Thursday, March 27, 2014

A Look Back: Howard College in the Snow

Here's a vision of a snowy Howard College at its East Lake Campus.  The exact date of some of these photos is unknown.


Samford University, then Howard College, was located at East Lake in Birmingham from 1887 until 1957. In 1957, the college moved to Homewood where it is still located today. 





Thanks to Rachel Cohen and the Special Collection for text and pictures.

Friday, March 21, 2014

"Sweet and good as girls ever were": Women's Basketball at Samford

Since March is a big time for college basketball and women’s history, the Special Collection thought it would be interesting to take a little look at early women’s basketball at Samford University, or, more accurately Howard College.


1923 Howard College Women's Basketball team

The Howard Collegian was the campus magazine in the early 20th century. In March of 1903, ten years before the campus would become co-ed, the magazine published an article criticizing women’s involvement with basketball, and possibly, all athletics.

1903 Howard Collegian article about the dangers of women in sports





“We believe that girls are, as a rule, just as sweet and good as girls ever were, but it is, we think a dangerous departure for colleges to public athletics among girl students. Dangerous for the reason that society depends to a large extent upon the element of reverence in a man’s love for women and, whether just or unjust, the fact remains that if a women attempts to be like a man it makes men think no more of her than if she were one.”







However, after the school became co-ed in 1913 and the first women’s team was organized, we believe, over the 1921-1922 school year.  Here is the team as they appear in the 1922 Entre Nous.
1921-1922 Howard University Women's Basketball team

They played Auburn, Birmingham Southern, Central College and Jefferson County High. The entire Entre Nous from 1922 can be viewed at the Internet Archive, as can all of the Entre Nous yearbooks. 

The next year, the team got their first coach, George Yarbough. They appear in the 1923 Entre Nous. Interestingly, there was no men’s basketball team that year, only a women’s team. 

Thanks to Rachel Cohen, Archivist and User Services Librarian, Special Collection, for pictures and text.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Spring Break Hours for Davis Library



The Davis Library will close at 4:30pm on Friday, March 21st.

We will be closed on March 22nd, 23rd, and the following Saturday, March 29th.

Monday, March 24th, through Friday, March 28th, the library will be open from 8:00am until 4:30pm.

We will open at 6:00pm on Sunday, March 30th, and will resume normal hours the following week.

Have a safe and enjoyable Spring Break!


March Hours, Samford University Library

Friday, March 14, 2014

A Look Back: the Handwritten Matriculation Records of Howard College

Matriculation record containing the names of every student who attended Howard college from 1842 until July of 1887

The Special Collection in the University Library houses the official archives of Samford University, and is home to the historical records of the university from its beginnings as Howard College in Marion, Alabama, through today.  

Some of the earliest surviving materials from Howard College are the handwritten matriculation records, which contained the names of every student, their mailing address, and their parents' names, beginning in January of 1842 when classes started.  

The cover of SC 856, containing the names of all students who attended from the school's founding through July of 1887

When classes began at Howard on January 3, 1842, there were nine students.  Other students joined them throughout the month.

Handwritten records containing personal notations from the college President Samuel Sterling Sherman
The earliest records included personal notes about individual students from the first President, Samuel Sterling Sherman.  These notes were not always complimentary; one reads "[the student was] so dull he couldn't learn & left May 16."

President Sherman's note, "so dull he couldn't learn"
 When the book ends in 1887, there were 103 students on campus.

Handwritten records of student attendance in 1887
Today, over 4900 students attend Samford University.

Visit the Special Collection in room 32 on the lower level of Davis Library from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday while the University is in session.

Thanks to Rachel Cohen, Archivist and User Services Librarian, for pictures and text.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Try out New Databases during Trials Month

Samford University Library is continually previewing and testing new resources for students and faculty, so that we can best serve our users.

A big part of this process is trying out new databases for general and specific disciplinary research purposes.


Courtesy of the University Library and the Network of Alabama Academic Libraries, you are invited to enjoy trials month.  See current trial databases at http://samford.libguides.com/trialsTrials include access to medical videos; reference books in art, literature, history, and science; the Dictionary of American Regional English; and a source of reviews for children’s literature and media.

Here are a few of the trials that you can currently preview:

"The Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE)—representing the full panoply of American regional vocabulary, from Adam’s housecat to Zydeco—has long been consulted by a wide range of scholars and lovers of language and regional nuance. This digital version transforms the dictionary into an interactive, multimedia tool that will greatly benefit both scholarly inquiry and general intellectual curiosity."








From the website:
"It is the mission of the Children's Literature Comprehensive Database Company to provide reliable one search access to all important and relevant information about Pre K-12 media of all types, including reviews from respected publications for those professionals who work with Pre K-12 media. Our goal is to connect our subscribers with information about books, authors and illustrators around the world, and to connect children and young adults with the books that will make a significant difference in their lives."



 

From the website:
"ARTbibliographies Modern (ABM) provides full abstracts of journal articles, books, essays, exhibition catalogs, PhD dissertations, and exhibition reviews on all forms of modern and contemporary art, with more than 13,000 new entries being added each year. Entries date back as far as the late 1960s.


"ABM is the premier source of information on modern and contemporary arts dating from the late 19th century onwards, including photography since its invention. It includes abstracts of English and foreign-language material on famous and lesser-known artists, movements, and trends. The coverage of ABM is wide-ranging and includes performance art and installation works, video art, computer and electronic art, body art, graffiti, artist's books, theatre arts, conservation, crafts, ceramic and glass art, ethnic arts, graphic and museum design, fashion, and calligraphy, as well as traditional media including illustration, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and drawing.
"ABM is used by students and researchers around the world to pinpoint publications and writings relevant to their area of study. Its extensive classification system and comprehensive abstracts make it an ideal source for information on artists, art movements, art history and theory, design, photography, and crafts."



ABM Covers:

Art History
Art Theory
Artists' books
Conservation and restoration
Contemporary art
Folk art
Modern Art
Museums and galleries
Performance art
Photography




Check out these previews and several more on our database trials guide.


Friday, March 7, 2014

A Look Back: The Hear and Now Singers



The Hear and Now Singers were a musical group organized on Samford's campus by Bob Burroughs, the Composer-In-Residence from 1971 until 1980. 


Consisting of students from all around campus, the Hear and Now Singers performed contemporary and Christian music throughout the South Eastern states.



The group began in 1972 and continued to perform and tour throughout the 70's. They had twenty members, including singers and instrumentalists. 

In 1977, they recorded an album of 10 gospel songs entitled “Simple Gifts”. 


-Text supplied by Rachel Cohen, Archivist, Special Collection.
Pictures via the Special Collection.