Temporarily Unavailable Materials in Special Collections
A number of Special Collections books and all UH theses and dissertations are currently undergoing treatment and cleaning as the result of a recent mold outbreak in our stacks. Please be advised that the item you wish to use may not be available at this time.
Fortunately, our boxed manuscript and archival materials were not affected and those may be used without difficulty. But until the source of the mold is specifically determined and our stacks are once again free of any contaminates, we will not re-introduce cleaned books into this environment.
We will issue updates as they are warranted, and sincerely regret any difficulties that may be caused for our patrons as a result of this recent problem.
Houston Public Library Exhibit: Houstonians During World War II
Photos, posters, medals, and other artifacts from World War II are on display in an exhibit on the first floor of the Julia Ideson Building of Houston Public Library in downtown Houston.
Entitled Houstonians During World War II: A Tribute to the Greatest Generation, the exhibit includes rare archival photographs, colorful propaganda posters, memorabilia from the two Navy cruisers named USS Houston, ration coupons, medals (including a Nazi German Iron Cross), and Japanese occupation currency from Java and the Philippines. Persons depicted in the exhibit include famous Houstonians George H.W. Bush and Oveta Culp Hobby.
Viewing hours for this free exhibit are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The library is at 500 McKinney, at the corner of McKinney and Smith Streets downtown. The exhibit will be on display through March 4, 2007.
Guest Blog: Summer Intern LeyAnne Ward
In the second installment of our intern guest blogs, LeyAnne Ward describes her experiences working with University Archives. We’re very pleased to have Alison and LeyAnne here for the fall semester as well.
I have always found libraries and, therefore, research to be fascinating, and was quite thrilled when I was given the opportunity to enroll in the English 4390: Professional Internship course, and secure a position at the M.D. Anderson Library where my main responsibility was to organize and compile a preliminary inventory of the Arte Público (a Hispanic press located at the University of Houston) Collection. My internship proved to be an extremely rewarding experience that I will cherish for years to come.
I eagerly began my first day as an intern in the Special Collections Department. From the beginning, I was graciously welcomed by librarian Julie Grob , who after a brief orientation, took me on a tour of the stack room, which houses all archival materials: historical documents, paintings, and ancient writings. Another facet to the stack room that I found interesting was the shelving. I had worked at a library before, but had never heard of nor seen mechanical shelves. Mrs. Grob allowed me to operate them, and I was amazed at how each shelf moved with the simple push of a button.
As mentioned earlier, my main responsibility was to organize the Arte Público collection and put together a preliminary inventory, a list of contents created upon receipt of a collection to provide a basic physical and intellectual description of the materials to aid researchers in their work. As a student intern, my other duties included learning about the founding of Arte Público Press and receiving instruction about the inventory as a step in the archival process. Most of the materials I dealt with were published drafts and manuscripts of works ranging from many categories and genres such as adult fiction, picture books, juvenile fiction, and much more.
My project supervisor Dick Dickerson (University Archivist) explained the process of how a Special Collections inventory is developed, including the various revisions it must undergo before it is complete. Mr. Dickerson then directed me to the Arte Público Press’ website. It proved to be beneficial avenue to learning about the press and I was very impressed with their goals and achievements.
After browsing through Arte Público’s online biographical page, I decided to research some of the titles I had come across in the stack room and read the synopsis for each one. About half of the titles belonged to Piñata Press, a branch of Arte Público, which publishes children’s and young adult novels. Most of the stories serve as character building tools that both educate and entertain young readers of Hispanic heritage.
Judging the entire scope of the internship, I would say that it has been a positive experience for me. Working in Special Collections was quite a treat, and I was able to see how an archival department was run, as well as the role that each staff member plays in the successful functioning of a library. As my internship came to a close, I realized that I had gained much satisfaction from the work I was doing and I decided that if the opportunity should arise, I would again intern in Special Collections as it would give me great pleasure to see the Arte Público project to its completion, and learn more about archival processing.
USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
The National Agricultural Library has a fascinating online collection of 175 historic pomology watercolors from its Special Collections. Search by artist, or by fruit.
Image courtesy of National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Otto Schwarz, 1923-2006
Otto C. Schwarz, founder of the USS Houston Survivors Association, died on August 3, 2006. A Seaman First Class on the heavy cruiser USS Houston (CA-30), Otto participated in the Battle of the Java Sea and the Battle of Sunda Strait during World War II. Along with his fellow surviving crew members, he was taken prisoner of war by the Japanese following the sinking of the ship in the Battle of Sunda Strait in March 1942. As a POW, Otto worked as slave labor on the Burma-Thai Railroad, where many Allied POWS died due to the brutal conditions.
Following the war, Otto founded the USS Houston Survivors Association as a way to maintain the bonds between his fellow shipmates. He published the Blue Bonnet newsletter for decades before declining health forced him to pass along the editorship to Val Roberts-Poss and Lin Drees. He encouraged his fellow survivors to preserve their own history, gradually building a significant collection of documents, photographs, and artifacts which the organization donated to the University of Houston Libraries in 1981. (This collection continues to grow). The story of the USS Houston (CA-30) and her crew has been preserved through the USS Houston Monument in downtown Houston, the permanent USS Houston exhibit here at the UH Libraries, and a number of books, oral histories, and documentary films.
Those of us who knew Otto will remember his incredible passion for the ship, his knowledge of almost every aspect of the ship’s history, and his drive to commemorate the lives of his fellow crew members who perished during the battle or in the POW camps. He was a man of great personal warmth, deep patriotism, and immense modesty.
Otto is survived by his wife Trudy, and his sons John and Edward.
Welcome!
This is a weblog run by the Special Collections at University of Houston Libraries. Contributions will be primarily from Special Collections librarians and staff, but all are welcome to comment. My name is Amelia Abreu and I am an Archivist and History Librarian in Special Collections.
Our goal is to share news from our department as well as resources that may be of interest to our researchers and colleagues. If you have any questions, feel free to comment.
