University Archivist Erik Nordberg to speak at Annual Meeting of Friends

The Friends will be holding their Annual Meeting on Tuesday, October 29 at 4pm in the MTU Archives on the third floor of the Van Pelt Library. The speaker for the Annual Meeting will be Erik Nordberg, University Archivist, Michigan Technological University. Mr. Nordberg will speak on the topic "Regional Historical Archives: A Symbiosis of Collections and Community" An abstract of Mr. Nordberg's talk is listed separately in this newsletter. The Annual meeting will be held for the first time in the MTU Archives, allowing members to see the new furniture that was purchased for the Archives by a grant from the Friends (see below for related story).

The Annual Meeting is a time for board elections. Several current board members are standing for re-election to the board. Retiring from the board after several years of active service are A. Kim Hoagland and Udaya Kalluri. Many thanks to them for their enthusiastic and much appreciated service to the Friends.

The current slate of board candidates appears below. Others interested in running for a position on the board may nominate themselves at the meeting.

Archives Receives New Patron Furniture Courtesy of the Friends

How better to enjoy research at the MTU Archives and Copper Country Historical Collection than to sit at a comfortable chair in a bright airy space? Thanks to a $5,000 donation from the Friends, 22 new oak and burgundy chairs have been installed in the Archives. The Friends grant also purchased a love seat and chair for the Archives "conversation nook" -- both of these pieces also have oak frames and are upholstered in "Citadel Plum."

University Archivist Erik Nordberg reports many positive comments about the furniture. "The furniture we used to have was original to the Library's opening in 1966. The chairs were heavy

and difficult to move across our carpeted floors, and some were damaged with makeshift repairs holding them together. Worst of all, they were not very comfortable for users. The new furniture purchased with funds from the FVPL are excellent. They have what's known as a "sled base" which allows the chairs to slide easily across the carpet and they have very nice lower back support. On the whole, it has made an incredible change in the look and feel of the archives. The Friends deserve a great deal of thanks for their investment."
 

Friends Grant Program to be Profiled in the December 2002 Alumnus Magazine

The hard work of the Friends has supported the Van Pelt Library in material ways, but the Friends also support the research mission of the Library and of the University through their Travel Grant and Local History Grant programs. The complete history of these very successful programs has been written by Erik Nordberg, University Archivist. Mr. Nordberg's article, entitled "A Research Laboratory: With a Little Help From Our Friends," will appear in the December 2002 issue of the MTU Alumnus magazine. The "Friends" in the title is US! Our hard work and efforts do make a difference.

April 2002 book Sale a Success

The popular Friends of the Library Book Sale was held on April 9-10, 2002. The revenue from the book sale was $1,637.15 after sales tax. We also had $315.00 of revenue from membership renewals made at the sale. The book sale continues to be a popular and well attended event that brings book lovers from far and wide.

The efforts for the 2003 book sale are already underway - the first Friends Work Bee was held on Wednesday, October 2 with the participation of Friends board members and student members of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society. Work Bees are held 3 or 4 times in the months before the sale and involve unpacking, pricing, and sorting donations received year round. Anyone able to help with the behind-the-scenes work of the Book Sale is most welcome - in fact, urgently needed! Please email dee@mtu.edu or fmorriso@mtu.edu if you are able to help. You may find a book treasure during your work, which we will sell to you for book cart prices.
 

"Regional Historical Archives:  A Symbiosis of Collections and Community"
Erik Nordberg, University Archivist
Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections
J.R. Van Pelt Library
 
The MTU Archives serves many users, both on-campus and off-campus.  Although this department of the Van Pelt Library has an important function to document the history of the university, its larger goal is to document the broader history of the Copper Country.  In this role, that of regional history center, the MTU Archives must maintain a close relationship with the local community to ensure that historical events -- and current events, which quickly become historical events -- are adequately reflected in the archives' holdings.  This interaction between the Archives, its patrons, and new donors is essential to success.

Friends Board considers Library Staffers' Wish List

This spring Theresa Spence, Assistant Director of the Van Pelt Library, visited the board meeting of the Friends to report on possible library improvement projects. These projects were solicited by the Friends and were generated by Library staffers and vetted by a committee consisting of Spence, Ellen Seidel, Mark Bronson, Pauline Moore, and Eric Nordberg.

The two proposals deemed most important for the Library were forwarded to the Friends, and one of them has already been acted upon - the replacement of the furniture in the Archives (see cover story). The project second in priority was for hiring a Library Intern. The proposed intern would work on instructional WebPages, annex inventory, and processing in the archives collection. Discussion of this proposal was deferred until the fall 2002.

Other proposed projects that were not acted upon include purchasing a public color copier for student presentations and maps, purchasing a public scanner, and purchasing an overhead scanner and color printer for interlibrary loan/document delivery. The Board will consider these proposed projects during the current academic year.
 

Note cards are available on the web!

The beautiful Friends of the Library note cards featuring images from the MTU Archives and Copper Country Historical Collection are available on the web. The images may be seen at http://www.chem.mtu.edu/~fmorriso/fvpl/note_cards.html The note cards are only $12/set plus tax and shipping and handling. Order some today!
 

Econo Foods Receipts

Time again to collect receipts for the Friends!

Every year the Friends of the Van Pelt Library receive a several hundred-dollar donation from Econo Foods as reward for our participation in the "Computers for Kids" program. Through this program Econo donates 1% of the total of Econo Foods receipts collected by the Friends. The funds are used for the purchase of computer equipment used in the patron areas of the Van Pelt Libarary.

We need your help! Please collect your receipts from Econo Foods and send them to us. We will take care of getting them to Econo. Please send your receipts by intercampus mail to Udaya Kalluri (Forestry) or to Faith Morrison (Chemical Engineering). Want to do more? Put out a collection box in your work area and encourage your coworkers to bring in their receipts for our Library. Every little bit helps. Thanks to everyone who is collecting receipts for the Friends.
 

Blankets and Note Cards Available

As always, Friends blankets and note cards are available for sale. Check out the designs on the web at the following addresses:

http://www.chem.mtu.edu/~fmorriso/fvpl/note_cards.html
http://www.chem.mtu.edu/~fmorriso/fvpl/blanket.htm

We'll ship them anywhere if you have a visa/master card. To order your MTU blanket (100% cotton; $65 plus tax/shipping) or Keweenaw historical note cards ($12 plus tax/shipping per set of 12) contact Terry Reynolds, (906-487-2113, treynold@mtu.edu) or visit the web pages above.