What: A Preservation Workshop
When: December 9, 2009, 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Where: Pallister Conference Room, Jerome Library, BGSU

Presented by the Ohio Preservation Council and Intermuseum Conservation Association, this workshop is for anyone who cares for collections of libraries, museums, government agencies, churches, or non-profit organizations.

Learn about the difference between preservation and conservation, how to prepare for a disaster, what resources are available on the internet, and much other useful information.

RSVP by December 7, 2009 to ensure plenty of information packets.

Retiring from teaching in 1982, Betty joined the staff of the Center for Archival Collections, researching topics in northwest Ohio history. She wrote The Marblehead Lighthouse: Lake Erie’s Eternal Flame, published in 1996, and was responsible for encouraging the donation of a number of manuscript collections to the CAC, including those of the Canal Society of Ohio.

The CAC celebrated its 40th Anniversary with a program of presentations by our researcher-friends, a social hour and dinner on September 10, 2009. The event was held at Nazareth Hall in Grand Rapids, Ohio.

Dr. James Bissland, our keynote speaker, discussed the ways in which the CAC’s collections had helped him write his new book, Blood, Tears, and Glory: How Ohioans Won the Civil War.

Dr. Janice Gerda’s presentation focused on the continuing usefulness of CAC’s National Student Affairs Archives in her research and in the development of her profession.

Dr. Edmund Danziger was “there at the birth” of the CAC and recalled its founding. The CAC provides a unique opportunity for his students to use primary sources in their classwork.

Brenda Ransom, now Wood County Records Manager, recounted the history of the CAC’s relationship with the local governments in our region and the vital service performed in microfilming and making their records accessible to the public.

Dr. Matthew Daley of Grand Valley State University was a graduate student at BGSU when he learned about the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes. He described his continuing research in our collections and the excitement of introducing others to the discoveries to be made there.

A social and cocktail hour followed the speakers, allowing guests to mingle and renew old friendships. In addition to donors and academics, colleagues past and present were able to chat at length. A multimedia presentation was available, highlighting the people and events of the CAC’s past.

The finale of the evening was a dinner for participants, allowing further conversation.

The Center for Archival Collections will mark forty years of service at a gala celebration on September 10, 2009. Held at Nazareth Hall in Grand Rapids, Ohio, the festivities begin at 3:30, with Keynote speaker, Dr. James Bissland, author of Blood, Tears, and Glory: How Ohioans Won the Civil War. Other featured speakers include Dr. Janice Gerda, Dr. Edmund Danziger, Ms. Brenda Ransom, and Dr. Matthew Daley.  Following a book signing by Dr. Bissland, dinner will be served.  Recognitions and remembrances of some of the significant people and events in the CAC’s history will round out the evening.

The CAC reference area was the scene of a great deal of hustle and bustle.  For ten days in July, staff and researchers made room for construction workers and furniture movers.  The old carpeting was worn and frayed and the tables and chairs had a rummage sale variety.  Card catalogs no longer in use were taking up valuable floor space.

The photograph at left shows the newly-bare floors ready for the installation of carpet tiles.

At right, the new carpeting is in place and ready for furniture.  The CAC Conference Room was also updated during this remodeling, complete with carpeting, and new tables and chairs.

Below, the scene that will greet researchers when they arrive at the CAC. The new service desk allows staff to see the entire reference area and easily lend assistance. Patrons will have more usable area in the reading room. Just a few final touch-ups remain and our remodeling will be complete.

Manuscripts ready for use.

The CAC Reference Area will have a new look soon.  The area will be under construction July 6-15, 2009.  Researchers should come to the 6th Floor for assistance.

A graduate of the University of Minnesota, she taught French at BGSU from 1961 until her retirement in 1985.  The author of more than 30 books and hundreds of articles and reviews, she was know for her work in French Renaissance literature and in Quebecois literature and cinema.  She was the founder and Creatiave Director of the Pallister Francophone Canadian Lecture Series.

A poet, translator, literary scholar, critic, philanthropist and champion of French-speaking artists around the world, Pallister’s contributions to the University and to the world of intellectuals are great. A tangible example on the BGSU campus is the Pallister Conference Room in Jerome Library, which bears her name in recognition of her longstanding and generous support of the library and her 1996 donation which funded the restoration of the building’s signature but decaying exterior murals.

Pallister was named Distinguished University Professor of Romance Languages by the BGSU Board of Trustees in 1979.  The University Professorship is the highest honor given to BGSU faculty, awarded only to those who hold the rank of professor and whose creative and professional achievements have won national distinction beyond the limitations of a narrow field of interest.

Among her other awards:

• Ohio Education Association’s Human Relations Award
• BGSU Alumni Association, Honorary Alumnus
• University of Minnesota, Alumnus of Achivement
• Phi Kappa Phi Faculty Scholar award
• International Council for Francophone Studies Lifetime Achievement Award

Looking forward to BGSU’s 100th Anniversary, the Center for Archival Collections has created a quiz series for alumni and friends of the university, based on the game BGSU Trivia. Test your knowledge of BGSU’s past and present with twelve questions. Please try Quiz #1, and have fun!

Among his many works are:
A Season for Unnatural Causes (1970)
Old Morals, Small Continents, Darker Times (1971)
Stealing Home (1979)
Ohio Woman (1985)
Defending Civilization (1988)
Finding Brendan (1991)
Martin’s World (1993)

To read more about Professor O’Connor’s many accomplishments and to post condolences, a blog site in his memory is available at http://www.philipfoconnor.com

MS 724 – Philip F. O’Connor Collection
Papers, 1960s-1994
Correspondence, literary manuscripts, books, and printed material by novelist and co-founder of Bowling Green State University’s Creative Writing Program. Rare Books Collection.