tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55982315645805598502024-03-18T12:21:50.294-04:00State Library of MassachusettsMass State Library Blog Administratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18183409023781285075noreply@blogger.comBlogger1039125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-88432352793162914152024-03-18T09:30:00.001-04:002024-03-18T09:30:00.138-04:00The Hunt for Transcripts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho91vactGDw3aimtrloqppp8z2zAodivp6kWuQ2uUwIhlsYpvuTBxzv3BBpDdBjwdZyyPjzRmU5AIPLAVn-MISGzZkxcFYnWdSa81AjL7JVZk9A_j0_b1oVrSEMNh4bmDe2m8_-q98j1R9hhaOEPXOZTIiBIirLQLM3FUTltzrBWiW_GFBD-wsd_Q1Nkk/s940/transcripts.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho91vactGDw3aimtrloqppp8z2zAodivp6kWuQ2uUwIhlsYpvuTBxzv3BBpDdBjwdZyyPjzRmU5AIPLAVn-MISGzZkxcFYnWdSa81AjL7JVZk9A_j0_b1oVrSEMNh4bmDe2m8_-q98j1R9hhaOEPXOZTIiBIirLQLM3FUTltzrBWiW_GFBD-wsd_Q1Nkk/s320/transcripts.png" width="320" /></a></div>When conducting a legislative history, researchers usually want transcripts - transcripts from public hearings, transcripts from the testimony given by experts, or transcripts from legislative sessions. Typed transcripts are ideal when trying to uncover intent, however in Massachusetts tracking down verbatim transcripts can be tricky. When a request comes in for a transcript, I usually like to preface that in the history of the General Court, there has never been an official transcriber. However, transcripts do exist and there have been recent advances when it comes to tracking down what was said on the floor or at a hearing, especially for more current legislation. <br /><br />Before we look into the online resources and databases that are more conducive to researching the past 10-15 years or so, let’s look at the <a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/home">State Library’s catalog</a>. The catalog encompasses the library’s Massachusetts specific collections. When looking for a transcript using the catalog, it is best to search using keywords rather than a bill number. For example, if you were researching <a href="http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/620892">1882 Senate Bill 0220 An Act For The Preservation Of The Public Health In The Towns Bordering Upon The Blackstone River, And Of The Purity Of The Waters Of Said River</a> regarding sewage pollution from Worcester - search the catalog by using keywords like ‘sewage’ and ‘Worcester.’ The catalog will pull up items like the following hearing transcript and testimony: <a href="https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/852200">The sewage of Worcester in its relation to the Blackstone River: hearings before the Joint Standing Committee on Public Health, on the matter of restraining the city of Worcester from polluting Blackstone River</a>.<br /><br />In a more contemporary example, if you were looking into bills relating to minority and women owned businesses in 1990, search the catalog using terms such as ‘discrimination’ and ‘hearing’ and you will get the following public hearing documents:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/record/370049">Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination public hearing on discrimination against minority and women owned businesses: August 22, 1990</a></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/record/370054">Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination public hearing on discrimination against minority and women businesses: September 19, 1990, Scibelli Hall, Springfield Technical Community College, Springfield, Massachusetts</a></li></ul>These are just some examples of what exists in terms of transcripts and testimony in the State Library’s collections. It is important to note that if the item is available digitally, the catalog will link out directly to the item in the State Library’s digital repository. If the item is only available in print, please reach out to the Reference Department. <br /><br />Now onto the best online resources for transcripts. With any legislative history, a good place to start is with the Massachusetts Legislature site. It may seem obvious, but the legislature's site provides a lot of information including bills, bill histories, Acts back to 1997, committee reports, recordings of sessions and special events, and more. You can find session and hearing recordings under the Hearing & Events tab; filter by date using the List view. If a recording is available, there will be a little video camera icon. Recordings from more recent sessions will sometimes include the Agenda, a listing of the bills discussed, links to motions such as roll call votes, and sometimes links to meeting documents. While the legislature site is just beginning to implement a transcript feature into the recordings, the next best place to look is MassTrac. <br /><br />MassTrac is a bill tracking database. The database goes back to 1995, but is better suited for researching the mid-2000s to present. MassTrac has a Transcripts tab. You can search for committee hearings, floor debates, and special commission transcripts. You can also search by selecting the session year and by keyword searching. Once you have selected a recording, you can view it directly in MassTrac. MassTrac has a lot of great features for searching transcripts - after all hearings and sessions can go for hours. To make it easier on the researcher, you can keyword search within the video to bring you to the timestamp where that keyword was discussed or you can click on a word in the typed transcript to jump to it in the video! There is also the option to show/hide non-essential dialogue. MassTrac also provides access to written, submitted testimony and has the option print/download the transcript as a PDF. Masstrac is available to users in-library.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9Pn9Q0YS7TrSo1SzZx8hxhi96j20kHVMBN71V5tq4-Sbeq1zdV9iR-AsWtvJ-AEUKdDvbTLlvd-Mi_3qJEqnXQ0gKmFXyBuGdTL8c9OVGVdOR7Q1cniAmecykCy8DPGj3r1Kpv6du6ssyNLFn6reHVDyiOjubNFzV-cJqu4S65lptoCOpTiJzB4f3CI/s1892/Masstrac_ex.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="907" data-original-width="1892" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9Pn9Q0YS7TrSo1SzZx8hxhi96j20kHVMBN71V5tq4-Sbeq1zdV9iR-AsWtvJ-AEUKdDvbTLlvd-Mi_3qJEqnXQ0gKmFXyBuGdTL8c9OVGVdOR7Q1cniAmecykCy8DPGj3r1Kpv6du6ssyNLFn6reHVDyiOjubNFzV-cJqu4S65lptoCOpTiJzB4f3CI/w484-h231/Masstrac_ex.png" width="484" /></a></div><br /><div>Last but not least is State House News Service. SHNS is an independent reporting service. Its online archive goes back to 1987. Its advanced search filter allows you to keyword search, narrow by date, and has options to search for articles, documents, images, and videos. SHNS service provides session roundups, coverage of hearings and events, and while not verbatim transcripts, these articles will provide direct quotes from legislators which is essential for legislative histories. State House News Service is available to users in-library.<br /><br />Tracking down transcripts can be hard but always feel free to reach out to the Reference Department. We are here to provide guidance and help you navigate the resources and print collections. <br /><br /> <br />April Pascucci<br />Legislative Reference Librarian</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-40441846078636243042024-03-11T09:30:00.001-04:002024-03-11T09:30:00.140-04:00A Visit to the Mass RoomIf you have ever searched our <a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/home?locg=111">online catalog</a>, you might have come across the shelving location “Mass Room.”<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EXtyTRoGH3XXhtaHLmyQFPFuUlHPiaj_zNPT5gpDgYIXVFjXxPzBKHSmNRLTSpJrLckha1rrzVtXfL2CZaBArB49GzKNEnXWKCyn0PuQR3sNNxWCcRvaMJbx3UWjDTxrVpgeNCg6FJeic_4SdtYQZp2BCmc9c_QLTH2K1TiHFBFXAEo7sJ_pPcovqy4/s624/Picture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="143" data-original-width="624" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EXtyTRoGH3XXhtaHLmyQFPFuUlHPiaj_zNPT5gpDgYIXVFjXxPzBKHSmNRLTSpJrLckha1rrzVtXfL2CZaBArB49GzKNEnXWKCyn0PuQR3sNNxWCcRvaMJbx3UWjDTxrVpgeNCg6FJeic_4SdtYQZp2BCmc9c_QLTH2K1TiHFBFXAEo7sJ_pPcovqy4/w497-h113/Picture1.jpg" width="497" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Image of catalog record
for the </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/record/358946?locg=111"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Committee Report of the
Massachusetts <br />Committee on Certification of Lawyer Specialization</span></a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWketMfkdJ2TezY7V8iW5467YYGk1PlegaGTDNX_RqQu3ijvk5t2Rt0uUEWXhz3gKzGCOxAsJH_OJ692g192dnnMz6X6Gmcu7LhNuXiR4vmQm1gFP7l2r1hGym3jtQYGRdh0S_VV3dcw-F0-OJoR9I7H1PaB0IoCV7Ct8Qnr4m0u4IWNPBHEeblRJs4AI/s589/Picture2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="429" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWketMfkdJ2TezY7V8iW5467YYGk1PlegaGTDNX_RqQu3ijvk5t2Rt0uUEWXhz3gKzGCOxAsJH_OJ692g192dnnMz6X6Gmcu7LhNuXiR4vmQm1gFP7l2r1hGym3jtQYGRdh0S_VV3dcw-F0-OJoR9I7H1PaB0IoCV7Ct8Qnr4m0u4IWNPBHEeblRJs4AI/w232-h319/Picture2.jpg" width="232" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Image of inside the Mass Room from<br />the State Library's <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mastatelibrary/albums/72157664983883849/" target="_blank">Flickr account</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table>The “Mass Room” is the section of our closed stacks that contains published Massachusetts government documents. “Mass Room” is a bit of a misnomer, as the “room” spans multiple floors within the stacks. If you get the chance to visit the library, you can catch a glimpse of the room behind the Reference Desk. A common question we get asked at the Reference Desk is whether that area is open to the public. Sadly, the answer is: no. Only library employees and interns are allowed to access the stacks (unless the State Librarian has given a visitor her expressed permission). Fortunately, for those of you with unquenchable curiosity, the librarians of years-past created an online exhibit that reveals a bit more of what it looks like back there. The photos from the exhibit are available on the Library’s <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mastatelibrary/">Flickr account</a> and can be accessed <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mastatelibrary/albums/72157664983883849/">here</a>.</div><div><div><br /></div>“But what exactly are the ‘government documents’ you keep back there, and what is it like to browse the collection?” you might ask. According to <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleII/Chapter6/Section39">M.G.L. ch.6 §39</a>, the materials the Library collects are:<br /><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">[A]ny document, study, rule, regulation, report, directory, pamphlet, brochure, periodical, newsletter, bibliography, microphotographic form, tape or disc recording, annual, biennial or special report, statistical compendium, or other printed material regardless of its format or manner of duplication, issued in the name of or at the request of any agency of the commonwealth or produced and issued as part of a contract entered into by any agency of the commonwealth regardless of the source of funding, provided they constitute ''public records'' as defined in clause Twenty-sixth of section seven of chapter four, excepting correspondence, blank forms, and university press publications.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />The collection is massive and continues to grow. Inside the Mass room, the shelves are jam-packed with the reports, supplements, notices, plans, updates, proceedings, and projects of the various commissions, committees, task-forces, and other agencies that have been created, merged, renamed, or dissolved over the course of the Commonwealth's history. <br /><br />The documents in the Mass Room are print materials, however, these can exist in a variety of formats, e.g., hardbound or soft bound volumes, binders of looseleaf pages, or even one-page leaflets which we store in envelopes. Everything is organized by its government agency and uses a unique call number system invented by the State Library (sorry, Dewey and LC fans!). <br /><br />While a lot of our material is digitized and available in <a href="https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/home">our online repository</a> – many documents in the Mass Room remain in paper format only. Visitors are welcome to request to examine these items in our Reading Room at any time during our open hours 9:00am - 5:00pm (you don’t need an appointment, but advanced notice is ideal – you can <a href="mailto:Reference.Department@mass.gov" target="_blank">email us</a>). <br /><br />Although it can be daunting, the size and complexity of this collection presents our reference librarians with an exciting challenge. Each reference request is an opportunity (for us and our patrons) to learn more about our collections. Often we don’t know we have a specific item or what format it’s in until a patron requests it! <br /><br />Below are examples of some items you could find while wandering the floors of the Mass Room:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Report of the Commission to Investigate the Subject of the Cold Storage of Food and of Food Products Kept in Cold Storage (January, 1912)</b> </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdqP0hwRwe4_0MQNS1IvlT7s74BE8mMliBp5eQz4Sm8e0laB-iwd2NvtK8nOVuPkBiPpVa_xNjXTvv4Z-3sN8Gn5pRh-NIkqS8OP_Uop7hC8guoU6xvUZrEwH0h8ttzjKYsDRLurnldaXBpoCBPHS_alJZRyPZFhOm6oGgbG4aZV_3jChFht-e-iOn1E/s624/Picture3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="624" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdqP0hwRwe4_0MQNS1IvlT7s74BE8mMliBp5eQz4Sm8e0laB-iwd2NvtK8nOVuPkBiPpVa_xNjXTvv4Z-3sN8Gn5pRh-NIkqS8OP_Uop7hC8guoU6xvUZrEwH0h8ttzjKYsDRLurnldaXBpoCBPHS_alJZRyPZFhOm6oGgbG4aZV_3jChFht-e-iOn1E/s320/Picture3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Initially, I grabbed this report thinking the title said, “Report on Cod Storage,” however, flipping through the report showed that the Commonwealth was concerned about time limits for storing food. I never knew that ammonia was the chemical of choice for refrigerating food.</div><div><br /></div><b>Gas and Electric Light Commissioners Report (1885-91)</b><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HFuLpxVHCLOaj-LIUo9EIwY8-JT0r5huxwHyxtF4Ja4n0Vn3G001-0RvXrLxh1B-S3BZ7kb2uNzZb1mbGszfmDPwaZOb9FXewiv_3REG5m6gBg3u9k5aWzn2zz2VJSuKcqI3YrHf4vj9lNyHGgvKWNtaFLncYc-ix_2ATORhUhCz2uE34qx-vvcNf2Y/s795/Picture4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="473" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HFuLpxVHCLOaj-LIUo9EIwY8-JT0r5huxwHyxtF4Ja4n0Vn3G001-0RvXrLxh1B-S3BZ7kb2uNzZb1mbGszfmDPwaZOb9FXewiv_3REG5m6gBg3u9k5aWzn2zz2VJSuKcqI3YrHf4vj9lNyHGgvKWNtaFLncYc-ix_2ATORhUhCz2uE34qx-vvcNf2Y/w156-h263/Picture4.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>1900s technology made me curious about other groundbreaking technology, so I went further back in time and pulled this Gas Commissioner’s Report from 1890, which is part of a larger bound volume of the agency’s reports. In 1890 the electric lighting business was booming – although there was some skepticism as to whether it was as good as gas lighting. If you’re interested, you can read a full corporate history of gas and electric utilities <a href="https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/865033">here</a> (it was compiled last year by the Dept. of Utilities).</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Maryellen Larken</div>Government Documents & Reference Librarian Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-29493252605307568092024-03-07T12:01:00.001-05:002024-03-07T12:21:35.296-05:00Bluebirds for Suffrage - on display in the Library!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4Ci4UgbkA_80TkEvCopZTLPhoeNM8iRYiU3I218xojRSM0InTQ66HI-jz0nso6cNr9RnW8E-qiKMwRgn8E8gEI_H14gwDoO09Zc5CKMJ2ycfOugx1YHCt_pl6YQXdYfTOM65HbhgND7kGxinzQYp62EpdgUvXdNdkxL_us8arVnJjXofYZ7gYaAQxoI/s3275/Audubon%20plate%20393%20v2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3275" data-original-width="2329" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4Ci4UgbkA_80TkEvCopZTLPhoeNM8iRYiU3I218xojRSM0InTQ66HI-jz0nso6cNr9RnW8E-qiKMwRgn8E8gEI_H14gwDoO09Zc5CKMJ2ycfOugx1YHCt_pl6YQXdYfTOM65HbhgND7kGxinzQYp62EpdgUvXdNdkxL_us8arVnJjXofYZ7gYaAQxoI/w285-h400/Audubon%20plate%20393%20v2.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>For Women's History Month, our featured Audubon for March is plate 393, which shows the Townsend Warbler, Arctic Blue-bird, and Western Blue-bird. At first glance, the connection to women's history might not be obvious, did you know that suffragettes in Massachusetts used the bluebird as a symbol of their movement? The bluebird symbolizes cheer and hope, and was adopted by the Massachusetts Woman Suffrage Association in 1915. <div><br /></div><div>A referendum on women's suffrage was on the Massachusetts ballot in 1915, and July 17, 1915 (listed in some sources as July 19) was "Suffrage Blue Bird Day." On this mid-July date, over 100,000 tin bluebirds were pinned throughout the state to show support of the referendum granting women the right to vote. Though actual bluebirds are only six to eight inches long, these colorful blue and yellow tin bluebird signs were twelve inches long by 4 inches wide - a vibrant sign of solidarity for the women's movement! You can see an image of these bluebirds <a href="https://www.si.edu/object/woman-suffrage-bluebird-sign%3Anmah_508085" target="_blank">here</a>. The date "Nov 2" at the bottom of the sign references when voters would head to the polls, where unfortunately the referendum failed. Women in Massachusetts did not receive the right to vote until five years later, when the 19th Amendment was passed in 1920. </div><div><br /></div><div>Visit us from March 8 to April 4 to see these hopeful and cheerful birds on display, and happy Women's History Month!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Elizabeth Roscio</div><div>Preservation Librarian</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-74982369666827317662024-03-04T09:30:00.003-05:002024-03-04T09:37:09.229-05:00On Display for Women's History Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTBczBcyx-g0BNmw-2lgpUt4i9spP-6v7DyyIEwktDolAtiBcFj6O5IzhsDqs_-1hHvpgHEj6YgxgucHQY4KwrejES3ScSrrTr-Q33D7kAK7Q-sLjASx70FNshGdP9Nx5CcrsW6sE7iyMkzYd9X3khQqxoQnkn_2LulgAJZr9Qo-jjaNGirj1ttKcbVw/s4032/suffrage%201.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTBczBcyx-g0BNmw-2lgpUt4i9spP-6v7DyyIEwktDolAtiBcFj6O5IzhsDqs_-1hHvpgHEj6YgxgucHQY4KwrejES3ScSrrTr-Q33D7kAK7Q-sLjASx70FNshGdP9Nx5CcrsW6sE7iyMkzYd9X3khQqxoQnkn_2LulgAJZr9Qo-jjaNGirj1ttKcbVw/s320/suffrage%201.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>March is Women’s History Month, and in honor of that designation, our Collection Spotlight case features two items related to women’s suffrage. Visit us throughout the month to see “The Nonsense of It: Short Answers to Common Objections Against Woman Suffrage” and the 1917 edition of <i>The Woman Suffrage Year Book</i> on display in our reading room. <br /><br />"The Nonsense Of It" was a circular published circa 1870 and written by Thomas Wentworth Higginson (1823-1911). Among his many roles, Higginson was an abolitionist, author, Unitarian minister, and for two years, a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives representing the 1st Middlesex District. Beginning in the 1850s, he was also one of the leading male advocates for women’s suffrage. The displayed publication shows us a glimpse into his views. The circular is presented in a list format with 16 reasons why women should not vote, followed by Higginson’s rebuttal of those reasons. A few are transcribed below: <br /><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">3. <i>“The polls are not decent places for woman.”</i> No place is decent from which women are excluded. Shall we exclude women from the railroad cars, because the smoking-car is apt to be a dirty place? When a man takes his wife daughters into the cars, their presence brings decency. It will be the same at the polls. </blockquote><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">6. <i>“Women would only vote as their husbands or fathers do.”</i> Many women have no husbands and no living fathers. If they have, and vote as these men do, there will be no quarrel. If they vote differently – as they are very likely to do on questions of temperance, religion, and the right to control their own property or their own children, – then this objection falls to the ground. </blockquote><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">10. <i>“I should not wish to hear my wife speak in Town-meeting.” </i>Nor would she like to hear you, unless you said something better worth saying than most of the talk against Woman Suffrage. But you are often willing to pay other men’s wives to sing in public, and if a woman may properly uplift to sing nonsense, why not to speak sense? </blockquote><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">12. <i>“Women are too busy to vote.”</i> Why not say, “Men are too busy to vote?” Men are apt to claim that their own day’s work is harder than that of their wives. </blockquote><br />This circular presents rather progressive views for the 1870s! And it is also important to note that women didn’t receive the right to vote until the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920, so this circular was produced fifty years prior to women achieving the right to vote. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPet2r8AauAICaHx8ijJX_Tu__4JUlbj9RoeB5Vo1jH6JpDTpaoRfA_jQMTmfq-2kqiTVdrT6y9y0c5LkG05MWIexb1o3WpMhIFqF4Uo2pw30zQUF2qtERoeT3zuq8aaK9r4gXHr17dOqATnZml7LebJo5W1EKv4eDFsanJ7ubXDTRC15DRLUbJXqY4oI/s3405/suffrage%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2511" data-original-width="3405" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPet2r8AauAICaHx8ijJX_Tu__4JUlbj9RoeB5Vo1jH6JpDTpaoRfA_jQMTmfq-2kqiTVdrT6y9y0c5LkG05MWIexb1o3WpMhIFqF4Uo2pw30zQUF2qtERoeT3zuq8aaK9r4gXHr17dOqATnZml7LebJo5W1EKv4eDFsanJ7ubXDTRC15DRLUbJXqY4oI/w400-h295/suffrage%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div>The other displayed item was published in 1917, only three years prior to 19th Amendment. Displayed together, these two items emphasize just how long it took for suffrage to pass. <i>The Woman Suffrage Year Book</i> was published by the National Woman Suffrage Publishing Company and was compiled to provide an accurate and up-to-date recording suffrage statistics. The yearbook is displayed open to the Massachusetts page in the section titled “The Progress of Woman Suffrage Measures in State Legislatures.” It tracks all of the suffrage measures from the first petition presented to the legislature in 1849 to the Suffrage Amendment being passed in the House and Senate in 1915 (before it was submitted to referendum and defeated).</div><div><br />These two items will be on display in our reading room through March 28. And while you’re here, be sure to check out the two other cases in the library that are displaying materials highlighting women’s history, including some resources related to the Irish “Mill Girls” of Lowell. And for even more women’s history content, check out this previous <a href="https://mastatelibrary.blogspot.com/2020/10/on-virtual-display-in-state-library.html">blog</a> post on a 1900s pamphlet titled, “Why Women Should Vote.”</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Elizabeth Roscio</div><div>Preservation Librarian</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-4337970772235730982024-03-01T09:24:00.001-05:002024-03-01T09:24:46.878-05:00State Library Newsletter - March Issue<p>With the new month brings a new newsletter from the State Library! March is Women's Month, and our newsletter is full of information about the displays we have mounted to mark the occasion, along with information about our upcoming Author Talk. Read all about it in our newsletter, and then plan your visit. </p><br /><div>Pictured here is a preview, but the full issue can be accessed by clicking <a href="https://mailchi.mp/mass/march-news-from-the-state-library-9190262">here</a>. And you can also sign up for our mailing list to receive the newsletter straight to your <a href="https://mass.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=abd717d4468768c8f5fb71004&id=67f50688e7">inbox</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZUEYDBy2WgAmz5BRC297tsHqg70A51k7Kevnr838q1Zk2OVmxb-jKtM8bJL2OfSWUwq_07UMp_m5lMdXjJuHHDKX004U2ikTFkFcl-kgr0LLvw2Lv12QOEYUD5bD8NfIBm_OJZV9-11fAk20PF8jk98RvUF1VI1Qp_7VkanTTA89Ed58cVcdcpgTO0s/s3894/newsletter%20web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3894" data-original-width="2916" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZUEYDBy2WgAmz5BRC297tsHqg70A51k7Kevnr838q1Zk2OVmxb-jKtM8bJL2OfSWUwq_07UMp_m5lMdXjJuHHDKX004U2ikTFkFcl-kgr0LLvw2Lv12QOEYUD5bD8NfIBm_OJZV9-11fAk20PF8jk98RvUF1VI1Qp_7VkanTTA89Ed58cVcdcpgTO0s/w343-h458/newsletter%20web.jpg" width="343" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-51267265544475359692024-02-26T09:30:00.001-05:002024-02-26T09:30:00.126-05:00Author Talk with Susan Wilson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FNWHAsXaESyl6ajn79c_eFyKkj4Xwm2ahqRVuq4n4lTqG2gBkD4M68FaORDbXh1pxDaiaJvJtjHd2NEbaZvRpmYLTAXDPLXQxwL4aywliFfWSqDMX2KFuH3HfBwJ4tEhHQJlCfz_5Ijd2fJq__QPH8EtAleyCg1kFvg_F7CmxPi4q2nKM2T3t8IzoA4/s372/AT%20logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="372" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FNWHAsXaESyl6ajn79c_eFyKkj4Xwm2ahqRVuq4n4lTqG2gBkD4M68FaORDbXh1pxDaiaJvJtjHd2NEbaZvRpmYLTAXDPLXQxwL4aywliFfWSqDMX2KFuH3HfBwJ4tEhHQJlCfz_5Ijd2fJq__QPH8EtAleyCg1kFvg_F7CmxPi4q2nKM2T3t8IzoA4/w186-h147/AT%20logo.jpg" width="186" /></a></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span lang="EN" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/record/5058683"><i><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Women and Children First: The Trailblazing Life of Susan Dimock,
M.D.</span></i></a> </span></li><li>Wednesday, March 6, 2024. 12:00pm - 1:00pm</li><li>State Library of Massachusetts - Room 341, Massachusetts State House</li><li>Livestream: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/mastatelibrary">https://www.youtube.com/user/mastatelibrary</a></li></ul></div></div><br />The State Library of Massachusetts Author Talks Series returns this March for our 2024 season. We are excited to host author Susan Wilson during Women’s History Month!<div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDDS_7cZ5hzTOxSoHxJga1pH0tjL_IBhs7PRPuxG6Pri2xBZpyIXve4kQxXbWYzsChc5X9pVrw487Yx7YIMj3AopDvzhvK-NGpSRAwvEIgdHT9ISxPg5FEbJAbDXAw1p2qQYs9_vCycN5NPwkrnnckxAgF90QbHw16awMOGM1UFRYvl3A3aUwyOk_U924/s1500/Book%20Cover_Susan%20Wilson_March%202024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDDS_7cZ5hzTOxSoHxJga1pH0tjL_IBhs7PRPuxG6Pri2xBZpyIXve4kQxXbWYzsChc5X9pVrw487Yx7YIMj3AopDvzhvK-NGpSRAwvEIgdHT9ISxPg5FEbJAbDXAw1p2qQYs9_vCycN5NPwkrnnckxAgF90QbHw16awMOGM1UFRYvl3A3aUwyOk_U924/w188-h282/Book%20Cover_Susan%20Wilson_March%202024.jpg" width="188" /></a></div>Please join us on Wednesday, March 6th at noon, in our historic reading room to hear Susan Wilson discuss her 2023 book, <a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/record/5058683"><i>Women and Children First: The Trailblazing Life of Susan Dimock, M.D.</i></a> We will be livestreaming the talk on our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/mastatelibrary">YouTube channel</a> for anyone who cannot make it into the library, courtesy of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Broadcast Services<br /><br /></div><div><b>About the book:</b> <i>Women and Children First</i> is the biography of Dr. Susan Dimock (1847-75). As the title notes, Dimock was a trailblazer for women in the medical field. Dimock was one of the first female physicians to treat women for their unique health care needs. Dimock became one of the first female surgeons in the country and was well known and respected for her skill. Dimock grew up in North Carolina, but would flee the south during the Civil War and would settle in Boston. Dimock studied medicine at the New England Hospital for Women and Children and at the University of Zurich.<br /><br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJTDGVCUqyLXx5XF7G93hC1BAtD7gSQqxAr-uCGmdAdbup7p19UOwzWxPtBzXCki2Qziu3NHM9ZijbOd5r0LIZJDaZAAOScU-NhHdK_itGvSpNaOLFjFFPqAjS8zUXD52hlzBSB8HLN_uPOx4vz454sZDccnpWq09EPK6Lv5whO5IzReO6RyATsBqfQM/s2100/Headshot_Susan%20Wilson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1500" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJTDGVCUqyLXx5XF7G93hC1BAtD7gSQqxAr-uCGmdAdbup7p19UOwzWxPtBzXCki2Qziu3NHM9ZijbOd5r0LIZJDaZAAOScU-NhHdK_itGvSpNaOLFjFFPqAjS8zUXD52hlzBSB8HLN_uPOx4vz454sZDccnpWq09EPK6Lv5whO5IzReO6RyATsBqfQM/w191-h267/Headshot_Susan%20Wilson.jpg" width="191" /></a></div>About the author:</b> Susan Wilson is a photographer, writer, and multimedia artist. Wilson is a public historian with a passion for Boston history; Wilson serves as the official House Historian for Boston’s Omni Parker House and a Scholar at the Brandeis University Women’s Studies Research Center. Wilson holds a B.A. (Phi Beta Kappa), M.A., and A.B.D. (All But Dissertation) in history from Tufts University. In addition to teaching history on both the secondary and college level, Wilson worked as a journalist and photojournalist, her work appearing regularly in the <i>Boston Globe</i> between 1978 and 1996. For more on Susan, her books, photography, and information on her Dimock Project, visit her <a href="http://www.susanwilsonphoto.com/">site</a>.<br /><br />If you are able to join us in person for this talk, attendees will be able to participate in a question-and-answer session with the author as well as purchase a copy of <i>Women and Children First</i>. Books are $35.00; cash, check, and Venmo are accepted. As always, this author talk is free and open to all. Assisted listening devices will be made available upon request. Any questions or concerns, please <a href="mailto:AuthorTalks.StateLibrary@mass.gov">email us</a>.<br /><br />Want to stay up to date on future Author Talks at the State Library? Join our <a href="https://mass.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=abd717d4468768c8f5fb71004&id=26e32c61d2">mailing list</a>. Also follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mastatelibrary/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/mastatelibrary?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">X</a>, or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mastatelibrary">Facebook</a> for updates! For more information on the State Library Author talks series, please visit our <a href="https://www.mass.gov/state-library-author-talk-series">site</a>. <br /><br /> <br />Author Talks Working Group<div><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-73750250884682828322024-02-20T09:30:00.024-05:002024-02-20T09:30:00.129-05:00Collection Highlight: Records of the Community Music Center of Boston<div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXdAQBpzIRGQoIOJk6fv9La9yHzHpJ-hnmMhyFupwdjrCjPJFFB5r8oZeS0sgDVXc4lAHsFHvKS3_6QD_4ZWfExJ7fNOWc8KrV66fsEXSo1wW2yQvJUSVrCXDkqGTqBKdh_du_zo9xAR9hoobXsMdi_-xbcOQkK9eta0T3JL6BWt7L8hyphenhyphenCiJr_OwuzE60/s534/Picture%201.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="460" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXdAQBpzIRGQoIOJk6fv9La9yHzHpJ-hnmMhyFupwdjrCjPJFFB5r8oZeS0sgDVXc4lAHsFHvKS3_6QD_4ZWfExJ7fNOWc8KrV66fsEXSo1wW2yQvJUSVrCXDkqGTqBKdh_du_zo9xAR9hoobXsMdi_-xbcOQkK9eta0T3JL6BWt7L8hyphenhyphenCiJr_OwuzE60/w227-h263/Picture%201.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An unidentified student practices <br />her cello at the South End <br />Music Center. Photo undated.</td></tr></tbody></table>In today's blog post, we’re featuring one of the State Library’s most melodious collections, the <i>Records of the Community Music Center of Boston</i>. This collection provides valuable insight into the evolution of the Community Music Center of Boston (CMCB), its educational programs, community engagement efforts, and overall significance within the cultural landscape of Boston. The <i>Records of the Community Music Center of Boston</i> include founding documents, program brochures, annual reports, newsletters, administrative records, scrapbooks, sheet music, film, and a wealth of photographs which capture student performances, classes, and community events. These visual records offer a glimpse into the center and its role in fostering a love for music within the Boston community.</div><br /><b>Boston Music School </b><div><br /><div>The CMCB began as the Boston Music School Settlement, organized by Daniel Bloomfield in November 1910. Its aims were to cultivate musical appreciation, give children of limited means the opportunity to obtain a quality musical education, develop the musical resources of the neighborhood, and foster healthy recreation through music. The school opened with 111 children, 23 teachers, and 7 assistants, and teachers and assistants volunteered their services. The School was formally incorporated on January 16, 1912. Within two years of establishing the School, Bloomfield organized the People’s Orchestra and arranged a series of “Concerts for the People.” In 1920, the settlement purchased a twelve-room house at 41 Allen Street in Boston’s West End. In 1936, a branch school was set up in Mattapan, where pupils too young to travel alone to Boston were taught by members of the faculty. In 1940, the word “Settlement” was dropped from the name, and the charter’s wording was changed to include adults.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaSSEbNclMvLOO9zA4aJb9tyouqq4BEJc4AX453X0vzKrBrQI1obQAvMKowfFyRepJVLLcqJonlLpC59rg4sUtqzG9YKxYc6LyLFDBHFhezO9u-DihAJi3VkcBcOFeH1wSok2pXiX4Eu3PuKQ5A5wlLEf02Yx-poRMorGuRSqMRygQXrSmsd0RU8O-3W0/s768/combined%201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="768" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaSSEbNclMvLOO9zA4aJb9tyouqq4BEJc4AX453X0vzKrBrQI1obQAvMKowfFyRepJVLLcqJonlLpC59rg4sUtqzG9YKxYc6LyLFDBHFhezO9u-DihAJi3VkcBcOFeH1wSok2pXiX4Eu3PuKQ5A5wlLEf02Yx-poRMorGuRSqMRygQXrSmsd0RU8O-3W0/w450-h209/combined%201.jpg" width="450" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;">Above left: Jan Kabialka, age 7, and Deborah Posen, age 6.</span><br style="text-align: start;" /><span style="text-align: start;">Photo dated September 28, 1955. Above right: Rubin Yuan,</span><br style="text-align: start;" /><span style="text-align: start;">Frances Barnette, Lorraine Mindis, and Mary Barnette. Photo dated 1960.</span><br style="text-align: start;" /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>In 1962, Boston Music School changed its name to Boston Community Music Center, and in 1967, plans were made to merge with the South End Music Centre. In 1968, the Boards of Directors of both schools voted individually to merge and to change the name of the institution to the Community Music Center of Boston.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>South End Music School </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFUd4theGe4GNScOhEHU_ZlL_JLoK0ENKdJmTRUDVp7Uonzj5YezWTNgQl2oVueMFZh-nK_MtCA89qLlV-8ToEeHPSR6K_xtedJwg_aG5lRtlcWgfxnSz-kiG6WY0PrbGLVcPl8dalfkKYz5NAQcm0bU2Cw1zZmOJyhWzZS_7YSfnibbSHCwOQ-I8Dx4/s1179/combined%202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="1179" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFUd4theGe4GNScOhEHU_ZlL_JLoK0ENKdJmTRUDVp7Uonzj5YezWTNgQl2oVueMFZh-nK_MtCA89qLlV-8ToEeHPSR6K_xtedJwg_aG5lRtlcWgfxnSz-kiG6WY0PrbGLVcPl8dalfkKYz5NAQcm0bU2Cw1zZmOJyhWzZS_7YSfnibbSHCwOQ-I8Dx4/w552-h264/combined%202.jpg" width="552" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above left: Unidentified music students instructed by a suspiciously young conductor. <br />Photo dated August 10, 1936. Above right: David Towner of Roxbury, Susan Soong of the <br />South End, and Nicholas Haddad of the South End, hard at work in a solfege class. Photo undated.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The South End Music School began as a minor activity of South End House, a settlement house. The House had been experimenting with providing musical instruction at a moderate price primarily to residents of Boston’s South End. Due to an increasing demand for lessons, the South End Music School was established as a separate entity in 1912 with the stated purpose of “providing musical instruction at cost or less for children and others of limited means in Boston and its vicinity, and to assist in the musical education of the public by means of concerts, lectures, and public gatherings.” The School gave lessons in singing, piano, violin, and other instruments to pupils ranging in age from four years to adulthood. A junior orchestra, trios, quartets, and a chorus provided a variety of musical experiences for the students. The School’s activities included a senior orchestra and a parents’ association. <br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiP3PlWOPXhLgWjALrdiXoPlZMyO6KVtNpr9CItrvCuQzyw82VkyLa7C9HxrH4bOxx3Pg7fCT3sye8A6UGg4Bz50Rhmwj35Px-la2YN_CBSNmBxX-ByS77ftYa8bA6MDhQiYU8Zed9cV2DrYbUrWEpW8K1LtniFJDI4yN1Wo7uGsLpmNys-xviGJIpE-c/s800/combined%203.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="800" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiP3PlWOPXhLgWjALrdiXoPlZMyO6KVtNpr9CItrvCuQzyw82VkyLa7C9HxrH4bOxx3Pg7fCT3sye8A6UGg4Bz50Rhmwj35Px-la2YN_CBSNmBxX-ByS77ftYa8bA6MDhQiYU8Zed9cV2DrYbUrWEpW8K1LtniFJDI4yN1Wo7uGsLpmNys-xviGJIpE-c/w532-h259/combined%203.jpg" width="532" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above left: George
Foote, left, instructs a group of unidentified student musicians. <br />Photo
undated. Above right: Executive
Secretary Flora Gay meets children <br />outside the South End Music Centre. Photo
dated July 30, 1964.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>In 1950, it changed its name to the South End Music Centre. Finally, as previously stated, it was decided to consolidate the activities of the South End Music Centre and the Boston Community Music Center in 1968.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Community Music Center of Boston </b><br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNy2TY_zcTvt9UspO_lQneI6rLBgLfxiYs-m5ZeDRsYZmM_0bOE_AkWfz-X1kJhFGzN3RGdegspFqD3aVkKJhBeimV3EmQT1_BpsY8XBP9q8fe5MfTgrQN2pp9qc3O-hWLzcEd0FAd4xjYRXisuMJt48AEKnsQR-4yCwW_t608AWh1WN5JvwxlEApbJc/s1159/combined%204.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="1159" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNy2TY_zcTvt9UspO_lQneI6rLBgLfxiYs-m5ZeDRsYZmM_0bOE_AkWfz-X1kJhFGzN3RGdegspFqD3aVkKJhBeimV3EmQT1_BpsY8XBP9q8fe5MfTgrQN2pp9qc3O-hWLzcEd0FAd4xjYRXisuMJt48AEKnsQR-4yCwW_t608AWh1WN5JvwxlEApbJc/w584-h197/combined%204.jpg" width="584" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above left: Rhythm
demonstration led by Mrs. Erna Fisher. Photo undated. Above right: Christine
<br />Rua leads a recorder group at the Milmore School as part of a CMCB program. Photo
undated.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>From the <a href="https://cmcb.org/">CMCB’s website</a> today:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0uI_D7L6HFv7FQ-RPmeVuP7d1U93fAJdbR15kOInIvqKY0L2H3sye2EKWpwX-t5tsDQFDu_en6JuQ4zyoJLTPW9n6n8pdOc3Cn7Ip7BOTBVkZYYOoPmyOm-sIouiiTcYs1vohR4I4eCAQs1uKEiZXQ-Ws5A240qnyRe403ea1J8_XpcIWdTJmnlj-V4/s468/Picture12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="383" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0uI_D7L6HFv7FQ-RPmeVuP7d1U93fAJdbR15kOInIvqKY0L2H3sye2EKWpwX-t5tsDQFDu_en6JuQ4zyoJLTPW9n6n8pdOc3Cn7Ip7BOTBVkZYYOoPmyOm-sIouiiTcYs1vohR4I4eCAQs1uKEiZXQ-Ws5A240qnyRe403ea1J8_XpcIWdTJmnlj-V4/w185-h226/Picture12.jpg" width="185" /></a></div>"The CMCB was established in 1910 in the settlement house tradition, founded to promote unity and equity in access to music education across greater Boston. Today, more than a century later, that original mission continues to flourish through the availability of music learning and enrichment to all citizens of greater Boston... CMCB welcomes, includes, and values all voices. These voices will continue to include those from different races, ethnicities, sexual orientation, gender, abilities, faiths, nationality, age, and socioeconomic status."</div><div><br /></div><div>Pictured above right is Leo Levy, age 4 ½, "the youngest pupil in school," photo dated May 1919. You can access the finding aid for the CMCB collection in the State Library’s digital repository, linked <a href="https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/items/bbd2b234-daf4-46a6-9d39-e6fafbb357c5">here</a>. This collection is open to researchers who want to learn more about this celebrated musical hub for the Greater Boston community.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Alyssa Persson<br />Special Collections Processing Librarian<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-4381585665602318132024-02-12T09:30:00.002-05:002024-02-12T09:30:00.125-05:00Collections Highlight and New Acquisitions: Town Reports!Did you know that the State Library is the repository for the annual reports of all the cities and towns in Massachusetts? Our collection spans over 300 towns and centuries of local history! <br /><br /><div>We love looking at the different covers! Check out this sample of reports from 2023 - pictured are the towns of Falmouth, Franklin, Chelmsford, Duxbury, and Egremont.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbT6HdSjfCoLRWJuoBrG0YCRTexshT_lVfDPaikk1geo3_GzZC77JTX4cmtbwz_HkLJHdCUq6ZzERA0seMNzktrYUbc5jA51LZOPHMbI-1_p4LQ7uTysJOvrDYrTw0fUGt6tKihUVpcee-VJJ0tV3w0d4HnMiIWFQnxfkxgTDfoN_S0P40zE37HUIxxXs/s1430/Larkin%201.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="919" data-original-width="1430" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbT6HdSjfCoLRWJuoBrG0YCRTexshT_lVfDPaikk1geo3_GzZC77JTX4cmtbwz_HkLJHdCUq6ZzERA0seMNzktrYUbc5jA51LZOPHMbI-1_p4LQ7uTysJOvrDYrTw0fUGt6tKihUVpcee-VJJ0tV3w0d4HnMiIWFQnxfkxgTDfoN_S0P40zE37HUIxxXs/w400-h258/Larkin%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsemOg68hyznqb9rRYNOcyzM7-yUwDCB7RMlrNajbnAsGwe5mTiXmO97wSaHW5xiJ1Jm4fjNjTSzIO-NUbonWsSkasaqFBHZ-UcHZDkZkWzH_v8RR-I0yrD0iUfF6izBn8v3p8uslWXWiAyfNslPMqDzCfpoke2Ot8I8cD-vftbQmOsrRiMBsloY6EaU/s1121/Larkin%202.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1121" data-original-width="841" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsemOg68hyznqb9rRYNOcyzM7-yUwDCB7RMlrNajbnAsGwe5mTiXmO97wSaHW5xiJ1Jm4fjNjTSzIO-NUbonWsSkasaqFBHZ-UcHZDkZkWzH_v8RR-I0yrD0iUfF6izBn8v3p8uslWXWiAyfNslPMqDzCfpoke2Ot8I8cD-vftbQmOsrRiMBsloY6EaU/w150-h200/Larkin%202.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>Town reports offer a snapshot of what life was like in that town during a specific year and are vital contributions to the Commonwealth’s historic record. Compare these two from the town of Chelmsford, issued a hundred years apart from one another! Pictured are <i>Town of Chelmsford Annual Town Report</i> (2023) (top); <i>Annual Report for the Town of Chelmsford</i> (1923) (bottom).<br /><br />Want to know what was going on in your town 150 years ago? Visit the State Library to see them or visit our <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/5598231564580559850/438158566560231813#">digital reposito</a><a href="https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/communities/59bb9161-f3b7-43e9-a750-1dd29c696a88">ry</a> where we have many of them digitized!<br /><br />A special thank you to all the Town Clerks who have been submitting them!<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br />Maryellen Larkin<br />Reference & Government Documents Librarian<br /></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-18805352667778621112024-02-08T09:38:00.000-05:002024-02-08T09:38:14.677-05:00Geese in the Library!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVxfUriV-yfWviPHMmrPJst_1U2fiv9c4bK9pOXbgVbfNHqRVtlnqnOLdWdns_VRal3KXob6Alz1z6Y05-_XHg_IvyVK6UjqGr4WmdVyiLDaMMm_3lnTGQW4dTudQe9QpIvdRhIl9ZtrhyphenhyphenO_9PbU9sqo5ZKJ9H_QmHrZQNH_Ujtly9hBkSXx6ny41Xoc/s4031/Audubon%20plate%20201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4031" data-original-width="2705" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVxfUriV-yfWviPHMmrPJst_1U2fiv9c4bK9pOXbgVbfNHqRVtlnqnOLdWdns_VRal3KXob6Alz1z6Y05-_XHg_IvyVK6UjqGr4WmdVyiLDaMMm_3lnTGQW4dTudQe9QpIvdRhIl9ZtrhyphenhyphenO_9PbU9sqo5ZKJ9H_QmHrZQNH_Ujtly9hBkSXx6ny41Xoc/w269-h400/Audubon%20plate%20201.jpg" width="269" /></a></div>We typically try to have our displayed Audubon print align with the time of year, or a month's special occasion or designation. For February, that would mean finding a print that is associated with love, like last year's <a href="https://mastatelibrary.blogspot.com/2023/02/a-swan-in-library.html" target="_blank">swans</a>. At first glance, geese might not seem like the most romantic symbol for Valentine's Day, but did you know that they are loyal birds and mate for life? According to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), geese are protective of their partners and their offspring, which is shown in this print, with one goose standing guard over the other. And they are so loyal to their partner that after one dies, the other will grieve in seclusion, and might never mate again.<div><br />Visit us from February 8 to March 7 to see Audubon's Canadian Geese (Plate 201) on display in our reading room, and read more <a href="https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/ducks-geese/hidden-lives-ducks-geese/">here</a> and <a href="https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/canada-goose">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Elizabeth Roscio</div><div>Preservation Librarian</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-20324834957006823232024-02-05T09:30:00.001-05:002024-02-05T09:30:00.129-05:00Bird's-Eye View of Cottage City, 1887 This February, in recognition of Black History Month, we are displaying “Cottage City, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, 1887” in our Collection Spotlight case. This map is bird’s-eye view that depicts the town we now know of as Oak Bluffs. From the 1800s onward, Oak Bluffs has been a residential and vacation destination for Black men and women.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjJ0huq4K7VHNp5GYXeQGG_ZPjXLFp6lD1aMr22Qf8NsDV1YuEr6yPtGRUuNugI4pvSD-Dtnc30qHmgMMu-VMLjDO4d8r6mNO4cJsb_BRBSRM6ztiTV5w97O4XD0jA32LWU4b7gTGR7L_X6heVAzJhutDi4uMn1fwpKGHAS6vxqORxocCco-T8rmUaPI/s8292/ocm30151162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6617" data-original-width="8292" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjJ0huq4K7VHNp5GYXeQGG_ZPjXLFp6lD1aMr22Qf8NsDV1YuEr6yPtGRUuNugI4pvSD-Dtnc30qHmgMMu-VMLjDO4d8r6mNO4cJsb_BRBSRM6ztiTV5w97O4XD0jA32LWU4b7gTGR7L_X6heVAzJhutDi4uMn1fwpKGHAS6vxqORxocCco-T8rmUaPI/w400-h319/ocm30151162.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The displayed map dates to 1887, which is twenty years before Cottage City was renamed as Oak Bluffs. Cottage City was originally part of Edgartown, which is located to its south, but it was incorporated as its own town in 1880. The name of Cottage City originates from its identity as seasonal destination, as most inhabitants were only living there during the summer. The name changed to Oak Bluffs in 1907 because the town was developing into a more full-time residential area. Since the name Cottage City was only used for twenty-seven years, that makes the map in our collection even more special, as it captures the area during a brief period. <br /><br />The original inhabitants of Noepe (now Martha’s Vineyard) were Wampanoag and the name meant “land amid the streams.” Colonial settlers first arrived in the 1640s, cultivating the land in the area now known as Edgartown. The first Black individuals on Martha’s Vineyard were enslaved, before the Commonwealth of Massachusetts abolished slavery in 1783. After the Civil War, more freed Black people moved to the island to work in the fishing and whaling trade, and this in turn drew more Black men and women to the area from mainland Massachusetts. In the late 1800s and into the 1900s, some Black men and women came to the island to work as service staff to wealthy white families who owned summer homes there, and eventually some of those individuals stayed on the island and bought property in the Oak Bluffs area. As the 1900s progressed, more and more middle-class Black families began to visit Oak Bluffs, either buying or renting properties, and thus creating an increased sense of community. The Martha’s Vineyard African-American Heritage Trail was formed in 1998 in an effort to raise awareness of the island’s Black history. They have currently dedicated thirty-one sites throughout the island that show the contributions of the African-American community. Of thirty-one sites, seven of them are located in the town of Oak Bluffs. You can read much more about the Heritage Trail <a href="https://mvafricanamericanheritagetrail.org/" target="_blank">here</a> and specifically about the seven sites in Oak Bluffs <a href="https://mvafricanamericanheritagetrail.org/trail-sites/town-of-oak-bluffs/" target="_blank">here</a>. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQfLIkRmwan-LEfhoecMJRq9tUxTy1UjWDlU44KRlXPj2SUMasKWJrTyAlZqtV31qdNXydxJTZPGNmL8-qRcZnkv_CpVAuiUYBuG6EIJperQOWiCC4VEdmxR2zvlmRqK175NwXX7VRtt8zenwwiyC7jFhpFXO8E5XPu_c6xu1z4s-qrSgq5JSJgql0R4/s4032/Camp%20meeting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQfLIkRmwan-LEfhoecMJRq9tUxTy1UjWDlU44KRlXPj2SUMasKWJrTyAlZqtV31qdNXydxJTZPGNmL8-qRcZnkv_CpVAuiUYBuG6EIJperQOWiCC4VEdmxR2zvlmRqK175NwXX7VRtt8zenwwiyC7jFhpFXO8E5XPu_c6xu1z4s-qrSgq5JSJgql0R4/s320/Camp%20meeting.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Starting in the 1800s, one of the draws to Oak Bluffs was the Camp Meeting Association, or Wesleyan Grove (number 13, 14, and 15 on the map). This was part of the camp meeting movement, which were multi-day open air Christian religious services that featured sermons, singing, and community. Participants in the summer camp meetings would arrive on the island days before the event, and stay for a time afterward. Originally, they resided in tents, but then built more permanent cottage structures – hence the name “Cottage City.” According to the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association website, Frederick Douglass spoke at the Campground in 1876. Both Black and white individuals owned or leased cottages in the Campground area, though segregation did occur. You can read more about the racial history of the Camp Meeting Association on their <a href="https://www.mvcma.org/diversity" target="_blank">website</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNdwppivY9Z-O9Dkti3L-IkcVYmZYV2PggIsY5LMJcf1GtNawgHY87_j9FnCHgYRRC7636klPBrKur9UgNolVLPGql5KHaaP93mj_nbZL3SWNeJlZFhyQH-vJyqCfG2dKmdxZm9rJYzF5eITMHnn5_WNen6aeK2VptYEUTmofP-XKhxcWYEq9wPZWgAlc/s4032/Beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNdwppivY9Z-O9Dkti3L-IkcVYmZYV2PggIsY5LMJcf1GtNawgHY87_j9FnCHgYRRC7636klPBrKur9UgNolVLPGql5KHaaP93mj_nbZL3SWNeJlZFhyQH-vJyqCfG2dKmdxZm9rJYzF5eITMHnn5_WNen6aeK2VptYEUTmofP-XKhxcWYEq9wPZWgAlc/w252-h189/Beach.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>The stretch of beach shown on the map is now known as Inkwell Beach. This is the town beach, and it was frequented by Black individuals, especially given that beaches in other parts of the island were predominantly white and Black beachgoers may have felt unwelcome relaxing there. The exact original meaning behind this nickname is not known, but one theory is that it was used negatively by white people commenting on the skin color of those enjoying the beach. The Black community, though, has rejected this negative connotation and has claimed the name as its own, thus taking something that might have originally been negative and turning it positive, and taking pride in an area that has a history of being a safe and enjoyable enclave for Black men and women. <br /><br />Stop by the library from February 2 through February 29 to see this map on display in our main reading room. And for those who can’t visit us in person, a high-resolution version of the map an be accessed through our <a href="https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/items/8d931888-8b32-4adc-8faa-ad1143ac949c" target="_blank">digital repository</a>. Last February, we displayed a bird’s-eye view map of Nantucket, and highlighted some Black History locations found on it. Check out that blog post <a href="https://mastatelibrary.blogspot.com/2023/01/on-display-in-state-library_0702897371.html" target="_blank">here</a>. <br /><br /> <br /><br />Elizabeth Roscio <br />Preservation Librarian</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-64292956029048149332024-02-01T10:42:00.002-05:002024-02-01T10:42:55.604-05:00State Library Newsletter - February IssueHappy February! Start your month by catching up with the State Library - from an upcoming Author Talk on 2/21 to new exhibits and books, there's lots of reasons to check us out this month! Read all about it in our newsletter, and then plan your visit. <br /><br /><div>Pictured here is a preview, but the full issue can be accessed by clicking <a href="https://mailchi.mp/mass/february-news-from-the-state-library-9188166">here</a>. And you can also sign up for our mailing list to receive the newsletter straight to your <a href="https://mass.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=abd717d4468768c8f5fb71004&id=67f50688e7">inbox</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3A8zZRqlOjtmGgaMZ7NuHonuVNtuEbFIuXLBx27ZLEalVQrDov60MQAFpjkNUMM-O2uQNn1j3LW2aipmCk-XOfGZ9wKFkeUxh_oaMqx5jMlcPyd7cJk7w868Xdrjswtn8PA5JFv-CpTc4ZzZuPQ9rSo_YGAAzk-FwpjOrt5i9Lr-zQvHoHEKd6A4q1gM/s769/February%20newsletter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="586" height="499" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3A8zZRqlOjtmGgaMZ7NuHonuVNtuEbFIuXLBx27ZLEalVQrDov60MQAFpjkNUMM-O2uQNn1j3LW2aipmCk-XOfGZ9wKFkeUxh_oaMqx5jMlcPyd7cJk7w868Xdrjswtn8PA5JFv-CpTc4ZzZuPQ9rSo_YGAAzk-FwpjOrt5i9Lr-zQvHoHEKd6A4q1gM/w380-h499/February%20newsletter.jpg" width="380" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-71030755511683624932024-01-29T09:30:00.001-05:002024-01-29T09:30:00.137-05:00Browsing Basics for DSpace 7 You may have noticed our digital repository, DSpace, has a new look. The vendor who supports our digital repository recently upgraded us from version 6 to version 7 of DSpace. While some of the functionality and appearance of DSpace features changed significantly during the upgrade, the browsing functions remained the same. In this week’s blog post, we are going to go over how to browse in DSpace 7. For patrons who used DSpace prior to the upgrade, the steps for how to browse will seem very familiar. And if this is your first time using DSpace, the instructions in this post can help you get started with browsing DSpace. <br /><br />If you go to the top of the webpage and click <b>All of DSpace</b>, a dropdown menu appears where you can select what you want to browse by. There are four categories for browsing: <b>By Issue Date</b>, <b>By Author</b>, <b>By Title</b>, and <b>By Subject</b> (image below). Search filters are not available on browsing results webpages to further refine the results.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXNT5tUfbM26aZd3rM_5PEXVOWJmDiTU-w_yID8pNo2RbNJqetHf4GpmbiNu5bmh-aElY-nRQsKZ2W679UtoHlj49G1XK8QZMDd9WdsJMTe-h35mUgU1f0ZrdIQW627i8Ib_0D1HSN_axRoaMh-gvPbsirIKI0Xv1FplrXPAstRQXkVYdtW0LTfCnJG0U/s749/Picture1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="749" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXNT5tUfbM26aZd3rM_5PEXVOWJmDiTU-w_yID8pNo2RbNJqetHf4GpmbiNu5bmh-aElY-nRQsKZ2W679UtoHlj49G1XK8QZMDd9WdsJMTe-h35mUgU1f0ZrdIQW627i8Ib_0D1HSN_axRoaMh-gvPbsirIKI0Xv1FplrXPAstRQXkVYdtW0LTfCnJG0U/w400-h196/Picture1.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Browsing by issue date is similar to the date filter available on far left of a search results webpage. However, there is a key difference between using the date filter and browsing by issue date. Unlike the date filter where only a range of years are specified, while browsing by issue date a specific year and month can be chosen from drop down menus to the left of the browsing box. Although not required choosing a month can be very useful for narrowing down what you are interested in finding. An alternative to using these is to enter into the browsing box the issue date in one of the following formats: YYYY, YYYY-MM or YYYY-MM-DD. After you have typed the date in the search box, you then can utilize the Boolean operator AND, entering a keyword after the operator. Boolean operators aren’t case sensitive when they are used in DSpace so you can enter an operator in all caps or all lowercase and it will work the same. You can also opt out of using the Boolean operator and simply enter a keyword after the date. The same results will be returned either way! <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To browse by author, you can find the author you are looking for by entering the first few letters of the author’s name into the browsing box. On the landing page for browsing by author there is also multi-page list you can click through to see all the author names that are in DSpace. Some of the author names are for people and other author names are the names of organizations, companies and governmental offices.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_iVDGfjNDNboyGajfZ3Rtj3wkgfD85ox9XRXvQJLTY0Gu0KtoeOn-xmJ5YxY3agMswI_QpM8acYYg7c7KdrIX6MYGf4dU-6iuZXIg9qyi4NU0tWQs48aTfzDaxLewIONmc212zckn-mpxhg-XydLTaDo-43GT-ewSoy84uGr5698pI10DwL3pdzLCLM/s475/Picture2.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="475" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_iVDGfjNDNboyGajfZ3Rtj3wkgfD85ox9XRXvQJLTY0Gu0KtoeOn-xmJ5YxY3agMswI_QpM8acYYg7c7KdrIX6MYGf4dU-6iuZXIg9qyi4NU0tWQs48aTfzDaxLewIONmc212zckn-mpxhg-XydLTaDo-43GT-ewSoy84uGr5698pI10DwL3pdzLCLM/w277-h263/Picture2.png" width="277" /></a></div>If you are looking for an author’s name that has initials like A. G. Spalding & Bros simply enter the first initial followed by a period in the search box and select the name from the list of browse results (image to the left). When you click on the author’s name you will be taken to a browsing results page displaying all the resources authored by them.</div><br />Another thing to know about browsing by author is that you can search by the author’s last name or last name followed by their first name. There won’t be any browsing results if you only enter the author’s first name. <br /><br />To browse by title, you can find the title you are looking for by entering the first few letters of the title into the browsing box. Alternatively, you can click through a multi-page list to view all the titles listed. When you are using the browsing box to find a title you can also enter numbers if the title begins with a number; however, for titles of resources that begin with a symbol like the dollar sign ($) search results won’t be returned. To successfully find a title that begins with a symbol you skip typing in the symbol in the browsing box and simply add the letters or numbers that come after (figure 3). You can also search by one or more entire words that a title contains as long as they are at the beginning of a title; the search won’t work if you are entering a word that appears in the middle or end of the title. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Cn8Nnkmsfr5gCZSfKvIawj7zuYHLX-sjiV4eG_glKGVXXeGPcoY7LYa3cKhGth5Yf_NO5CRH8SUQMxZ_ItLPwijDw7cUD_5q_zpczv-ZS1dwOrYqZ2txyuGZPD9lVbW2RVEJ02cRp1HSAesGJgXQesnRcTya53zvqrkY_tb3-6M60KDy92DQiLVlLrs/s749/Picture3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="749" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Cn8Nnkmsfr5gCZSfKvIawj7zuYHLX-sjiV4eG_glKGVXXeGPcoY7LYa3cKhGth5Yf_NO5CRH8SUQMxZ_ItLPwijDw7cUD_5q_zpczv-ZS1dwOrYqZ2txyuGZPD9lVbW2RVEJ02cRp1HSAesGJgXQesnRcTya53zvqrkY_tb3-6M60KDy92DQiLVlLrs/w400-h173/Picture3.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />One last thing to remember is if you are browsing by title, the browsing box only looks for the title of a resource and not any of the alternative titles that may be associated with it. So if you are looking for the digitized manuscript <i>Of Plimoth Plantation</i> then you would enter the title <i>Of Plimoth Plantation</i> and not the other title the manuscript is referred to (The Bradford Manuscript). <br /><br />Like browsing by title, when you are browsing by subject you have enter the first few letters or numbers it begins with to get the results you are trying to browse. The subject browsing search draws information from our subject fields on individual resource webpages. The subject fields use Library of Congress Subject Headings which is a defined vocabulary for subjects a resource can be about. This means that you aren’t able to search by a keyword or phrase in the subject browsing box. If you’re not sure what your subject heading begins with you can always click through the multi-page subject list on the landing page. <br /><br />If you are feeling stuck at any point while browsing, you can reach out to our reference department for assistance by <a href="mailto:reference.department@mass.gov">email</a> or calling 617-927-2590. Or if you are visiting our reading room, come up to the reference desk and someone can help you. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Emily Crawford</div><div>Technical Services Librarian</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-51801506492886796142024-01-22T09:30:00.003-05:002024-01-22T09:30:00.133-05:00Samuel Humphrey Turner and the Minute Men of 1861 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0raAJGrbXQ4jiAG0N87ZKAVxCzui-SUlUfqtNMVKg_PPZ2Tw47Fnmobzm2g8eYI5aA_O3vwzIdcog_0TWUKfwBjcEav5L-ETaZXz0vh8nIZ6lg9cKmg3jdKNgS3QS4mkI0inSDpN4R9BFQgWs8vF8nFF9J5Es-eP1ViGromqC9wSEOEDOxTaPS3CiMQ/s1000/Picture2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="671" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0raAJGrbXQ4jiAG0N87ZKAVxCzui-SUlUfqtNMVKg_PPZ2Tw47Fnmobzm2g8eYI5aA_O3vwzIdcog_0TWUKfwBjcEav5L-ETaZXz0vh8nIZ6lg9cKmg3jdKNgS3QS4mkI0inSDpN4R9BFQgWs8vF8nFF9J5Es-eP1ViGromqC9wSEOEDOxTaPS3CiMQ/w175-h260/Picture2.jpg" width="175" /></a></div>As a new staff member of the Special Collections department here at the State Library, I’ve been working to familiarize myself with our holdings. One of the early collections I found compelling was Ms. Coll. 5, The Samuel Humphrey Turner Papers, and the story within those papers of the Minute Men of 1861.</div><br />Samuel Humphrey Turner was born in Scituate, Massachusetts on September 20, 1838. As a volunteer in the Civil War, Turner enlisted in the Massachusetts Infantry, 5th Regiment, Company E, and was wounded in the Battle of Bull Run in July 1861. Turner reenlisted one year later, joining the 39th Regiment of the Massachusetts Infantry, and was promoted to sergeant. During the war, Turner married Ellen A. Washburn in Medford, Massachusetts. He was officially discharged on June 14, 1865, and subsequently settled in Medford, where he worked as a caulker for the Boston Water Department. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepNZCc4cH6RmzYr41-V_9l9ddXi3c0DSkCCdI3exSPBe8-1K9FOu3IQMvEXIzLxaGf6xigkC6yNPGiKRfNSXuxMUgIl969vER0GPhNcIeNGw7lVgnBuNOHQvSZsnYa0xTqbGlrzpa047AlEzeomA5C-y00Gh6XBszfvYdUvi9KqQPIGyNZh1Cym3Luko/s779/Picture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="779" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepNZCc4cH6RmzYr41-V_9l9ddXi3c0DSkCCdI3exSPBe8-1K9FOu3IQMvEXIzLxaGf6xigkC6yNPGiKRfNSXuxMUgIl969vER0GPhNcIeNGw7lVgnBuNOHQvSZsnYa0xTqbGlrzpa047AlEzeomA5C-y00Gh6XBszfvYdUvi9KqQPIGyNZh1Cym3Luko/s320/Picture1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Turner’s letters reveal his sense of humor and devotion to his family, and a possible penchant for drawing; to the right is Turner’s doodle of an eagle resembling the Great Seal of the United States, found on the back of one of his letters. <br /><br />Turner wrote to his sister Nellie, “You are a good sister and always was. But us men are so very sightless that we never can appreciate kindness until it is too late.” He wrote to his mother, “If all mothers were like mine, all the world could not conquer the Sons of the North... if you and Father only knew the courage one of your letters give me you would send one every day.” <br /><br />In addition to correspondence with family, Turner’s collection includes enlistment and discharge papers and materials relating to the Massachusetts Association of Minute Men of 1861, of which Turner was a member and an officer until his death on March 24, 1907. I was previously unaware of this Association, which prompted me to do some more digging.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXb_Dt9Pnl4gvrf8161g3Rm8KpBHXKZrrIgsuDZh8Nv2Auhz5qZPuChwIS7CxmkjzUa9j4NtbnAjskMQC6eOp6glG8tw_NsjfUeI0ugUjjQsDn5EBdwBEPNRy_k58ojOrHxDZ3p0F98FnsWzphJIUo2tr8x9IJVmOYCc0hPIuD6j9gQ2gqPG3sqaICLI/s1244/Picture3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="1244" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXb_Dt9Pnl4gvrf8161g3Rm8KpBHXKZrrIgsuDZh8Nv2Auhz5qZPuChwIS7CxmkjzUa9j4NtbnAjskMQC6eOp6glG8tw_NsjfUeI0ugUjjQsDn5EBdwBEPNRy_k58ojOrHxDZ3p0F98FnsWzphJIUo2tr8x9IJVmOYCc0hPIuD6j9gQ2gqPG3sqaICLI/s320/Picture3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Massachusetts Association of Minute Men of 1861 included Members of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia of the Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Regiments, Third Battalion, and First Battery of Light Artillery, and general and staff officers selected by the governor, who responded to President Lincoln's first call for troops on April 15, 1861.<br /><br />From <a href="https://archive.org/details/historycompleter00naso/page/n9/mode/2up">this history and roster</a> of the Minute Men, written by George W. Nason in 1910:<br /><br />“It is well to note here that while our pages treat only of three months of the doings of these men, yet the greater part of them continued their service of patriotism to the end of the rebellion, and that the names of some of them appear on the rolls of most of the battles of the Civil War.”<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Medals were given to the Minute Men by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with the following inscription: "To the members of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia who were mustered into the United States service in response to President Lincoln's first call for troops. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. April 15, 1861." You can see a likeness of the front and back of the medal in the broadside below:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2n49LXmbuKM2qRloo0AtGleJ-n1Pzy21BMFOkTyGbx9CLosRc0pxMQA5GDiUuvqdPj__E8Y6CpncIxMoTTZ6QVQDbSnVqdwBqRmoqJxNptnOJQzzrw4U8fP1lzJNJ4XX2g2mgnfUoX0wvsu_CuOf0u0HTP1Zx3s9c8XcWLUnL87F2DmrKXMaOs3oxc04/s1000/Picture4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="765" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2n49LXmbuKM2qRloo0AtGleJ-n1Pzy21BMFOkTyGbx9CLosRc0pxMQA5GDiUuvqdPj__E8Y6CpncIxMoTTZ6QVQDbSnVqdwBqRmoqJxNptnOJQzzrw4U8fP1lzJNJ4XX2g2mgnfUoX0wvsu_CuOf0u0HTP1Zx3s9c8XcWLUnL87F2DmrKXMaOs3oxc04/w306-h400/Picture4.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="TextRun SCXW157577084 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", "Times New Roman_EmbeddedFont", "Times New Roman_MSFontService", serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 18.3458px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 48px; user-select: text; white-space-collapse: preserve;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW157577084 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Massachusetts Association of Minute Men of 1861
broadside </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW157577084 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">announcing the 1906 annual banquet</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW157577084 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">.
From the Samuel Humphrey </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW157577084 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Turner Papers, Ms. Coll. 5.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW157577084 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":2,"335551620":2,"335559731":720,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", "Times New Roman_EmbeddedFont", "Times New Roman_MSFontService", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3458px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 48px; user-select: text; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can access the finding aid for Samuel Turner’s collection in the State Library’s digital repository, linked <a href="https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/items/1eb5ab15-5456-4252-9f84-267a592f0d40">here</a>, and an online version of Nason's book is available on the <a href="https://archive.org/details/historycompleter00naso/mode/2up">Internet Archive</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />Work consulted:<br /><br />Nason, George W. <i>History and complete roster of the Massachusetts regiments, minute men of ’61 who responded to the first call of President Abraham Lincoln, April 15, 1861, to defend the flag and Constitution of the United States ... and biographical sketches of minute men of Massachusetts</i>. Boston, MA: Smith & McCance, 1910.<br /><br /><div><span class="EOP SCXW268017495 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><span class="EOP SCXW267183880 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW58568570 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW88719387 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW88719387 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{c06c65a0-206e-461a-8dd9-c0c71e6e0139}{201}" paraid="1569155269" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; color: windowtext; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></p>Alyssa Persson<br />Special Collections Processing Librarian<p class="Paragraph SCXW88719387 BCX0" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{c06c65a0-206e-461a-8dd9-c0c71e6e0139}{201}" paraid="1569155269" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; color: windowtext; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></p></div></div></span></span></div></div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-66540126927287542042024-01-16T09:30:00.001-05:002024-01-16T09:30:00.137-05:00Resource Spotlight - West’s Nutshell Series Looking into an area of law that is new to you? Need a quick overview of a certain subject? Not sure where to start with a research assignment? The Nutshell Series published by West Academic provide compact overviews of a range of subjects and practice areas. Nutshells are a great option as they highlight the key information, terms, cases, and processes needed to understand an area of law in an easy to read format. The State Library has a growing collection of Nutshells to offer patrons! Some popular titles include: <a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/record/5039138">Legal Research in a Nutshell</a>, <a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/record/5000372">Copyright Law in a Nutshell</a>, <a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/record/5039119">Constitutional Law in a Nutshell</a>, and <a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/record/5039136">Legal Citation in a Nutshell</a>. Our collection also includes nutshells on Family Law, Elder Law, Social Media Law, Employment Law, and more! View a full list of nutshell titles in the catalog <a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/results?query=nutshell;qtype=series;">here</a>. If there is a subject or latest edition of a <a href="https://subscription.westacademic.com/Search?seriesFilter=28">nutshell</a> you would like to see in the collection, please reach out to us <a href="mailto:reference.department@mass.gov">via email</a>.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78o_4qCysdYPFACVHVn84URM3MjLeHSvtMqRiz3Js5dOLvlByZ7a2zpq8Ho8H5HBugok1OVw7raoedjv18CYAP_euBSifu62semZrPpxgaprmcboPbJ4A_Mli6kSA66XcSa608wn4FF5LOaXjey8pLcSdF_wpnvkJ5PEzRkJNwCktMGhSrPLHtjGxJm4/s5579/Nutshells2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2534" data-original-width="5579" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78o_4qCysdYPFACVHVn84URM3MjLeHSvtMqRiz3Js5dOLvlByZ7a2zpq8Ho8H5HBugok1OVw7raoedjv18CYAP_euBSifu62semZrPpxgaprmcboPbJ4A_Mli6kSA66XcSa608wn4FF5LOaXjey8pLcSdF_wpnvkJ5PEzRkJNwCktMGhSrPLHtjGxJm4/w525-h238/Nutshells2.png" width="525" /></a></div><br /><div>In addition, State Employees can access nutshells as ebooks! After locating the title you need in the <a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/home">catalog</a>, select the electronic resource link. Sign into OverDrive as a CW MARS Patron with your State Library Card barcode number and password. You can then borrow the ebook for up to 14 days! If you would like to sign up for a State Library Card, fill out <a href="https://www.mass.gov/forms/state-library-card-online-application-form">this form</a> or send us <a href="mailto:circulation.department@mass.gov">an email</a>. </div><br />Please reach out to us with any questions or need assistance with the steps above. We are happy to help get you started with your research and point you to the best resources! <br /><br /> <br />April Pascucci <div>Legislative Reference Librarian</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-3940780948376456192024-01-11T09:30:00.003-05:002024-01-11T09:30:00.132-05:00Snow Birds in the LibraryIf these birds were set against a snowy backdrop, you might not even notice them in the print! They are the American Ptarmigan and White-tailed Grouse (Plate 418), which is also known as the snow quail. You're only likely to see them if you live in a high altitude and/or far north, since they are native to Alaska and the mountainous western regions of Canada and the United States.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggnSV6SNqtzGPp1myFKwqxfWi36EbbPI_l0r3f3EDTkZY7Kj1poeXp5ByBl0tOE3vtk6hl05JW7DYivebfzAYbTFyFuCjoGwBHhiAhSw4SNmGxBYefWyIBWSDmBignk57DBN_6p07SOj0MZoZpN7Rp8kkEurkgltCIcSd7Z1oiSSu3hFawX5oeAaH6TZo/s3335/Audubon%20plate%20418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2280" data-original-width="3335" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggnSV6SNqtzGPp1myFKwqxfWi36EbbPI_l0r3f3EDTkZY7Kj1poeXp5ByBl0tOE3vtk6hl05JW7DYivebfzAYbTFyFuCjoGwBHhiAhSw4SNmGxBYefWyIBWSDmBignk57DBN_6p07SOj0MZoZpN7Rp8kkEurkgltCIcSd7Z1oiSSu3hFawX5oeAaH6TZo/w545-h373/Audubon%20plate%20418.jpg" width="545" /></a></div><br /><div>But did you know that in the summer time, these birds are a different color? Their summer appearance is grey or brown (some of which is still visible on the throat of the bird on the left), and in the winter their feathers turn white. This allows them to be well camouflaged to their surroundings. And take a close look at their feet - they are fully feathered! This helps to protect them from extreme temperatures in cold weather climates. You can read more about them in the <a href="https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/white-tailed-ptarmigan" target="_blank">Audubon Field Guide</a>. <div><br /></div><div>Visit us from January 11 through February 8 to see these color changing birds on display, after all, it is much more comfortable viewing them in our Reading Room than trekking northwest to see them in person!</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Elizabeth Roscio</div><div>Preservation Librarian</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-55812748797322230822024-01-08T09:30:00.000-05:002024-01-08T09:30:00.138-05:00The State Library of Massachusetts: General ResourcesFor those of you who are regular readers of the State Library’s blog, you may have noticed that some blog posts offer an in-depth look at some of our resources and databases, and other posts cover Massachusetts history and events taking place in New England. Today we’d like to give you an overview of the State Library by highlighting a few of our more general resources that you may find helpful to your work as we kick off 2024!<br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbUxeZpTcnxdyqJ1jCfRXoHePfLUxonkwaTuXBQulJ6jdQyingREFoPT_tySDgYqNNCoDiETKrjLz5YfgF88xbRWHQHUGZ2ctfaXCCjroVo5bCkzXaJL-vkbN8ya67BFcqpAr0D5OAnhhFnx0DvV1KRwea40yJeMAiRhk_kWdviGAPcYfNUWc1amX3Dw/s1299/Website.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="1299" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbUxeZpTcnxdyqJ1jCfRXoHePfLUxonkwaTuXBQulJ6jdQyingREFoPT_tySDgYqNNCoDiETKrjLz5YfgF88xbRWHQHUGZ2ctfaXCCjroVo5bCkzXaJL-vkbN8ya67BFcqpAr0D5OAnhhFnx0DvV1KRwea40yJeMAiRhk_kWdviGAPcYfNUWc1amX3Dw/w568-h375/Website.jpg" width="568" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>A great place to start is of course our <a href="https://www.mass.gov/orgs/state-library-of-massachusetts">homepage</a>, mass.gov/lib. There you’ll find a link to our <a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/home">catalog</a>, our newly-upgraded <a href="https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/">digital repository</a>, and our list of <a href="https://rm8bp9xw4t.search.serialssolutions.com/ejp/index.html?libHash=RM8BP9XW4T#/?language=en-US&titleType=ALL">online databases</a>. If you’re wondering whether or not we subscribe to a specific publication, do a general search for that title on our online database page and if we own it, a link to that publication and the name of the database it’s in will be displayed. If you’re using our databases in the library on one of our public computers, you’ll find our <a href="https://www.mass.gov/lists/state-library-of-massachusetts-onsite-database-links">onsite database links</a> page helpful. There you’ll find links to resources such as Westlaw, the Boston Globe, HeinOnline, JSTOR, PressReader, and more.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Don’t forget about our access to historical newspapers either! Our holdings can be found <a href="https://www.mass.gov/doc/list-of-historical-newspapers-in-the-state-librarys-collections/download">here</a>, and you’ll find titles such as the <i>Boston Chronicle</i>, dating back to December 1767, and the <i>Worcester Telegram</i>, starting in June 1960. This list includes information on the date range we hold for each title, as well as if we own it in print or microfilm. To access a title we own in print, you’ll need to contact our Special Collections Department at <a href="mailto:special.collections@mass.gov">special.collections@mass.gov</a>. If we own a newspaper on microfilm, contact us at <a href="mailto:reference.department@mass.gov">reference.department@mass.gov</a> and our Reference librarians will assist you with access. If you’re not sure where to start, just reach out to the Reference Department and we’ll get you started.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuemDpgrT0oC7dct-7_SIdGYIvGo7tBkJDOGNbfoDykPZff9IwIdMPOv994KeXU66tMG24A1OzN4jWiC4lN-oJ41MX2MjPhrcz-iT3lHJ5OuRZLcZb5ZASrVqBxLYdxwlCovZsHLnpnwdgP7xcI6aoWjW8IHf1nRMSvIpgjrXh_MfDFJqUYO0eT1pa1Ck/s1279/combo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="1279" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuemDpgrT0oC7dct-7_SIdGYIvGo7tBkJDOGNbfoDykPZff9IwIdMPOv994KeXU66tMG24A1OzN4jWiC4lN-oJ41MX2MjPhrcz-iT3lHJ5OuRZLcZb5ZASrVqBxLYdxwlCovZsHLnpnwdgP7xcI6aoWjW8IHf1nRMSvIpgjrXh_MfDFJqUYO0eT1pa1Ck/w495-h178/combo.jpg" width="495" /></a></div><br />We also receive some current newspapers in print, such as the <i>Boston Globe</i>, <i>Boston Herald</i>, <i>New York Times</i>, and the <i>Wall Street Journal</i>. These newspapers can be read on our 4th floor balcony during the library’s open hours. We have tables and comfy chairs on our balcony, with an up-close view of our beautiful stained-glass windows near our magazine racks, so be sure to check out the space!<br /><br />If you’re more of a visual or self-taught learner, our <a href="https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/865408">Quick Guide to the State Library of Massachusetts</a> might be the right resource for you. We feature QR codes with links to several videos on our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/mastatelibrary">YouTube channel</a>, such as videos that teach about the House and Senate Journals, the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR) and regulatory research, and my personal favorite, a video on how to compile a legislative history. Our YouTube channel also has recordings of our Author Talks for those of you interested.<br /><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVO_aQ5WZOXYD2XTUFnz3faPrz7Pd63fpnTzln8n83Oa5S4HILFiX6P2YJ3dLPgnqhEdnk2EQruqHZ5Fqfx73yPjTQGpasgTXNMkdfE2TB9uPClpZGIoVpT776eAENW4jrpQWpkai4EwBRqNNJm5epXuKEBxmc-vwo3uU3SHLGgYEAkpkQAcszPo9ok0/s1080/Brochures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVO_aQ5WZOXYD2XTUFnz3faPrz7Pd63fpnTzln8n83Oa5S4HILFiX6P2YJ3dLPgnqhEdnk2EQruqHZ5Fqfx73yPjTQGpasgTXNMkdfE2TB9uPClpZGIoVpT776eAENW4jrpQWpkai4EwBRqNNJm5epXuKEBxmc-vwo3uU3SHLGgYEAkpkQAcszPo9ok0/w200-h200/Brochures.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>If you’re a state employee, you’ll find our <a href="https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/items/08a0cb0b-6ce8-4db7-bea0-9f56ca462842">Library Services for State Employees</a> handout helpful as well. In it you’ll find information about how to sign up for a library card, how to borrow ebooks and use our interlibrary loan service, and how to book the conference room in the library.</div><div><br />No matter what your research needs are, don’t hesitate to reach out to us here at the State Library! We’re here to direct you to the resources and services best-suited to your needs and we’re also here as a quiet space for you to enjoy! Stop by to visit us in person Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, or contact us at <a href="mailto:reference.department@mass.gov">reference.department@mass.gov</a> or 617-727-2590. <br /><br /> <br />Jessica Shrey <br />Reference Librarian<br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></p></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-49272258097981383482024-01-04T09:30:00.001-05:002024-01-04T09:30:00.236-05:00State Library Newsletter - January IssueFrom all of us at the State Library to you - Happy 2024! For a winter respite, remember that we are open to the public Monday - Friday from 9:00 to 5:00. We will be closed on Monday, January 15 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.<br /><br /><div>This month's newsletter contains information about everything new that's happening at the State Library! Pictured here is a preview, but the full issue can be accessed by clicking <a href="https://mailchi.mp/mass/january-news-from-the-state-library-9186186">here</a>. And you can also sign up for our mailing list to receive the newsletter straight to your <a href="https://mass.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=abd717d4468768c8f5fb71004&id=67f50688e7">inbox</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zhvUdlxRD39dq3DBrhdnweJix1CSlaYwux_Xf8Pxs_GladYkxiL0EBT2-lcnvL5lkux5QNZFuF2deKQNhmNlBPJdlrAEEemS30OYNj4yaECSt2qeQ04y3hGUBN5AvTMbpTLwD3FWmygjDHeTgcQhyphenhyphenUbGVwUbaL2cMMft8W5jvtmeFZCntcuJ8ViNBp4/s4140/website.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4140" data-original-width="3090" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zhvUdlxRD39dq3DBrhdnweJix1CSlaYwux_Xf8Pxs_GladYkxiL0EBT2-lcnvL5lkux5QNZFuF2deKQNhmNlBPJdlrAEEemS30OYNj4yaECSt2qeQ04y3hGUBN5AvTMbpTLwD3FWmygjDHeTgcQhyphenhyphenUbGVwUbaL2cMMft8W5jvtmeFZCntcuJ8ViNBp4/w478-h640/website.jpg" width="478" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-6162157087146497872024-01-02T09:30:00.005-05:002024-01-02T09:48:40.715-05:00On Display in the State Library<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1oElx_r_Ae2bALAyQhzHZxsAC1seg4CCi7VoO1whe65Jx8FvGMOMvwZ-iHWcFr8Z6aD7xgD8F9g72geVsfhjX784tpT6rBze6OHfgN14T0p2RYI5AQyMItFbsELJR5amijTj335pZEP0Xk5wVxrSuakodpv9Zk5_7_U3oaJwp4clwyKnaw5vlMlOIjw/s2921/cover.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2921" data-original-width="2260" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1oElx_r_Ae2bALAyQhzHZxsAC1seg4CCi7VoO1whe65Jx8FvGMOMvwZ-iHWcFr8Z6aD7xgD8F9g72geVsfhjX784tpT6rBze6OHfgN14T0p2RYI5AQyMItFbsELJR5amijTj335pZEP0Xk5wVxrSuakodpv9Zk5_7_U3oaJwp4clwyKnaw5vlMlOIjw/w276-h357/cover.jpg" width="276" /></a></div>Happy 2024! It’s become a bit of a tradition at the State Library to begin the year by displaying some historical almanacs from our collection. This year, we’re sharing a few of the older ones in our collection, the 1796 and 1797 editions of <i>Strong’s Almanack</i>, which was compiled and calculated by Nehemiah Strong and published in Springfield (1796) and West Springfield (1797) by Edward Gray. The almanacs were calculated for Hartford, Connecticut and were distributed for use in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Vermont.<br /><br />We have chosen to display the 1796 almanac closed so that its cover is visible, while the 1797 almanac is opened to its page featuring January. The 1796 cover features a drawing of an astronomer holding an instrument and looking skyward, while standing on the banks of a body of water with a town in the background. A globe and other equipment are at his feet, and the night sky is shown above, complete with stars and the moon. Though we don’t know for sure, we can speculate that this may be a depiction of the compiler himself, Nehemiah Strong (1729-1807). From the article <a href="https://www.americanantiquarian.org/proceedings/44817296.pdf" target="_blank">“Check List of Connecticut Almanacs, 1709-1850: With Introduction and Notes”</a> by Albert Carlos Bates found in the 1914 edition of the <i>Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society</i>, we learned that Strong was an astronomer and mathematician, and the first chair of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy at Yale University. Strong was a prolific compiler of various almanacs from 1775 until his death, and some of his former students from Yale also went on to compile almanacs.<br /><br />The 1797 almanac is displayed open to the January page, which shows a listing of all 31 days, along with their moon phases and commentary on their predicted weather. The month starts off clear and cold on January 2 and 3 but January 4 is predicted to be more pleasant. Later in the month calls for snow, freezing temperatures, and even hail! Colonial Americans did not have their local meteorologist giving the forecast every morning on the news, so almanacs were extremely useful and popular publications that could be found in most households. Beyond astronomical and meteorological data, they also included useful information for the general public, like the listing of Superior Courts and Supreme Courts shown on the opposite page. And one of the more whimsical features of the almanac is a verse with stanzas that continue from month to month. 1797’s is titled <i>The Lover</i> and January’s entry reads, “Of all the things beneath the sun; To love’s the greatest curse; If one’s deny’d, then he’s undone; If not, ‘tis ten times worse.” <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_g_CiBtx4fUlogSHH43ENS7tsoHsIpDv4H3f68SNurY4dbCsXH7PQddJhb63FxMm_upZXfGjsvQxGDGkBXFFYioupURgcCrFChabjNugjclmXAkRkr0wtEkG-s1Q_IXGDBNtMdCb_IYBVrlaDoqUrkBRXYRW0yaFMIjoyEtVXtQQDuPZtpaleKqvspw/s4032/January.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_g_CiBtx4fUlogSHH43ENS7tsoHsIpDv4H3f68SNurY4dbCsXH7PQddJhb63FxMm_upZXfGjsvQxGDGkBXFFYioupURgcCrFChabjNugjclmXAkRkr0wtEkG-s1Q_IXGDBNtMdCb_IYBVrlaDoqUrkBRXYRW0yaFMIjoyEtVXtQQDuPZtpaleKqvspw/w400-h300/January.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br />If you’d like to start off your year with even more almanac content, then be sure to check out our previous posts. For 2023, we shared the 1815 and 1817 editions of <i><a href="https://mastatelibrary.blogspot.com/2023/01/on-display-in-state-library.html" target="_blank">The New-England Almanack</a></i>, in 2022 we featured <a href="https://mastatelibrary.blogspot.com/2022/01/on-display-at-state-library.html" target="_blank">Peter Parley’s Almanac for Old and Young</a>, in 2021 we highlighted <a href="ttps://mastatelibrary.blogspot.com/2021/01/on-virtual-display-in-state-library.html">Fleet's Pocket Almanack for the year of our Lord 1789</a>, and in 2020 we showcased a selection of <a href="https://mastatelibrary.blogspot.com/2020/01/on-display-in-state-library.html" target="_blank">Isaiah Thomas’s New England Almanac</a>, which can also be viewed in our <a href="https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/863666" target="_blank">digital repository</a>. And if you are in the area, be sure to visit us from January 5 through the 31st to see <i>Strong’s Almanack</i> on display in our main library reading room.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Elizabeth Roscio</div><div>Preservation Librarian</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-923623585961523572023-12-25T10:00:00.001-05:002023-12-25T10:00:00.134-05:00Season's Greetings from the State Library From the State Library to you, our digital greeting card wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a happy New Year! <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQ472to5MhqkzafXZN80ggH9zt5oWWdM3fQBGghGVPnfn-05_8dGMKB1yd4PhrQ03gDe9ZcBa4SpiKnXzqJUNRYASEauPIJN86AVWvqURbumu1yZy5IQqJw2Ldm79LsteQFttH7Poyv30qrUukwKEV1-TJgpjfh5ZtrQaSiIGDy7d99xqavCly5zs5yI/s2262/greeting%20card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2262" data-original-width="2016" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQ472to5MhqkzafXZN80ggH9zt5oWWdM3fQBGghGVPnfn-05_8dGMKB1yd4PhrQ03gDe9ZcBa4SpiKnXzqJUNRYASEauPIJN86AVWvqURbumu1yZy5IQqJw2Ldm79LsteQFttH7Poyv30qrUukwKEV1-TJgpjfh5ZtrQaSiIGDy7d99xqavCly5zs5yI/w356-h400/greeting%20card.jpg" width="356" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-45523646526362785002023-12-18T09:30:00.002-05:002023-12-18T09:30:00.137-05:00Books As Gifts are Always a Hit <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8B3IFNzY5Mxi46QPFHngH7Ku5AIYhmOC9RNH533iUGTZe8J_oCP8DrcEQLTTiY8v0cbcKrBksRXOFuQ7KO9KjnQMZvN7kfIsJ-pnbTNsdx-tmkU3GDbrVqB6wq2pgsmnq0sTu0jNZwLqcM-kw6ywCAqiDqCEM_qLIklbWBdXI6iAoqBmWk3agDCRkfk/s637/cover.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="402" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8B3IFNzY5Mxi46QPFHngH7Ku5AIYhmOC9RNH533iUGTZe8J_oCP8DrcEQLTTiY8v0cbcKrBksRXOFuQ7KO9KjnQMZvN7kfIsJ-pnbTNsdx-tmkU3GDbrVqB6wq2pgsmnq0sTu0jNZwLqcM-kw6ywCAqiDqCEM_qLIklbWBdXI6iAoqBmWk3agDCRkfk/s320/cover.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>Special Collections recently received a gift from the State Library of Maine – a first edition of <i>Shaggycoat: The Biography of a Beaver</i> by Clarence Hawkes, published by George W. Jacobs & Co. in 1906. This is not the first time this well-loved copy was gifted. Its inscription reads,<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Chester A. Baker.</i></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Christmas 1909.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>From S.J.B.</i></div></i><br /><i>Shaggycoat</i> is one of many children’s nature books written by blind naturalist <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/perkinsarchive/7039113821/in/photostream/">Clarence Hawkes</a>, who was known for writing <i>Black Bruin: The Biography of a Bear, </i>and <i>Shovelhorns: The Biography of a Moose</i>. Hawkes primarily wrote about wildlife in New England and was highly regarded for his scientifically accurate descriptions of animals in nature. Hawkes attended Perkins School for the Blind, having lost his sight in a hunting accident when he was 13 years old. According to the <a href="https://www.perkins.org/patience-perseverance-and-pluck/">Perkins Archives Blog</a>, Hawkes became friends with Helen Keller. Keller felt Hawkes was unmatched in his writings on nature and praised his colorful, captivating narrations of life in the great outdoors.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RefdBWM2B69769vxibj_szNfK59EbraOs0h5VxPpOW7o3In2yXnCMGSKEkYJOVH78-spvOwrJCa2vfGkl7WfDy6POc0sckAR_a_H5iFTp8iSNlISFqqE0efIPJ70ZmTahXCrwhYjqI4NJkwVjflJGoh-FdNBxpk1lKdTBdRiAi71OFZwxqpuM4v4BZ0/s1080/blog.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RefdBWM2B69769vxibj_szNfK59EbraOs0h5VxPpOW7o3In2yXnCMGSKEkYJOVH78-spvOwrJCa2vfGkl7WfDy6POc0sckAR_a_H5iFTp8iSNlISFqqE0efIPJ70ZmTahXCrwhYjqI4NJkwVjflJGoh-FdNBxpk1lKdTBdRiAi71OFZwxqpuM4v4BZ0/w223-h223/blog.png" width="223" /></a></div>This adventurous tale of a beaver’s life with his animal friends in the wilds of Canada can be found in our <a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/record/5048667?query=shaggy;qtype=keyword;locg=111;detail_record_view=0;sort=poprel">catalog</a>; it is also available along with dozens of Clarence Hawkes’ other works in the <a href="https://archive.org/search?query=%28%28subject%3A%22Hawkes%2C%20Clarence%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Clarence%20Hawkes%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Hawkes%2C%20Clarence%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Clarence%20Hawkes%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Hawkes%2C%20C%2E%22%20OR%20title%3A%22Clarence%20Hawkes%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Hawkes%2C%20Clarence%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Clarence%20Hawkes%22%29%20OR%20%28%221869-1954%22%20AND%20Hawkes%29%29%20AND%20%28-mediatype:software%29">public domain.</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="#"></a>It is easy to see why <i>Shaggycoat</i> made for an excellent children’s Christmas present at the turn of the century. We here at the State Library feel that the holiday season is still the perfect time to gift loved ones, both young and old, the joy of reading. We wish you warm, safe, and happy holidays, hopefully curled up beside a fire with a good book!<br /><br />Work consulted: <br /><br />Coit, Susanna. <a href="https://www.perkins.org/patience-perseverance-and-pluck/">“Patience, perseverance, and pluck: Clarence Hawkes, the blind naturalist.”</a> Perkins Archives Blog, Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown MA. June 19, 2020.<br /><br /><br />Alyssa Persson<br />Special Collections Processing Librarian<br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-31291014386598541312023-12-11T09:30:00.001-05:002023-12-11T09:30:00.263-05:00Santa, Lighthouses, and Airplanes: New England’s Flying Santa TraditionOne of my favorite things about working at the State Library is coming across a fun historical fact or story that I had never heard before, while working on something completely unrelated. A few weeks before Halloween I was looking for a book about New England legends in the stacks and came across a book with an eye-catching cover. I flipped through it and while it didn’t have any information I was looking for, I did come across a picture of Santa and an airplane and it made me wonder what the two had in common (this was Santa with an airplane after all, and not a team of reindeer). I took the book back to my desk and started reading and discovered a fun New England story I had never heard about before. If you’re like I was and don’t know the story behind Flying Santa, this blog post is for you!<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKqUsT0w22YyQNn4-Ux1nE7CPgTBhNKVOsc6vOQmv4n9sd_1bF63xr6tfHo6TQubjdMzLOmByw4On3zDxN5wv1Vneu7pIbZCJlO_ib_x7qBtlQWRc2NzUfHorZGncc2N4m_XlkEr5CA78DdYAA-JRa1c6bLr2DnjjCHPuFPAO83Z98FrQR5Wu85acVWo/s1000/Flying%20Santa%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKqUsT0w22YyQNn4-Ux1nE7CPgTBhNKVOsc6vOQmv4n9sd_1bF63xr6tfHo6TQubjdMzLOmByw4On3zDxN5wv1Vneu7pIbZCJlO_ib_x7qBtlQWRc2NzUfHorZGncc2N4m_XlkEr5CA78DdYAA-JRa1c6bLr2DnjjCHPuFPAO83Z98FrQR5Wu85acVWo/w400-h200/Flying%20Santa%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of <a href="https://www.flyingsanta.com/HistoryOrigins.html" target="_blank">Friends of the Flying Santa</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The Flying Santa tradition began in 1929 during a harsh winter storm. An airplane pilot caught in the storm used lighthouse beacons along Maine's Penobscot Bay to fly home to safety. The pilot’s name was William Wincapaw of Friendship, ME. To show his thanks to the lighthouse keepers, he dropped packages filled with treats for their families as he flew over the lighthouses. Throughout that year, Wincapaw would get stuck in other storms and the lighthouse keepers would keep an eye out for him, letting airfield know when he had safely passed over their lighthouses. Wincapaw and later his son, Bill Jr., kept this joyous tradition going each year and expanded their Flying Santa trips to also cover Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The Wincapaws moved to Winthrop, MA in 1933 and by that point, their Flying Santa routes brought them to 91 lighthouses and Coast Guard stations in New England.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TDOqbTDJgxY4EaRs8N8CbbhvoqbF6fyXiUNlUOMCSbmVtjJACsS88ap7XohVvhS6vYBsS9pszGFHxn7V_ESKFuC64RUogxb-KiKxZhNq6bWl04olqWdzh2Fq_0IiKwIoPK2yAJK3WZc1ccVcn-6DEubKXJGPDby5zR7WZufU2jADajlSARWJxcbAgKM/s696/Flying%20Santa%20combo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="696" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TDOqbTDJgxY4EaRs8N8CbbhvoqbF6fyXiUNlUOMCSbmVtjJACsS88ap7XohVvhS6vYBsS9pszGFHxn7V_ESKFuC64RUogxb-KiKxZhNq6bWl04olqWdzh2Fq_0IiKwIoPK2yAJK3WZc1ccVcn-6DEubKXJGPDby5zR7WZufU2jADajlSARWJxcbAgKM/w439-h277/Flying%20Santa%20combo.jpg" width="439" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William Wincapaw, Sr. (left) and William Wincapaw, Jr. (right)<br />Images courtesy of <a href="https://www.flyingsanta.com/HistoryOrigins.html" target="_blank">Friends of the Flying Santa</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Edward Rowe Snow came into the world of the Flying Santa only a few years later. He was born in Winthrop, MA in 1902, and stayed in Winthrop where he became a high school history teacher. In 1936, Rowe Snow, who knew Bill Jr., joined the Wincapaws to assist them with their continuously-expanding Flying Santa program. That first year he covered the 25 southern routes with Bill Jr. flying, while Bill Sr. flew the northern routes.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsPg6L2UoW5WdpKNcmFtyyQMUPC004ZgVU-RbrSLUP4IOY5dPRTih91BM8mCny7aNTXmRptuKSrIl_ut_Rosm15n3RP6y6kg4uXytuTLs0lNff8Tg1m43VsAG_FXeVjic1oy2H9AAurlRBhjOLddXNs0pfYL3D8shKGcw-Oj82WXDf8SHrsSviJX6Jqk/s1599/Flying%20Santa%204.Jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1183" data-original-width="1599" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsPg6L2UoW5WdpKNcmFtyyQMUPC004ZgVU-RbrSLUP4IOY5dPRTih91BM8mCny7aNTXmRptuKSrIl_ut_Rosm15n3RP6y6kg4uXytuTLs0lNff8Tg1m43VsAG_FXeVjic1oy2H9AAurlRBhjOLddXNs0pfYL3D8shKGcw-Oj82WXDf8SHrsSviJX6Jqk/w400-h296/Flying%20Santa%204.Jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <i><a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/record/28330?locg=111" target="_blank">The Lighthouses of New England, 1716-1973</a></i>, <br />by Edward Rowe Snow</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIfTIN0naHqP8K_dzxjOJcdOpTgrFy_CfhaYqrcAOrPPuCOyPpNuCqHILvmsrMtzQiTfCSX7mcnsUAurBUxrZAnmQBSP3egB8yO87J1WDxFO75mLie4yC-3aYuzgSmbYE4U3xFIfsQwGCG3tFcJ5VxdrorMBnMay9GVG6VcwA1JvpzRJplFJ2BQPGQ_M/s1198/Flying%20Santa%205.Jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="907" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIfTIN0naHqP8K_dzxjOJcdOpTgrFy_CfhaYqrcAOrPPuCOyPpNuCqHILvmsrMtzQiTfCSX7mcnsUAurBUxrZAnmQBSP3egB8yO87J1WDxFO75mLie4yC-3aYuzgSmbYE4U3xFIfsQwGCG3tFcJ5VxdrorMBnMay9GVG6VcwA1JvpzRJplFJ2BQPGQ_M/s320/Flying%20Santa%205.Jpeg" width="242" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <i><a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/record/28330?locg=111" target="_blank">The Lighthouses of New <br />England, 1716-1973</a></i>, by Edward Rowe Snow</td></tr></tbody></table>The Flying Santa tradition was carried on by Rowe Snow until 1980. What’s important to note is that Mr. Snow was not a pilot. After the Wincapaws could no longer take part in the tradition, Mr. Snow had to hire a pilot and a plane for the lighthouse flights. He kept this beloved New England tradition going despite the obstacles that stood in his way and despite the funds that he had to contribute to keep Flying Santa alive. After Snow’s Flying Santa days were behind him due to old age, the tradition was kept alive through the work of the Hull Lifesaving Museum and its members, and later with the help of WCVB-TV 5. By 1997, the Flying Santa tradition had expanded so much that it had outgrown the museum. A group of volunteers got together to form the non-profit educational group called Friends of the Flying Santa, Inc. Over the next decade and beyond, many people stepped in to help the Friends keep Santa flying through the New England skies each holiday season. <br /><br />Be sure to read much more about the history and evolution of this program on the <a href="https://www.flyingsanta.com/HistoryOrigins.html">Friends of the Flying Santa website</a>. The full story of this tradition is rich with detail and the Friends have shared lots of photos on their website as well. You can also learn more about this tradition from the <a href="https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/flying-santa-new-england-lighthouses-1936-from-sky/">New England Historical Society</a>.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6t96d9O7vAACIDhzb7L837JcDQQpbnhZwP5aBgbRp5wRar8M0Rbe70-XAt_N4d8e-jSzn6GfW6KU7j07LLaeUp8hA8YIMHC-V8eUVL9EcHU-i-KvuWW95AitZRcRvpu6oaeY9Eopp1V2qCfqTBKA4oal4U2zUMER3UQVpLncuMm782GN85N9Pl4YRoRA/s1192/Flying%20Santa%206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1192" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6t96d9O7vAACIDhzb7L837JcDQQpbnhZwP5aBgbRp5wRar8M0Rbe70-XAt_N4d8e-jSzn6GfW6KU7j07LLaeUp8hA8YIMHC-V8eUVL9EcHU-i-KvuWW95AitZRcRvpu6oaeY9Eopp1V2qCfqTBKA4oal4U2zUMER3UQVpLncuMm782GN85N9Pl4YRoRA/w400-h225/Flying%20Santa%206.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying Santa in 2022, the tradition's 93rd year. <br />Image courtesy of <a href="https://www.wcvb.com/article/5-for-good-flying-santa-honors-new-england-coast-guard-families/42296554" target="_blank">WCVB</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Thank you to the Friends of the Flying Santa for the work they did to document the history of this tradition. It’s a tradition that still lives on today! December 2023 marks the 94th year of the Flying Santa! You can see photos and videos from last year’s flight <a href="https://www.flyingsanta.org/2022/album1.html">here</a>. Keep an eye out for photos from this year as well--Flying Santa made a stop at the Hull Lifesaving Museum on Saturday, December 9th!<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Jessica Shrey</div><div>Reference Librarian<br /><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-27681529275003982882023-12-07T09:30:00.017-05:002023-12-07T09:30:00.138-05:00Two Pairs of Two Turtle Doves in the Library!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_3ywfhtPTJoQ3duRdTzm33l_Pv-C7WZ8aEQaK5pbOMBjIPOghK1pUWVA0jleV3KWKvM0EK7Of84sH-91s6I-mYO7f8A4GYsG3uFhoJB0DIXNz1Ad341ADZWqfbEPtjZhZqFnaoGyNZGVWNnldhlPxdR_lyI3jJTI6jiJ6n3wR94mzYvqoW-22zMmhAA/s4038/Audubon%20plate%20017.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4038" data-original-width="2699" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_3ywfhtPTJoQ3duRdTzm33l_Pv-C7WZ8aEQaK5pbOMBjIPOghK1pUWVA0jleV3KWKvM0EK7Of84sH-91s6I-mYO7f8A4GYsG3uFhoJB0DIXNz1Ad341ADZWqfbEPtjZhZqFnaoGyNZGVWNnldhlPxdR_lyI3jJTI6jiJ6n3wR94mzYvqoW-22zMmhAA/w268-h400/Audubon%20plate%20017.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>While two turtle doves from your true love might not be the most practical of gifts, they are a fun print for us to share this holiday season! Visit us from December 8 through January 11 to see Audubon's Carolina Turtle Doves (plate 17) on display in our reading room.<div><br />The two sets of turtle doves are depicted looking pretty cozy in the branches of the Stuartia tree, which Audubon wrote symbolized purity and chastity. In the bottom scene, the female sits in the nest while the male tends to her, and in the top scene, the female is perched on the edge of the branch with the male reaching out to her. The turtle dove is also known as the mourning dove, and in the past was referred to as the Carolina turtle dove or Carolina pigeon, which is how Audubon referred to the bird when he depicted it in the 1830s. Read more about the turtle dove <a href="https://www.audubon.org/birds-of-america/carolina-pigeon">here</a> and <a href="https://www.birdwatchersgeneralstore.com/two-turtle-doves/">here</a>, and also check out their entry in the <a href="https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/mourning-dove" target="_blank">Guide to North American Birds</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Elizabeth Roscio</div><div>Preservation Librarian</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-47955619876704414072023-12-04T09:30:00.006-05:002023-12-04T09:30:00.134-05:00On Display in the State Library Prior to 1939, the Commonwealth included four towns that are now no longer in existence: Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott. This past September, we were excited to mount a new exhibit outside of the library, “The Four Lost Towns of the Quabbin Reservoir,” which shared information and period documents about these towns and the sacrifices that they made so that the Commonwealth could develop the Quabbin Reservoir. This month, we are excited to welcome author Elena Palladino to speak on her recent book <i>Lost Towns of the Swift River Valley: Drowned by the Quabbin</i>. To complement both the new exhibit and our upcoming Author Talk, this month in our Collection Spotlight case, we are displaying two historical maps that depict the Commonwealth before and after the development of the Quabbin Reservoir.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix78mrKbjrkWYhUVmT-NWPpzXcf06ojefXScBXcSqnjRPtWDwYz-1RUqUyH502eca1P0YdiqSP3tsnn_YQKSDIkh_iJdMH3gaMtFbE3wvrfLjr7hKy-Lw6__6GLcBx98hG436CGp3fZB7IndnqX54-A5VUR7bsjfr3GEryOvPY9ES3apP2uZzYYECqDtQ/s2749/two%20maps.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="2749" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix78mrKbjrkWYhUVmT-NWPpzXcf06ojefXScBXcSqnjRPtWDwYz-1RUqUyH502eca1P0YdiqSP3tsnn_YQKSDIkh_iJdMH3gaMtFbE3wvrfLjr7hKy-Lw6__6GLcBx98hG436CGp3fZB7IndnqX54-A5VUR7bsjfr3GEryOvPY9ES3apP2uZzYYECqDtQ/w558-h190/two%20maps.jpg" width="558" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1902 map is shown on the left and 1939 map is shown on the right</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div>As my colleague wrote in the exhibit’s introduction panel, “In 1938, the towns of Greenwich, Dana, Enfield, and Prescott were disincorporated, evacuated, and flooded to accommodate the construction of the Quabbin Reservoir. Centrally located in the Swift River Valley, the Quabbin was constructed as the solution to providing drinking water to the state’s metropolitan areas. To facilitate this plan, the legislature created the Metropolitan District Water Supply Commission in 1926 (Act Chapter 375). The MDWSC undertook the project, overseeing the creation of the reservoir and flooding of the Swift River Valley. In addition to the four towns, villages and parts of other towns were also taken by the state for the project. It was the first time the legislature had to disincorporate a whole town. Per 1938 Act Chapter 240, the four towns would cease to exist in Massachusetts.” Read more about each of these towns in the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mastatelibrary/sets/72177720311364200/" target="_blank">online version of the exhibit</a>.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUx-SMYWVZHLpnJS4lUkTDgmE8W5EU_ncyMPNffHNVJhJ26H2U1L0_Gtqzzbiv7STSVNde17CxWoGRYxzFS7YSppvcnWZy0_pklYIP_mngHHPxg529rT2GuVQWu38Lkj0I488XNFK3MtYJoqHD4k-TiZHQ7dbkRgn6b3ND9BZ6Q1gJ6YpP65WOPEkaqks/s2147/two%20towns.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1677" data-original-width="2147" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUx-SMYWVZHLpnJS4lUkTDgmE8W5EU_ncyMPNffHNVJhJ26H2U1L0_Gtqzzbiv7STSVNde17CxWoGRYxzFS7YSppvcnWZy0_pklYIP_mngHHPxg529rT2GuVQWu38Lkj0I488XNFK3MtYJoqHD4k-TiZHQ7dbkRgn6b3ND9BZ6Q1gJ6YpP65WOPEkaqks/w359-h280/two%20towns.jpg" width="359" /></a></div>In our Collection Spotlight case, we are sharing two maps of the Commonwealth, one from 1902 and one from 1939, which was just after the completion of the Quabbin. The 1902 map is the simply titled “Map of Massachusetts,” and was published by George H. Walker & Company, a prolific publisher of lithographs located in Boston. To the left of center of the map, and also highlighted in the image here, you will see the boundary lines for Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott, all grouped together. Of note is the train track that is shown running through the towns and labeled as the B&A - this is the Athol branch of the Boston and Albany Railroad. The majority of this branch was closed in the 1930s when construction of the reservoir began. The map also identifies post offices and money order post offices, of which there are a few located within these towns. Even this small designation on the map emphasizes that these were active communities that people lived and worked in before they were destroyed, thirty-seven years after the publication of this map. The 1939 map is titled “Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Public Health: showing location of cities and towns and health districts.” Though the reservoir is not actually shown in this map, if you look in the circled portion in the map above, you will see that Enfield, Greenwich, Dana, and Prescott are not shown and that the nearby towns of Belchertown, Pelham, New Salem, Petersham, Hardwick, and Ware have grown in size. That is because any land of the four lost towns that remained after the development of the reservoir were then incorporated into the surrounding municipalities.<div><br /></div><div>While these maps will only be on display through January 4, you can visit us to view the Quabbin exhibit through September 2024. We are open Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 5:00 and the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mastatelibrary/sets/72177720311364200/" target="_blank">online version</a> of the exhibit is available anytime! More information about our upcoming Author Talk on <i>Lost Towns of the Swift River Valley </i>is available <a href="https://mastatelibrary.blogspot.com/2023/11/author-talk-with-elena-palladino.html" target="_blank">here</a>; we hope that you'll be able to join us on December 6, but if you are unable to make it, a recording will be uploaded to our YouTube page a few days following the event.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Elizabeth Roscio</div><div>Preservation Librarian</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-73326273032871230812023-12-01T13:01:00.002-05:002023-12-01T13:01:36.654-05:00State Library Newsletter - December Issue<p>Happy December! Our monthly newsletter is out today, and is full of information about our online store, upcoming events, exhibited items, and more!</p>Pictured here is a preview, but the full issue can be accessed by clicking <a href="https://mailchi.mp/mass/december-news-from-the-state-library-9184430" target="_blank">here</a>. And you can also sign up for our mailing list to receive the newsletter straight to your <a href="https://mass.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=abd717d4468768c8f5fb71004&id=67f50688e7">inbox</a>.<div> <a href="https://mailchi.mp/mass/december-news-from-the-state-library-9184430" target="_blank"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://mailchi.mp/mass/december-news-from-the-state-library-9184430" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0ju6aDabNM5t3ibp5NG6VxaB1gvA4hblLf5WW4y1AsZF3o7lZxXvdM07JPsWRGXb74rBvY_BRMQS_NvPD35aRCF88DUcgMOiLl8eRUykDSc0fjzNvPqdPLQnl3vZl-jhg0M9t4etCTLdDQ7J3XB29T8u5FxqftVHCTET4rT8C9bsYKAaHTzZb63w0dE/s2688/website.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2688" data-original-width="2100" height="545" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0ju6aDabNM5t3ibp5NG6VxaB1gvA4hblLf5WW4y1AsZF3o7lZxXvdM07JPsWRGXb74rBvY_BRMQS_NvPD35aRCF88DUcgMOiLl8eRUykDSc0fjzNvPqdPLQnl3vZl-jhg0M9t4etCTLdDQ7J3XB29T8u5FxqftVHCTET4rT8C9bsYKAaHTzZb63w0dE/w426-h545/website.jpg" width="426" /></a></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5598231564580559850.post-72321402867313121792023-11-27T09:30:00.002-05:002023-11-27T14:38:03.981-05:00Author Talk with Elena Palladino<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipVNC14Syfqp-4N9N5-ICMovT_iCaq18fs-xwysG9by17qPzyyB4LoW9gBXOwY3Up_Yijkj34AVFk2dK9638Z-V-VnbhSOlnle4cw5e0m2VAZTW_qMocPjJIdbCU8_96WEATaqCvKTJt-ES2mHL0D3rRTzzDLL2a26dlFg9LLdUHgqBw69pB-7zR2lXOc/s172/Author-Talks-logo-small.jpg" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="137" data-original-width="172" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipVNC14Syfqp-4N9N5-ICMovT_iCaq18fs-xwysG9by17qPzyyB4LoW9gBXOwY3Up_Yijkj34AVFk2dK9638Z-V-VnbhSOlnle4cw5e0m2VAZTW_qMocPjJIdbCU8_96WEATaqCvKTJt-ES2mHL0D3rRTzzDLL2a26dlFg9LLdUHgqBw69pB-7zR2lXOc/s1600/Author-Talks-logo-small.jpg" width="172" /></a></p><a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/record/4591989"></a><ul><a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/record/4591989"></a><li><i><a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/record/4591989"></a>Lost Towns of the Swift River Valley: Drowned by the Quabbin</i></li><li>Wednesday, December 6, 2023. 12pm - 1:00pm</li><li>State Library of Massachusetts - Room 341, Massachusetts State House</li><li>Livestream: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/mastatelibrary">https://www.youtube.com/user/mastatelib</a></li></ul><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtozPrT3fwLPEPj5GjLflyDgVJ2T4mofPE87Bja7bpNhUsp6lXCU-zF-GDIq35HS0l7qFZ4BhS3s6rUdCNDI514pAuMxnY7pfvszm0zK_21-LVMwY_syvcV3KuIpp9gqX4XrmQDq65tT-jHildHMmj3VhKn5JdczBet2bAJHS1p6z3rsawp0xeD2I7Jg0/s300/lost_towns_of_the_swift_river_valley_cover%20(1).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="199" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtozPrT3fwLPEPj5GjLflyDgVJ2T4mofPE87Bja7bpNhUsp6lXCU-zF-GDIq35HS0l7qFZ4BhS3s6rUdCNDI514pAuMxnY7pfvszm0zK_21-LVMwY_syvcV3KuIpp9gqX4XrmQDq65tT-jHildHMmj3VhKn5JdczBet2bAJHS1p6z3rsawp0xeD2I7Jg0/s1600/lost_towns_of_the_swift_river_valley_cover%20(1).jpg" width="199" /></a></div>The State Library of Massachusetts Author Talks Series is excited to host author Elena Palladino on December 6th!<br /><p></p>Please join us on Wednesday, December 6th at noon, in our historic reading room to hear Elena Palladino speak on her 2022 book, <a href="https://state.cwmars.org/eg/opac/record/4690342">Lost Towns of the Swift River Valley: Drowned by the Quabbin</a>. For anyone who cannot make it into the library, we will be livestreaming the talk on our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/mastatelibrary">YouTube channel</a>, courtesy of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Broadcast Services.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>About the book:</b> In 1938, four Massachusetts towns were disincorporated, evacuated, and flooded to accommodate the construction of the Quabbin Reservoir. The reservoir was the solution to providing Boston and the State’s metropolitan areas with fresh drinking water. In <i>Lost Towns of the Swift River Valley</i>, Palladino tells the story of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott, the towns which were sacrificed to make room for the Quabbin. Through archival research, Palladino recounts the history of these communities through three townspeople of the Swift River Valley: Marion Smith, a woman from a wealthy manufacturing family, William Segur, the country doctor, and Edwin Howe, postmaster and general store owner. Palladino brings life and feeling to these communities that once were thriving and home to many.<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></p><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxX6i0lyUPIIYW14hO1dsrywfsHCmWalPAyJcVLa03FkxznAt-7zvXNmTfIkDgeVTeCViittvhJlJJFRGmFqZ9Q1i5SFvNwlJ2IPrjjRrnJR-h6kYcVldgSuXHZ-QXVWB3qjM56HXcXmDQBkljnifCkjR12IBpZKsYbb1aUz1AOApqCGeBKMr2mR3AbQ/s5627/Headshot%20-%20Palladino.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5627" data-original-width="3751" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxX6i0lyUPIIYW14hO1dsrywfsHCmWalPAyJcVLa03FkxznAt-7zvXNmTfIkDgeVTeCViittvhJlJJFRGmFqZ9Q1i5SFvNwlJ2IPrjjRrnJR-h6kYcVldgSuXHZ-QXVWB3qjM56HXcXmDQBkljnifCkjR12IBpZKsYbb1aUz1AOApqCGeBKMr2mR3AbQ/s320/Headshot%20-%20Palladino.jpg" width="213" /></a></div></span>About the author:</b> Elena Palladino is a Massachusetts native, growing up in Sturbridge and now residing in Ware. Palladino’s family lives in Marion Smith’s former home, which sparked her interest in the history of the Quabbin. Palladino holds a BA degree in English from Simmons College, an MA in literary and cultural studies from Carnegie Mellon University and an EdM in higher education from Harvard University. She currently works in higher education in Western Massachusetts and also sits on the board of directors for the <a href="https://swiftrivermuseum.org/">Swift River Valley Historical Society</a> and <a href="https://foquabbin.org/">Friends of Quabbin</a>. For more on Palladino and her “Quabbin House” visit <a href="https://quabbinhouse.com/">this page</a>.<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b><p></p>If you are able to join us in person for this talk, attendees will be able to participate in a question-and-answer session with the author as well as purchase a copy of the book for $24.00 (payments can be made via Venmo or cash). As always, this author talk is free and open to all. Assisted listening devices will be made available upon request. Any questions or concerns, please <a href="mailto:AuthorTalks.StateLibrary@mass.gov">email us</a>.<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47S0YOKodJ_Gkydw-Dh7UvtOIulCtg9HdLa5tCtshdOsw8YxXmUTmuJR1pC6Zwc0E5VKmJoz65Ri9wChznYwsMqqz6-Zn9hL8Noz6S0Z6XewikZrrz10xpe_MgB2YPeiV6Dyt2g9i833JAplmupIIuq9P8CVJ-O534NNJLxFWQCG_XSxmlBuj8h2R0DE/s306/exhibit.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="306" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47S0YOKodJ_Gkydw-Dh7UvtOIulCtg9HdLa5tCtshdOsw8YxXmUTmuJR1pC6Zwc0E5VKmJoz65Ri9wChznYwsMqqz6-Zn9hL8Noz6S0Z6XewikZrrz10xpe_MgB2YPeiV6Dyt2g9i833JAplmupIIuq9P8CVJ-O534NNJLxFWQCG_XSxmlBuj8h2R0DE/s1600/exhibit.jpg" width="306" /></a></div>In
addition, now on display is the State Library’s new annual exhibit: <i>The Four Lost Towns of the Quabbin
Reservoir. </i>We invite you to visit the library (room 341 of the State House)
to view the exhibit and learn more about the towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich,
and Prescott. A few highlights of the exhibit include Prescott’s last Annual
Town Report, a picture from Greenwich’s last town meeting, and documents from
the Metropolitan District Water Supply Commission, the state agency responsible
for the reservoir. The State Library is open Monday - Friday, 9-5, and the full
exhibit is also available to view on <span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mastatelibrary/sets/72177720311364200/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Flickr</span></a></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">!<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>Want to stay up to date on future Author Talks at the State Library? Join our <a href="https://mass.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=abd717d4468768c8f5fb71004&id=26e32c61d2">mailing list</a>. Also follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mastatelibrary/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mastatelibrary">Facebook</a>, or <a href="https://twitter.com/mastatelibrary">X</a> for updates! For more information on the State Library Author talks series, please <a href="https://www.mass.gov/state-library-author-talk-series">visit our site</a>.<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>Author Talks Working Group</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com