative " innovative in
itself in the library profession at that
time " more than the conference it-
self, that rankled the sensibilities of
ALATs Executive Director and his south-
ern power-brokers.!4

Not all innovative ideas are con-
troversial in library education, and
most of them are rarely recognized for
being innovations when they are intro-
duced. Charles H. Stone, for example,
had been a pioneering member of the
committee of the
Southern Associa-
tion of Standards for
Colleges that first
proposed standards
for high school li-
braries, a move
which in 1930 must
have seemed fool-
hardy, given the
state of the southern
economy and the
dilapidated state of
many secondary
schools, where such
schools even ex-
isted. Stone de-
signed a curriculum
for school librarians
at Peabody Institute
in 1919, although
the ALA did not ac-
credit the Nashville
program until 1931.
By that time, Stone
had become director
of the library at the
North Carolina Col-
lege for Women in

brarians"she in effect precluded for
years accredited library education for
working women in the southern
school library field. Meanwhile, Stone
had also been misled by Wilson and
UNC's President Frank Porter Graham
into believing that he would be the
new head of the Chapel Hill program,
while Wilson moved on to the Univer-
sity of Chicago as Director of the
Graduate Library School. Discouraged,
Stone accepted a position as Director of
the Library at the College of William
and Mary in 1935, and inaugurated
still another library education program
aimed at school librarians, but the in-
terference of former library director
Earl G. Swem in library and school af-

Distance Education Delivery in the Pre-Ergonomics Era. Lecture Hall, Carnegie
Library of Atlanta, c. 1912
Students heard about the very latest library developments from national authorities
Edna Lyman (childrenTs literature), Lutie Stearns (state library commissions and

library extension), Annie Carroll Moore (storytelling), Arthur Bostwick (professional ity

philopsophy), and Pratt InstituteTs Mary Wright Plummer, among other visiting
national library dignitaries. There is no evidence that the speakers were ever
reimbursed for their travel expenses.

[Special Collections, Atlanta-Fulton Public Library].

Greensboro, where

he had developed a program for school
librarians "the first ALA-accredited
program of any kind in North Caro-
lina. Politics snared Stone, however,
when the North Carolina legislature
consolidated library education at
Chapel Hill in 1933 under the direction
of the schoolTs first female director, and
only the third female Ph.D. in
Librarianship, Dr. Susan Grey Akers.
Akers was a stickler for university resi-
dency requirements and no doubt was
zealous in her desire to enhance the
educational experience for her stu-
dents, but when she deigned to refuse
credit for successive summers of
work"a necessary evil for working
school employees, including school li-

North Carolina Libraries

fairs eventually drove Stone to resign in
1942, and he finished his career quietly
as librarian of Mercer University (1942-
1960).!5 Meanwhile, AkersTs contribu-
tion to education for librarianship, a
cataloging textbook, became standard
in the cataloging field, went through
nine editions, and was translated into
many foreign languages.

In personnel matters, library edu-
cation often operates on the passive
principles of least resistance and ratio-
nalization " the truly lazy student will
eventually flunk out, the unproductive
assistant professor will fail to get ten-
ure " but such was not always the
case. Consider admissions require-
ments, for example. Library educators

have always been hard-pressed to turn
away the bright, qualified, but socially
maladroit or emotionally disturbed stu-
dent, for both financial and compas-
sionate reasons. Reading library records
of the turn-of-the-century era, when
studentsT voluble temperaments, physi-
cal defects, lack of physical attractive-
ness, what used to be called obreed-
ing,� or the fundamentals (never mind
the credentials) of a liberal arts educa-
tion were dissected, analyzed, and dis-
cussed with an unthinkable degree of
frank avidity in letters of recommenda-
tion and office memoranda, one canTt
help but be impressed with how tact-
fully such problem students were dis-
patched (usually they were recom-
mended for a job ina
small and geographi-
cally-remote com-
munity). InstructorsT
perceptions often
were uncannily accu-
rate in the light of
later events. How
similar and yet differ-
ent their situation
was to that of the
present-day library
professor, whose ef-
fectiveness in dealing
with the problem
student is con-
strained by federal
law, modern inter-
pretations of the cli-
ent confidentiality
clause on campus,
and an ill-conceived
notion that personal-
characteristics
and competency in
interpersonal ex-
changes are second-
ary to technological
literacy in the em-
ployment pool.

As for the meaning of what passes
for accreditation of library education
programs in the current university en-
vironment, library educators rarely
have considered ALA accreditation sat-
isfactory, and even among members of
the Association of Education for Li-
brary and Information Science (ALISE),
there is confusion and dissent about its
aims and means to this day. During a
recent accreditation visit to the Univer-
sity of North Carolina at Greensboro
library education program, for ex-
ample, the 1982 Committee on Ac-
creditation (COA) standards apparently
were utilized for evaluation, although
the more loosely written, output-based
1992 COA Standards had already taken

Spring 1998 " 3%

effect. Moreover, accredited or not, li-
brary education is enrollment-driven.
The North Carolina university system
funds university programs based on
FTE hours, and the curricular content
of any given library education program
usually is limited only by what the
market will bear, and what will appeal
to prospective students and employers.

Many doctoral programs in library
education " in other words, those ca-
tering to a national as opposed to a re-
gional market " have made sweeping
changes in their MasterTs curricula in
recent years, for example, thus elimi-
nating technical services entirely from
the core courses required at the Univer-
sity of Pittsburgh, or (also at Pitts-
burgh) returning to the idea of corre-
spondence courses (an idea the Board
of Education for Librarianship nixed
early in its history), offering credit
courses in World Wide Web site con-
struction at still others (never mind
that the Internet skills of high school
graduates frequently equal and will in-
evitably surpass that of anyone born
before about 1980). The educational
hoopla over distance education, of
which one reads a great deal in library
education literature, has gained ascen-
dancy due to the high cost of graduate
education, the fact that fewer students
than ever can afford to be full-time
graduate students, and the subsequent
likelihood that they will attend the li-
brary education program closest to
their home; yet in North Carolina, dis-
tance education represents a techno-
logical shibboleth more than it does an
educational innovation, given the fact
that the North Carolina university sys-
tem still does not award FTE credit to
programs for distance education stu-
dents. Moreover, the classrooms at the
University of North Carolina at Greens-
boro still house televisions mounted at
ceiling level in the School of Educa-
tion, left over from a 1983 renovation
during a previous round of enthusiasm
for distance education " then called
omultimedia� or otelevised learn-
ing� " an idea that came with money
for machines, but not for training, ad-
ditional personnel, or instructional
design. How many school media spe-
cialists, one wonders, were similarly
saddled with clunky technological wiz-
ardry in the last round of legislative lar-
gesse, in school media centers that did
not even possess a telephone line?

At the University of North Caro-
lina at Greensboro, a MasterTs program
has risen phoenix-like from the ashes
of Charles StoneTs dream, due mainly
to the leadership of the late Mary

74 " Spring 1998

Frances Kennon Johnson (1962-79),
whose efforts on behalf of standards for
school libraries in the Great Society Era
were of national importance; Dr. Kieth
Wright (1980-86, 1996-), who brought
the program up to technological snuff
in the first round of library automation
and formed vital partnerships with li-
braries of every type; Cora Paul Bomar
(1986-87), who succeeded in guiding
the program through its first successful
accreditation after the program was re-
vived; and Dr. Marilyn Miller (1987-
95), whose ALA Presidency and library
advocacy lent a national visibility to
the program it might otherwise have
never possessed. The program became
the first to receive the approval of the
universityTs general administration to
offer an entire graduate degree via sat-
ellite. The distance education initiative
was taken by Miller during a period
when library education was still smart-
ing from the last round of program
closings in the 1980s (Case Western
Reserve, Emory University, Peabody
School of Education, Columbia Univer-

An Innovator in Library Education:
Charles H. Stone (1980-1965), a native
of Athens, Georgia and a graduate of the
University of Illinois Library School
(1914), started the first southern library
education program for school librarians
at Peabody Institute (1919), and
developed similar ALA-accredited
programs at the North Carolina College
for Women (1927-33), and The College
of William and Mary (1935-43). Both of
the latter programs fell afoul of library
and university politics within a decade,
and Peabody closed in 1988.
[University Archives, Walter Clinton
Jackson Library, University of North
Carolina at Greensboro].

sity, Northern Illinois University, and
Brigham Young University). Most of
these programs, it is true, were located
in private institutions, and no doubt
administrative expediency, perceptions
of social and economic utility, and
ideas about the future role of technol-
ogy in society predicated these closings
as much as did the lack of faculty re-
search productivity, program cost per
student, or spiraling inflation " the
usual scapegoats. In particular, the de-
mise of the Division of Library and In-
formation Science at Emory University,
and Columbia UniversityTs School of
Library Service, both in 1988, seemed
to spell an end to the era of DeweyTs vi-
sion of a obook for every reader� and of
Anne WallaceTs ambition to transform
the benighted southern cultural land-
scape by means of oa school for south-
ern conditions.� Yet at least theoreti-
cally the closings were long overdue.
Tommie Dora Barker of Atlanta and Sa-
rah Bogle of ALATs Board of Education
had advised ALA in 1930 that most pri-
vate library education programs (and
certainly poorly-prepared owildcat�
programs designed to capture the
booming school library market) should
be continued only if they met mini-
mum standards for staff and equip-
ment, and then only after the need for
one strong state-supported library edu-
cation program had been met in each
southern state.'¢

What constitutes innovation in li-
brary education as the millennium ap-
proaches? (1) a great deal more than
awe and reverence for computers and
the Internet, which in themselves ad-
dress only a fractional part of the
libraryTs function, accessing informa-
tion; (2) innovation comprises a
rearticulation of the libraryTs essential
role in society, respect for a great deal
more in life than the bottom line of the
budget, or obeisance to the conven-
tions of Byzantine terminology meant
to impress administrators by its obscu-
rity; and (3) in an era of huge wealth
generated by the information industry,
and the subsequent downsizing of
other industries, librarians will think of
children and graduate students as more
than potential profit centers for corpo-
rate technology entrepreneurs. True, it
is essential that librarians master tech-
nology and learn to filter the informa-
tion glut, but more importantly, they
need to filter the filters (information
producers), and exercise savvy about
the economics of information. What
has been lost to outsourcing, for ex-
ample? Wayne Wiegand, arguably one
of the most influential library educa-

North Carolina Libraries

tors of the present era, suggests that li-
brarians, as the historical gatekeepers
of cultural authority in their roles as
selectors, should be vigilant about how
that responsibility has shifted, and
who now holds that authority.!7 Dur-
ing the first part of the century, librar-
ians and educators " thanks largely to
fast friends among the industrial ty-
coon set, including Andrew Carnegie,
John D. Rockefeller, Julius Rosenwald,
and others " shared an unparalleled
degree of control over what was con-
sidered ogood� culture and ogood�
reading, but cultural relativism and
social revolution in the postmodernist
era spelled an end to this monopoly.
Library education, and higher educa-
tion generally, now experience pres-
sures to adjust both course content and
pedagogic style to accommodate com-
puter technology and cyberspace. Fu-
turists have been equally divided in
interpreting this trend as either an end
of librarian/professor hegemony and
the rise of the Internet State, or simply
unparalleled economic opportunism
on the part of university administrators
and the private sector, because future
students represent a multimillion dol-
lar captive audience for new products,
services, and courseware.!® The last ob-
servation seems particularly poi-
gnant in light of remedial programs
like Accelerated Reader, one part of
which consists of multiple-choice com-
puterized tests on content. What this
program seems to say is that it is not
important that children read for
readingTs sake, but so that they can pass
a test (or, as another corporate tie-in to
public libraries would have it, so they
can win McDonaldTs certificates based
on the number of summer reading
titles they have perused). Two book
representatives recently reported to a
UNCG faculty member that any pub-
lisher can have a title added to the Ac-
celerated Reader program simply by
paying a three hundred dollar fee.
What weight does this program add to,
or subtract from, the traditional profes-
sional responsibility of book selection?
The answer to that question is probably
the key to the uniqueness of the librar-
ian role in information production,
organization, and dissemination.

A review of library education his-
tory suggests that innovation has less
to do with either technology, the
makeover of curricula to fit the linguis-
tic fad of the moment, or the political
positioning of the professional school
within the university than it does with
maintaining a sense of intellectual and
emotional renewal among novices,

North Carolina Libraries

ee ee z= i

practitioners, and alumni, keeping at-
titudes open to opportunities for ser-
vice, maintaining an ethical core, com-
municating clearly, and above all, as-
suming public service duties with ease,
and treating patrons with respect. If li-
brary educators fail to instill in gradu-
ates the sense that they are not imper-
sonal conduits for a deluge of pentium-
processed bits and bytes, they will es-
sentially be duplicating the work of
computer science departments whose
mission is primarily technological
rather than interpersonal, civic, or ethi-
cal. More than ever, library education
programs are challenged to foster curi-
osity about current events, reward
depth as well as breadth of scholarship,
underscore the importance of method-
ology and research techniques in the
literatures of different disciplines, and
develop perceptions of literary and re-
search quality, permanent versus
ephemeral value, and the role of social,
political, and economic agendas on in-
formation production. While some of
these tasks may seem inevitably reme-
dial as the importance of literary cul-
ture supposedly diminishes, others are
associated with the ongoing aims of
liberal education in the classical
sense " an education which is lifelong,
continuing, and not associated with
profit margins per se. Whatever skills
they acquire, librarians must possess
this fundamental vision so that they
can exercise informed judgement "
discriminating intelligence, if you will,
or to use the hackneyed library meta-
phor, filtering capabilities " in extend-
ing library service to future publics.

References

1 William L. Williamson, William
Frederick Poole and the Modern Library
Movement (New York: Columbia Uni-
versity Press, 1963), 163.

2 Lee Kessler, Interview With Cornelia
Spencer Love, January 26, 1975, High
Point, North Carolina, p. 14. Tran-
scribed for the Southern Oral History
Program by Joe Jaros, University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Iam in-
debted to Patrick Valentine for a copy
of portions of this transcript.

3 Wayne A. Wiegand, Irrepressible Re-
former: Melvil Dewey (New York: Forest
Press, 1997).

4 Francis L. Miksa, oThe Columbia
School of Library Economy, 1887-
1888,� Libraries & Culture 23 (Summer
1988): 249-80.

5 Charles C. Williamson, Training for
Library Service:A Report Prepared for the
Carnegie Corporation of New York, New
York: [The Corporation], 1923.

6 Anne Wallace to Lila May
Chapman, June 20, 1905; July 7, 1905,
Chapman File, Archives of the Library
School of the Carnegie Library of At-
lanta, Special Collections, Robert W.
Woodruff Library, Emory University,
Atlanta, Georgia.

7 Mary Martin to Anne Wallace, May
1, 1907, Martin File, Archives of the Li-
brary School of the Carnegie Library of
Atlanta, Special Collections, Robert W.
Woodruff Library, Emory University,
Atlanta, Georgia.

8 Minnie Murrill to Delia Foreacre
Sneed, March 18, 1913, Murrill File, Ar-
chives of the Library School of The
Carnegie Library of Atlanta, Special Col-
lections, Robert W. Woodruff Library,
Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.

° Edna D. Bullock to Mrs. S. C.
Fairchild, January 20, 1903, Nebraska
State Library Commission Archives,
Nebraska Historical Society, Lincoln,
Nebraska.

10 Mrs. Salome C. Fairchild to Edna D.
Bullock, January 31, 1903, Nebraska
State Library Commission Archives,
Nebraska Historical Society, Lincoln,
Nebraska.

11 Josephine A. Rathbone, oLibrary
Work for Women,�in Careers for
Women: New Ideas, New Methods, New
Opportunities"to Fit a New World, ed.
Catherine Filene, 2d ed. (Boston:
Houghton and Mifflin, 1934), 389.

12 Lester E. Asheim, oThe LibrarianTs
Responsibility: Not Censorship, But Se-
lection,� in Freedom of Book Selection,
ed. Frederick Mosher (Chicago: ALA,
1954), 90-99.

13 Lee Shiflett, Louis Shores: Defining
Educational Librarianship (Lanham,
Md.: Scarecrow Press, 1996), esp. 99-
126.

14 James V. Carmichael, Jr., oTommie
Dora Barker and Southern Librarian-
ship,� Ph.D. diss., University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1988, 260-82,
esp. 267-70.

1S Charles Stone file, Graduate
Records, Archives of the University of
Illinois Library School, University of II-
linois at Urbana-Champaign.

16 Sarah C. N. Bogle, A Study of the Li-
brary School Situation in the Southern
States (Chicago: American Library Asso-
ciation, 1931).

17 Wayne A. Wiegand, oThe Politics of
Cultural Authority,� American Libraries
29 (January 1998): 80-82.

18 David F. Noble, oDigital Diploma
Mills: The Automation of Higher Edu-
cation,� October 1997, accessed De-
cember 5, 1997 through H-Editor, origi-
nally published on marxism-
international@lists. village. virginia.edu

Spring 1998 " 35

Newfangled & Highfalutin:

North Carolina Library Innovations Over the Decades

If a brief survey of NCLA publications can give any indication at all, then 20th century North Carolina
library innovations have been driven by two major concerns: 1) a desire to reach underserved populations,
and 2) the search for tools to deliver the raw materials of education, entertainment, and information faster,
more efficiently, and in an increasing number of media formats. Innovation has been horse-drawn wagons
carrying books into the coves of Appalachia, storytellers visiting polio wards, and that (now) old stand-by,
the bookmobile. It has been card catalogs, teletypewriters, filmstrip projectors, and laminating machines.
The Internet and all that goes with it may very well be just the most recent variation on our old familiar

two-verse tune.
Here are a few North Carolina library innovations from decades past.

" Plummer Alston Jones, Jr. and Thomas Kevin B. Cherry, Guest Editors



In 1922 some bookmobiles
needed hay.

[NC Library Bulletin (Dec. 1922):
82 insert. ]

* Photos included in this essay are
courtesy North Carolina
Collection, University of North
Carolina Library at Chapel Hill.

76 " Spring 1998 North Carolina Libraries

The stateTs first motorized bookmobile "
Miss Kiwanis " a gift of the Durham
Kiwanis Club, makes a trip to Burlington
in 1924.

[NC Library Bulletin (June 1924):

204 insert. ]

Winston-Salem Public LibraryTs
hospital service celebrates its

1st anniversary in 1930.

[NC Library Bulletin (March 1930):
234 insert.]

When school libraries became media
centers. How many media can you
identify in this 1953 photo?

[NCL 11 (May 1953): 79.]

North Carolina Libraries Spring 1998 " 37

Interlibrary loan gets a boost with the new
teletypewriter in 1959.
[NCL17 (Jan. 1959): 72.]

Lamination is touted as cutting-edge
technology in this 1961 photo.
[NCL 19 (Winter 1961): 32.]

Listening centers add a new dimension
to library services in 1969.
[NCL 27 (Spring 1969): 60.]

Library students pay homage to the
filmstrip previewer in 1971.
[NCL 29 (Fall 1971): 142.]

78 " Spring 1998 North Carolina Libraries

ired to the

orld

by Ralph Lee Scott

Java and the Web

he Java language came on the software market in 1995.

Java is a programming language like C++ or Fortran that

creates or compiles instructions that tell your computer

what to do. It has a number of features that make it an
improvement over other compilers. The chief of these features
is that Java programs work by downloading code (or instruc-
tions) from the Internet in small doses called Applets. The main
advantages of this applet system are: 1) these small programs,
after initial download from the Web, run on your computer
without going back to the Web page for updates; 2) these pro-
grams run faster because they do not have to go back to the Web
host computer (which might be busy or off line) to post infor-
mation; 3) the Java programs run in real time, thus you can
download and run software on your machine as well as just
viewing Web pages; 4) the applets use a GUI (Graphical User
Interface) so things like buttons, mouse movement, text boxes,
etc. can be referenced.

Among other useful aspects of the language as expressed
in a White Paper written by the developers of Java, the Sun
Microsystems Corporation, is that it is osimple, object oriented,
distributed, secure, robust, portable, platform neutral, inter-
preted, high performance, multi-threaded and dynamic.� In
short, it works, we hope, safely when we need it. A lot of soft-
ware is currently under development using these Java technolo-
gies. For example: MicrosoftTs Exchange e-mail software uses Java
applets to send and receive messages through an Internet proxy
server. This enables the system to remain secure, but also allows
e-mail users around the world to access their mail system. An-
other example of the use of applets is in MSNBC (Microsoft
NBC) home page Web site (www.msnbc.com). While the reader
is looking at the MSNBC home page on his browser, news
applets are running the background giving updates to current
headline, weather, and folders of interest. Another Web appli-
cation of applets is the KPIX traffic page (www. kpix.com/traffic),
where real time TV cameras broadcast current San Francisco
freeway traffic conditions worldwide. To view these Java appli-
cations, you must have what is called Java enabled Web brows-
ers. The two current major Internet browsers, NetscapeTs Navi-
gator 4.0 and Microsoft's IE 4.0, both support Java technologies.
The only catch is that you must have the Java script turned on
through a pull-down software switch.

Major detractors of the Java technology argue that the lan-
guage is a Sun proprietary product and not a standardized com-
piler. This, of course, allows one company to hold a monopoly
on product development. Developers of standardized languages
like C++ and Fortran argue that by developing language plat-
forms cooperatively over many vendors, one gets a better prod-
uct "a product built on mutually agreed goals. This way the
end user is not forced to use just what the proprietary developer
thinks is best. Some programmers with this bent have even been

North Carolina Libraries

known to state that oJava? You donTt need no steenkenT Java.��!
Other programmers/users contend that proprietary software has
the advantage of more focused, product-oriented goals. In other
words, the software works better because the company has a
vested interest in creating and selling a good-working product.

Sun MicrosystemsT Java has a powerful ally, Netscape Com-
munications, which has recently introduced what it calls the
oVisual Basic of the Web.� Basic was a simple programming lan-
guage that most computer users studied as their ofirst language.�
NetscapeTs new Java development software, which was just re-
leased in November at COMDEX, is called Visual JavaScript. Vi-
sual JavaScript used click and drag icons to create components
that run as Java applets, Java-Beans, HTML code, or COBRA
(Common Object Broker Architecture). These components are
combined by Visual JavaScript into what Netscape calls JavaScript
Beans. The oBeans� are joined by the software into the finished
Web page, using an application called Connection Builder.� The
Visual JavaScript software is designed to work with NetscapeTs
Web development tool package, SuiteSpot.

Java has its limitations, the major one being that it slows
down the loading of the page on your desktop. Another draw-
back is that the Java applets cannot access data stored on a
server, or modify an entire Web page once it has been sent. Our
good friends at Microsoft tried to solve the one-way nature of
Java by the use of control features in the IE browser called
ActiveX. ActiveX actually takes control over a section of the desk-
top and can display information and respond to commands
from within the browser display without actually reloading the
entire page. There are, of course, limitations to what ActiveX can
do, primarily due to a lack of platform portability (i.e., it does
not come with Netscape Navigator), and size/security concerns
with your computer desktop. The latest transport software like
Java under development is called Dynamic HyperText Markup
Language (or DHTML). DHTML, like Java and ActiveX, promises
to change the way the Internet works. With DHTML, once a
page has been loaded on your desktop, you can interact with
software to send with the original page without going back to
the server. (Remember this was the original idea of Java.) With
the new DHTML technology, additional pages, or parts of pages,
remain hidden to be called up locally when you need them. The
best analogy I can think of for DHTML is that it is like a big flip
chart. On your desktop you can flip back and forth among
pages, parts of pages, graphics, text, and even varying levels of
content. More about DHTML in a future oWired� column.

References

1 Paul Kapustka, oGeek Patrol: Java Gets a Scalding,� Internet
Week (November 10, 1997): 16.

2 Ellis Booker, oJavaScript Becomes Visual,� Internet Week
(November 17, 1997): 12.

Spring 1998 " 39

Dorothy Hodder, Compiler

efore diving into Bland Simpson and Ann Cary SimpsonTs unique homage to
North CarolinaTs coastal region, the land of their birth, prepare for a wet,
sticky, and convoluted journey. The author, Bland, and photographer, Ann,
seem to have traversed every river, creek, sound, swamp, and bog to be found
east of I-95, and with their images they take the reader along on a humid and
squishy journey. Part memoir, part travelogue, and part history book, Into the Sound
Country will strike a note of familiarity with anyone who has lived or visited this part
of the state. Like the region itself, there are joys to be found
in this work, but often they require slogging through some
flat and unexciting territory first.

Bland Simpson and Ann Cary Simpson. The Sound Country, as Simpson describes it, begins in
Into the Sound Country: the northeastern part of the state where the Dismal Swamp

dominates, then stretches two hundred miles south to Cape

A CarolinianTs Coastal Plain. Fear. By organizing this reminiscence along geographic

Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997.
269 pp. $34.95 ISBN 0-8078-2381-3.

Bland Simy
\nn ©

SON

OWN P St 18

40 " Spring 1998

lines, the author takes the reader through the coastal plain
from top to bottom, beginning with the area around
Elizabeth City where he grew up, down along the great
Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, to the Valley of the Neuse
and into the corner of the state surrounding Wilmington.
Each area provides a fertile source for the storyteller to draw
upon personal memories of growing up in the 1950s and 1960s and from the legacies
passed down by ancestors and acquaintances who settled that part of the country. On
one page he may relay a memory of going to work with his father or seeing a matinee
in the local movie palace, while on another he may recount the time Robert Frost,
George Washington, or FDR visited the area. A personal recollection may lead into a
detailed retelling of the Tuscarora War in the early 18th century. One chapter describes
the Albemarle region by elaborating on the scuppernong grape and its impact on
culture and economy while another chapter is devoted to the turpentine industry that
made the coastal area world renown for its naval stores. In each case the author
follows the pattern of relaying personal encounters as well as historical revelations,
such as the fact that smoke from burning tar filled the streets of Wilmington in 1862
in an unsuccessful effort to ward off a yellow fever epidemic that claimed 450 lives.
Along the way, we are never too far from geography and the environmental impact
that development and over-cultivation have had on the region. Lamented are the days
when great forests of longleaf pine covered the coastal plain and when shellfish were
abundant and safe to eat.

The writing style found here fits well with the often marshy nature of the subject
matter. SimpsonTs prose can bog the reader down with labored descriptions like that of
Edenton, which he calls oa place deeply steeped in its own historicity.� Also, though
occasionally charming, every walk through the woods, canoe trip down a river, or visit
with a farmer is not as fascinating as a tingling encounter with the ghost of Joe
Baldwin and his Maco light. This unevenness of material brings to mind the varied
nature of our coastal plain. The accompanying photographs by BlandTs wife Ann Cary
Simpson, the detailed map of the region, and the inclusion of an index enhance the
sometimes slow trip through the lowlands. This work is recommended for all libraries
with collections devoted to North Carolina. It is hard to imagine a work more evoca-
tive of this specific and often neglected place.

" William H. King
State Library of North Carolina

North Carolina Libraries

pening David BrookTs intensively researched history of the first
thirty-five years of theoAntiquities� society begins a journey into a
fascinating world of socialites, dreamers, schemers, and visionaries.
Their goal was the creation of an organized preservation movement
in the Tar Heel state that would reverse a growing trend to forget the
historic past, especially the structures associated with the history of the state.
Turning to well-established organizations such as the Association for the Preserva-
tion of Virginia Antiquities, the Society for the Preservation of New England
Antiquities, and Colonial Williamsburg, the Society for the Preservation of North
Carolina Antiquities (SPA) selected sometimes disparate
elements of the models. The Society emerged during the last
years of the Depression, struggled through the war years, faced
an indecisive future fraught with demolitions, and finally
David Louis Sterrett Brook. matured as a leader in the world of preservation planning,

A Lasting Gift of Heritage: funding, and education. During the journey, numerous
~ dynamic people, each with an ideal and opinion, come into

A Histor y of the focus: Ruth Coltrane Cannon, dubbed oChoo Choo Busy Bee�

° ° for her enthusiasm and energy; Christopher Crittenden,
North Carolina Soci ety for the dedicated to awakening the public to history; Elizabeth oBuffy�

j j iti Ives, who charged local preservationists to oget together and

Preservation of Antiquities, do it jdtiasotwes/ ; Gaiieade Carraway, caine nclens
1939-1974. Tryon Palace rebuilt and never missing a session of Culture

Week; Jack Tyler, a oquiet pusher� who nurtured the growing
professionalism in preservation; H.G. Jones, Bob Stipe, and
Frank Stephenson, who reduced the drain of life memberships,
attracted foundations to underwrite preservation, and worked
to bring the society into a new age with new goals and the
expertise to attain them. These and many more are the cast of
characters who urge the story forward from the dreams of a
few stalwarts with favorite projects in mind to an awakened
popular awareness of the broad scope of history on the dawn
of AmericaTs bicentennial year.

Lost, however, in the restructuring of the society was Culture Week, held
annually from 1939 to the 1970s, in which members of various historical organiza-
tions met in Raleigh to discuss the past and plan the future. To me, as a thirty-
something newcomer to North Carolina in 1972, ocouth week� was a feast, a
gathering together of the cultural movers and shakers from across the state, an
event unique in the nation, the essence of how to bring history to the people and
get them to protect an irreplaceable heritage.

Probably because the author has directed his attention to culling a vast amount
of documentary and verbal information, A Lasting Gift of Heritage tends to become
turgid and rambling. For example, there is great repetition of lengthy names
throughout the book which could have been mitigated by introducing the person
by his or her full name and then using a shortened form. A lot of the text is repeti-
tive because facts and events are recounted again in successive chapters. And the
lack of footnotes makes it necessary to turn to the index to find references. The best
section " the last chapter entitled oForward to Renewal, 1970-1974� " comes alive
with a spirit of revitalization and a victory over the depressing onever carried out�
endings of earlier episodes. But the highlight of the book is actually at the very end
where an overview of the whole tale is succinctly retold. Perhaps this should be
read first to get a proper perspective of the history of the society.

Essentially a reference book with an appeal to more general reading, the
volume is especially useful for scholars interested in tracing the development of SPA
and the volunteer members who brought the organization through the first thirty-
five years of its history. The appendices are filled with names of the societyTs charter
members, officers, directors, and district leaders; lists of recipients of revolving fund
grants and the annual Cannon Cup Award; enumerations of historic buildings and
sites in the state; and to cap it off, a voluminous bibliography.

David Brook holds a juris doctorate from the College of Law at Ohio State
University, and a masters degree in history from North Carolina State University. He
has been administrator of the State Historic Preservation Office of the North
Carolina Division of Archives and History since 1984.

Raleigh: Division of Archives and History,
North Carolina Department of

Cultural Resources, 1997.

205 pp. $24.00.

ISBN 0-86526-274-8.

" Edward F. Turberg
Preservation Consultant, Wilmington, North Carolina

North Carolina Libraries Spring 1998 " 41

"

early everyone who visits the quaint coastal village on Ocracoke

Island hears about the oBritish Cemetery.� Some will search it out,

others happen upon the small graveyard plot nestled beside a winding

dirt lane, but few leave the island with an understanding of its

significance. The solution is a short book In Some Foreign Field by L.

VanLoan Naisawald, which will entertain and fully enlighten the
reader by the time the island ferry reaches the mainland.

This smoothly written, well-researched account, complete with plenty of
photographs, tells the story of the British antisubmarine trawler Bedfordshire
torpedoed by the German submarine U-558 during the early days of World War

II. Although his only tie to the incident was his induction into the US
Army on the same day that Ocracokers found the bodies of four
L. VanLoan Naisawald. British sailors on the ocean beach, Naisawald became infatuated with
a J the subject. For the thirty years since he first visited the island, the
In Some F or eign F ield: author has gathered a wealth of information from US, British, and

Four British G raves and German archives, as well as interviewing parties on both sides of the

ocean that were involved with the BedfordshireTs sinking.

Submarine Warfare on the In the first two chapters, oThe Gray Wolves Return� and

Raleigh: Historical Publications Section,
Division of Archives and History, 1997. 99 pp.

NC Outer Banks oH.M.S. Bedfordshire Goes to War,� the author provides a historical
3 context within which to understand German strategies for disrupting
Allied shipping and the corresponding counter actions, which
brought the British vessel to American waters. Naisawald continues
$10.00. ISBN 0-86526-272-1. his story by carefully piecing together evidence from a wide variety of
sources to disclose the trawlerTs final moments, its destruction, and
the recovery of four crew members. The simplicity of the chapter
entitled oThe Cemetery� underscores the compassion and sensitivity
the islanders showed the young Brits lost so far from home. Living on
the edge of the ocean from which they make their livelihood, it is evident that
the Ocracokers have a special feeling for those lost at sea, especially those who
died protecting their shores. Naisawald completes his story nicely by revealing,
primarily through photographs, the present situation of the H.M.S. Bedfordshire
as it rests peacefully off Cape Lookout in 105 feet of water.
L. VanLoan NaisawaldTs other writings include the book Grape and Canister:
The Story of the Field Artillery of the Army of the Potomac. His background as an
army officer with a masterTs degree in history from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill is reflected in his thoroughness and ability to translate
the Bedfordshire incident into a story suitable for reading by all but the very
young. Perhaps because of the popular nature of the subject, Naisawald has
opted not to include footnotes or a bibliography, which is unfortunate for the
more serious reader. The author divulges his source materials throughout the
text, however, and has included a thorough index. There are many shipwrecks
off North Carolina, each with an untold story; luckily, L. VanLoan Naisawald
has taken the time to research and write In Some Foreign Field, and thus bring to
light one of the more touching episodes of its kind.
" Mark Wilde-Ramsing
North Carolina Underwater Archaeology Unit, Fort Fisher

Lancaster, PA 17603 1-800-487-2278 (FAX)

CURRENT EDITIONS, INC.
WHOLESALERS

TO LIBRARIES

858 Manor Street 1-800-959-1672

"Support North Carolina Libraries"

42 " Spring 1998

North Carolina Libraries

century ago North Carolina women were extraordinarily vulnerable to an

alcoholic husbandTs profligacy and violence. In 1883, author Anastatia

Sims reports, the stateTs oage of consent� " the age at which a girl could

legally agree to sexual relations " was ten. In 1900 the illiteracy rate for

white North Carolinians was 19.5%, and 47.6% for African Americans.
Schools were unsafe, unsanitary, and ill-equipped for education. Smarting from
defeat, white citizens strove to reinterpret Southern history and portray the Confed-
eracy in a heroic light. North CarolinaTs organized women fought tirelessly during the
period from 1880 to 1930 to bring these issues to the forefront of the political arena.
Long before the Nineteenth Amendment gave women the vote in 1920, they orga-
nized, raised money, wrote letters to legislators, and spoke with great eloquence in
support of the causes that they felt were a logical extension of their roles as wives,
mothers, and housewives.

Anastatia Sims tells the stories of these women and their volunteerism. Her first
book is based on her dissertation, Feminism and Femininity in the New South: White
WomenTs Organizations in North Carolina, 1883-1930 (The University of North Caro-
lina, Chapel Hill, 1985). In The Power of Femininity in the New South, she has interwo-
ven a second set of stories, those of African American womenTs
organizations. She first lays the groundwork by discussing the politi-
cal milieu of North Carolina at the end of the last century. The ideal

The Power of Femininity white Southern woman, delicate and vulnerable, yet possessing
courage and moral rectitude, was a potent symbol in the racially

in the New South. charged political rhetoric of the 1890s. African American women

/ ° 4 adopted the same standard of gentility. WomenTs presumed moral
WomenTs Org anizations and authority enabled them to be effective players in what became an

Politics in North Carolina, increasingly public sphere.
As Sims discusses the development of each area of activism, it is
1880-1930 clear that issues of race, class, and gender permeated every one.
Columbia: University of South Hereditary societies such as the Daughters of the Confederacy were
Carolina Press, 1997. founded in large part to preserve the elite status jeopardized by the
300 $29.95. ISBN 1-57003-178-9. impoverishment of former land- and slave-holding families. Interra-
pp. ADS) 3 VES. JHE
cial cooperation in work on the WomenTs Christian Temperance
Union broke down due to racial prejudice. Schools remained very
much separate and unequal because each group of reformers provided
money and equipment exclusively to schools for children of their
own race. Finally, white Southern womenTs concern that possessing
political power might be ounfeminine� and white menTs fear that they might lose
their supremacy complicated and ultimately defeated the stateTs woman suffrage
campaign.

Sims has done a tremendous amount of careful research, using sources ranging
from letters and diaries to census records, organizational documents, newspapers, and
broadsides. She documents each fact and assertion through her extensive footnotes
and provides a lengthy bibliography and index. This work of careful scholarship is
beautifully structured, clearly written, and enlivened by quotes and illustrations. It is
highly recommended for public and academic libraries and for any special libraries
focused on the history of North Carolina.

Anastatia Sims.

" Elizabeth Bramm Dunn
Duke University

A new column will debut in the next issue of North Carolina Libraries. oBetween Us� will offer opinion
pieces from librarians about library-related matters. Some pieces may be serious, some may be tongue-
in-cheek, but all will reflect the concerns of those individuals who daily go about the business of
informing, educating, and entertaining North CarolinaTs library-going public. North Carolina Libraries

invites all would-be pundits and opinion makers " well-known curmedgeons and fresh faces alike " to
rev up their keyboards (or pull out their dip pens and ink).

Those interested in contributing are invited to contact the column editor Keven Cherry at
cherryk@co.rowan.nc.us
or (704) 638-3021.

North Carolina Libraries Spring 1998 " 43

yths about Duke University abound, including the oft-repeated
story that James B. Duke offered his gift to Princeton University if it
would change its name to Duke. If Gargoyles Could Talk is a compi-
lation of seventy-one articles originally published in the Dialogue, a
weekly campus newsletter, which lays to rest many of these oral
traditions. It also provides, through succinct sketches, a brief
history of Duke from its beginnings as Union Institute in Randolph
County in 1838.

The work colorfully portrays the early presidents of Duke, as
well as many of the faculty members and administrators who
served under them and who laid a solid foundation for the later

William E. King. reputation of the university. King also has included essays on the

~ founders of DukeTs athletic programs, the building of the gothic
If Garg oy les Could Talk, campus, academic freedom, campus statuary, town-gown relation-

Sketches of Duke University. ships, and the campusTs response to various social issues of the day.
The reader learns that the only time the Rose Bowl was played
Durham: Carolina Academic Press, 1997. outside California was in 1942, when it was played at Duke; that
208 pp. $22.50. the origin of the moniker oblue devils� has nothing to do with
ISBN 0-89089-814-6. religion; and that the wall around DukeTs East Campus (the original

Durham site of Trinity College) is not, as often stated, ten feet high
with three feet above ground and seven below.
William E. King has been archivist of Duke University since
1972, when the Archives was first established. He is a Duke graduate with a Ph.D. in
history from Duke as well. Drawing on materials from the Archives for these
sketches, King states as his goal to oadd clarity, correct error, and illustrate the varied
contributions of the many individuals who have made Duke University what it is
today.� This fascinating publication will be a delight to Duke alumni and others
with an interest in Duke, higher education, or Durham.
"Joline Ezzell
Duke University

Broadfoot's has TWO Locations Serving Different Needs

Broadfoot's
of Wendell

6624 Robertson Pond Road ~ Wendell, NC 27591
Phone: (800) 444-6963 ~ Fax: (919) 365-6008

1907 Buena Vista Circle ~ Wilmington, NC 28405
Phone: (800) 537-5243 ~ Fax: (910) 686-4379

MULTICULTURAL nae
SELECTIONS Recent Publications:

VISUALS The Colonial & State Records of NC (30 vols.)

Spring & Fall Catalogs North Carolina Regiments (5 vois.)
Are you on our mailing list Pig Roster of Confederate Troops (16 vols.)

Tar Heel Treasures i 7a Supplement to the Official Records (100 vols.)
for he at

natives & newcomers

young & old Full Color Catalog (free upon request)

44 " Spring 1998 North Carolina Libraries

his publication, one of seven in the Folklife in the South series, tells a fascinat-
ing story of the ongoing struggle by inhabitants of the Carolina Piedmont to
hold on to the values and attitudes of their agricultural past while embracing
the economic opportunities of an industrial future. It also presents a riveting
account of how, despite the separating force of racism, the beliefs and prac-
tices of the Anglo-Americans and African Americans of one geographical area
(located mainly between Charlotte, North Carolina and Greenville, South Carolina) became
oStretrievably interwoven,� as both groups developed oa sense of place� quite distinct from the
experience of people in regions outside the South.
According to CoggeshallTs objectives, othis book examines the way in which the loom of
Carolina folklife became established after the Civil War, and then reviews the process that,
through the course of time, blended a variety of traditions into contemporary Piedmont
folklife.� In meeting these goals, the author is quite successful. Well-
versed in the southern regional studies of other social scientists, he
skillfully combines their observations with his own study, illustrating
John M. Coggeshall. both with recollections gleaned from oral history interviews. In fact, it
° ° is the words of the men and women recalling their own experiences
Carolina Piedmont Countr y- that give this book its most memorable quality. For example, in ex-
plaining what role the making of moonshine whiskey played in the life
of impoverished North Carolina farmers during the Depression, a
woman from that locality declared that it owas the biggest cash crop
they had.�

Avoiding a one-dimensional study of the Carolina Piedmont, the
author traces its evolution from farms to mill towns to commercial
centers by focusing on two typical Piedmont communities,
Hammondville and Kent. Within these communities he examines such
folklife elements as cultural values, speech, storytelling, religion, games

and recreation, food, occupations, and architecture. At the end of this work, the author pro-
vides his readers with brief biographies of the oinformants,� a biographical essay, and an index.

Carolina Piedmont Country is the third book by Coggeshall, an anthropologist at Clemson
University. His other publications include: Vernacular Architecture in Southern Illinois
(Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1988), and Transcending Boundaries: Multi-
Disciplinary Approaches to the Study of Gender (New York: Bergin & Garvey, 1991), an edited work

with Pamela R. Frese.

This book is recommended to a wide variety of readers whether they are served by aca-
demic, public, or school libraries. More particularly, the work is a must for southerners wanting
to revisit their past as well as for non-southerners wishing to understand the region better.

" Richard Shrader
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Jackson, Mississippi:

University Press of Mississippi, 1996.
xviii, 271 pp.

Cloth, $45.00. ISBN 0-87805-766-8.
Paper, $16.95. ISBN 0-87805-767-6.

Instructions for the Preparation of Manuscripts for North Carolina Libraries

1. North Carolina Libraries seeks to publish articles, materials reviews, and bibliographies of professional interest to librarians in North Carolina.
Articles need not be necessarily of a scholarly nature, but they should address professional concerns of the library community in the state.

2. Manuscripts should be directed to Frances B. Bradburn, Editor, North Carolina Libraries, Information Technology Evaluation Services, Public
Schools of North Carolina, 301 N. Wilmington Street, Raleigh, NC 27601-2825.

3. Manuscripts should be submitted in triplicate on plain white paper measuring 8 1/2" x 11" and on computer disk.

4. Manuscripts must be double-spaced (text, references, and footnotes). Macintosh computer is the computer used by North Carolina Libraries.
Computer disks formatted for other computers must contain a file of the document in original format and a file in ASCII or RTF. Please consult
editor for further information.

5. The name, position, and professional address of the author should appear in the bottom left-hand corner of a separate title page. The
authorTs name should not appear anywhere else on the document.

6. Pages should be numbered consecutively at the top right-hand corner and the title (abbreviated if necessary) at the upper left-hand corner

. Footnotes should appear at the end of the manuscript. The editors will refer to The Chicago Manual of Style, 13th edition. The basic forms for

books and journals are as follows:

Keyes Metcalf, Planning Academic and Research Library Buildings (New York: McGraw, 1965), 416.
Susan K. Martin, oThe Care and Feeding of the MARC Format,� American Libraries 10 (September 1970): 498.

. Photographs will be accepted for consideration but cannot be returned.

. Upon receipt, a manuscript will be acknowledged by the editor. Following review of the manuscript by the editor and at least two jurors, a
decision will be communicated to the writer. A definite publication date cannot be given since any incoming manuscript will be added to a
manuscript bank from which articles are selected for each issue.

10. North Carolina Libraries holds the copyright for all accepted manuscripts. The journal is available both in print and electronically over the

North Carolina Information Network.
11. Issue deadlines are February 10, May 10, August 10, and November 10. Manuscripts for a particular issue must be submitted at least 2

months before the issue deadline.

N

\o ©

North Carolina Libraries Spring 1998 " 45

hristopher CamutoTs Another Country, the story of captive-bred wolves
released in the Great Smoky Mountains region, will appeal to a variety of
readers. A work of nonfiction, it is nonetheless as beautiful as it is informa-
tive; indeed, it borders on poetry in some passages.

This property will make the book accessible to anyone who
appreciates a literate study of natural history, and perhaps even to
readers of poems and fiction about the natural world. The author
presents material any ecologist or population biologist might find

: pertinent, yet he succeeds in explaining such slippery concepts in
Christopher Camuto. population biology as the relation of subspeciation to hybridization

Another Country: clearly enough to reach the educated lay reader.
Another Country would make an excellent addition to any zoo,

Jour. neying Toward nature museum, or museum of natural history on the grounds that
° any exhibits of or about red wolves elicits questions. Especially in
the Cherokee Mountains. modern zoos, where the emphasis is on larger habitats with more
New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1997. naturalistic spatial and temporal arrangements, docents and other
351 pp. $25.00. ISBN 0-8050-2694-0. volunteers field many inquiries about the shyer animals, which
include red wolves. In museum settings, questions more likely would
pertain to the animalTs survival status. In either setting, where libraries
exist in part to educate the staff who work directly with the public,
CamutoTs book would provide substantive support and training
material.

Another Country has almost unlimited potential as a recommended adjunct text for a
number of university courses, both graduate and undergraduate. There is enough religion and
history presented as ecology, so that all manner of cross-disciplinary classes and seminars
could be enhanced by having students read this work. The relationship of the red wolf and its
ecology to the culture of the Cherokee, who occupied the Appalachian habitat at the time of
European contact, forms the backdrop of this narrative on the near-extinction and attempted
re-establishment of the species. Another Country would add considerably to the reading lists of
classes in, among other topics, Native American spirituality, human geography, colonization
history, philosophical aspects of ecology, and animal rights.

Most public libraries are blessed with readers who are excited to see diverse areas of
inquiry fitted together, and CamutoTs book will be an important addition to their collections.

Readers who are not comfortable with some degree of uncertainty will not enjoy this
book. Camuto tests his audience in several ways, always coming back to the realization that
there are no easy answers for profound questions regarding humans and non-human animals.
He speaks of sentimentality about animals as counter-productive, then achingly describes the
loss of several project wolves. He raises troubling questions about stereotyping and the general
problem of seeing animals through human eyes. The reader must practice critical thinking,
examining and re-examining how he or she feels about key issues throughout the book.

Another Country is a deeply thoughtful, original, and integrative piece of writing. It makes
a substantial contribution to the literature and will make a permanent impression on anyone
who, being ready for a brisk workout of mental and emotional faculties, is fortunate or
discerning enough to read it. Another Country, given as a gift or chosen as an addition to oneTs
personal library, will certainly be used and re-used.

" Meredith Merritt
University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Tired of making "permanent loans?"

Ralph M. Davis, Sales Representative
P.O. Box 144
Rockingham, NC 28379

= 1-800-545-2714

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46 " Spring 1998 North Carolina Libraries

OTHER PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST ...

Richard Krawiec, editor of Cardinal: A Contemporary
Anthology of Fiction and Poetry by North Carolina
Writers (Jacar Press, 1986), has added to the number of Tar
Heel literary collections with Voices From Home: The North
Carolina Prose Anthology, a volume of fiction and nonfic-
tion from a few well-known and many lesser-known
writers from North Carolina. The editorTs purpose was not
to compile a oBest of North Carolina,� and he did not
limit his selections to those set in the state. His introduc-
tion says, oWhen discussing writers, people often forget
the other half of the equation " readers. I wished to
compile a miscellany of prose that would appeal to the
diversity of readers in this state.� A valuable introduction
to the next wave of Tar Heel writers. (1997; Avisson Press,
Inc., P.O. Box 38816, Greensboro, NC 27438; 376 pp.;
paper, $18.00; ISBN 1-888105-30-S.)

Mandy Oxendine is Charles ChestnuttTs first novel, just
published by the University of
Illinois Press. Chesnutt was an
eminent African American author at
the turn of the century. His treat-
ment of racial, class, and gender
issues, particularly MandyTs decision
to pass for white, was considered too
scandalous for publication in 1897.
Mandy is courted by Tom Lowrey, a
fair-skinned man who remained in
the black community, and Robert
Utley, an unscrupulous white
landowner who is killed while
sexually assaulting her. Includes an
introduction and notes onTthe text
by Charles Hackenberry. (1997;
University of Illinois Press, 1325
South Oak St, Champaign, IL 61820;
xxvii, 112 pp.; cloth, $27.50; ISBN 0O-
252-02051-0; paper, $11.95;
ISBN 0-252-06347-3.)

Quilts, Coverlets, &
Counterpanes: Bedcoverings
from the Museum of Early
Southern Decorative Arts and
Old Salem Collections is a
handsome catalog by Paula W.
Locklair, Director of Collec-
tions and Curator at MESDA
and Old Salem. It is illustrated
with full-color photographs,
showing whole coverlets,
details, and quiltmakers tools
and implements. Includes an
introduction, notes, and
bibliography. (1998; An Old
Salem Book, Winston-Salem,
NC; distributed by University
of North Carolina Press, P.O.
Box 2288, Chapel Hill, NC
27515-2288; 71 pp.; paper,
$16.95; 1-879704-04-8.)

North Carolina Libraries

Glenn Morris

CHES

Coverlets

oy

Counterpanes

Bedcoverings from the
Museum of Early
© Southern Decorative Arts and famine
Old Salem Collections

A Paul Green Reader has been compiled and edited by
Laurence G. Avery, who is also responsible for A Southern
Life: Letters of Paul Green, 1916-1981, published in 1994.
The Reader includes texts of three of GreenTs plays, six
short stories, several essays and letters, and an excerpt
from The Wordbook, his collection of regional folklore.
(1998; University of North Carolina Press, P.O. Box 2288,
Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2288; 297 pp.; cloth, $39.95; ISBN
0-8078-2386-4; paper, $17.95; ISBN 0-8078-4708-9.)

The Face Finder, by Raleigh author Carol F. Fantelli, will
be enjoyed most by fans of forensic science. Devon
Gardiner, a forensic sculptor for the North Carolina
Museum of History in Raleigh, is approached by the SBI to
reconstruct the face of a man whose body has just been
found 45 years after his death. The solution to the mystery
depends heavily on DevonTs psychic abilities, and the plot
hangs on two preposterous coincidences, but the passages
describing the process of building a face
onto a skull are fascinating. (1996;
Marblehead Publishing, 3026 Churchill
| Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607; 200 pp.; paper,
| $11.95; ISBN 0-943335-07-8.)

Glenn MorrisTs north-to-south, island-by-
island, pier-by-pier tour of North Caro-
lina Beaches, originally published in
1993, is available in a new edition,
completely updated to reflect changes
wrought by hurricanes and other recent
events. (1998; University of North
Carolina Press, P.O. Box 2288, Chapel
Hill, NC 27515-2288; 294 pp.; paper,
$17.95; ISBN 0-8078-4683-X.)

boat ramps
and docks,
museums,

and. more

New publications from the Institute of
Government include Public Records Law
for North Carolina Local Governments
by David M. Lawrence (1997; Institute of
Government, CB No. 3330 Knapp
Building, UNC-CH, Chapel Hill, NC
27599-3330; 207 pp.; paper, $24.00; ISBN
1-56011-299-9.), Ethics, Conflicts, and
Offices: A Guide for Local Officials by A.
Fleming Bell, II (1997; Institute of Govern-
ment, CB No. 3330 Knapp Building,
UNC-CH, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3330;
228 pp.; paper, $20.00; ISBN 1-56011-287-
5.), and Creating Effective Partnerships
for Community Economic Development,
prepared by Anita R. Brown-Graham for
the Community Development
Roundtable (1997; Institute of Govern-
ment, CB No. 3330 Knapp Building,
UNC-CH, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3330; 39
pp.; paper, $11.50; ISBN 1-56011-314-6.).
Write for a complete catalog of publica-
tions, which include many new editions
of works on topics such as animal control
law, city council procedures, and sentenc-
ing, probation, and parole.

Spring 1998 " 47

he aguiapipe' (North Cancliniana

compiled by Plummer Alston Jones, Jr.

*Lagniappe (lan-yapT, lah� yapT) n. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. [Louisiana French]

Learning WhatTs New from Library Newsletters:
A Selected List of North Carolina Resources

by Gillian M. Debreczeny

an often overlooked resource for keeping up with

what is going on in the profession. They can provide
information about programs and innovations that do not
always get written up for publication in the major profes-
sional journals and will not be included in periodical in-
dexes. Some of them can be a surprisingly good read for
general information on a wide variety of topics. Many of
these newsletters are produced to inform local patrons and
sometimes to raise funds, but they also can be of interest
to other librarians looking for ideas. North Carolina library
newsletters come from academic, public, and special librar-
ies as well as from interest groups of the state library asso-
ciation. Although many lively examples are available, li-
brary staff newsletters intended for internal use have not
been included in this article.

Sadly, some excellent titles have ceased publication.
Newsletters often depend on the availability of an enthusi-
astic local editor and support from the library administra-
tion. They may be among the first to suffer from funding
cuts. In December 1995, the Public Image from the Neuse
Regional Library suspended publication after the departure
of its editor Dwight McInvaill. Having begun publication
in September 1988, it was designed to educate public li-
brarians in the importance of public relations for their sys-
tems. Over the years its scope was broadened to include a
wide range of articles on professional topics; circulation
rose to over 1,200 across the United States and abroad. Re-
gretfully publication has not yet resumed. The North Caro-
lina Foreign Language Center has published a modest
folded-sheet newsletter since 1988, which will cease to ex-
ist in June 1998 when the Center loses its federal funding.
The NCFLC Quarterly publicized a vital and unique ser-
vice, and information services in North Carolina will be
the poorer for its, and the CenterTs, demise.

Despite the loss of some valuable publications many
exciting and interesting newsletters continue to flourish.
The following listing is a limited sampling of the many li-
brary newsletters currently being published in North Caro-
lina. It has been compiled from recently received newslet-
ters in the library of the School of Information and Library
Science and the North Carolina Collection at UNC-Chapel

| ibrary newsletters, the subject of this selected list, are

48 " Spring 1998

Hill. It is not a complete listing of UNC-CH current hold-
ings and does not include titles that have ceased publica-
tion. Each entry includes title, frequency, editor, address,
telephone number, e-mail and URL where available, sub-
scription information, and a brief annotation on the con-
tents of recent issues. Unless otherwise stated, comments
refer to the latest issue available. The author would appre-
ciate hearing from editors of newsletters who would like to
be considered for any future listing.

Academic Libraries

Appal Notes

1-2 times yr. Editor: Patty Wheeler. Address: Belk Library,

Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608. Tel.: (704)

262-2186. E-mail: wheelerpn@appstate.edu URL: http://

www.library.appstate.edu/home/ To receive: E-mail or write to

editor. Also available on homepage.
The latest 6-page issue highlights the LibraryTs as-
sessment efforts including information on patron
surveys, a serials review, the revamped book ap-
proval plan, the Wisconsin-Ohio Reference Evalua-
tion Project, a monographic vendor review, the
LibraryTs collection analysis project, and an evalua-
tion of services offered by the Music Library. Much
practical information designed for campus users.

Duke University Libraries

3 times yr. Editor: B. Ilene Nelson. Address: Duke Univer-

sity Libraries, Box 90193, Durham, NC 27708-0193.

Tel: (919) 660-5816. E-mail: bin@mail.lib.duke.edu Subscrip-

tion inquiries to the editor at the above addresses.
Latest 28-page issue highlights the libraryTs interna-
tional collections with articles by the Ibero-Ameri-
can Bibliographer and the resource specialist for
Slavic studies. There is an article about foreign re-
sources on the Web and a selection of poetry by
George Elliot Clarke. An elegant publication printed
on glossy stock with an informative content aimed
at researchers, library users, and potential donors.

Focus: the NCSU Libraries
3 times yr. Editor: Terrell Armistead Crow. Address: North
Carolina State University, NCSU Libraries, Box 7111,

North Carolina Libraries

Raleigh, NC 27695-7111. To receive: Call the editor at

(919) 515-5882.
Thirty-two pages of information on recent develop-
ments in the library, exhibits and fund raising, and
profiles of new staff members comprise the latest is-
sue of this newsletter. It is well illustrated with
many photographs. The last two volumes present a
lively picture of the many projects and initiatives
underway at NCSU. For campus users and potential
donors.

HunterTs Clarion
Irregular. Editor: Becky Kornegay. Address: Hunter Library,
Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC 28723. Tel.:
(704) 227-7307. To receive: Request from director at ad-
dress above.
An example of a small (6-page) newsletter that com-
bines information on recent developments in the li-
brary, collections available, library hours, events,
and fundraising. Designed for campus users.

LIBRARY COLUMNS: Walter Clinton Jackson Library
Irregular. Editor: Betty Morrow. Address: UNC-Greens-
boro, 1000 Spring Garden St., NC 27412-5201. Tel.: (336)
334-5781. E-mail: betty_morrow@uncg.edu To receive:
E-mail editor.
The April 1996 issue has nine pages and includes
items on a music collection, the new online book re-
quests and renewal services, electronic reference
sources, the Kelmscott and Gogmagog Presses, Inter-
net resources subject guides, local technical experts
training, and staff news.

WINDOWS

2 times yr. Editors: Tanya Fortner and Marcella Grendler.

Address: Friends of the Library, Academic Affairs Library,

CB# 3902, UNC-CH, Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8890. To re-

ceive: With membership in the Friends of the Library

($25). Correspondence to Liza Terll at the above address.
An eight-page newsletter aimed at potential donors
with articles on donated collections, and donors, a
report on the UNC Tar Heel Bus Tour to introduce
new faculty and staff to the state, and short news
briefs on UNC-CHTs library events. Well laid out and
illustrated with photographs.

¢ Public Libraries

Check it Out: A library newsletter supported by the Friends of

Rowan Public Library

Quarterly. Editor: Marian Lytle. Address: Rowan Public Li-

brary, 201 West Fisher Street, P.O. Box 4039, Salisbury, NC

28145-4039. Tel.: (704) 638-3000. URL: http://www. lib.co.

rowan.nc.us To receive: Contact editor at above address.
Four pages with a pleasing font and several photos
and graphics. It publicizes upcoming programs and
reports on the Rowan Public LibraryTs special men-
tion in the 1997 Library Journal/Gale Research Library
of the Year Award competition. Includes the new RPL
Logo to be found on the libraryTs home page.

Friends of the Chapel Hill Public Library Newsletter
Monthly. Editor: Margery Thompson. Address: Friends of
the Chapel Hill Public Library, 100 Library Drive, Chapel
Hill, NC 27514. Tel.: (919) 968-2777. URL: http://
www.community.citysearch.com/FCHLibrary To receive: With
membership in Friends of the Library ($10)

Four page of news about upcoming events, an-

North Carolina Libraries

nouncement of the Library FoundationTs Needs As-
sessment Task Force, introduction of new staff mem-
ber, and announcement of childrenTs events. Illus-
trated with photos.

Happenings: Asheville-Buncombe Library System

Monthly. Editor: Deborah Compton. Address: Friends of

Buncombe County Libraries, P.O. Box 18132, Asheville,

NC 28814. Tel: (704) 255-5203. To receive: With member-

ship in Friend of the Buncombe County Libraries ($6).
Four pages announce hours, upcoming programs,
and awards to the library to improve service. In-
cludes an article on how books are selected for the
library. Illustrated with graphics. Format will be
changing shortly.

PLCMC News

Irregular. Editor: Sharon M. Johnston. Address: Public Li-

brary of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, 310 North

Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28202. Tel.: (704) 336-2801. To

receive: With membership in Friends of the Library. Ad-

dress as above, attention Sharon Johnston.
Latest issue available (Fall 96) is an 11x 25-inch
folded 6-page imaginatively laid-out newsletter on
glossy stock with many photos. It is designed for
Friends of the Library and highlights grants and
gifts received. It also publicizes the work of the li-
brary, services and programs offered, and profiles
library staff.

¢ NC Library Association Interest Groups
Ms Management: A Publication of the Roundtable on the
Status of Women In Librarianship
Irregular. Editors: Rex Klett and Anne Thrower. Address:
Klett: Mitchell Community College, 500 West Broad St.,
Statesville, NC 28677. Tel: (704) 878-3271; Thrower: Rich-
mond County Public Library, 412 East Franklin St.,
Rockingham, NC 28397. To receive: With membership in
NC Library Association and $5 for membership in Round
Table to: NCLA, c/o State Library Association, 109 E. Jones
Street, Raleigh, NC.
Six-to eight-page newsletter illustrated with graphics
and occasional photos. Issues contain reflections
from members on a wide range of issues, reports of
workshops, and recommended reading. The Novem-
ber 1996 issue includes an interview with Elinor
Swaim recounting how she became interested in li-
braries, and the work she has done on their behalf.

¢ Special Libraries
NCSLA Bulletin
Quarterly. Editors: Andrea Rohrbacher and Kristen Roland.
Address: Glaxo Welcome, 3030 Cornwallis Rd., RTP, NC
27709. Tel: (919) 483-1816 e-mail: alr36770@glaxowellcome.com
URL: http://ils.unc.edu/ncsla To receive: Membership in na-
tional Special Libraries Association. Contact Ginny
Hauswald, Winston-Salem Journal News Library, P.O. Box
3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27101. Tel.: (336) 727-4071. E-
mail: vhauswald@w-s-journal.com Also available from
NCSLA homepage at above URL.
Twenty-one pages including advertisements. Area
group reports and student group reports contain
much information about special library activities in
North Carolina, as do the minutes of meetings. In-
formation on upcoming meetings and employment
opportunity information are included.

Spring 1998 " 49

NorTH CAROLINA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

Minutes of the Executive Board
January 23, 1998, Charlotte Public Library/Main Branch

Attending: Beverley Gass, Diane Kester, Maureen Costello, Liz Jackson, Susan Adams, Clarence Toomer,

Martha Davis, Ann Miller, Peter Keber, Stephen Dew, Ginny Gilbert, Tracy Babiasz, Lou Bryant, Marilyn Miller,
Eleanor Cook, Al Jones, Ross Holt, Vanessa Work Ramseur, Gayle Keresey, Catherine Wilkinson, Augie Beasley,
Gene Lanier, Peggy Quinn, Carol Freeman, Dave Fergusson.

Bob Canon, Director of the Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Public Libraries welcomed
the committee to the Charlotte Public
Library. Mr. Canon talked briefly about
the strategic plan in place which drives
the Charlotte library system.

President Gass called the meeting to
order at 10:00 am.

PresidentTs Report

All committee chairs have been appointed

and a schedule set for all Executive Board

meetings.An attempt has been made to

meet at various types of libraries through-

out the state. Meeting dates and locations

are as follows:

e April 17, 1998 - Guilford Technical
Community College in Jamestown

¢ July 17, 1998 - Watauga County Public
Library in Boone

¢ October 16, 1998 - West Lake Elementay
in Apex

e January 15, 1999 - Greensboro Public
Library

¢ April 16, 1999 - Wake Forest University
in Winston-Salem

e July 16, 1999 - North Carolina
Information Highway

¢ September 21, 1999 - Biennial Conference
in Winston-Salem

Committee chairs were encouraged to
contact NCLA members who volunteered
for committee work at OctoberTs NCLA con-
ference. Representation on each committee
from all types of libraries is preferred. Fur-
ther, anyone in charge of a committee, sec-
tion, or round table was asked to send
names of officers to Maureen Costello. A
suggestion was made to put names of com-
mittee members on the NCLA listserv for
member information and recognition. Sec-
tion and Round Table Chairs were encout-
aged to invite the chairs elect to future
Board meetings.

Gayle Keresey, Chair of the Constitution,
Codes, and Handbook Committee, has agreed
to serve as the Parliamentarian. NCLA oper-
ates following RobertTs Rules of Order.

A reminder was given that all reports
to the Executive Board should be written

7270 " Spring 1998

and SO copies brought to the meetings for
distribution. All motions that are antici-
pated to be brought before the Board
should be in writing and distributed with
the announcement of Executive Board
meetings that occur thirty days prior to
each meeting.

The NCLA Handbook was reviewed as
an important document which explains
the organization and procedures.

President Gass set out her priority for
the 1998-99 Biennium: to help NCLA grow
in a manner that best meets the needs of
the library personnel and the library com-
munity of North Carolina. A strategic plan
will be created to lead us into the 21st cen-
tury and to strengthen the organization
through activities designed to provide a
model for continuous membership and
organizational development.

Suggestions made at the conference to
consider a Retired Members Round Table
and Friends of the Library group were
mentioned to the board.

Minutes

The minutes for the October 1997 meet-
ing were not available for approval. Min-
utes will be mailed to Executive Board
members along with revisions to the
handbook. Those minutes and the Janu-
ary minutes will be approved at the next
board meeting.

TreasurerTs Report

New Treasurer Diane Kester presented
charts highlighting third-quarter informa-
tion on unrestricted funds, revenues, and
expenditures, prepared by the previous
treasurer. The 1998 proposed budget was
also presented.

Ross Holt pointed out that the confer-
ence start-up cost of $10,000 (in the 1997
budget) came out of the 1997 operating
budget and will not be incurred in the
1998 budget. He also cautioned board
members to note that some projections in
the budget are not substantiated. The
1998 budget proposes an increase in
membership dues. Also, the exact confer-

ence revenue figures are not yet available,
but will be shared at the next meeting.

On February 5, Diane Kester, Wanda
Brown, Beverley Gass, and Maureen
Costello will attend training on Peachtree
Software.

Discussion was held about the need
for monthly reports to be given to Round
Table and Section leaders.

Administrative Assistant Report
Maureen Costello reported an end-of-the-
year membership total of 1651. Some of
those members joined during the confer-
ence and have memberships extending
through 1998. Membership in sections
and round tables declined during 1997.

Between January and March, member-
ship renewal notices will be mailed.

A discussion was held about obtaining
e-mail addresses for members. Maureen
pointed out that the official NCLA appli-
cation requests this information.

Section/Round Table Reports
ChildrenTs Services Section

Susan Adams reported that the ChildrenTs
Services Section held its final meeting of the
1995-97 biennium on August 25, 1997, at
the Eva Perry Regional Library in Apex
where plans were finalized for NCLA Con-
ference activities. The October conference
was very successful for CSS and included
programs on North Carolina childrenTs
book illustrators and mini-grants, as well as
the CSS breakfast featuring Rosemary Wells.
Fund-raising projects at the conference in-
cluded sales of note cards, NC ChildrenTs
Book Award seals, and CSS book bags.

CSS has not met since the conference
because it was felt to be valuable to have
current budget reports and a sense of the
ostate� of NCLA before the first meeting.

When the CSS Board meets on Mon-
day, January 26, they will be discussing
the fate of the Section Newsletter oChap-
book.� There is some question whether
this publication needs to be continued, or
whether some alternate form or format
should be considered.

North Carolina Libraries

The Board will begin planning for the
CSS ooff-year� retreat/conference to be
held in October 1998. Some of the themes
being discussed include: reading trends and
tips, learning games for groups, high-tech
library services for children, and how to get
organized and de-stressed. The conference
will be open to all interested library work-
ers and informational fliers will be sent out
this summer.

College and University Section

Clarence Toomer named the newly elected
members of the CUS Board for 1997-99.
Their first meeting will be next month on
the campus of UNC-Pembroke in the newly
renovated and expanded Sampson-
Livermore Library.

Community and Junior College Section
The new CJCS board members were con-
tacted in January and asked to send ideas
regarding the purpose and future of NCLA
and the CJCS section for use at the NCLA
Executive Board Retreat on January 22,
1998. The first board meeting will be held
at the Sheraton Research Triangle Park dur-
ing the Learning Resources Association
Conference, March 4-6, 1998.

Documents Section

The Documents Section NCLA Biennial
Conference program was one of the best
attended in recent memory. Over 100 per-
sons attended a session on federal web re-
sources for public, school, and small aca-
demic libraries. Mary Horton (Wake Forest
University), Nancy Kohlenbrander (West-
ern Carolina University), and Linda Reida
(Ruscola High School, Waynesville, NC)
presented useful Web resources. The pro-
gram was very well received. Documents
Section members commented that there
was new information for all!

During the Documents Session Execu-
tive Board meeting on December 12, 1997,
the board agreed upon the spring and fall
programs. In the spring, the Section will
present a program on state and local gov-
ernment information. The fall program will
be on government information on CD-
ROM and handling those products. Nancy
Kohlenbrander as Vice Chair/Chair Elect is
also responsible for program planning.

Government information was the focus
of the Fall 1997 issue of North Carolina Li-
braries. Michael Van Fossen was the guest
editor and many Documents Section mem-
bers contributed to the issue. This issue of
North Carolina Libraries provides all with a
window on the changing nature of govern-
ment information.

At the December 1997 Executive Board
meeting it was decided to press forward
with plans for moving the sectionTs publi-
cation The Docket to the World Wide Web.
The sectionTs Web site is maintained at
UNC-Chapel Hill (http://sunsite.unc.edu/
reference/docs/ncladocs/index.html). The site
is linked from the main NCLA web site. A
move to the World Wide Web would allow
the Section to cut costs and provide the
opportunity for expansion without incur-

North Carolina Libraries

ring further cost.

Library Administration and Management
Section

Martha Davis reported that on Decem-
ber 5, the first LAMS board meeting was
held. Since there was no representative to
North Carolina Libraries, a decision was
made to appoint a representative.

A fall LAMS program was discussed, and
ideas brainstormed. The board talked about
working with the Membership Committee
to increase their membership. Since that
time, letters have been sent to many direc-
tors of North Carolina libraries encourag-
ing personal membership in LAMS and
promoting membership for professional
development among staff.

Director Rhonda Channing attended
the Council of LAM Affiliates at ALA Mid-
Winter and got some good information.

NC Association of School Librarians

In a written report, Melinda Ratchford re-
ported that the NCASL Executive Board
met on December 1, 1997, in Greensboro.
The Budget Committee met and approved
the 1998 budget. The treasurer was in-
structed to contact Beverley Gass about
trying to get the federal withholding
stopped.

A letter had been written in October 1997
to State Superintendent Mike Ward asking for a
meeting with him and selected district library
supervisors to discuss concerns relative to mon-
ies available for print materials in public
schools. Superintendent Ward has not re-
sponded as of January 22, 1998.

Karen Gavigan and Melinda Ratchford
attended ALA Mid-Winter in New Orleans.
A report will be given to the Executive
Board in February in Charlotte, but it was
felt among the regional attendees that Mid-
Winter was not the most opportune time
for Affiliate Assembly members to meet.

Dr. Marilyn Shontz from UNC-G has
agreed to chair the Research Committee for
NCASL and will report back to the February
Executive Board.

The handbook will be revised during
this biennium.

NCASL plans to attend ALA Legislative
Day in the spring of 1998 in Washington,
D.C. Karen Gavigan, chair elect, reported
that plans are well under way for the
NCASL Conference on September 17-19,
1998, in Raleigh at the Civic Center. The
issue of August library sessions was dis-
cussed and a decision will be made at the
February Board meeting. The three August
1997 sessions across the state were excep-
tionally well attended and well received.

NCASL Executive Board will meet on
Tuesday, February 10, 1998, in Charlotte
prior to NCAECT.

NC Public Library Trustee Association
There was no report.

Public Library Section

Ross Holt reported that committee chairs
are being recruited and committees are be-
ing organized. The planning committee

will be meeting in early February.

Reference and Adult Services Section
Stephen Dew reported that at the NCLA
Biennial Conference in October 1997 the
Reference and Adult Services Section spon-
sored two events. On Thursday, October 9,
the Section sponsored its regular confer-
ence program as well as a special confer-
ence luncheon. The regular program was
concerned with the subject oTechnostress,�
and was presented by Sally Kalin and Katie
Clark from Pennsylvania State University.
The luncheon program was highlighted by
a presentation from Joel Achenbach, a
writer for the Washington Post, author of
Why Things Are, and frequent guest on Na-
tional Public RadioTs Morning Edition. Both
programs were well attended, and evalua-
tions were quite positive.

The RASS Executive Committee met on
Friday, December 12, 1997, at the UNC-
Charlotte campus. The committee began
its deliberations by discussing matters re-
lated to the SectionTs two programs pre-
sented at biennial conference, and after-
wards it moved on to discussing prelimi-
nary plans for a fall program to be held
this year. RASS tentatively plans to present
a program related to the impact of the NC-
LIVE project on reference, and public ser-
vices. Although the date has not yet been
set, the program will most likely be held
during October or early November.

Resources and Technical Services Section
Ginny Gilbert summarized the activities of
the Section at the NCLA Biennial Confer-
ence. The election of officers for the 1997-
1999 board was held at the business meeting
of the Section prior to their major program.
The major program, attended by 120, was
oPerspectives on Outsources of Technical
Services Operations,� presented by Arnold
Hirshon, Vice Provost for Information Re-
sources, Lehigh University. Table Talks in-
cluded oIncreasing User Input in Developing
and Managing Collections,� facilitated by
Teresa L. McManus, Fayetteville State Univer-
sity (attendance: 36); oThe Web in Technical
Services Operations,� facilitated by Eleanor
Cook of Appalachian State University and
Alan Keely, Wake Forest University (atten-
dance: 40); and oPassport for Windows,�
facilitated by Margaretta Yarborough, from
the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill (attendance: 35).

Two awards were presented. Robert
Galbreath received an award for the best
technical services article in North Carolina
Libraries for his article, oNailing Jell-O to
the Wall? Collection Management in the
Electronic Era,� North Carolina Libraries 55
(Spring 1997), 19-21. Carrie McLean re-
ceived the Resources & Technical Services
Student Recognition Award.

The new board will have its initial
meeting in February and begin planning a
workshop to be held in the fall of 1998.

A membership directory of the Section
was distributed in the spring of 1997.
There is a commitment to keep this direc-
tory up-to-date.

Spring 1998 " 71