University of Miami Archives -- Let's Archive It

Reading Room is Now Open!

March 26, 2018September 20, 2018 Admin

We would like to inform our patrons that The Kislak Center Reading Room is now open as of March 16th, Monday. This is one of the proudest moments of the University of Miami Libraries from the University Archivist’s perspective! Below are the pictures of the beautiful space with the first patron I took this morning. FYI, I received a permission from the patron to share the image on social media.

Please come visit us (registration required at the entrance) to look at the Center as well as our exhibits on 1) The History of the Kislak Center Venue and 2) Pan-American Concept under the Past Administrations and the Frenk Administration. We will post a story shortly on the 2nd theme of our exhibition shortly.

Events

The History of the Kislak Center Venue

March 23, 2018September 20, 2018 Admin

March 20, 2018 became one of the most important dates for the Otto G. Richter Library to remember. To help celebrate the dedication of the Kislak Center, the University Archives is offering two exhibitions in the beautifully renovated space. The first theme is “The History of the Kislak Center Venue,” and the other is “Pan-American Concept in the Past and Present Administrations.” Below, please see the text and exhibits from “The History of the Kislak Center Venue.”

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The History of the Kislak Center Venue

The opening of the Kislak Center’s Reading Room signals the triumphant return of the University of Miami Libraries’ premier scholarly and cultural presentation space.

Originally, this portion of the Library was built as Phase One of a central library for the University. When opened in 1960, it housed collections brought together from multiple storage locations and provided workspace for a few technical staff members. It was not open to students or faculty. Over the following two years, above and beside the structure that houses today’s Kislak Center, the main library was built and named for the benefactor Otto G. Richter.

In 1963, the University named the first floor of the Phase One facility in honor of George A. Brockway, who was the first significant donor to the University’s construction fund for a library building.

Over the next three decades, Brockway Lecture Hall was used for conferences, poetry and theatrical presentations, concerts, and exhibitions. It was also the gathering space for the very successful Friends of the University of Miami Library. Founded in 1960, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas served as the Friends’ first president.

Beginning in 1993, this space was used for other purposes, including collection storage. From 1999 until 2003, Brockway also housed the Cuban Heritage Collection.

Today’s opening of the Kislak Center brings the mission of this space full circle – once again celebrating a mission of scholarship, culture, and community engagement.

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Exhibits:

President Ashe (Left) Receiving a Donation from George A. Brockway
1943

Brockway was an upstate New York “Gentleman Farmer” who wintered in Miami. He made the first major gift toward construction of a central library. In recognition, the University named the Kislak Center venue the “George A. Brockway Lecture Hall” in 1963.

University of Miami Historical Photograph Collection
University Archives, University of Miami Libraries

Phase One of the Construction of the Otto G. Richter Library Completed in August 1960
1960

The stand-alone Phase One structure was primarily used for collection storage. There was no public access.

University of Miami Historical Photograph Collection
University Archives, University of Miami Libraries

Interior View of the Lecture Hall
ca. 1963

University of Miami Historical Photograph Collection
University Archives, University of Miami Libraries

Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy holds a press conference in the Lecture Hall
1967

The Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation provided a grant and the land toward construction of the Mailman Center for Child Development.

University of Miami University Communications Collection
University Archives, University of Miami Libraries

Richter Exhibition in the Lecture Hall
1984

Richter Library’s Open House was an annual event in the 1980s to welcome the University family and showcase its services and collections. The Lecture Hall was the focal point of the festivities for the guests to browse historical materials and rare books.

University of Miami Historical Photograph Collection
University Archives, University of Miami Libraries

Dr. Josephine Johnson’s Poetry Recital held in the Lecture Hall
1984

Dr. Josephine Johnson is Professor Emeritus of the University of Miami School of Communication, former Chair of the Department of Communication, and an alumna of the University. Her scholarship extended from W. B. Yates to post-modern British poets and she was a recognized solo performer throughout the country.

Josephine Johnson Papers
Special Collections, University of Miami Libraries

Digital Collections, In the News

Fact Books (1972 – 2016) Are Now Accessible Online!

October 5, 2017September 20, 2018 Admin

We are pleased to announce the completion of a digitization project of another invaluable publication of the University of Miami, the entire run of the “Fact Books,” produced by the University of Miami Office of Planning, Institutional Research, and Assessment (PIRA).

The fact books provide the most reliable benchmark data about the University, such as student enrollments, retention and graduation rates, degrees granted, class sizes, library statistics, tuition and expenses, research funding, financial highlights, and endowment statistics. They are also an excellent source of information about the University’s history, administration and facilities, student life, and athletics.

The best way to research the collection is to browse the volumes one by one. Please click the icon “Browse All in this collection” at the landing page (link below) to access the digitized fact books. Once you have selected the volume you need, click the “Download” icon on the upper right corner of the screen, and select “All (PDF)” to save the file on your computer.

UM Fact Books Landing Page

For further information about the PIRA, please visit their website at the link below.

PIRA Website

The digitization project of the Fact Books was made possible by an interdepartmental collaboration among the University Archives, Digital Production, Metadata & Discovery Services, and Web & Application Development at the Otto G. Richter Library.

In the News

Contribution to “America in Color”

August 2, 2017September 20, 2018 Admin

The producers took the image of the team picture taken at the first season and colored it for the program. [source: University of Miami Historical Photograph Collection]

About a year ago we were contacted by a British company asking for materials about the early history of the University of Miami including images. Last month they contacted us for another inquiry so I asked them if they had created a program using the materials we had provided.

They said yes and told me that the series they produced titled “America in Color” would start airing in July on Smithsonian Channel. Please read the recent Miami New Times’ story (link below) to find out how the series was created as well as to watch the Miami segment from the Episode titled “The 1920s.” I have never seen such a vivid presentation of the Great Hurricane of 1926.

Read Miami New Times article “Here’s Amazing Footage of the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 Restored in Full Color”

I googled to look for more about Ralph Earle, who was the movie cameraman captured the hurricane footage, and was surprised to find so many websites and videos about the Great Hurricane of 1926 are available on the Internet.

The University of Miami Libraries is listed as a contributor among the prestigious institutions around the country.

Please go to the link below to find out more about the 5-part series “America in Color.” A full story of Episode 1, as well as snippets from the rest of the episodes, are available at the website.

Smithsonian Channel’s website “America in Color”

Events

Denman Fink as UM Professor

June 22, 2017September 20, 2018 Admin

Denman Fink (1880-1956) is often remembered as the artist and illustrator who left an important legacy through the designs he created for George Merrick’s real estate projects in Coral Gables during the 1920s. But he was also a highly regarded educator of art and architecture at the University of Miami, from the founding of the University in 1926 until his retirement in 1952. Since the University of Miami was always an integral part of Merrick’s planned community, Fink, a board member of the consulting architects of Coral Gables, was involved with the University from its inception.

Professor Fink first appeared as Consultant in Architecture in the 1929 Ibis.

The University Archives holds original materials by Denman Fink in the University of Miami Campus Architecture Collection. Fink created the iconic promotional poster entitled Keep the World Coming to Florida, Build the University of Miami, and the collection also includes artistic renderings and preliminary studies for the campus, many never realized, as well as lesser-known architectural drawings of the Solomon G. Merrick Building, campus dormitories, studio apartments, a research lab, and a stadium. A portrait of President Ashe painted by Fink, and the master’s thesis “Denman Fink: Dream Coordinator to George Merrick and the Development of Coral Gables, Florida,” represent other important items that are available for research.

View of the exhibition on the 8th floor of the Otto G. Richter Library.

These materials complement The Life and Art of Denman Finke, an exhibition currently on view at the Coral Gables Museum. University Archives partnered with the museum and provided a number of digitized items for their exhibit.