#Oberlin College Libraries

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Billy in the Darbies: A Facsimile from the Manuscript of Herman Melville's 'Billy Budd, Sailor', [plate 4], Edited by Dennis Marnon, The Houghton Library, Cambridge, MA, 1991 [From the Collection of William Palmer Johnston. The Grolier Club, New York, NY]

Exhibitions: Melville's Billy Budd at 100, The Grolier Club, September 12 – November 9, 2024; Oberlin College & Conservatory Libraries, Oberlin, OH, November 17 – December 20, 2024

[brutalistinteriors]

Mudd Library, Oberlin College. Ohio, US. Warner, Burns, Toan and Lunde.

[odinsblog]

Tens of thousands of people visit Bank of America stadium to watch the Carolina Panthers play football each year – never realizing they are walking on top of lost remnants of a once-thriving Black neighborhood established in the aftermath of the Civil War.

The stadium itself is built directly atop a relic of segregated healthcare: Good Samaritan Hospital, the first private hospital built in North Carolina to serve Black patients. Built in 1891, this historic hospital was one of the oldest of its kind in the United States.

It was also the site of one of the “most horrific racial incidents in Charlotte's history,” according to Dan Aldridge, professor of History and Africana Studies at Davidson College.

A mob of 30 to 35 armed, white men invaded the hospital, dragging a man out of the hospital and into the streets – and shooting him dead in front of the building.

The concept of “urban renewal” destroyed Black neighborhoods, communities, businesses and homes all across North Carolina, especially between 1949 and 1974.

Durham, for example, once had a prominent Black Wall Street, where Black businesses flourished; however, the historic community was almost completely destroyed by construction of the Durham Freeway.

Likewise, Raleigh once had 13 historic Freedmen's Villages, built entirely by men and women freed from slavery in the aftermath of emancipation. Today, only two are remaining, and Oberlin Village, the largest one, was cut in half by the construction of Wade Avenue.

Similarly, Charlotte's Brooklyn community was built by men and women freed from slavery in the late 1800s. Like many Black communities around the state, it was forced into an awful geographical location – on low-lying land where flooding, sewage and sanitation issues made life hazardous.

According to history in the Charlotte Library, the Brooklyn area was first identified on maps as ‘Logtown’ in the late 1800s – a name that matches closely with titles given to similar freedmen villages in the Triangle area, which were often called slang names like ‘Slabtown’ or ‘Save Rent’ due to their inexpensive homes.

In the 1900s, the area became known as Brooklyn, “a name that would become synonymous with the Black community until urban renewal.”

“It's a tragedy that so many stadiums were built on sites that were once Black communities,” said Aldridge. “They're poor neighborhoods. They're struggling neighborhoods. I won't romanticize them by claiming they're all like Black Wall Street, but they were people's homes and people's communities, and they were taken from them.”

Many historically significant Black sites were lost in urban renewal; likewise, many Black communities were forced to build in geographically unfit areas, making growing wealth and property more difficult – and more easily lost over time.

At its peak, Brooklyn was home to:

Charlotte's first Black public school

Charlotte's only Black high school

The city's first free library for Black patrons

The first companies to offer white collar jobs to Black workers

The first private hospital for Black citizens in Charlotte

Today, football players run up and down the Bank of America field for the amusement of thousands of cheering fans. However, in 1913, over a century ago, that same land had a very different story.

(continue reading) related ↵ related ↵

[mikeo56]

Tucked into a corner of the Library of Congress is the Densmore Collection of cylinder phonographs — a bygone medium containing the living songs of an ancient culture.

In the early twentieth century, the U.S. government continued its assault on Native Americans by demanding they relinquish their tribal languages and belief systems, teach their children English, and enter the American mainstream. As a result of this concerted erasure campaign, the average American came to see indigenous peoples as living fossils on the brink of cultural extinction.

Thomas Edison had invented the phonograph — a mechanical means of recording and reproducing sound, using a wax-coated cardboard cylinder and a cutting stylus — when Frances was ten. Around that time, listening to the songs of the Dakota Indians near her home, she fell in love with music. In an era when higher education was closed to women with only limited exceptions, she spent three years studying music at Oberlin College — the first university to admit women, and the first to admit students of ethnic minorities — then devoted herself to teaching Western music to Native Americans (the academic term for whom was then “American Indians”) and learning their own traditional songs as they taught her in turn.

With her simple box camera and cylinder phonograph, wearing trousers and a bow-tie, Frances Densmore spent years traveling to remote settlements where no scholar dared venture. She worked with dozens of tribes — the Sioux, the Chippewa, the Mandan, the Hidatsa, the northern Pawnee of Oklahoma, the Winnebago and Menominee of Wisconsin, the Seminoles of Florida, the Ute of Utah, the Papago of Arizona, the Pueblo Indians of the southwest, the Kuna Indians of Panama, and various tribes across the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia.

Everywhere she went, her pure-hearted devotion to preserving traditional music magnetized the warmth of the community. The eminent Sioux elder Red Fox adopted her as a daughter.

[lboogie1906]

Virginia Proctor Powell Florence (October 1, 1897 – April 3, 1991) was a trailblazer in both African American history and the history of librarianship. She became the first African American woman to earn a BS in library science. This made her the second African American to be formally trained in librarianship.

After moving to Pittsburgh, she graduated from Pittsburgh’s Fifth Avenue High School in 1915. She followed in her mother’s footsteps and continued her education at Oberlin College. She moved back to Pittsburgh where, although having adequate training and experience, she was unable to pursue her desired goal of teaching and spent some time working at her aunt’s salon as a beautician. Aware of her passion for children and books, Charles Wilbur Florence, her future husband, encouraged her to pursue a career in librarianship.

During a time when African Americans were rarely considered for admission into predominantly white universities, she was considered for admission into the Pittsburgh Carnegie Library School. There was much debate about allowing an African American person into the program. School officials were concerned with how white students might react to having an African American peer and the likelihood that she would find work upon completion of the program was slim. No library in the Pittsburgh area had ever hired an African American person with the amount of formal training she would have after graduation. After deliberation, school officials decided to admit her based on her previous academic achievement at Oberlin College. Although the school had accepted her, she still had to face discrimination. She was not allowed to interact directly with the white patrons; she was instructed to allow a white patron to answer any questions patrons would have. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[uwmspeccoll]

An Egyptian Mathematics Science Saturday

While Archimedes of Syracuse (287-212 BCE) is often considered the first to calculate the value of Pi (π), the Egyptians got pretty darn close a millennium and a half or so earlier, as evidenced by the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus. Copied by the scribe Ahmes sometime around 1650 BCE from an earlier text, the papyrus gives us a remarkable insight not only into Egyptian mathematics but also customs and culture, from taxation and farming practices to the exchange rate between beer and bread. It is named after Scottish antiquarian Alexander Henry Rhind, who acquired the papyrus sometime around 1858. Held by the British Museum since 1865, it is now suspected that the papyrus entered the antiquities market as a result of illegal excavations. 

Our facsimile of the papyrus was the result of fifteen years of scholarship by mathematician Arnold Buffum Chace. The first volume was published in Oberlin, Ohio by the Mathematical Association of America in 1927, with the second volume following in 1929. All of the above images are from the second volume, which contains photographs of the papyrus, as well as transcription transliterations and literal translations by Chace. Chace was assisted in his work by mathematician Henry Parker Manning and Egyptologist Ludlow Seguine Bull. Also included in the second volume is a supplement to the “Bibliography of Egyptian Mathematics” from the first volume, both of which were prepared by Raymond Clare Archibald. 

The first publication of the Rhind Papyrus was a translation into German in 1877 by August Eisenlohr. The Mathematical Association of America publication was part if a flurry of new scholarship surrounding the papyrus following advancements in scholarly understanding of Egyptian writing. In the preface to our edition, Chace notes the important 1923 translation by Eric Peet published by Liverpool University Press. Chace remarks that “Egyptologists ... will find philological matters fully discussed by Professor Peet,” while he intended for his work to be geared towards both mathematicians and the general public.

Both volumes were originally donated to the Library of the State Teachers College Milwaukee by the Carnegie Corporation of New York with their bookplate. 

Check out more Science Saturday posts here. 

-Olivia, Special Collections Graduate Intern

[foxcassius]

i was in THE MIDDLE of putting together my cover letter and resume for a position in the OBERLIN COLLEGE AND CONSERVATORY LIBRARY and my ipad imploded 😐🔫

[kittiescatscats]

21 People On What They Would Tell Their 19-Year-Old Selves

Jonathan, 55: There is no such thing as “the only one”. You will meet lots of “the ones”. Only commit when the timing is right for the both of you – that can take years for some, and that’s okay.

Miranda, 24: Drop pre-med.

Isaac, 48: Deodorant does not count as a shower, and that haircut only looked good on Bon Jovi.

Anya, 42: Make the conscious decision to be happy, and then stick with it. Society will do everything in its power to convince you that your personal happiness is dependent on something external – beauty, success, wealth, etc. – it isn’t.

Parker, 55: 60% of the things you think are important now won’t matter a whit to you by the time you reach 50. The trick is to figure out the important 40% and work it.

Megan, 34: He doesn’t love you, and you will be okay.

Peter, 58: Don’t let anything stand in your way of taking part (or all) of your junior year abroad. You’ll never again have quite the same opportunity to experience a foreign land, for an extended period of time, in your youth. It is destined to be one of the most memorable aspects of your life.

Eleanor, 67: Talk less. Listen more.

Donald, 27: There’s a huge difference between who you want to be and who everyone around you wants you to be. Figure out which is which.

Camille, 56: Always remember: when falling off a horse, pull your tongue in.

Jackson, 57: No one knows anything for sure. They’re all just doing the best they can with what they have, just like you.

Vicki, 47: You’ll never have all the answers, so make every question count.

Donald, 38: You don’t have to grow up to be the dad you never had.

Katelyn, 30: Make the most out of college. You will never again be at a place where your only goal is to learn. Learn a lot, learn often, and learn with reckless abandon.

Joshua, 55: Women love to laugh.

Annabelle, 38: Drugs are not beautiful, glamorous or opulent. They are not a remedy, a solution, a cure-all, or a cure-anything.

Colin, 50: You miss so much life when you sleep until 3 PM. Wake up to see sunrises; they are the most stunning of nature’s masterpieces.

Eleanor, 26: Eating two pints of ice cream won’t make you happy. Neither will sprinting 10 miles. Be nice to yourself.

Aaron, 52: Don’t forget to ask that girl in the Oberlin library what kind of perfume she’s wearing. You’ll buy it for her in 20 years.

Scarlett, 54: Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Those that get you will love you, those that don’t, well, their loss. Just remember: Wherever you are, it’s a party.

Zack, 9: I hope you’re awesome. And be nice to girls.

[oberlincollegelibraries]

New Year, New (Old) Sounds in the Public Domain!

On January 1st, 2022, all sound recordings made before 1923 entered the public domain, an estimated 400,000 sound recordings that document the beginning of recording technologies and include a rich variety of musical styles, such as vaudeville, ragtime, and early jazz. Some notable examples highlighted by the Association for Recorded Sound Collections are “Crazy Blues,” performed by Mamie Smith and her Jazz Hounds in 1920, and a 1917 recording of “Dixieland Jass Band One-Step” by the Original Dixieland Jass Band. The 78 rpm records seen here are part of the Oberlin Conservatory Library’s James R. and Susan Neumann Jazz Collection, and the sheet music is part of the Stanley King Jazz Collection.

Learn more about the Music Modernization Act, passed by Congress in 2018, that allows these recordings to enter the public domain. Listen to pre-1923 sound recordings available at The Public Domain Review, the Internet Archive, and the National Jukebox at the Library of Congress. And lastly, join the virtual party for Public Domain Day on January 20th: A Celebration of Sound. Cheers!

[brutalistinteriors]

Mudd Library, Oberlin College. Warner, Burns, Toan & Lunde.

[hexjulia]

i linked to the paper these screenshots are from in the post but just some quotes;

"Much of the archaeological “loot” that was divided amongst the Committee sponsors ended up overseas. Some 160 mosaics went to the United States, whereas only a dozen or so went to Paris. The mosaics that arrived in the United States are today distributed amongst museums and academic institutions. [...] Most recently the mosaic of the sea goddess Tethys, from the Antiochen bath F, was sold by Dumbarton Oaks to the Harvard Business School"

+ "Thus, the Worcester Museum without any apparent reason dismembered the panels from the corridor of the Aion House (selling three of the seven to the Allen Memorial Art Museum of Oberlin College in Ohio) and sold off to the J. Paul Getty Museum all five of the panels coming from the vestibule of the little Bath of Apolausis, dated around 400 A.D."

+ "The last case to be remarked in this brief review of atrocities is that of the martyrion of St. Babilas. Situated close to the inhabited centre of the city of Antioch, the remains of this building were excavated in the spring of 1935. This case reveals yet another aspect of the fate of the mosaics of Antioch and its environs. There is no record as to what happened to the hundreds of square meters of mosaic that were uncovered by excavation, but then left to their destiny. Amongst these figure the mosaics of the enormous cruciform martyrion. In view of their extraordinary documentary importance, they ought to have been preserved in situ. Alas, as things now stand, only a few scrappy remains in opus sectile and four dedicatory inscriptions carrying the date of 387 survive today, and these are to be found two in the Hatay Archaeological Museum of Antioch, at the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collections in Washington, and at Princeton University. Poignant in this respect are the regrets expressed by Jean Lassus, French archaeologist who served as assistant field director, about the necessity to dismember a number the pavements in order to excerpt inscriptions and extract figural panel from an expanse or geometric or floral backround! Although the former Sanjak of Alexandretta was formally ceded to the Republic of Turkey in 1938 and the commencement of the hostilities of the Second World War brought archaeological investigation to a rapid close, it is extremely surprising that there has been no systematic attempt to resume work at Antioch since then. It is quite likely that with the passage of time and thanks to the general neglect the mosaics that did remain in situ fell victim to the urban expansion of the modern city. Nevertheless, Antioch was one of the most important metropoleis of the ancient and medieval Mediterranean, and its material culture demands justice."

the way excavated houses in antioch were taken apart is uhm. well just look

sometimes even just single mosaics sliced up

[oberlincollegearchives]

Edmonia Lewis and Oberlin College

The United States Postal Service has announced that artist and sculptor Edmonia Lewis will be featured on a Forever Stamp, the 45th stamp in their Black Heritage series. The stamps will be dedicated and go on sale on January 26, 2022.

Edmonia Lewis was born in New York or Ohio in 1843 or 1845 to a free Black father and Native American mother. Also known as Mary Edmonia Lewis, not much is known about her early life. Lewis attended the Oberlin Preparatory Department from 1859-1860, and the Literary Department (women’s course) from 1860-1862. Unfortunately, Lewis was accused of poisoning two of her white classmates with wine in 1862 (see “Spiced Wine” by Geoffrey Blodgett, Oberlin Alumni Magazine, February 1970). The case was later dropped after being represented by John Mercer Langston. Later, in February of 1863, she was accused of (later acquitted) stealing paint brushes and paints from an art teacher in Oberlin. Because of the incidents that Lewis was involved in, she was no longer allowed to continue in the women’s course and subsequently left Oberlin for Boston where she started a career as a sculptor. Lewis sculpted noted abolitionists, and is well known for using Italian style to depict Native American subjects.

The College Archives does not hold a personal paper collection for Edmonia Lewis, but we do have a pencil drawing, pictured above, located in our Paintings, Prints, and Drawings collection. This drawing was done by Lewis for Clara Steele Norton (Oberlin College A.B. 1862) upon her announcement to be married to Judson Cross (enr. 1855-1862). This drawing is sometimes referred to as A Wedding Gift or Untitled Drawing of Urania. (See “A Wedding Gift of 1862″ by Marcia Goldberg and William E. Bigglestone, Oberlin Alumni Magazine, June/July 1977).

We also have a variety of articles and other secondary sources on Edmonia Lewis. Please contact the College Archives if you would like to know more about Edmonia Lewis and her fascinating artistic legacy.

[cinematicosmos]

[lboogie1906]

Bess Bolden Walcott (November 4, 1886 - April 18, 1988) was an educator, librarian, museum curator, and activist who helped establish the historical significance of Tuskegee University. Recruited by Booker T. Washington to help him coordinate his library and teach science, she remained at the institute until 1962 but continued her service into the 1970s. Throughout her fifty-four-year career at Tuskegee, she organized Washington’s library, taught science and English at the institute, served as founder and editor of two of the major campus publications, directed public relations, established the Red Cross chapter, curated the George Washington Carver collection and museum and assisted in Tuskegee being placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

She married William Holbrook Walcott (1911) who was a professor at the Institute. In 1918, she began teaching English at the high school of the Institute. She pushed for the charter for a Red Cross chapter at Tuskegee. It would be the first African American chapter granted in the US. As executive director, she was the driving force behind the organization. The initial chairman was Robert Russa Moton and the vice presidency was shared by Moton’s wife Jennie and Booker T. Washington’s wife, Margaret. Jennie, Margaret, and she were members of the Tuskegee Woman’s Club. The club was active in the suffrage movement and when women earned the right to vote, she and three friends immediately went to register to vote.

She was an active suffragist and member of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, serving in the early 1960s as the national vice president of the organization. She was recognized for her contributions to the state of Alabama in 2003 when she was inducted into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame.

She was born in Xenia, Ohio, to Fannie A. (née Bizzell) and William P. Bolde. Around 1900, the family moved to Painesville in Lake County. In June 1908, she graduated from Oberlin College and secured employment at Tuskegee Institute. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

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Herman Melville, (1924, 1962, 2017), Billy Budd, and Other Prose Pieces, Edited by Raymond Weaver, Constable and Company Ltd., London, 1924, Volume 13 of The Works of Herman Melville Standard Edition [From the Collection of William Palmer Johnston. The Grolier Club, New York, NY]

Exhibitions: Melville's Billy Budd at 100, The Grolier Club, September 12 – November 9, 2024; Oberlin College & Conservatory Libraries, Oberlin, OH, November 17 – December 20, 2024

[oberlinsciencelibrary]

Our Last Post - but this is not goodbye!

Just a few parting shots from the Science Library. 

Above, a portion of a book display for Black History Month, “Celebrating Black achievement in science, and highlighting the need to continue to diversify STEM education and disciplines.”

Below, new journal issues continue to be received in print - not as many as were received just a year ago, for sure, as we rely on online access.  But plenty of good reading here!

Books on the popular science reading shelves, seen below, beckon!  Winter Term is a fine time to read beyond the syllabus and explore new ideas.

Look for future posts from the Science Library on the various social media channels of Oberlin College Libraries:  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and the Libraries news feed.

Thanks for checking in - we hope to see you in the library soon!