Staff profile: Leigh-Anne Yacovelli

Written by: Leigh-Anne Yacovelli

Leigh-Anne processing materials from the Office of Public
Relations collection.

My name is Leigh-Anne Yacovelli, and I am very excited to begin my short time here at the Delaware State University Archives and Special Collections. As a recent graduate, my experience working in an archives has been limited. In addition to what you can read in my bio, I was also asked to answer a few more questions. Please feel free to leave any questions in the comments section below.

DSU Archives: How did you decide you wanted to work with archives and special collections?

Leigh-Anne: I learned the value of online access to collections while an undergrad at APU. The history teachers required the use of primary sources for every paper, which was extremely difficult since so little had been digitized and made available on the Internet. I came to realize that in every town there is a relatively unknown collection (or two or three!) tucked away in all sorts of places, from volunteer-run historical societies to universities such as DSU. I felt a library science degree could teach me how to improve visibility of, and access to, these collections, so that others can enjoy and learn from them.

DSU Archives: What excites you the most about working at Delaware State University?

Leigh-Anne: I get really excited when I think about the opportunity I have to dig through the history of the university and add material to the Delaware Heritage Collection. This is a chance to find and showcase items that feature DSU, both the institution and its people’s contributions to national, state, and local events.

DSU Archives: What are your favorite materials to work with, and why?

Leigh-Anne: I like working with photographs and documents equally. There are things that can be said about both that show how difficult it is to pick one over the other. You see, photographs provide visual clues to not just the people, but also their surroundings. They freeze images for future generations to see things ranging from clothing and hairstyles to room furnishings, all within the context they appeared. Since most photographs are not arranged like paintings, where clues to people’s personalities, hobbies, and lines of business are deliberately included in the image, historical documents can provide this missing information, as well as other bits of valuable information like facts and figures of events (and even the names of the people in the photos!), to help researchers learn more.

Promoting the Archives

Written by: Emily R. Cottle

In addition to promoting the Archives to our fine blog readers, during this past spring, I also attended two conferences to get the word out about our young repository. 

At the end of April, I presented as part of a panel at the Mid Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC) spring meeting in Rochester, NY featuring individuals charged as the first professional archivists in their institution’s history. This session focused on the challenges of building an archive from scratch and the ongoing challenges that young repositories face.

Poster from the MLA/DLA conference.

In May, I presented a poster at the joint conference of the Maryland and Delaware Library Associations in Ocean City, MD. Here the focus was on the ways that the Archives has had to work to fit into the existing library structure and highlighting some of the similarities and differences between the Archives and the rest of the library. 

It’s always fun to get out and talk about our repository and spread the word about all the exciting work we’re doing here.

Fashion Tips from The Hornet

From The Hornet, May 29, 1955.

Written by: Cale McCammon

With the cold weather finally letting up and commencement celebrations underway, it’s time to consider what you should be wearing if you want to be fashionable this summer. The May 29, 1955, issue of The Hornet suggests a “dainty off-the-shoulders blouse with the pin pleated skirt.” For colors, consider the following: “blue sky, sun white, sandalwood red, avocado, sun pink, butterpale, shrimp, pinkviolet, tangerine, shell p[i]nk, goldenrod, and mauve.”

Our collection of The Hornet extends from 1950 to the present. You can find many recurring columns like this one which offer interesting glimpses into student life back in the day, and you might even walk away from them with a better fashion sense.

Come visit the Archives to browse past issues of The Hornet.

Campus events: Commencement

Written by: Emily Cottle

A few sample commencement programs available in the Archives.

This past Sunday, Delaware State University held its spring commencement ceremony. The keynote speaker was Charles J. Ogletree, Jr., prominent legal theorist, civil rights attorney, mentor to President Barack Obama and author. Photos taken at the event are available here.

As we celebrate this newest class of DSU alumni, it can be fun to look back down memory lane at commencements past. The University Archives holds collections of commencement programs, containing lists of graduates and speakers. We also have a wonderful photograph collection documenting these important campus events. A sampling of these photos are available online at the Delaware Heritage Collection, but come visit the archives in person to see the many more that we have available.

Congratulations to all the 2014 graduates from the University Archives!

History: The Delaware State Ceremonial Mace

Written by: Emily Cottle 

 Introduced during the tenure of Delaware State’s seventh president, Dr. Luna I. Mishoe, the ceremonial mace was designed to be a “permanent emblem of the authority of the Office of the President and will be used at commencement exercises and at other College affairs of special significance.”

Pages from a pamphlet housed in the Archives giving
information on the history of DSU's ceremonial mace.

The preceding quote was taken from a publication on the ceremonial mace, the cover of which is pictured here. It described how the mace was designed and constructed by Mr. John McCollough, an assistant professor of Art Education at Delaware State College, in spring 1963. It is constructed with sterling silver alongside ebony from Africa, rosewood from Africa and India, lace wood from Australia, mahogany from the Philippines, pear wood from Switzerland, lignum vitae from South America, and walnut wood from North America. Its symbolism is derived from the incorporation of silver with the wood from different continents.

The mace is 48 inches long and weighs over 6 pounds.

Yearbooks Now Housed in the Archives

Written by: Cale McCammon

The yearbooks in their new home.

The DSU yearbooks have been moved from the Delaware Room to the Archives (Room 227) so that they can be kept in perpetuity along with all the other materials that are central to the university’s history. But don’t worry, this won’t impact their accessibility. Extra copies will be on reserve at the circulation desk, and the archival collection will be available from 8am to 5pm. 

The collection runs from 1960 to 2007, so feel free to check out faculty and student fashion trends or what Mom and Dad looked like in their glory days.

Special Collections: Children’s Museum News

Written by: Emily Cottle

Just a few sample issues of Children’s Museum News.

Though the focus of this blog and our IMLS project is on the university archives and documenting the history of Delaware State University, our special collections do contain some unique items outside of this scope.

One of these items is a run of 55 newsletters dating from 1912-1940 called the Children’s Museum News published by the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences.

These newsletters include information about the museum itself, such as hours, admission, and schedules of events or lectures. There are also articles in each issue on a wide array of topics, but animals are a frequent subject.

A complete inventory of available issues can be found here.

Our complete run is available to use in the archives, so please come visit us if you’d like to see them. More information on our location and hours can be found here.

Collection Spotlight: Miss DSC/DSU Photographs

 Written by: Cale McCammon

Miss DSC attendant and her escort, 1979.

It’s that time of the year when DSU students gear up for the annual Miss DSU elections. While Miss DSU hopefuls set up promotional campaign signs around campus, we here at the archives take a look to the past at our collection of Miss Delaware State College/Delaware State University photographs. Our collection dates back to the late 1950s. The photographs demonstrate one of DSU’s many unique traditions honoring student leadership, but they also say quite a bit about the changing themes and fashion of the ceremony.

Contestants at the Miss DSC pageant, March 20, 1980.

From bellbottom pants to traditional formal wear, the Miss DSU tradition has not gone out of style. 

We send our congratulations to the newly elected Mr. and Ms. DSU, James Jones and Jamila Mustafa, and the rest of the Royal Court! Complete election results and a slideshow are available here. 

Honors Day

Written by: Emily Cottle

Last week on April 3, 2014 Delaware State University held its 41^st annual Honors Day program.

The archives have a collection of programs dating back to the third annual honors day program held April 27-28, 1976.

President Luna I. Mishoe speaking at Honors 

Day festivities on April 13, 1983.

The following note from the Honors Council, the sponsors of Honors Day, appears in the aforementioned program from the 1976 event:

Honors Day was established two years ago as an annual event in recognition of academic achievement. In a format which enables students to present original research papers and exhibits, academic excellence at Delaware State College is made visible to all students and faculty. Through lectures or panel discussions the meaning and value of the pursuit of excellence is stressed. In addition, departmental scholars, students in the Honors programs, and students achieving membership in national honor societies are recognized.

Some of the programs from the 1990s even include summaries of student papers and projects.

In addition to these event programs, we have a number of photos documenting honors day activities dating back to the 1980s.

Come visit the archives to view any of these materials and learn more about the history of the Honors Day program.

Middle States Accreditation Self-Study Reports: A History of Self-Reflection

Written by: Cale McCammon

Cover of the 1971-1972 report.

One of the collections that offer a dense look at DSU’s organizational and academic history is our collection of Middle States accreditation self-study reports, which date back to the 1971-1972 academic year. These reports contain information on the university’s organizational structure, philosophy, student body, employment of alumni and finances. For anyone looking for statistical information regarding specific departments or for information on how the university has changed overtime, the reports serve as a convenient aggregation of the information found in some of our other collections. They also demonstrate changes in how the university has seen itself, as in the self-study report for the 1971-1972 academic years:

Delaware State College is a group of scholars actively seeking the truth, creatively teaching the truth, and carefully preserving the truth. The College claims the right, without restraint, to investigate the whole province of knowledge. With this freedom, the College accepts the responsibility of communicating knowledge to all who can make good use of it. (p. 2)

How might this connect to the university’s current mission and vision statement?