You’ve Got Mail: Throwback to the American Revolutionary War

A collection of approximately 150 Civil War era envelopes, mainly produced by Philadelphia publisher James Magee as well as the King & Baird printers, with patriotic Unionist themes is located in Gettysburg College’s Special Collections & College Archives. Of particular interest are the “throwbacks” and references to the American Revolution. The “Glorious Old Hall of Independence,” a depiction of Bunker Hill, and Mount Vernon are only a few illustrations from the collection that demonstrate this American Revolution era theme. [excerpt

The Characteristics of Cataloging

These past few weeks I have been at the Research Help Desk on my own, and while at first I was extremely nervous and a little bit intimidated, each shift at the Research Help Desk has allowed me to become more confident in my capabilities. Each question that has been directed my way has allowed me to apply the skills I have learned during training. Even if I do not know the answer, I know that the Research and Instruction Librarians are only a few meters away, and are there to help and support me as I continue my journey of being the Fortenbaugh Intern in Research and Instruction. (They have been so incredibly helpful!) [excerpt

The Camel Corps Experiment

“Did you know there was a push to create a Camel Corps right before the beginning of the American Civil War?” This certainly seems like an interesting piece of trivia to share around the dinner table, but what was the Camel Corps and what insights can it provide on U.S. military thinking in the mid-19th century? I believe that the Camel Corps Experiment, regardless of whether it was deemed an utter failure or not, demonstrated progressive military thought and the desire of its advocates to explore advancements in both mobility and technology for military practices. [excerpt

Class Observation

As the Fortenbaugh Intern in Research and Instruction, a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to observe a couple of class research sessions which were led by some of the Research and Instruction librarians. Coming from a student perspective, I had always found these sessions informative. Each session has allowed me to become more comfortable with my major’s research guide and permits me to learn more about the various databases (shout out to JSTOR) that are available to use. In short, I have always enjoyed these sessions that are led by Research and Instruction librarians, because I am able to review what skills I have learned previously, and allow those skills to become the foundation that allows me to learn and advance my research skills. [excerpt

16th Century Antiphon

The Renaissance era, which spanned from the 14th century until the 16th century, served as a transitional period. Considered to be a period of rebirth, the Renaissance commenced a revival in culture, literature, and the arts throughout Europe. The 16th century antiphon not only signifies that music was indeed an important aspect during the Renaissance, but is also tangible evidence that choral music, and more specifically Gregorian chant, were prominent forms of musical expression

MS – 212: Papers of Emma West Durkee

The folio consists of [264] typed leaves and is illustrated with approximately 150 prints which include photographs, portraits, and mounted letters. More than half of the photographs are either taken by the author, Miss Nell Walker, R.A., or Captain R.C. Snidow. A variety of first person narratives of wounded soldiers as well as some of the events and happenings that occurred during the author’s three years working at Debarkation Hospital No. 5 and Army General Hospital No. 41 are found throughout the book. Some of the patients’ stories include Christmas at Debarkation Hospital No. 5, a movie theatre-party, a wedding for one of the patients that was planned in a recreation room, the sewing of uniform patches by Mrs. Grover Cleveland, the disappearance of one of the patient’s turtle pet named Napoleon, and the Governor’s party which was held for everyone that was associated with the hospital. Some memorabilia included are Durkee’s Red Cross Certificate recognizing her service, a silk souvenir handkerchief from France, a fabric swatch from the upholstery of the hospital lounge, a letter signed from the former First Lady Frances F. Cleveland Preston who also worked at Debarkation Hospital No. 5, a poem written by Private Moses M. Ashely, and letters and postcards from Russia signed by Admiral Newton McCully, who was in charge of U.S. Navy forces in Russia and helped perform intelligence missions against the Bolsheviks (and who later adopted seven Russian orphans). The preface includes the date New York City, May 1, 1923 and states: “Five typewritten copies of this book have been made of which this is Number One. All the photographs except where otherwise indicated were taken by the author.” The book is dedicated to the author’s husband, Colonel Chauncey Benton Humphrey, who was part of the United States Infantry. Even though the author dates the preface with the year 1923, the official date of publication is unclear. However, the dedication to her husband who the author married in 1927 offers the suggestion that while the work was started in 1923 it was not completed until at least 1927. Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to describe and provide access to our holdings. Finding aids include historical and biographical information about each collection in addition to inventories of their content. More information about our collections can be found on our website https://www.gettysburg.edu/special-collections/collections/.https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/findingaidsall/1209/thumbnail.jp

Your Commencement Weekend Guide to Visiting Gettysburg

Commencement weekend is nearing, which has inspired us to compile a list of Civil War activities and programs you can take part in during your visit. The following events and activities are suitable whether you are a Civil War buff, general history enthusiast, or are just curious about learning more about the Civil War. [excerpt

A Small Introduction

I’ve always have had a special place in my heart for libraries. During my childhood, I spent a lot of time in the school’s library as well as my community’s. I spent so many of my lunch periods in the elementary school’s library that I became a ‘regular.’ I was eventually asked by the librarian to become a library aide, and assisted in checking in and out books, and shelving. I also was captain of the Battle of the Books team in fifth and sixth grade! Looking back at it now, those wonderful experiences instilled in me a love for libraries at a very young age. [excerpt

Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All About You

My experience as the Fortebaugh Intern in Research and Instruction these past few weeks have flown by. By sitting on the “other side” of the Research Help Desk, and being able to interact with various people (whether that be the inquisitive college student who has a question, or librarians here at Musselman library) my perceptions of what libraries are, their purpose and function, as well as the idea and practice of librarianship have altered and allowed me to look and think about libraries in a different light. [excerpt

Uncertainty, Scarcity and Transparency: Public Health Ethics and Risk Communication in a Pandemic

Communicating public health guidance is key to mitigating risk during disasters and outbreaks, and ethical guidance on communication emphasizes being fully transparent. Yet, communication during the pandemic has sometimes been fraught, due in part to practical and conceptual challenges around being transparent. A particular challenge has arisen when there was both evolving scientific knowledge on COVID-19 and reticence to acknowledge that resource scarcity concerns were influencing public health recommendations. This essay uses the example of communicating public health guidance on masking in the United States to illustrate ethical challenges of developing and conveying public health guidance under twin conditions of uncertainty and resource scarcity. Such situations require balancing two key principles in public health ethics: the precautionary principle and harm reduction. Transparency remains a bedrock value to guide risk communication, but optimizing transparency requires consideration of additional ethical values in developing and implementing risk communication strategies