"A Revolutionary Evening with the UMass Amherst Libraries"

“A Revolutionary Evening with UMass Amherst Libraries” will be held at the Boston Athenaeum, 10 1/2 Beacon Street, on May 5, 2011, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  The event will include a reception and author’s talk with UMass Amherst history professor Marla Miller about her most recent book, Betsy Ross and the Making of America.  

Marla Miller is director of the UMass Amherst Public History Program.  Betsy Ross and the Making of America (Holt, 2010) explores the legend of the famous flag-maker and illustrates how other ordinary citizens played a role in our country’s battle for independence.  “By turning a keen biographical eye on Betsy Ross, she illuminates the significant role that ordinary citizens—especially women—played in the birth of the new nation,” says Margaret Flanagan of Booklist.

Betsy Ross and the Making of America was a finalist for the Cundill Prize in History at McGill University (the world's largest non-fiction historical literature prize), and was named to the Washington Post’s “Best of 2010” list.  Miller is presently completing work on a microhistory of women, work, and landscape in Federal Massachusetts, and a short biography of Massachusetts gownmaker Rebecca Dickinson. 

At the event, the UMass Amherst Libraries will unveil a major Revolutionary-era gift of materials to Special Collections and University Archives.  Guests may also view an exhibit “Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey,” on display at the Athenaeum. 

The opening reception will feature light gourmet fare prepared by Le Fête Catering, thanks to UMass Amherst alumna Amy Colombi ’89.

Tickets are $15 per person.  To register online visit bit.ly/revolutionary_evening, or call 1-800-456-UMASS by April 27, 2011.

For more information on the event, contact Carol Connare at 413.545.0995 or cconnare@library.umass.edu.

Reminder: SLA-Boston Luncheon in Northampton on Saturday, April 30th

We only have a few folks registered so would like to see many more. The deadline for registering has now been extended to April 27th.

Hope to see you there!

Roger Magnus

(For details on the luncheon, see the April 13 post below.)

WRPLS: First Regional Meeting - April 18, 1961

On April 18, 1961, the group that was to become the Western Regional Advisory Council (WRAC) conducted its first exploratory meeting to plan for the Western Regional Public Library System (WRPLS), the predecessor of WMRLS (the Western Massachusetts Regional Library System). The meeting was held at the Greenfield Public Library. On December 1, 1961, the contract for the first regional public library system in Massachusetts was signed.

Our information source? Mr. Franklin P. Taplin, first WRPLS Regional Administrator, who was attending the first formal meeting of the Western Massachusetts Library Advocates. Frank has been present at a lot of Massachusetts library history. Frank, thanks for the memories.