Lowell Thomas Digitization Project

The Archives and Special Collections is currently in the middle of a mass digitization project, which is being funded by the National Archives. The goal of the project is to make all of the approximately 36,000 images in the Lowell Thomas Papers available on the Internet. Several thousand images are currently available via the finding aid for the collection and on IBM’s Content Manager database.

You can search Lowell Thomas’s WWI era glass plate negatives by going to the following URL: http://library.marist.edu/archives/search/ or by browsing the following subject areas:

• Arabia
• Palestine
• Egypt
• Personal
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Malaya
• Burma
• India
• Airplanes
• American Expeditionary Forces
• England
• Greece
• Italy
• Malta
• Mediterranean Sea
• Military
• Miscellaneous
• First World Flight
• Oversize

Additional updates will be sent out as this project progresses.

Library Quiet Space

Quiet Study in Kirk Reading Room

The Library has experienced a significant increase in use early in the new academic year. This is at least partly attributable to a crowded campus and students seeking a conducive, that is to say, quiet place to work.

Accordingly we have designated the Kirk Reading Room (North end of the 1st floor) as a full-time Quiet Room.  Here researchers can place a thick set of double doors between themselves and the inevitable traffic noise and conversation of the wider public spaces.

The library will monitor use and solicit comment during the year.  Please pass along your own or your students' thoughts/comments using the link below, or contact Associate Director Mark Colvson (x2193).

Reese Family Papers

The Archives and Special Collections recently received an extraordinary collection from former Trustee Alex Reese and his siblings Frances Reese Olivieri, John R. Reese, and George Reese.

The Reese Family Papers document the professional and personal lives of several of the ancestors of Frances Gallatin Stevens Reese and her husband, Willis Livingston Mesier Reese. The papers contain indentures, personal, political, and business correspondence, military documents, manuscripts of prose and poetry, scrapbooks, bills of lading, invoices, promissory notes, canceled checks, financial ledgers, diaries, passports, newspaper clippings and photographs.

Highlights from the collection include the papers of Ebenezer Stevens (1751-1823), who was a Major General in the American Continental Army and corresponded with Founding Fathers Thomas Jefferson, John Jay, and James Madison. The papers of Robert Shaw Oliver tell his story while he served in the Civil War, rising to the rank of General after the conflict. He was named Assistant Secretary of War in 1903 under Theodore Roosevelt and served into the administration of William Howard Taft. Researchers will also find the personal papers of Frances (Franny) Reese (1917-2003) who was a leading environmentalist and founding member of Scenic Hudson. Her efforts helped launch the modern environmental movement during the lengthy and controversial law case known as the Scenic Hudson Decision.

The Reese Family Papers are already available for use by researchers. The finding aid for the collection can be found at the following URL: http://library.marist.edu/archives/reesePapers/reesePapers.xml. These papers are a treasure trove of information for articles, term papers, or capping papers. Don't let the opportunity to be the first to publish using the Reese Family Papers get away!

Mark Colvson: New Associate Library Director

Mark Colvson

Mark Colvson has joined the Marist College staff as the Associate Director of the Library.  He holds a B.A. in Psychology from Haverford College and an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Drexel University.  Mark has over twenty years experience in academic librarianship, having worked previously in libraries at the University of Pennsylvania, Binghamton University, Bryn Mawr College, and most recently, the United States Military Academy.  During his tenure at Bryn Mawr, he led the Public Services staff for the main library as well as the Desktop Support staff for Information Services.  Most recently, at West Point, Mark led the Systems Division.

Mark’s library interests include student-centered learning as it affects the delivery of library instruction, the use of social media in delivering library services, and the impact of electronic media on the academic conversation.  His other interests include amateur theatrics, vocal music performance, and the fanatical support of his hometown ball club, the Philadelphia Phillies.

Ask-A-Librarian has a new easy-to-remember email address:

Ask-A-Librarian@marist.edu.

 Ask-A-Librarian is the question-and-answer email service of the Cannavino Library.  Ask any library-related question and a librarian will respond to you within a few hours.

We changed the email address for Ask-A-Librarian to make it easier to remember.  In Lotus Notes type the word “ask” into the Marist Address Book Directory, and the address will pre-populate. With other email systems simply address your email to Ask-A-Librarian@marist.edu.   

         

You can continue to use the form on the website to ask your question.  A link to the form is also available in many of our databases.  The form will open in a new tab or window allowing you to look at the database screen as you enter in your question. 

                

Many students use the Ask-A-Librarian service.  We saw a significant increase in the use of the service over the past year.  Please let your students know about Ask-A-Librarian.