BDC Docent Projects, 2024 : National Volunteer Week

Because it's National Volunteer Week - and the BDC would be considerably diminished without the steadfastness and dedication of our Beloved BDC docents - , I decided to tell you a bit about the various projects the BDC's Beloved Docent have at present. Each docent helps the BDC accomplish its mission of caring for and sharing materials about local history.  

Joe Noll used to work for Beaufort County's GIS department and brought digitization skills with him.  Most recently, he has been working on digitizing the Josie Childs Slide Collection of images related to  Mather School. This collection will be added to the BCL's contributions to the Lowcountry Digital Library when the work is done.

Kathy Mitchell, another former BCL librarian, continues to find dead people in the newspaper microfilm to index. And she can really tell when the county’s population increases because the number of dead cited in the newspapers has really gone up year-over-year. We have more than 31,000 individuals listed in the Online Obituary Index now, thanks to Kathy and her predecessor indexers since the early 1990s.

When Laura Lewis finished working on the digitization of the Wales Journal, I assigned her to vertical file integration project. You see, we inherited vertical files from both the Hilton Head and Beaufort Branches and have been merging those materials and the BDC's own vertical file array into one sequence. Laura's attention to detail has been invaluable. She’s been great at identifying duplicates, keeping the best copy, photocopying and citing newspaper clippings, alerting me to "special cases" which helps me decide if and when to separate contents into existing BDC files or create new ones, doing research as needed, etc. Valerie of the Technical Services department who’s also working on this project – because it’s a BIG project of about 5 or so years now – is delighted to have Laura laboring on the labor intensive project with her. Valerie’s specialty is government related files and the library catalog “side” of the integration project. 

Peggy Scott has returned to a project we stopped about a decade ago to concentrate on the Behan land-genealogy Papers. The docent’s part of the Behan is done so now she is back to processing, labeling, refoldering and refiling contents of some of the 100K envelopes of film negatives and film prints to be found in the Lucille Hasell Culp Collection. Back in the day she and Marlyn and Linda Schumacher did enough of this processing work to create an index with more than 5000 personal names in it. There’s likely another 5000 or more human and non-human subjects to go. This index is available only on staff computers in the Research Room. 

A new volunteer, Alison Cody, has just come aboard to create an index of David Lauderdale’s local history column articles in the Island Packet and later the Beaufort Gazette. Alison's index will ultimately be available in our Research Room as is index that Laura Lewis made of the 1766 Gerhard Spieler articles in the Beaufort Gazette. Jalen, the BDC's assistant, just updated the index to Dennis Adams' newspaper "Answer Man" columns.  

Another new volunteer, Clinton Hallman, is expected to soon begin transcribing the Coroner's Inquest Records related to the Hurricane of 1893. Those can be quite emotionally draining since that tropical event killed many and the testimony can be heartbreaking.  [You can hear me read some of those testimonies in the recorded "Tide of Death" video posted on the Library' YouTube Channel.] 

"There's More to the Story": National Library Week 2023

Latest update: Added links to State of the Libraries Report 2023 and Right to Read Day. - gmc 24 April 2023 12:45 PM

I eagerly await National Library Week every year. Ironically, it's almost as old as I am. Most of the following comes from the landing page on the American Library Association's website for National Library Week 2023: 

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association and libraries of all types (even the special collections ones like the BDC) across the country each April. National Library Week 2023, April 23-29, will be celebrated with the theme "There's More to the Story."

Most people know about the wealth of stories available at the library, from picture books and large print to audiobooks and ebooks. But there's so much more to the story of libraries. 

Libraries are welcoming spaces that bring communities together for entertainment, education, and connection through book clubs, storytimes, movie nights, crafting classes, lectures, and more. Beaufort County Library offers a wide array of programs, classes and resources, including some brought to you by the system's special local history collections and archives unit, the Beaufort District Collection.

Some days within National Library Week highlight specific facets of library services: 

Monday, April 24: State of America's Libraries Report released, including Top Ten Frequently Challenged Books of 2022. It's also "Right to Read Day." 

Tuesday, April 25: National Library Workers Day, a day for library staff, users, administrators, and Friends groups to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers.

Wednesday, April 26: National Library Outreach Day (formerly National Bookmobile Day), a day to celebrate library outreach and the dedicated library professionals who are meeting their patrons where they are.

Thursday, April 27: Take Action for Libraries Day, a day to rally advocates to support libraries.

If you haven't checked out Beaufort County Library lately, you're missing the full story. Stop by one of our branch libraries, visit the bookmobile, or set up an appointment to come work inside the Beaufort District Collection Research Room (843-255-6468 or bdc@bcgov.net).  The system is offering a number of programs at the various branches to celebrate. Check out the system calendar for more information. 

I will make some National Library Week posts on the BDC's Facebook page. 

On the final day of National Library Week, the Beloved BDC Docents and I are going to gather together to celebrate them and their individual projects preparing materials of historic value for current and future customers. Because of the limited work space inside the Research Room, they seldom get to see or interact with each other. Some of them are even working on the same project - just on different aspects of it. I want them to see how the pieces fit together and how much I appreciate what they do to help me help preserve and share historical materials about this wonderful place and its people through time. And for the record - the number of BCL's digital collections on the Lowcountry Digital Library would be considerably reduced without the dedication of our docents. Preparation of the Donner Collection, L.A. Hall Civil War and Reconstruction Era Photograph Collection, Civil War and Reconstruction Era Stereoscope Photographs of the Port Royal Region, and the Richard L. Johnson Medical Record Book  digital collections heavily relied on the docents who did the transcriptions, tagging, and digitization. The three projects that I hope to complete before I retire are also heavily dependent on the contributions of the docents: The Wales Journal; the Reed Collection; and the Behan Papers. Work continues on each of these. 

April 18 - 30, 2022 on the BDC's Facebook Page

Note: Well, I think that this experiment of doing reposts from Facebook on a more regular basis has met its end. Though I schedule a lot of the posts in advance, using working at least 2 weeks ahead, there are the inevitable re-scheduling as more timely posts are added. And I just couldn't seem to find the time to double-check everything for reposting here in an efficient manner. Alas, expect to see all the May 2022 Facebook posts around early June. Though my spirit was willing this idea just didn't work out.  -  Grace Cordial 

Monday, April 18 10:00 AM "50 Shades of Beige" Materials Monday - ... and speaking of contents of vertical files. Among the clippings is an undated article about how to manage a bookmobile service and an undated manual about how to manage a bookmobile service probably written in the mid-to-late 1960s (I love the bookmobile logo); a flyer describing the features of the Blackriver Bookmobile Argosy Mark I (BCL bought one in 1983); a hand-out from the Public Library Section, South Carolina Library Association Workshop about Bookmobiles held on 31 May, 1973; and a County Council Proclamation that May 1983 would be honored as "Bookmobile Awareness Month" - probably because that is when the Argosy bookmobile got on the road.

The Proclamation will show up transcribed on the Connections blog entry for April 21, 2022.

Monday, April 18 3:00 PM "National Volunteer Week:" Meet Beloved BDC docent Laura. I don't know what I would do without her diligent and multi-faceted talents. She has worked very hard for several years on preparing the Wales Journal for digitization.

The Susan Wales Journal, 1887 - 1895, is a charming daily record of her time abroad in Europe - which was undertaken on account of an unsuitable (to her father, anyway) suitor according to surviving family members. Most pages contain a small sketch or painting of people, places, things

she encountered that day. We expect this to be our ninth digital project with the Lowcountry Digital Library.

Tuesday, April 19 9:14 AM I think that these images show how much the personality of those in charge can affect a workplace. Former Director Julie Zachowski liked to dress up for children's programs at the Burton Head Start and Staff Costume Day and to give out silly awards at Staff Development Days as these undated images show. (I still have the "Golden Trowel" award that JZ gave me sometime between 2000 and 2007 for something that I was able to find that everyone else thought was lost forever.)

Tuesday, April 19 2:01 PM "National Volunteer Week:" Sometimes former Library colleagues volunteer to help out in the BDC. For example, Kathy Mitchell was in charge of Library financial operations until she retired in 2020. She's now the BDC's obituary indexer - a service that is greatly appreciated by myself and the BDC's customers, both in-person and remote. Work proceeds slowly - but consistently with Kathy now at the helm - with the hope of eventually getting to March 31, 2015 when our newspaper back files on microfilm run out. She told me just this morning that she's getting very close to finishing 1989.

The index is on the Library's website at

https://www.beaufortcountylibrary.org/ooi

Wednesday, April 20 12:01 AM Reminder: All units of the Library are closed today for Staff Development. Regular hours resume Thursday, April 21, 2022.

Thursday, April 21 10:00 AM "National Volunteer Week:" Peggy Scott and Joe Noll are donating their time and talents to different parts of the William Behan Papers project.

The Behan Papers archival collection consists of 4 binders and 2 folders (approximately 1600 pages of material) pertaining to early South Carolina land grants for Granville County (1685) up to the antebellum period. (JSYK: The term "Beaufort District" doesn't come into usage until 1769). These are “land genealogies” of early properties and property owners and their families from the late 17th– early 19th centuries in Beaufort District, SC compiled over 15 years by Behan.

Joe retired from the County's GIS department. Peggy spent her career as a School librarian in several states before retiring with her husband to Dataw Island.

Thursday April 21 3:23 PM Check out the BDC's Connections blog - today - for yet another historical document cared for the BDC staff regarding the Library's long history of service to our community.

Friday, April 22 9:21 AM Pictured here are a few items related to the operation of the J. I. Washington Library from the BCL's own organizational records.

Be sure to set up an appointment to see these and other items in the Research Room: 843-255-6468 or bdc@bcgov.net.

Friday, April 22 4:00 PM Angelina finished inventorying the microfilm on April 13th. She gave me the current number of microfilm reels in the BDC: 1764. That is almost 23% more microfilm reels than when the BDC relocated to the 2nd floor in September 2010.

Saturday, April 23 9:14 AM I chose this particular set of photographs on account of it being "World Book Day" and "National Volunteer Week". Read to the end and you'll see the connection.

Back in the day, North of the Broad Library staff used to host potluck parties in honor of volunteers who donated their time and talents to Beaufort Branch, the BDC, Lobeco Branch and St. Helena Branch during National Volunteer Week or as close as we could make it happen.

If I remember correctly, the cross-branches extravaganzas ended in the early 2000s due to changes in the workplace environment. In all honesty, the parties did take preparation and practice to pull off each year but my! we did have fun and the volunteers seemed to look forward to the occasion.

In honor of "National Volunteer Week" I selected a few images from the 1999 Volunteer Appreciation Day from our own BCL archive - which coincidentally was the first one in which I was a participant.

Photo #1: Meet the "Sunshine Singers" of the Library staff: Left to right - Geneva Wing; Yolanda Riley; Wendy Allen; Hillary Barnwell; Judy Sheppard; Dennis Adams; Carolyn Jenkins; Sarah Smith and yours truly in the floral dress at the keyboard (borrowed from Bill Barnwell, Jazz keyboardist of renown who plays one infinitely better than I do - and husband of Hillary). We "entertained" the assembled with song. (Well truth be told - at least Geneva could sing!)

Darlene Flynn [later Bauer] is rolling a cart of donated goodies from the staff to share with the volunteers in photograph 2.

The third photograph shows the spread that we had. Unfortunately the only person I recognize is Mrs. Mary Polk Logan who volunteered for the BDC. She is the woman in the tropical magenta, purple, turquoise, and black shirt. Before she was a BDC volunteer, Mrs. Logan was the Beaufort County School District Media coordinator. [Looking more closely I also see my daughter Kate, dark brunette hair in a pony tail with the yellow cup near the painting and Mrs. Lucille Hasell Culp, in a beige suit with a black blouse. She later gave the Library our largest archival collection.]

Photograph 4: Wendy Allen and her husband William examine the books donated to the library in honor of each volunteer. I remember that Wendy took great care to pick a children's book on a topic of interest that suited each individual volunteer. Book plates were printed and a list provided - and I think that I have both the program and the list in one of the many vertical files that relate to the BCL's own history and activities. [Wendy Allen was the Library's Youth Services Coordinator until her final illness. She died in 2012.]

There are 15 color photographic prints in all related to this particular Volunteer Appreciation Day in Box 10.

Sunday, April 24 10:00 AM It's Preservation Week, another topic near and dear to my heart as the steward of the materials in the Beaufort District Collection. Visit Connections today for an situation report re: BDC stewardship in 2022.

Monday, April 25 9:45 AM "50 Shades of Beige": The BDCBCL blog is itself colored in tones of beige - and it contains a Finding Aid to the Beaufort County Library's own archive - which by the way was the first Finding Aid I posted to the BDCBCL: LINKS, LISTS, AND FINDING AIDS blog during National Library Week in 2018. The BCL Finding Aid guided me to many of the beige boxes and beige and not-so-beige items that you've seen here on FB this month.

Check out the Beaufort County Library Records Finding Aid and the other 16 Finding Aids at your leisure. Use them to provide a foundation for a future Research Room appointment.

Monday, April 25 3:00 PM PSA: The State Library is offering a free Zoom program that includes Dr. Eric Crawford, author of Gullah Spirituals (BTW: book available at all our locations) the evening of May 5, 2022. More details.

Tuesday, April 26 12:00 AM PSA: The Beaufort History Museum is hosting a book release for American Conquistador by Daryl Ferguson at the Arsenal at 5 pm tonight. The BDC is honored that Mr. Ferguson gave us a pre-publication proof of his book back in November 2021. Copies of his published work are on order and should get to the Local History sections at the BCL Branch Libraries soon.

Tuesday, April 26 4:00 PM "Preservation Week:" Photographs tend to fade over time as have these color images most likely taken in 1974 show. I believe these came from a Beaufort Branch Summer Reading Program Puppet show held in the Arsenal courtyard. They are stored in Box 10 behind the "Miscellaneous Photographs - many are undated or unidentified" tab.

The most practical advice I can share about storing photographs at home is to avoid storing them in attics or basements or in close proximity to vents, fireplaces and radiators or along exterior walls or in other locations with high risk for condensation, water leaks, and extreme environmental fluctuations. Also watch for how the sun might hit framed photographs and do not leave the same photograph on display all the time for multiple years at a time.

At my own home, I noticed a few weeks ago that some of the framed photographs that I have on my half wall between our family room and the kitchen catch the late afternoon sun for about 30 - 45 minutes each day - at least given the sun's position right now.

So as a practical preservation measure, I re-arrange the display every couple of days so that it's not always that same photo that gets struck by the sun's rays coming in through that particular window at the present time.

Wednesday, April 27 10:00 AM Another "Black History Note" about the J.I. Washington Library: The Beaufort Gazette published the program for the dedication ceremony renaming the library used by African Americans as the J.I. Washington in its October 27, 1938 issue. Washington had died in January of that year. He had been a staunch and persistent advocate for the establishment of a library facility and staff for African Americans in Beaufort. There's much more about his life in Connections, the BDC's longest running blog.

Wednesday, April 27 3:00 PM All plastics are not created equal - and some are downright dangerous - for protecting your photographs. A vendor prepared this flyer about the chemically inert plastics one should use with photographic materials several years ago.

The BDC uses all three types listed on the chart - depending on the format of the item and my projection of how much a particular item might get used and what that use might be.

For example, the size of a material matters. Most of the BDC's maps are in Polyester enclosures for support. The intended use of a material matters. Most of the Culp portrait gallery photographs are in polyethylene enclosures because there's seldom any information on the back of the images and a lot of the photographic prints are smaller than 4 x 6". The BDC sometimes uses polypropylene enclosures for the smaller sized posters to provide some support and save money. All three preservation plastics will protect precious materials for a very long time in controlled environmental conditions such as are found inside the Research Room.

(Acid-free, lignin-free paper enclosures need to be replaced on a periodic basis as they absorb the pollutants in the environment over time. If I had an assistant, part of his/her job would be testing the paper enclosures of the vertical files for acid absorption and replacing any bad folders with good ones.)

Thursday, April 28 10:00 AM Preservation Week also includes preparing for natural and man-made disasters.

The threat of Hurricane Floyd in 1999 caused all sorts of havoc - including some at the Library. I found a section labeled "Hurricane Floyd Evacuation, 1999" in Box 10. Thank goodness, Hurricane Floyd caused little damage in downtown Beaufort.

That's me pulling down the plastic over one bookcase in the old SC Room, 1st floor, 311 Scott Street in what is now the Beaufort Branch Meeting Room. Dennis Adams is shown removing the Beaufort watercolor painting from behind the Beaufort Branch Reference desk area in 1999 that has become a combined Reference and Circulation area now. The painting still hangs in the same spot. In fact you can see it in the post I made on April 7th.

There are 8 other images relating to the preparation for evacuation. Pictured in those photographs are former Library staff Hillary Barnwell, Dennis Adams, Scott Strawn, and Beloved BDC docent Sherry Puccini.

If I remember correctly, it took 40 hours of labor to get the BDC area back into working order after the evacuation.

Thursday, April 28 3:00 PM PSA: The Reconstruction bloc is co-sponsoring an in-person (or Zoom-in) program on May 4, 2022 about the Freedman's Bank. Presenter is NPS Ranger Chris Barr. [From the image not shown here: "Contact info@gullahgeecheecorridor.org for Zoom info".)

Friday, April 29 10:00 AM Meet Benjamin Bookworm, Beaufort County Library's entry in the 1974 Water Festival Novelty Boat Race. The verso has this stamped as an official US Marine Crops photograph taken by Photographer Berryman on 17 July[19]74 #1738.

It also has a note: "Ret.to SL" - which obviously was not done because I found it in Box 10 behind the "Miscellaneous Photographs - Many are undated or unidentified" tab.

There is no indication of who the Marines rowing Benjamin Bookworm along the Beaufort River are.

Since this is Preservation Week, I'd like to point out that writing on the verso of photographs in magic marker and ink pen is no longer an accepted practice. In person one can see the faint ghosting of both on the photo image.

Friday, April 29 3:00 PM A shout out to Bluffton Branch's Reference Librarian Debra Henderson for the lovely arrangement and visual marketing of the Local History section at her duty assignment. I got to see her work during the most recent Staff Development Day.

Saturday, April 30 10:00 AM I am going to end the BDC's celebration of the Beaufort County Library and its predecessors with the link to the "Library History" page. It is a long and rather distinguished history in support of the people who make Beaufort County home.

Are You Ready, Willing and Able to Join the Beloved BDC Docent Cadre?

It's National Volunteer Week, April 17 - 23, 2022. The BDC has a dedicated but highly selective cadre of docents who help us with specific projects and activities for whom my appreciation is heartfelt and deep. They collectively and individually do great work and most of them have been with me for a long time. In fact, you've probably read about them here in Connections through the years.

But the loss of permanent staff and frequent staff vacancies has left the BDC and the complications of the transfer of literally thousands of vertical file materials and local government documents from Hilton Head Branch Library and Beaufort Branch Library over the past 5 years problematic. The BDC has a backlog that I cannot manage on my own as the sole employee of the BDC unit. This has left me with a pressing need that I am hoping the right someone (or two someones) can help me fill. I am aware that it's going to require a special someone - or two special someones working in tandem - to complete the project.

I need help with the vertical files. This photo shows that bank of vertical file cabinets along the back wall of storage area shelving array. The magenta cabinets contain the BDC's created and cataloged for SCLENDS vertical files; the darker cabinets and boxes contain the remaining unmerged cataloged vertical files from Hilton Head Island Branch and some unmerged uncataloged vertical files from Beaufort Branch.

Here's some nerdy bits of information that you can skip over if you like: If something isn't cataloged into the SCLENDS catalog or has a Finding Aid only in the Research Room this greatly affects the accessibility of a material. All good libraries and good archival organizations want their collections to be accessible to those who might benefit from their holdings. As I have been saying ad nauseum (for some) for more than 20 years, I am not going to work here forever - and one shouldn't rely on what I tote around in my head as the access point for the BDC - and there have been projects that have definitely improved accessibility by including some of the BDC's formats into the SCLENDS catalog. For example, records for the BDC's maps are included in the SCLENDS catalog.

If only it were as simple as just dumping everything labeled "Hilton Head" into one folder in the magenta array. Trust me, it's not. I will admit that this process is not rocket science, but it is library science and archival science so that customers can easily access and evaluate research materials of a local history nature.

The goal is to get everything appropriate in the folders from the Hilton Head and Beaufort Branch vertical files appropriately merged over into folders and files in the BDC's magenta cabinets. And to do that requires careful comparison work, preservation work, intellectual work, and cataloging work.

Both the Hilton Head Island and Beaufort Branch librarians who created those files used traditional practices at the time (i.e., cutting the article out and writing the citation on the newsprint or magazine page usually in ball point pen or marker). When the files got started, it was standard practice. But as time moved on, practices evolved - and as the local history unit became more sophisticated and appropriate stewardship practices were enacted, we now know that the traditional practice must be updated to an archival practice if one wants to keep the clipping for more than 20 - 30 years. Which means that we have to transfer what former Library employees and volunteers did from 1917 to about 10 years ago to acid-free papers and cite appropriately with appropriate media for permanent retention in the Research room. All those bad paper and bad ink or bad marker clippings as shown in the next photograph have got to go - or the Library is ignoring standards of responsible cultural heritage stewardship.

As the photograph above indicates there is a lot of work to do. Preservation photocopying requires a considerable amount of standing to transfer the news clippings onto good photocopy paper - and there are lot of vertical files to review - more than a couple of thousands in all. Our photocopy machine's paten stands about 46 inches tall so sitting down to this part of the work would be impractical. (I shall await Angelina's inventory of that section for the precise current count of vertical files stored in the BDC.)

I'm looking for a person - or as I mentioned above at most two people - who can come to the BDC 6 to 8 hours a month who can line up clippings properly, who has an eye for details - that is, one who will notice if a photocopy of an article is complete with all the words and letters and lines and sections (sometimes that's off a bit) or cattywampus and take the necessary actions to make the photocopy right - and who can cite the original source fully (i.e., title of source, date, issue numbers, page numbers, author, etc.) in legible BLOCK LETTERS, - one who will acknowledge the difference between an article labeled " Marine Corps Recruit Depot -- History: Folder A: Undated Materials" and "Parris Island" or "Barnwell, John" and "Barnwell Family" when filing -- and then arrange vertical file folder contents in reverse chronological order and restore reverse chronological order if needed.

Based on my personal experience, each folder can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 3 hours to review and arrange. In some cases the same article is in the BDC's vertical files as well as in one of the folders transferred in from the Hilton Head Island and/or Beaufort Branch's discontinued vertical files-- which requires comparing the items very carefully and choosing the best one for permanent retention. So, in other words, it can be a slow and sometimes painstaking process - which is why the ability to consistently focus on details is an important characteristic for the vertical file volunteer to have.

I see the upsides of this role as:

1) You will be contributing to a thorough and cited "pointer file" of key events, people, themes, and families of Beaufort County (with some overlap of course for Jasper and Hampton Counties before they become their own governmental, political and jurisdictional entities) that will prove helpful as long as the BDC exists. I cannot tell you how often the contents of the vertical files have provided the key clue for researchers because they are countless. Ephemera files are the bomb! of local history.

2) You may just discover an interesting historical tidbit to share with others: e.g., Branch Reference Librarian Tina Mellen once won a bookmobile contest; that the first licensed African-American pilot held an airshow in Beaufort in 1932; and there was once a zoo on Bay Street... It won't happen every day, of course, but it will happen - as I have seen over and over again when I am working with the vertical files myself - and as faithful BDC Facebook readers can attest. Another way to look at it: The successful BDC vertical file volunteer will likely have great historical tidbits to weave into conversation at the next wine-and-cheese party she/he/they attends.

3) And though this might not be an upside for some people, I will provide the training and oversight until I am sure that you are doing things the way that they need to be done to comply with Library and archival standards (I'm okay if you read that " Done the way Grace wants them done." It's my job to be thorough).

Perhaps intrigued? Want to ask some questions before committing? Want to visit to see if you can work with me? Contact me bdc@bcgov.net or call 843-255-6468 so that we can set up a mutually agreeable time to discuss your interests and skills and how those might contribute to helping the BDC's mission.

Let's say that we talk. You, your skills, your free time and the BDC's needs appear to be a good fit. You'd like to volunteer here and I would like for you to join the Beloved BDC docent cadre. At that point, I shall supply you with the required paperwork for volunteering for Beaufort County governmental entities and more specifically for the Beaufort County Library, the broad outlines of which are: Volunteers must possess a valid Beaufort County Library card and be at least 16 years of age to be considered. For safety and security reasons all volunteers are required to complete a brief application and background check prior to volunteering. Volunteer service cannot begin until the Library is notified by the County's Human Resources department that you have passed the background check. Then I put you on the schedule and provide you with the training to be successful as the Beloved BDC vertical file docent.

Re-Thinking the BDC's Facebook Re-posting to Connections

The more I think about my monthly reprise of BDC Facebook posts to this blog, the more I think that I should revise the posting schedule - particularly for the month of April when the BDC celebrates so many important National Week(s) of ... As many of you may know, April contains National Library Week, National Volunteer Week, and Preservation Week - all of which I acknowledge in social media and sometimes with programs each year. (though none in 2022).  We also have the once in a decade release of historic Census data and the Easter holidays falling in April 2022. Therefore for this month at least not only am I going to release all the March 2022 BDCBCL Facebook page posts in a separate article here on Connections in a few days, I am going to do a weekly - 10 days drop of FB posts for April here on Connections at least 4 times rather than saving them up for posting in early May. 

Why? you might ask. I usually have at least 2 weeks worth of FB posts scheduled before the month even begins anyway since I also have to switch out the Lobby board downstairs, the Visio show upstairs, and often the BDC display cabinet as well on the first of the month. I just sort of recycle and adapt the same content for various uses. Preparing this re-post has shown me some grammatical and typographical errors in the FB posts that I have now corrected. In other words, this might indeed turn out to be a worthwhile change of plans going forward.

Please note: The graphics used here as illustrations may be a bit different than those appearing on the BDC's Facebook page. Not all of the graphics shown on the BDC's Facebook page are included below, mostly because this platform doesn't let me enter multiple images in a row. It's annoying but it is what it is. - Grace Cordial 

April 1 12:26 AM The raw personal data contained in the 1950 US Federal census is now available! By federal law, the 1950 US Federal Census got released at 12:01 AM. But here's the rub: There is no obligation that the Census Bureau provides indexing to it. And it won't. Instead it relies on others to do the indexing.

For example, Ancestry.com is using Artificial Intelligence to read the manuscripts while FamilySearch.org has opted for crowd-sourcing volunteers to do the indexing. Patience is required. It took about 6 months for the major players in the genealogy field to get the 1940 US Census indexed. The general feeling is that family historians should expect a similar turn-around time for the 1950 US Federal Census. 

April 1 12:05 PM An overview of April 2022:

One week a year is simply not enough to celebrate all that libraries do for our town, county, state, country and world! Thus, I am going to extend applauding libraries throughout all of April.

Here on Facebook, expect to see some items from the Beaufort County Library's own archives and information about materials preservation - since Preservation Week runs April 24 - 30 this year. The BDC is responsible for preserving the materials here in the BDC and I have learned a thing or two over the years to share about some simple actions that we can all take to extend the lives of our treasured materials.

I have changed the BDC's display case in the Research Room to honor National Poetry Month. The 2022 theme is "There is a poem in this place" and there certainly are poems about Beaufort District people, places and events in the BDC. I'll take some photos of it and write about the choices I made for the case in Connections later this month should you like to see it but cannot come to our facility. Don't be surprised if a post or two on FB this month waxes poetic.

The BDC Research Room will be closed on Wednesday, April 6th for intermittent FMLA reasons and Thursday, April 7th on account of I will be representing the Library and the BDC at the Women's Association of Hilton Head Island luncheon. I cannot accept any research appointments on those dates. Running a unit with only 1 staff person does have its challenge.

Heads up: It's been quite some time since I took time off just because I wanted to do so. So I am thinking seriously - super seriously thinking - about doing so a few days later this month. Whether or not I do take some personal leave, all units of the Beaufort County Library system will be closed on Good Friday, April 15th and for Staff Development on Wednesday, April 20th.

JSKY: There are no local history programs planned for April. Registration will be required but will open in early May for the two programs planned for that month.

April 2 10:00 AM To get you primed for National Library Week 2022, here's a clipping from the Beaufort Gazette issue dated April 22, 1977 that covers some of the libraries in Beaufort County that year.

Side note: I worked at the Air Station Library with Janet Ellis for a few months shortly after I graduated from USC's Library school; and of course, Beaufort County Library's Bookmobile Librarian, Rosa Cummings, was running the system's Technical Services department when I joined the staff in 1999.

April 3 9:15 AM "National Library Week" 2022 officially starts today. I encourage you - wherever you are - to visit a library of your choice sometime this week. (Just be sure to check the schedule before you head out). You just might be surprised by the range of services and materials available to you through a library card.

April 4 9:20 AM "50 Shades of Beige" in National Library Week: As you can see from the image about half of the Beaufort County Library's own organizational archive is housed in beige archival containers. Expect to see some beige and not so beige items from the beige colored archival boxes over the rest of the month. As I mentioned in the Monthly overview, a week is simply not enough to celebrate libraries.

April 5 12:01 AM Today we celebrate all the past and present people who have made America's libraries the envy of the world - the professional librarians, the paraprofessional workers, the volunteers, the library foundation workers, and the Friends who keep providing materials, services, and programs for our communities day-in and day-out and even through worldwide pandemics. Hip! Hip!! Hooray for us!!!

[Had to put up the Inclement Weather Closure posting beginning at 1 PM 5 April 2022- gmc]

April 6 9:33 AM "Black History Note" in National Library Week: Though the image and text is grainy, how "'Book Outposts' became Bookmobile" from the Leisure insert of the Beaufort Gazette issue of April 19, 1985 explains how the African American community stepped up to provide library services for children on St. Helena Island during the 1950s. The article was written by Hillary S. Barnwell, the Beaufort Branch Manager and Public Services Coordinator and Interim Library Director for 2007. She also happened to be the daughter-in-law of Mrs. Wilhelmina Barnwell shown in the image.

April 6 3:00 PM "There's a poem in this place": Incorporated into Staff Development Day 2008 was a document of "Librarian Limericks: Information Ser-Verses" by Dennis Adams. The BDC got two stanzas in his 16 stanza creation. Bear in mind that this was written several years before the BDC got our current quarters on the 2nd floor.

"In the BDC, there could be found

Only one single staffer around.

That was then, this is now --

You should really see how Amber got right to work with a bound."

"'Be aware of the value of space,'

Said the BDC librarian, Grace.

'I have run out of room

This is like King Tut's tomb:

Treasures scattered all over the place!'"

Update to 2022: The BDC staffing situation in 2008 ironically is also the case now. I am back being responsible for all facets of the BDC's operation. The Library system eliminated the BDC's Preservation Associate IV fulltime position during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been difficult keeping the part-time BDC circulation position filled since May 2020 when Kristi resigned mostly due to her relocation.

However, the BDC is okay on shelf space. Moving to the 2nd floor in September 2010 increased storage capacity 2.5 X 3 times over our downstairs quarters. My successor, whomever that might be should be okay on shelf space for at least 5 years beyond my retirement.

... and speaking of Staff Development Day, all units of the Library will be closed on Wednesday, April 20, 2022 for professional development.

April 7 9:14 AM We're perhaps a day late for Library Outreach day but that's what I am doing today. I'm over at the Women's Association of Hilton Head Island luncheon "Celebrating Hilton Head's Heritage and Culture" with Jo Gaillard (HHI staff). Jo is on hand to tell folks about Library resources in general, and I will be there to share information about the BDC's local history resources in particular. Rest assured that photos will be forthcoming!

April 7 3:00 PM One never knows truly what is in an archives that connects the past to the present. For example, when I was working with the "BEAUFORT COUNTY LIBRARY- BOOKMOBILE SERVICES" vertical file, I discovered the clipping from the April 22, 1980 Beaufort Gazette about two girls winning the contest for painting the BCL's bookmobile. Little did I expect to learn that one of my colleagues went from bookmobile design winner in 1980 to Reference Librarian today, Drop by Beaufort Branch to say hello and a belated "congratulations" to Tina Mellen.

April 8 12:17 AM Today is another "Red Letter Local History Day" - but one that no one ever wanted to have.

When a forced march led to the death of six Marine Recruits on Parris Island on the night of April 8, 1956, Beaufort mourned. A Beaufort Gazette editorial proclaimed the Ribbon Creek Incident “Our Tragedy” because “For it to have happened to Parris Island is the same as if it had happened to Beaufort – so closely interwoven are the lives and fortunes of the military and civilian populations of this section.”

The fullest study of the tragedy of Ribbon Creek, 1956 is Court-martial at Parris Island: The Ribbon Creek Incident by John C. Stevens III, University of South Carolina Press (2007) who incidentally donated his research for the book to the BDC in 2021. The John C. Stevens III Papers includes a complete transcript of the original court-martial of Staff Sergeant Matthew McKeon. This book was also one of ""These are a Few of My Favorite Things" by Cassandra Knoppel" BDC items she discovered during her short tenure. I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates going beyond the headlines and soundbites relating to a tragedy. There are copies in the BDC Research Room and in the Local History sections at the branch libraries.

To make an appointment to see the Stevens Papers, contact: bdc@bcgov.net or call 843-255-6468 at least several days in advance for the best chance of securing your preferred date and research slot.

April 9 10:00 AM Please note these upcoming Library closures in your calendars: Friday, April 15, 2022 - Good Friday holiday and Wednesday, April 20, 2022 for Staff Development Day.