View of Wolfgram Memorial Library at night

The PACSCL Board of Directors recently accepted the membership application of the Wolfgram Memorial Library of Widener University, welcoming the organization as its fortieth member.

“The Philadelphia area enjoys the intellectual and economic contributions of a robust higher-education sector, and the records held at Widener University’s library will add an important new dimension to the history of education in our region,” said Ronald Brashear, chair of the PACSCL board.

“Widener University’s Wolfgram Memorial Library is eager to be part of a regional, professional community that focuses on expanding access to unique materials in special collections and building cooperative programs amongst members,” noted Deb Morley, director of the Wolfgram Memorial Library. “We look forward to working with PACSCL as we further develop and expose our collections, contribute our special knowledge to and learn from this network of regional archives and special collections.”

Charles Hyatt’s Funeral Procession, 1930. Legend tells us that college photographer Arthur V. Knott takes a picture of cadets training with cannons and fixed bayonets but fails to develop the film. Later, when Gen. Hyatt dies, Knott photographs the caisson bearing the general’s body using the same film. The resulting double exposure creates the effect of cadets guarding the casket of their former president. Widener University Archives.

Adds Jill Borin, University Archivist and PACSCL member representative, “Our archives collect, preserve and share print and digital materials — papers, photographs, scrapbooks, student newspapers, audiovisual items, and memorabilia. These materials relate both to Widener University and its predecessor institutions. Our digital collections, now with nearly 10,000 items, include the history of Widener and its predecessors, as well as the history of Chester, Pennsylvania.” These digital items can be found at http://digitalwolfgram.widener.edu/digital/ . The library utilizes OCLC’s CONTENTdm for digital collections and ANDORNOT’s InMagic database. It collaborates with Widener’s Pennsylvania Military College (PMC) Museum on campus on library-museum projects and initiatives.

The Wolfgram Memorial Library also houses Widener’s Sexuality Archives, including books; journals, magazines, and newsletters; pamphlets; audiovisual materials;  personal papers, and ephemera. The Sexuality Archives are managed by Molly Wolf. For further information, see http://widener.libguides.com/sexualityarchives

The archives are open to all by appointment Monday through Friday, 9-5. The library’s website can be found at http://www.widener.edu/wolfgram

The PACSCL Board of Directors recently accepted the membership application of the John J. Wilcox, Jr. Archives of the William Way LGBT Community Center, welcoming the organization as its thirty-ninth member.

“Philadelphia has been a city of firsts in the struggle for equal rights for LGBT individuals, and the John J. Wilcox, Jr. Archives has been instrumental in documenting these efforts.” observed PACSCL board chair Ronald Brashear (Science History Institute), in announcing the Board’s decision. Current PACSCL members, including the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and Temple University, also have collections that complement those of the Archives.

“The John J. Wilcox, Jr. Archives is Philadelphia’s most extensive collection of personal papers, organizational records, periodicals, audiovisual material, and ephemera documenting the rich history of the area’s LGBT community,” said John Anderies, Director of the Archives, whose mission is to collect, describe, interpret, and provide access to publications, personal papers, organizational and business records, audiovisual materials, and ephemera created by, dealing with, or of special interest to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals. “Our collections include materials from around the world, but preference is given to items that document the lives of sexual minorities in Delaware, New Jersey, and Eastern Pennsylvania.”

The Archives serves a broad range of users, including the LGBT community of Philadelphia and  the Delaware Valley, scholars/researchers from around the world, activists and artists, students from area K-12 schools, undergraduate and graduate students, teachers at area schools, local history researchers, journalists, writers, and documentarians, and William Way LGBT Community Center staff.

Topics represented in the collections include LGBT history and culture, generally; LGBT history in the City of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, specifically; the homophile and early LGBT rights movements; feminism and feminist organizations; and HIV/AIDS and its impact on the local LGBT community. The primary formats collected include manuscripts, printed texts, photographs, graphics, artifacts and objects, textiles, audiovisual materials, artworks, and born-digital materials. The time period of the collection ranges from the 1920s to present, with heaviest emphasis from the 1960s on. The collection is approximately 800 linear feet and growing.