Library Newsletter Fall 2003

In This Issue:

• From the Director's Desk
• The History of Georgia Southwestern State University - Part II 1926-1931!
• What's New
• The Case of the Cases
  

  The fall semester has begun with its usual burst of activities.  The library has an active instructional program which includes participation in the University's orientation course for all Freshmen (UNIV1000) and a program of customized classes where the Library works closely with GSW faculty to meet the needs of specific courses.  New and returning students and faculty were greeted by the Library's new floor on level 1 which significantly brightened the environment.  Over the summer the Library also received a new roof.  Our display program continues apace as described elsewhere in this issue.  The latest Library display marking the accomplishments of President and Mrs. Carter was created by Mrs. Tishana Smith, our Display Coordinator, in honor of an exciting event which took place in the Library on September 30th.  The Library was selected as the site for a new portrait of former President and Mrs. Carter and had the honor and pleasure of hosting the unveiling by Dr. Hanes and the Director, lovely and laudatory responses by President and Mrs. Carter, and ended with some closing remarks by the Director.  We invite our readers to drop by the Library to view the display and the portrait located on level 1 near the front entrance.  We hope you enjoy our lead article, Part II of the ongoing series by our editor, Mrs. Laurie Lucas, on the history of GSW, and again request that you contact us about any information or materials you may have relating to GSW as we develop our Centennial project, the GSW Historical Collection.  The Library extends its thanks and appreciation to all its supporters.

Vera J. Weisskopf Director of the Library vjw@canes.gsw.edu

In 1931, the school year was changed from seven sessions to four quarters of 12 weeks each.  More than 50 courses were offered.  A few correspondence courses were offered at a fee of $3.00 per hour.  During the 5 years of operation as a junior college, Americus Normal College enrolled more than 1500 students and graduated 240 students.  Emphasis was placed on teacher training during this period of the school's history.

The school day began with an assembly at 8:30 a.m. and continued without interruption until 2:00 p.m.  A placement bureau aided graduating students in finding teaching positions.  A training school consisting of the 7 elementary grades was established to help education students develop teaching skills.  Students received honor points: 3 for an "A" grade, 2 for a "B" grade and 1 for a "C" grade.  To graduate a total of 109 honor points were required.  An unexcused absence deducted 1/6 of an honor point.  During these years, the "Blue List" was introduced.  This was a list of students who attended class regularly without being tardy and maintained a "C" average.  Students on this list were awarded with a holiday on the last Friday of the month!

Through these years, the college continued to grow and improve the curriculum, teaching staff, equipment, buildings and grounds. Additionally, students were organized into activity groups that added much to the culture and entertainment of campus life. There was a Music Club, Athletic Club, Debater's Club, Sophomore Orchestra, Americus Normal Quartette, Drama Club, Glee Club, Chopin Club, Da Vinci Club, 4-H Club, Hikers Club, and Ad Club, to name a few.  The first issue of a literary magazine, the A.N.C. Quarterly, produced by the Sophomore class, was published in 1931.  This magazine contained essays, short stories, book reviews, poems and humor.

The college's library had its beginning in 1926 when students, teachers, and the community gave a collection of books to the school.  Included were books on literature, science, history, agriculture, biography, religion and fiction.  The first library was open one hour in the morning and four hours in the afternoon.

...coming in Part III: Georgia Southwestern College 1931-1939. The information for this article was taken from Macy Bishop Gray's book, Through the Years: A Brief Information Record of Georgia Southwestern College 1908-1957.  Macy Bishop Gray was GSW's librarian from 1931 to 1966.  Miss Macy's book is located in the Rare Books Room of the Library and can be checked out.

Personnel and Human Resource Management
Gerald A. Cole
HF5549 .C5614

Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age
David H. Rose
LB1031 .R67

Southern Local Color
Barbara Ewell
PS552 .S557

Fragile Peace
Tobias Debiel
D860 .F74

While in the library, please take time to observe the wonderful display cases.  Each of them is very informative as well as beautifully coordinated.  Two of the display cases are located on the first floor of the library and two are located on the second floor.

Mrs. Tishana Smith, the library's Government Documents Assistant and Display Coordinator, is very talented and selects perfect pictures, printed material and objects for the displays.  She then creates labels and selects colorful fabric or other background materials to enhance the items on display.  She utilizes materials from the library's Government Documents collections, from the Main collection, from the Third World collection, and from the Rare Books room.  She has created a variety of displays and continues to create them so that they coincide with the ever-changing news and events.  Some titles of her many displays are as follows:  Sumter County & Surrounding Counties, October-National Safety Awareness Month, Thanksgiving Day, Martin Luther King, Jr., President's Day, Black History, Springfest, Some of Mother Nature's Handiwork, Brazil, Mexico, Diversity at GSW, A Few Government Documents in American History, Information about Terrorism, Information about Vietnam, Social Security Administration, Jimmy Carter's Birthday, Information about the Library of Congress and Native Americans.

During the Christmas holidays the main display case is filled with a winter wonderland village created by Lee Ann Dalzell who is our Cataloger/Database Manager Librarian.  Over the years she has completed several needlepoint Christmas villages complete with a blanket of snow and figurines.  Some of the buildings are from charts in Needlepoint Village books and the rest are music box kits by Mary Maxim.

During GSW's History Day in March, 2002, Alan Marsh from the National POW Museum in Andersonville set up a Vietnam POW display entitled Breaking the Bonds: American Prisoners of War in Vietnam.  The display included personal items brought back by the prisoners as well as a book entitled Honor Bound, the History of American Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973.

The library also houses a GSW Historical Collection display filled with old photographs of people, groups and buildings dating from the early 1920's through the 1970's.

Upstairs are two display cases filled with African artifacts that were collected by Mr. and Mrs. Donald Abbot during their travels to the countries of Zimbabwe and Zambia.  One of these cases is located in the Third World African/Black History Room.  The other is located next to the bulletin board.  These beautiful artifacts are on indefinite loan to the library.

The library is proud of the talent that goes into the coordination of its display cases.