Picture Book Manifesto
Reply
Category Archives: Uncategorized
World Day for Audiovisual Heritage
The International Council on Archives has chosen today as World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. The purpose is to draw attention to the historical development of audiovisual media: cinema, photography, television, video and sound recording. Check out the poster outlining a timeline of audiovisual development in four languages. Modern archives contain vast quantities of audiovisual materials that document cultural heritage. Our knowledge of our national and local history is enriched by these records. For example, how limited would our understanding of our participation in World War II be without the “Man on the Street Interviews After the Attack on Pearl Harbor“, or of our developing cities at the turn of the 20th century if not portrayed in photographs made by the Detroit Publishing Company, all preserved at the Library of Congress. By preserving photographs, film and sound recordings, we can explore and better understand from where we have come. Celebrate our audiovisual heritage by visiting The UConn Story to investigate the University of Connecticut’s history through a variety of formats, watch the earliest UConn football and basketball game films and see college life as it once was in photographs in the Digital Mosaic.
Kristin Eshelman, Curator of Multimedia Collections
Oral Histories added to NCLC’s website
l-r: Terri J. Goldich, Curator; Billie M. Levy, Donor; Kena Sosa, Researcher. Seated: Mrs. Eva Greenwood.
In April, 2011, Ms. Kena Sosa became the 4th recipient of a Billie M. Levy Travel and Research Grant. Her topic of research is the experience of Jewish children who escaped Nazi persecution to England and other countries by means of the Kindertransport program. This link goes to a full description and access to the transcripts of two oral histories conducted with women who were transported to England as children in the Kindertransport program. Ms. Sosa’s PowerPoint presentation, a requirement of the Levy Travel and Research Grant, is also available from the web site. This was the first grant presentation to leave the audience in tears.
Pet Therapy Dogs to visit CT Children’s Book Fair
We’ve added some great activities for the kids (and their grownups, too) to the Connecticut Children’s Book Fair this year. On Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 12-13 from 10-12, Paws 4 Books in Mansfield will bring their pet therapy dogs for kids to read to. Each day from 2-4, Tails of Joy will bring their doggies for a visit, too.
More photographs of the Tariffville Dam
Tariffville Dam, a set on Flickr.
This week we’ve shown a handful of photographs of the old Tariffville Dam, which was built in 1899 on the Farmington River by the Hartford Electric Light Company, and lasted until 1955 when it was destroyed by floods. We’ve put more photographs of the dam on Flickr — check them out!
Laura Smith, Curator for Business, Railroad and Labor Collections
What’s With the Man With the Fish?
Who is this man? What’s with the fish on a stick? What’s the story behind this photograph?
You want to know, don’t you? Well, I’m not going to tell you, not yet. What I want is YOU to tell ME what you think is going on here.
Here’s a challenge to our loyal blog readers. Use the comments to give your best guess. Where is this man? What year do you think this photo is from? And why in the world is he grinning from ear to ear at the fish?
Make up a story about him if you want.
I’ll give you more information on Wednesday. In the meantime, I want to hear from you about what you think is going on with this photo.
Cheers!
Laura Smith, Curator for Business, Railroad and Labor Collections
Tomie dePaola celebrates the Wilder Award in style (of course)!
Suzy Staubach and I were invited to attend a lovely brunch at Tomie’s house to celebrate his being awarded the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, given by the American Library Association which “…“honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.” The dePaola house is absolutely charming, with room after room where wonderful sculptures, artwork, toys, candles, antiques, and dePaola creations abound. One piece of artwork in particular caught my eye: a pencil and ink drawing of Tomie as a Saint, with a drink in one hand and a paintbrush in the other, surrounded by children holding their hands out in begging posture. Trina Schart Hyman, one of Tomie’s dear friends, was working on the drawing when she left for the hospice care where she later passed away. The drawing was still on her drawing table. She didn’t have time to ink in the entire piece but she did get the drink glass done!
Check out Suzy’s blog at www.willowtreepottery.us/Willow_Tree_Pottery/BiblioPotter/Entries/2011/8/1_Tomie_dePaola_Pot_Collector.html and Elizabeth Bluemle’s post with lots of photos at http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/shelftalker/.
Tomie’s home is surrounded by elegant gardens, with benches in strategic places to best view the grounds. There is a small hidden garden outside of a sliding glass door and a very inviting swimming pool. Almost heaven, New Hampshire.
l to r: Suzy Staubach, General Books Manager, UConn Co-op; Tomie dePaola, Wilder Award recipient for 2011; Terri J. Goldich, Curator, Northeast Children's Literature Collection
New James Marshall book dummy donated
[slideshow]The family of the late Coleen Salley have donated James Marshall’s book dummy for his “The Cut-ups cut loose” to the NCLC. The charming, 32-page dummy is accompanied by a letter from Mr. Marshall to Ms. Salley with a note about “our little book.” The dummy is black and white with some color on the title page. The book was published in 1987 by Viking Kestrel and is dedicated to Ms. Salley. This piece is the only item in the Marshall Papers for this title. Thank you, Salley Family, for this important addition to the NCLC.
Thanks, NECBA and Scholastic!
Thanks, Nan Sorensen, Scholastic, and the rest of the New England Children’s Booksellers for the donation of books by the wonderful authors at your conference on June 15. It was fun to give tours to such knowledgeable and engaged listeners. And your speakers were delightful: M.T. Anderson, Nan Rossiter, Joyce Baskin, Angela DiTerlizzi, and all the rest of the stellar lineup. I had the pleasure of awarding Matt Collins the CT Book Award for Children’s Illustration last year at the CT Center for the Book’s celebration so it was great to see him again. What a talented group of folks you are!
–Terri J. Goldich, Curator
More “Men and their Magnificent Machines”
Can’t get enough photographs of railroad locomotives? Here is another to enjoy.
Laura Smith, Curator for Business, Railroad and Labor Collections
CT Book Festival Gets Great Review
In addition to lovely comments from our presenters, exhibitors, and attendees, the Windsor Patch posted this great review of the first ever Connecticut Book Festival. Many thanks go to everyone involved, especially to the wonderful authors and presenters, volunteers and workers, food vendors, exhibitors, performers, therapy dogs and their friends, and of course the attendees who came out to enjoy the Festival. Special thanks go to Bill Thomson for judging our Sidewalk Chalk contest and generously providing signed posters to loads of kids (some bigger than others), and for handing out four copies of his book Chalk to contest winners. The Mystic Paper Beasts were also a hit with children of all ages.[slideshow]
Connecticut Book Festival this weekend!
CT Book Festival logo
The countdown is on for the CT Book Festival this weekend! The weather will be great, there are lots of wonderful authors and panels to hear, there will be tons of books for sale and all sorts of stuff for kids to do, too. See you at Book Fest!