Winter Break Library Hours Dec 18 - Jan 21

Happy Winter Break!

Library Hours for Winter Break are:

Saturday 12/16/2017 & Sunday 12/17/2017	Library Closed
Monday 12/18/2017 - Friday 12/22/2017	8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday 12/23/2017 - Monday 1/1/2018	Library Closed
Tuesday 1/2/2018 - Friday 1/5/2018	8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday 1/6/2018 & Sunday 1/7/2018	Library Closed
Monday 1/8/2018 - Friday 1/12/2018	8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday 1/13/2018 & Sunday 1/14/2018	Library Closed
Monday 1/15/2018 (MLK Day)	Library Closed
Tuesday 1/16/2018 - Friday 1/19/2018	8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday 1/20/2018 & Sunday 1/21/2018	10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Regular hours resume Monday, January 22, 2018!

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#TBT in the Archives 12/7/17: End of semester studies

With the fall semester coming to a close, most students (graduate and undergraduate) are frantically completing term papers, preparing for exams, and presenting final projects. In the midst of all this, everyone is doing the same thing - stressing out!

Studying, projects and stress are a normal part of the college experience - even at Shippensburg. And though current students have the benefit of the internet, group chats, and other web tools to complete their projects and help them along, students of the past also found ways to efficiently complete the semester.

Of course, one's dorm room has always been a favorite place to study, even though friends and roommates might be distracting.

A Shippensburg student studies in his room during the 1952-1951 academic year.

Another student and a friend (hidden behind the newspaper at right) take time to catch up on the news in 1952.

When the weather allows, campus lawns offer a relaxing place to meet with friends and catch up with work. Though the weather is currently a bit cold for students to enjoy that study method, spring temperatures will return in a few months.

Springtime studies outdoors.

Students study outside the library in 1989.

In 1977 the Department of Academic Services published a helpful booklet called Your Study Skills or ... The Care and Feeding of Your Grade Point Average. Available at the time at the college bookstore or by visiting the department, the booklet written by campus administrators offered helpful tips on taking notes, preparing for tests, completing research papers, and other crucial parts of completing college.


These suggestions for test anxiety shared in 1977's Your Study Skills or... The Care and Feeding of Your Grade Point Average still have useful advice for students in 2017: Get enough sleep, put things in perspective, get organized, and take a deep breath.

Though some of these 1977 suggestions about the library might be outdated (tapes, cassettes and filmstrips?) the Ezra Lehman Library remains a favorite resource for stressed Shippensburg students.

Students in the reference section of the library in 1977.

As computers became increasingly useful to students in the late 1980s and early 1990s, computer labs were available across campus for various applications including preparing typed final term papers. Today, computer labs and laptops available at the library's circulation desk continue to be vital tools for students.

Computers sure looked different in the 1990s! But the looks of concentration worn by these students certainly seem familiar!

Though study tools and hairstyles may have changed, Shippensburg students continue to face the end of each semester bravely, completing tests and papers despite the stress. Shippensburg University Archives & Special Collections has lots of images and yearbooks depicting study sessions of the past as well as a copy of Your Study Skills or... The Care and Feeding of Your Grade Point Average. To look at these, make an appointment to visit by emailing specialcollections@ship.edu.

Are you feeling stressed as you study and prepare for finals? A variety of resources are available to help you succeed! Librarians are able to help you navigate library resources and databases and figure out citations. Plus, the Learning Center on the main floor of the library (http://learning.ship.edu/home) can help with writing coaching and content tutoring. Don't forget to take a break from all of your hard work -- visit Lehman Library's galleries to enjoy fun "Winter Stress & Decompress" activities such as cutting out paper snowflakes, doing puzzles, and coloring. Good luck!


Sources
Barbara Crist and Len Czarnecki, Your Study Skills or ... The Care and Feeding of Your Grade Point Average (Shippensburg: Shippensburg Collegiate Press, 1977).
Cumberland 1952 (Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg State Teachers College, 1952).
Cumberland 1970, (Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg State College, 1970).
Photographs, Record Group 30, Shippensburg University Archives & Special Collections, Shippensburg, PA.

Finals Week Library Hours Dec 10 to Dec 15

Happy Finals Week!
During Fianls Week the library will be open late:

Sunday, December 10, Noon - 1:00 am (mon)
Monday, December 11, 7:30am - 1:00 am (tue)
Tuesday, December 12, 7:30am - 1:00 am (wed)
Wednesday, December 13, 7:30am - 1:00 am (thu)
Thursday, December 14, 7:30am - 1:00 am (fri)
Friday, December 15, 7:30am - 11:00 pm
Saturday, December 16, Library Closed
Sunday, December 17, Library Closed


Monday, December 19: Intersession Hours Begin

Extended Library Hours Dec 3 to Dec 9

Finals Week Approaches!
During the week before finals, the library will be open for extended hours:

Sunday, December 3, Noon - 1:00 am (mon)
Monday, December 4, 7:30am - 1:00 am (tue)
Tuesday, December 5, 7:30am - 1:00 am (wed)
Wednesday, December 6, 7:30am - 1:00 am (thu)
Thursday, December 7, 7:30am - 1:00 am (fri)
Friday, December 8, 7:30am - 11:00 pm
Saturday, December 9, 9:00am - 9:00 pm

Sunday, December 10: Finals Week Hours Begin

#TBT in the Archives 11/16/17: Thanksgiving

Turkey Day is just around the corner! As Shippensburg students get ready to take a few days off, see family, eat delicious meals, and give thanks, we thought it would be fun to explore past Thanksgiving celebrations on campus.

Students attending Cumberland Valley State Normal School in the early 20th century liked to save napkins from special dinners and events on campus. Several in the archives are from trips to Washington D.C., and others are connected to dinners and dances. The person who saved the napkins often wrote the date of the event and the occasion, and in some cases, had their friends sign. A Thanksgiving napkin at the archives is decorated with cherries and greenery and is dated 1906.

A napkin from the 1906 Thanksgiving dinner.

Much like today, the campus came together at the end of each November to enjoy a formal Thanksgiving meal. Though turkey and gravy were always on the menu, the vegetables and pies offered each year tended to change.


Mashed potatoes, celery, creamed onions and candied sweet potatoes were the side dishes in 1922. The meal closed with a mince pie a la mode. "Saratoga Flakes," listed next to the salad, is a type of frosted flake cereal.

Ten students signed this Thanksgiving menu from 1923.  Some side dishes disappeared this year, and the dessert was apple pie with ice cream. 

Dessert changed again to peach pie in 1924, and sweet potatoes returned to the menu. Also offered were buttered peas.

The economic turmoil of the 1930s meant the 1931 Thanksgiving menu was not printed in an ornate pamphlet. However, students still ate their fill of traditional Thanksgiving dishes, including buttered carrots, and pumpkin custard pie a la mode.

Not only did Thanksgiving mean food and friends, but Shippensburg students also celebrated with football games and theater. In 1924, Shippensburg battled Slippery Rock on the gridiron, and students could watch for just 50 cents.

1924 football ticket.

Dramatic plays were also on the menu, with students playing starring roles.


 A cast photo for "Stop Thief," performed November 27, 1919.

The cast of "Green Stockings," presented in November 1921.

Whether it be football, theater, or food, Shippensburg students have always made the most of the Thanksgiving holiday. What are your plans for Thanksgiving 2017?


Sources:
Class Files, Shippensburg University Archives & Special Collections, Shippensburg, PA.
Oversize photographs, Record Group 31, Shippensburg University Archives & Special Collections, Shippensburg, PA.
Photographs, Record Group 30, Shippensburg University Archives & Special Collections, Shippensburg, PA.

Turkey Day Break Library Hours - Nov 21 to Nov 27

Happy Turkey Day Break 2017!

Library Hours for the 2017 Thanksgiving week and weekend are:

• Monday 11/20 Regular Hours
• Tuesday 11/21 7:30 a.m. -- 10:00 p.m.
• Wednesday 11/22 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
• Thursday 11/23 Closed for Thanksgiving Break
• Friday 11/24 Closed for Thanksgiving Break
• Saturday 11/25 Closed for Thanksgiving Break
• Sunday 11/26 4:00 p.m. -- Midnight

Regular hours resume Monday 11/27/2017
Remember, Library Extended Hours start the week before Finals Week!

Flashback to earlier Thanksgiving activities at Ship with this #TBT in the Archives post from 2015!

#TBT in the Archives 11/9/2017: Pennsylvania Museum Extension Project

As part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal during the Great Depression, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) put millions of people to work throughout the United States. In Pennsylvania, the WPA's most ambitious project involved arts and education in the form of the Pennsylvania Museum Extension Project (MEP).

Based in Harrisburg with workshops located across the state, the Museum Extension Project was the first of its kind in the nation when it launched in 1935. It ended up producing millions of models, art pieces, illustrations, dioramas, and more for use by educators in public schools across the state.

A display case containing 24 varieties of crop seeds showed students the first step in growing food.

With training educators as its main mission during the Great Depression, Shippensburg State Teachers College had a model elementary training school on campus attended by local primary school students. Thanks to the Museum Extension Project, the model school and future teachers had the use of a wide variety of models, dioramas and lantern slides to teach history and science.

These materials now reside at Shippensburg University Archives & Special Collections, and many of the dioramas are on display on the main floor in the Learning Center.


A scale model of Eli Whitney's cotton gin connected students to the spark of the industrial revolution.

Museum Extension Program leaders tried to locate workshops in communities where skilled artisans resided. For example, a workshop in Lancaster County produced scale models of furniture and related items. Some of these models are in Shippensburg's collection.

This tiny printing press only occupies approximately six square inches, but offers a detailed view of a crucial piece of early technology.

By 1939, project staffers began working with the Pennsylvania Historical Commission (later the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission) to document historic sites, houses, and other structures. As a part of this relationship, the MEP began producing dioramas of these sites. Many are in the Shippensburg collection.

A model of a pueblo village.

Dioramas depicting industry, like this oil well, showed students industry close to home.

Still other products of the MEP included lantern slides, which could be used by teachers to show students models and dioramas that did not physically exist in the collection. Dozens of lantern slides at Shippensburg show classical and indigenous dwellings. Other lantern slides include plates showing the traditional costumes of native peoples of the Americas and Asia.

Dioramas and models are on display in Ezra Lehman Memorial Library anytime the library is open. To check out the lantern slides and accompanying description, make an appointment by emailing specialcollections@ship.edu.

Sources:

Curtis Miner, "Art With a Purpose: Pennsylvania's Museum Extension Project, 1935-1943," in Pennsylvania Heritage (Spring 2008), accessed November 7, 2017, http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/pa-heritage/art-with-purpose-pennsylvania-museum-extension-project-1935-1943.html

Pennsylvania Museum Extension Project Collection, Shippensburg University Archives & Special Collections, Shippensburg, PA.

#TBT in the Archives 11/2/17: Books on Exhibit

As the weather gets colder, there's nothing more comforting than curling up with a good book and some hot tea - no matter your age!

Shippensburg State College librarians in the 1950s definitely believed everything is better with a book, and launched a program to put Cumberland County teachers and school librarians in touch with the latest "junior library books" available for young readers.

Launched in 1957, "Books on Exhibit" was a traveling collection of books that toured the county during the academic year to make it easy for teachers to choose new titles for their students. The exhibit opened at the beginning of November at Ezra Lehman Memorial Library.

The 1957 Books on Exhibit launched in early November.

In 1958, "Books on Exhibit" dominated the downstairs of the library (then located in Huber). Children from the campus laboratory school were welcome to peruse the new selections.


Books like Rockets, Satellites, and Space Travel were among the books that caught these boys' attention.

The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, as read by the girl in the foreground, was a new book for 1958.

Books for all levels of young readers were displayed.

Teachers from Shippensburg schools as well as aspiring teachers attending Shippensburg State College also wandered the exhibit.

Teachers share Books on Exhibit finds with one another.

There was something for every classroom library on display.

The exhibit continued for several years and could be scheduled to visit any Cumberland County school by contacting librarians at Ezra Lehman Memorial Library. 


The new Library Science program was announced in the same 1959 edition of The Slate as "Books on Exhibit."

Sources:
Books on Exhibit, 1958, Photographs, Record Group 30, Series 4, Box 1, Shippensburg University Archives & Special Collections, Shippensburg, PA.
The Slate, Shippensburg, PA

A Lehman Library Halloween

A Lehman Library Halloween

Halloween at Lehman Library was full of costumes and candy. Here are some photos of students and employees in their festive fare:

Christy Fic, Archives and Special Collections Librarian and Maggie Albro, STEM Librarian, as Rarity and Miss Frizzle:

A student getting library business done, dino-style:

Instruction Librarian Josefine Smith as The Little Mermaid:

Reference and Instruction Librarian Kira Piper as the ultimate Orioles fan

We hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween! What did you dress up as and why?

#TBT in the Archives 10/26/17: Historic homecomings

Another Shippensburg University homecoming passed into history last weekend as thousands of Shippensburg alumni returned to campus to watch the Raiders best Millersville 51-14 as well as parade through town, reconnect with friends, and crown this year's king and queen. As you recover from the weekend's festivities, we thought it would be fun to revisit past homecomings this week.

Homecoming has been an annual tradition at Shippensburg since 1925. The first game was held October 31 when the Shippensburg Normal football team faced off against West Chester. Alumni were invited to attend the festivities, and the program featured details and photos of the team and coach.

1925 homecoming program

By 1930, homecoming had turned into a beloved campus event, alumni were issued tickets, and the Varsity Club issued tags emblazoned with the letter "S" to enable spectators to clearly display their allegiance.

Game ticket, November 15, 1930

Varsity Club homecoming tag from the fall of 1930.

In the 1930s, homecoming was the main time alumni returned to campus, and as a result, events took on the theme of reunion. A highlight of the weekend was a dinner held by the college president after the game, which was attended by alumni. Current students attended a school dance after the game.

1930 homecoming menu

The 1930 homecoming dinner featured roasted turkey and stuffing as well as the "Alumni Special" Salad, which contained cheese wafers and Russian dressing among other mystery ingredients. The dinner tradition continued in 1940 with nearly the same menu. Roasted turkey was likely an alumni favorite.

1940 homecoming menu

The 1940 homecoming dinner also included musical entertainment and speeches.

Homecoming has continued to be a popular Ship tradition. In 1992, President Anthony Ceddia and his wife enjoyed riding through the homecoming parade in an antique automobile.

President Ceddia took part in the 1992 homecoming parade

The 2002 homecoming game was rainy, but that didn't stop a full house at Grove Stadium or an "American Idol" competition in the CUB that weekend.

The 2002 homecoming game was reviewed in the 2003 Cumberland yearbook.

And in 2014, the yearbook dedicated several pages to the homecoming court, marching band, and other highlights, not to mention the football game itself!

The 2013 homecoming king and queen (top picture) celebrated with the new king and queen (bottom picture) in 2014.

Homecoming continues to be a great day to make memories at Ship! We hope everyone had a great time last weekend.


Sources:
Class Files, 1925, 1930, 1931, and 1941, Shippensburg University Archives & Special Collections, Shippensburg, PA.
Cumberland 1993, Shippensburg, PA.
Cumberland 2003, Shippensburg, PA.
Cumberland 2015, Shippensburg, PA.

SU Archives Celebrates American Archives Month

A Collection Highlight!

American Archives Month

          Each October Lehman Library Celebrates American Archives Month. American Archives Month was established in 2006 to bring more recognition, appreciation, and overall understanding for what archives house and why they are important. This year, Lehman Library’s Special Collections is honoring American Archives Month by highlighting the McCune Collection.

McCune Collection

          The documents in this collection tell a story of the trials and successes that board members faced during the organization of the Shippensburg Normal School (Shippensburg University) in the late 19^th century.  The materials show how different challenges were met and what worked and what did not.  The biggest challenge was the financial trouble that surrounded the school during its infancy.  There are debt collection letters, unpaid bill receipts, and correspondence between board members that express the dire situation and possible solutions.  The collection also tells the story of technological advancements and cultural dynamics during the late 19^th century.  Below are just a few examples from this invaluable collection.

Above is a list of people who were paid for services to the school during the month of October 1874.  Below is a receipt for payment to a gentleman for “7 ½ days work at Normal School” for a total of $9.37. Most of these receipts were written on torn scraps of paper now discolored from all the years gone by. Employees ranged from skilled and unskilled labor, and were white, black, male and female.  Mary Gross and Arabella Taylor, listed above, were both black women.  Mary was unable to read or write and a widowed mother of several children. Arabella is listed as a black woman but also as a Mulatto from Virginia. She had been the housekeeper of a

Chambersburg physician.

The document above shows the tuition charged to one female student in 1890.  It also shows the state aid she received and her graduation fee. The document below shows a total of $70 was paid by a student for both tuition and room and board. Students paid additional fees to use the gymnasium.  They also paid more for special art and music lessons.

The 1894 documents below are from a few creditors of the Shippensburg Normal School asking to be paid for services already rendered.  It was not just businesses who went unpaid, but students were not given timely refunds and faculty also found their salaries in arrears at times.

The last document is an early letter dated 1870 from John McCune, Esquire, who also became one of the first members of the school’s Board of Trustees.  Mr. McCune discussed the reactions of some on how the project (school) would be funded.  He discussed the possible use of scholarships rather than shares.  Eventually, creators used a stock-holder based system to finance the creation of the school that continued to be a major funding source for some time.

Contact SU’s Archives and Special Collections

Lehman Library’s Archives and Special Collections is located on the upper level of Ezra Lehman Memorial Library, in room 207. We are open by appointment only. Please email specialcollections@ship.edu or call 717-477-1123 (x3357) to schedule an appointment, or for more information.