Inscribed items by Alabama native Helen Keller: A Gift of Betsy Plank, 2007

A small exhibit is now on display in the lobby of the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library. The items were part of a gift to The University of Alabama Libraries by Betsy Plank, UA alumna and pioneer in the field of Public Relations. These items are all inscribed by Alabama native, Helen Keller (1880 -1968), a longtime friend of Ms. Plank’s family.

The photograph and the book Midstream are inscribed to her aunt Adeline by Ms. Keller, her teacher Anne Sullivan, and Ms. Keller’s companion, Polly Thompson. The book, Helen Keller’s Journal is inscribed to Bettye Hood Plank, Ms. Plank’s mother.

Helen Adams Keller was an author, activist and lecturer and is known internationally for her courage and triumph over adversity. Her story was made famous through dramatic productions of the Miracle Worker, both on the stage and screen.

At the age of 24, Keller graduated magna cum laude from Radcliffe College, making her the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor’s Degree. She went on to author numerous works, and to speak and advocate for numerous causes the world over. A prolific author, she was well traveled, and was outspoken in her opposition to war. She campaigned for women's suffrage, workers' rights and socialism, as well as many other progressive causes.

Fellow Alabamian Betsy Plank graduated from The University of Alabama in 1944 and went on to a stellar career in public relations, eventually becoming known as “public relations’ first lady” and garnering numerous awards. In 2004, the UA Board of Trustees adopted a resolution establishing the Betsy Plank Center for Public Relations Studies to promote “effective and ethical representation of institutions, organizations, ideas and individuals.” As donor for the Center and to University Libraries, Ms. Plank has demonstrated her continued dedication to the University, its students and society.

Photograph of these materials by Zach Riggins, UA Photography.

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King and his Dream

Dr. Martin Luther King would have been 79 years old on January 15th. In April of 1968 when he was just 39 years old, he was taken from us. And his legacy of a quest for justice, peace, and equality lives on in so many ways.

Seen below is the first page and mailing envelope fom an early copy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. This letter was sent to Reverend Joe C. Higginbotham, a Birmingham minister, in April of 1963 and was given to the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library by the Higginbotham family in memory of Reverend Higginbotham and in honor of UA's Black Faculty and Staff Association.



We celebrate the birthday of Dr. King as an opportunity to remember his message and dream of justice, equality and peace, and not as a "day off" but a "day on". In 1994 the US Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act, designating the MLK Holiday as a national day of volunteer service. Instead of a day off from work or school, Congress asked Americans of all backgrounds and ages to celebrate Dr. King's legacy by turning community concerns into citizen action. The King Day of Service brings together people who might not ordinarily meet, breaks down barriers that have divided us in the past, leads to better understanding and ongoing relationships, and is an opportunity to recruit new volunteers for your ongoing work. To learn more about MLK Day, visit http://www.mlkday.gov/
The image of Dr. King above is from the King Center website.

Happy Birthday to Alabama's own Clarence Carter!

Patches [sound recording] / Clarence Carter. (Detail)
New York : Atlantic, c1970. Sound disc : 33 1/3 rpm, stereo. ; 12 in. From the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library Wade Hall Sound Recording Collection, LP 14010

January 14 is the birthday of Clarence Carter, a native of Montgomery, Alabama. Carter was educated at the Alabama School for the Blind in Talladega and Alabama State College in Montgomery with a Bachelor's Degree in music. He released his first album, This is Clarence Carter, forty years ago in 1968.

Carter's career spans four decades, with his most known hit being th 1970 song, Patches, which reached #2 on the UK charts and #4 on the US pop charts and was nominated for a Grammy in 1972. Carter was inducted in the Alabama Music Hall of fame in 2002.

Carter recorded Patches, and several other songs in Muscle Shoals -- where recording artists of all stripes - pop, jazz, rock, soul, and country, made hits using that famous Muscle Shoals sound. Carter reinvented himself for a whole new audience in the 1980s and 1990s with songs like Strokin'. His most recent album was released in 2007 entitled, The Final Stroke.

The W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library's holdings include excellent resources for those interested in learning more about Alabama's rich and diverse musical history. Materials from the Wade Hall Collection of Southern History and Culture, as well as our sound recording and sheet music collections and manuscript collections and of course materials from the Alabama Collection, provide a wealth of information on Alabama music.

Speaking of Sound Recordings, be sure to stop by and see Hear Hair Here: Hair Do's and Hair Don'ts from the Hoole Special Collections Library.

A Roast of another Kind -- Congratulations Graduates!

Among the 900 students to graduate on December 15th, 2007, one of them just happens to be legendary Crimson Tide and NFL football star Joe Namath. Congratulations to you Joe, and to all of the UA graduates!

Joe Namath first came to The University of Alabama as a student in the early 1960s, and went on to an incredible career that included and transcends professional football. He is a true celebrity -- beloved on this campus and all over the world.

The image featured here is held at the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library, and is from a Dean Martin Celebrity Roast from the 1970s. He is pictured with legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, and host Dean Martin. It is a great example of the Hoole Library's ongoing efforts to document University of Alabama history and culture -- from the classroom, to the gridiron, to Hollywood and beyond.

The Hoole Library's photographs are growing and diverse collection of historic and contemporary photographs occupying approximately 150 linear feet. Included are photographs of individuals, structures, and scenes from around Alabama, as well as of people, buildings, and events at The University of Alabama. The earliest photographic image of the University dates to 1859. The Hoole Library is home to an impressive collection of photographs of nearly every format and type including salted paper print; matte collodion; daguerreotype; tintype; cyanotypes; ambrotype; and albumen.

To access a growing digital resource of University photographs, something we're calling "The University of Alabama Encyclopedia" click here.

Congratulations again to UA grads! And remember, the best place in the world to better understand, document, and access the history of your soon-to-be alma mater is right on The University of Alabama campus! Roll Tide!

Need a break? Let your hair down with Hear Hair Here! Hairdos and Hair Don'ts from the Hoole Library's Sound Recording Collections

If the stress of final exams, papers, and the holidays have you down, and you want to take a little break -- please stop by the lobby of the Hoole Special Collections Library and see our exhibit, Hear Hair Here! Hair Do's and Hair Don't From the Hoole Library's Sound Recording Collections. Most of the records selected are from the Wade Hall Collection of Southern History and Culture and feature some amazing, gravity-defying looks that will brighten your day! The Hoole Library is open M-F 8 am to 5 pm, with Thursday evening hours until 9 p m.

I’ll pray for you [sound recording] / The Liberty Sounds.
Central City, Ky. : Cardinal, [196-?]
1 sound disc : 33 1/3 rpm, stereo. ; 12 in.
Wade Hall Sound Recordings | LP 9514

Quiet fire [sound recording] / Roberta Flack.
New York : Atlantic, 1971.
1 sound disc : 33 1/3 rpm, stereo. ; 12 in.
Wade Hall Sound Recordings | LP 13188

Loujon Press -- It catches my Heart in my Hands by Bukowski

What you'll see at the lecture tonight in addition to a great talk and a cool documentary --

It catches my heart in my hands, by Charles Bukowski; new and selected poems, 1955-1963. Title: It catches my heart in my hands, by Charles Bukowski; new and selected poems, 1955-1963. Introduction by John William Corrington. Designed, edited & printed by Jon Edgar Webb and Louise Webb.

Publication Information: [New Orleans] Loujon Press [1963]
[4] 97 [4] p. illus. 26 cm. Gypsy Lou series, no. 1
Illustrated by the author. "First printing, October 1963." Edition limited to 777 copies, hand printed and hand bound on Linweave Spectra paper of various colors and widths, and signed by the author. "Errata": p. [99]. Two inserts : one by Jon & Louise Webb, one by author. Libraries copy signed by author.

Exhibit Mashup No. 1: Dickens meets Goetzel meets the WPA

A new exhibit will be on display in the lobby of the Hoole Library beginning next week, which features some incredible little artifacts in our collections. These figurines were created as part of the WPA-funded project, the Alabama Visual Education Program.

The Alabama Visual Education Project came out of cooperation between The State Department of Education and the Visual Education Project of the Work Projects Administration. It provided a way for public schools in Alabama to purchase high quality visual aids for education purposes at a low cost. Some of these items are now housed in the Hoole Special Collections Library, including a catalog from 1940 listing items which were available for purchase by Alabama public schools. Also included in the collection are the instructional books Flags, Seals, and Coat of Arms of Alabama published in 1939 and History of Western Costume: prehistoric through nineteenth century, published in the 1930’s and featuring 114 full color plates with detailed descriptions.

We have chosen to exhibit this set of beautifully carved and painted wooden figures depicting characters from Charles Dickens novels. It is understood that decades ago, this set was used for teaching/visual aids by UA's English Department. Also created was a set of Shakespeare figures and Chaucer figures, but only two of the other figures are part of the Hoole Collections.

These tiny figures taken from Charles Dickens' novels and the hand-made wooden storage boxes are compelling and unique items to behold. The Hoole Library also holds a scale model of Shakespeare's Globe Theater, which was created as part of this project.

This exhibit features just the Dickens characters, as well as some of Dickens' works housed at the Hoole Library, as well as images from these books -- of course featuring his compelling and classic Victorian morality tale, A Christmas Carol.

The most important volume from our collections exhibited is an 1863 edition of Great Expectations printed by Goetzel in Mobile in 1863. This confederate imprint, though rebound at some point long ago in a library binding is an important piece of Alabama history. Please stop by and see this unique convergence of Victorian London, Confederate-era Mobile, and Depression-era Tuscaloosa. This exhibit was developed largely by Amy Allen, SLIS graduate assistant, working with Jessica Lacher-Feldman.