Library Committee Report, October 26, 1971

 LIBRARY COMMITTEE REPORT
 
 The Library Committee of the Barnard women's Center met at one p.m. on
 Tuesday, October 26th in the office of Julie Marsteller. Present were: Iola
 Haverstick, Robert Palmer, Eleanor Tilton, Suzanne Wemple, Pat Ballou , Julie
 Marsteller, Marilyn Harris, Mary Scotti. Catharine Stimpson appeared briefly
 to thank everyone for serving on the Committee.
 
 The following decisions were reached by the Committee:
 
 I) Policy with respect to donations of books by and/or about women: It
 was decided to consider a policy consistent with the present situation in the
 Barnard library. Thus, donations of books on women related to women studies
 courses would be placed in the stacks or on reserve as they are now; rare books
 by and/or about American women would be placed in the Overbury Collection. Due
 to space limitations as well as to the need to discourage indis’criminate gifts
 of books we don't want, it was decided that a policy of adding judiciously to
 the collections should be the rule of thumb. Basically, we would prefer donations
 of purchase money, but we are grateful for intelligent donations and wish to
 thank Elly Elliott for securing The Bonnett Brigades by Mary Elizabeth Massey
 for us. Professor Tilton noted two additions that would be welcomed for the
 Overbury Collection. These are a first edition of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle
 
 Tom's Cabin and a first edition of Margaret Fuller's Summer-at the Lakes in ififif.
 
 2) The Overbury Collection: It was decided that a subject file was badly
 needed for the Collection. Mrs. Overbury left some endownent for the collection»
 and the interest has been accruing so that there is $2,500 in the till this year.
 The estimated income is $h80-$500 a year. Some of this money will be spent on
 hiring a library school student to make the subject file. /Professor Tilton felt
 the folders for the manuscript material were not adequate in terms of protecting
 this material. Job Palmer and Pat Ballou will look into this.
 
 3) A Spring Exhibit of the Overbury Collection: Iola Haverstick has in-
 vited the women's Council of the New York Public Library to consider a visit
 to such an exhibition at Barnard in the spring. She recently met the Chairman
 of this group at a New York City function and the latter's reaction to the
 Barnard invitation was favorable, but nothing has been firmed up. Iola will
 pursue this. Meanwhile, she is having a sketch made for a display cabinet that
 a Barnard carpenter might build. She has also located a librarian who will be
 available to put the exhibit together for us in December. She will talk to
 him and if he seems competent will ask Bob Palmer to see him. She plans to
 discuss the funding of this with Catharine Stimpson, Elly Elliott and Barbara
 Hertz in due course, but in the meanwhile plans to donate the money for the
 sketch to the College.
 
 Q) The Holden Collection: Iola asked Suzanne Wemple if she would visit
 Mrs. Holden's collection and make appropriate noises. Marilyn Harris, whose
 field is American literature, volunteered to accompany Professor Wemple and to
 also make appropriate noises. Iola has written to Mrs. Holden to introduce
 them. While nobody is under the illusion that Suzanne and Marilyn will return
 from their visit with a signed promise from Mrs. Holden donating the collection
 to Barnard, it was felt that the interest displayed by a Barnard Professor
 
 

and a knowledgeable Barnard_student might help Bernard's cause--a cause, it was felt, that was of particular importance to the women's Center.

5) Library Orientation; Bob Palmer and his staff have visited several classrooms to attempt to acquaint students in the use of the library including the Overbury Collection. Bob feels that too many students either don't know how to use the library or don't know what is available in our collections. Al- though the Chairman was diverted from commenting on this at the time, she would like to add here that she this a bit shocking. She would like, accord- ingly, to urge all faculty, particularly those who teach courses in women's studies, to cooperate with the Librarian's orientation program. I

6) Papers of Margaret Mead: .3ob Palmer asked if any consideration had been given to securing these. Iola replied that Miss Peterson has frequently mentioned “doing something" about Margaret Mead. Iola will suggest to Miss Peterson that if and when she decides what something to do, Iola would then approach Dr. dead on the subject of her papers. s '

7) Exchange with Columbia: Not all the books in the Overbury Collection‘

pertain to women; in fact there is a fairly good collection of first editions

of books by American men including a Mark Twain first edition. There is a possibility that Bob Palmer may swap some of these books with Columbia For books that Columbia has that are related to our women's study courses.

The meeting was adjourned shortly after 3 p.m. Respectfully submitted

Iola S. Haverstick Chairman