New digital projects in the works, thanks to PHMC grant
A recent grant to Lincoln University by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) will fund the microfilming and digitization of additional holdings in the Lincoln University Archives. These holdings are the yearbooks from 1900-1980; the faculty minutes from 1872-1971; the board of trustee minutes from 1909-1959; and Garnet Literary Society materials from 1867-1917.
The yearbooks are a particularly popular resource, not only for Lincoln University students and alumni, but also for outside researchers seeking images and information about Lincoln University alumni, as they contain not only the senior class portraits, but also group photos of student organizations and sports teams.
Our yearbook collection is incomplete, particularly pre-1940, so anyone with a yearbook to donate is urged to contact me as quickly as possible. Any that we receive before July 15 can benefit our microfilming and digitization project and thus contribute to the collection that we make available online.
The earliest two yearbooks in our possession are the Lincoln University Class Books of 1900 and 1901, published by the Senior Classes of 1900 and 1901. Next is “The Paw,” published in 1923 by the Senior Class. Yearbooks apparently became the responsibility of the student newspaper, the Lincoln News, sometime after it started publication in 1925; our next yearbook is from 1928, described on the cover as “Lincoln: Pi Lambda Psi News 1928” and on the title page as the “Commencement Number” of the “Lincoln News.” The following year, the cover title was “Lincoln: Phi Delta Theta News 1929” but the title page remained “Commencement Number, Lincoln News”. Our 1930 yearbook may have lost its original cover, or perhaps never had one other than the title page: “Commencement Issue, Lincoln News, 1930.” Another hiatus in our collection appears, until 1937, by which time the yearbook has become The Lion, which it remained for many years (virtually every yearbook through 1980 retained some variant of the name, although the name Lion did not survive into the 21st century as the title of the yearbook; however, it became the name of the alumni newsletter in the 1980s). This particular year – 1937 – is unique in having a soft leather cover.
Our earliest faculty minutes are handwritten, contained in two leather-bound record books. The older of these is titled, “Lincoln University Minutes of Faculty of the University,” spanning the years 1872-1916, and the second is titled, “Lincoln University Minutes of Faculty of the Arts,” and spans the years 1883-1921.
Each of these two sets of minutes has successor volumes. The Faculty of the University has one additional volume, dating from 1916-1943, that contains handwritten minutes until the mid 1930s, when typed minute pages began to be pasted into the book. No additional minute books labeled “Faculty of the University” exist in our collection. The typed minutes of the Lincoln University Faculty of the Arts from 1921-1938 are contained in a three-ring binder. From 1938 on there are five faculty minute books, all but one three-ring loose-leaf binders, containing typed minutes and bearing various titles:
“College Faculty Minutes,” “Faculty Minutes,” and “College Minutes.” They cover the following date ranges: 1941-47; 1947-58; 1958-65; 1965-71 and 1971-76.
We have already microfilmed and digitized our earliest Trustees’ minute books with a previous grant from PHMC, and these are available via the HBCU Library Alliance’s Digital Collection Celebrating the Founding of the Black College and University at the following link:
http://contentdm.auctr.edu/cdm4/browse.php?CISOROOT=%2Flupa
This new grant is allowing us to make five additional Board of Trustee minute books available online, spanning the dates 1909-1959. Only the earliest of these (also known as Lincoln University Book 6) is handwritten; the remainder are typed, with original handwritten signatures by the various secretaries of the Board of Trustees. These minutes are for general Board meetings, as well as meetings of the Executive Committee and the Financial Committee of the Lincoln University Board.
The Garnet Literary Society materials are of special interest, because they represent the oldest student organization on campus, dating back to 1867. The Garnet (sometimes spelled Garnett), named for the African American orator and Presbyterian minister Henry Highland Garnet, was the older of two literary societies (or lyceums) that provided the opportunity for students to practice oratory and debate on campus. These societies are documented in the college catalogues (which are already online, thanks to previous PHMC grants), but now for the first time a hand-written minute book spanning the years 1899-1917 will be available, along two printed documents – the society’s constitutions from 1867 and 1893 – and a letter to the Editor from Lincoln University student Archibald Grimke, clipped from the New Era newspaper on or after May 5, 1870 describing that year’s annual celebration of the founding of the society.
We hope to have the microfilming and digitization complete by the end of the summer. Microfilms will then go to the Pennsylvania Archives, a service copy for viewing and a print master for offsite, longterm storage. DVDs will be available for viewing at our library until the digital files are posted for viewing online via our website and/or the HBCU Library Alliance website.
The yearbooks are a particularly popular resource, not only for Lincoln University students and alumni, but also for outside researchers seeking images and information about Lincoln University alumni, as they contain not only the senior class portraits, but also group photos of student organizations and sports teams.
Our yearbook collection is incomplete, particularly pre-1940, so anyone with a yearbook to donate is urged to contact me as quickly as possible. Any that we receive before July 15 can benefit our microfilming and digitization project and thus contribute to the collection that we make available online.
The earliest two yearbooks in our possession are the Lincoln University Class Books of 1900 and 1901, published by the Senior Classes of 1900 and 1901. Next is “The Paw,” published in 1923 by the Senior Class. Yearbooks apparently became the responsibility of the student newspaper, the Lincoln News, sometime after it started publication in 1925; our next yearbook is from 1928, described on the cover as “Lincoln: Pi Lambda Psi News 1928” and on the title page as the “Commencement Number” of the “Lincoln News.” The following year, the cover title was “Lincoln: Phi Delta Theta News 1929” but the title page remained “Commencement Number, Lincoln News”. Our 1930 yearbook may have lost its original cover, or perhaps never had one other than the title page: “Commencement Issue, Lincoln News, 1930.” Another hiatus in our collection appears, until 1937, by which time the yearbook has become The Lion, which it remained for many years (virtually every yearbook through 1980 retained some variant of the name, although the name Lion did not survive into the 21st century as the title of the yearbook; however, it became the name of the alumni newsletter in the 1980s). This particular year – 1937 – is unique in having a soft leather cover.
Our earliest faculty minutes are handwritten, contained in two leather-bound record books. The older of these is titled, “Lincoln University Minutes of Faculty of the University,” spanning the years 1872-1916, and the second is titled, “Lincoln University Minutes of Faculty of the Arts,” and spans the years 1883-1921.
Each of these two sets of minutes has successor volumes. The Faculty of the University has one additional volume, dating from 1916-1943, that contains handwritten minutes until the mid 1930s, when typed minute pages began to be pasted into the book. No additional minute books labeled “Faculty of the University” exist in our collection. The typed minutes of the Lincoln University Faculty of the Arts from 1921-1938 are contained in a three-ring binder. From 1938 on there are five faculty minute books, all but one three-ring loose-leaf binders, containing typed minutes and bearing various titles:
“College Faculty Minutes,” “Faculty Minutes,” and “College Minutes.” They cover the following date ranges: 1941-47; 1947-58; 1958-65; 1965-71 and 1971-76.
We have already microfilmed and digitized our earliest Trustees’ minute books with a previous grant from PHMC, and these are available via the HBCU Library Alliance’s Digital Collection Celebrating the Founding of the Black College and University at the following link:
http://contentdm.auctr.edu/cdm4/browse.php?CISOROOT=%2Flupa
This new grant is allowing us to make five additional Board of Trustee minute books available online, spanning the dates 1909-1959. Only the earliest of these (also known as Lincoln University Book 6) is handwritten; the remainder are typed, with original handwritten signatures by the various secretaries of the Board of Trustees. These minutes are for general Board meetings, as well as meetings of the Executive Committee and the Financial Committee of the Lincoln University Board.
The Garnet Literary Society materials are of special interest, because they represent the oldest student organization on campus, dating back to 1867. The Garnet (sometimes spelled Garnett), named for the African American orator and Presbyterian minister Henry Highland Garnet, was the older of two literary societies (or lyceums) that provided the opportunity for students to practice oratory and debate on campus. These societies are documented in the college catalogues (which are already online, thanks to previous PHMC grants), but now for the first time a hand-written minute book spanning the years 1899-1917 will be available, along two printed documents – the society’s constitutions from 1867 and 1893 – and a letter to the Editor from Lincoln University student Archibald Grimke, clipped from the New Era newspaper on or after May 5, 1870 describing that year’s annual celebration of the founding of the society.
We hope to have the microfilming and digitization complete by the end of the summer. Microfilms will then go to the Pennsylvania Archives, a service copy for viewing and a print master for offsite, longterm storage. DVDs will be available for viewing at our library until the digital files are posted for viewing online via our website and/or the HBCU Library Alliance website.
posted by Susan Gunn Pevar | 3:55 PM
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