Visit the fifth floor Heritage Room of University of Scranton’s Weinberg Library to view a collection of bookbindings created by local bookbinder and printer, Don Rash.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. It can be viewed during normal library hours. For more information, please contact Special Collections Librarian, Michael Knies. Michael.Knies@scranton.edu, (570) 941-6341.
On Tuesday, November 3 at 6pm the Weinberg Memorial Library will host a reception for “We Teach Wherever the Mails Reach,” an exhibit celebrating the 125th anniversary of the International Correspondence Schools of Scranton (ICS). This event is free and open to the public.
Professor William Conlogue of Marywood University, and author of Here and There: Reading Pennsylvania’s Working Landscapes and Working in the Garden: American Writers and the Industrialization of Agriculture, will talk about the history of ICS at the reception for the exhibit in the fifth floor Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library.
Founded in 1890, ICS originally grew out of a question and answer column written by Thomas J. Foster, publisher of Colliery Engineer and Metal Miner. Foster’s column helped mine workers, many being recent immigrants with limited English, to pass required mine safety exams. The column proved so successful that Foster created a correspondence course on coal mining.
Over the years ICS expanded into a variety of technical fields as well as providing basic courses in English. The company has been a leader in career-focused distance and blended learning for over 125 years. More than 13 million people have enrolled in their programs to further their education and learn advanced skills to better position them for life success.
ICS has changed names a number of times since 1996. The ICS location is currently operated by Penn Foster Career School, which is a regionally and nationally accredited post-secondary distance education school and considers ICS to be its predecessor.
In 2002, the Weinberg Library was given a collection of ICS materials by the company. These materials, primarily from the ICS marketing department, are the focus of this exhibit celebrating the history of the company.
The exhibit will be on display in the Weinberg Library’s fifth floor Heritage Room through Friday, December 11, 2015. For more information, please contact Special Collections Librarian Michael KniesMichael.Knies@Scranton.edu (570) 941-6341.
The International Correspondence Schools of Scranton, Pennsylvania grew out of a question and answer column written by Thomas J. Foster, publisher of Colliery Engineer and Metal Miner. In 1885, Pennsylvania passed a Mine Safety Act, which required miners and inspectors to pass examinations on mine safety. Foster’s column helped mine workers, many being recent immigrants with limited English, to pass the exams. The column proved so successful that Foster created a correspondence course on coal mining. In 1890, Foster, who had relocated his publishing venture from Shenandoah to Scranton’s Coal Exchange Building, incorporated the “The Colliery Engineer Company,” creating the foundation for a formal school. In 1891, Foster and mining engineer Alexander Dick founded the “The Colliery Engineer School of Mines.” Until the International Textbook Company incorporated the school in late 1894, the names Colliery Engineer School of Mines, School of Mines, Correspondence Schools, and the International Correspondence School were used interchangeably. By early 1895, the school was officially known as the International Correspondence Schools of Scranton, Pennsylvania or ICS for short.
The first class enrolled 500 miners but within eight years, more than 190,000 students had enrolled in a variety of courses. Besides the initial classes related to mining, ICS expanded into a variety of technical fields as well as providing basic courses in English. By the first decade of the twentieth century, over 100,000 new students per year were enrolling in ICS courses; by 1910, a million cumulative enrollments had been achieved; and, by 1930, four million. By World War II, ICS’s reputation was such that it was given the War Department contract to develop the department’s training manuals. In 1916, ICS created The Woman’s Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences in what is now the Scranton Preparatory School building. ICS was located on Wyoming Ave until 1958 when they relocated to Oak Avenue.
ICS continued to thrive after the war but by the 1990s greater educational offerings had reduced the role of correspondence schools. ICS has changed names a number of times since 1996. The ICS location is currently operated by Penn Foster Career School, which is a regionally and nationally accredited post-secondary distance education school and considers ICS to be its predecessor.
In 2002, The University of Scranton Weinberg Library was given a collection of ICS materials by the company. These materials, primarily from the ICS marketing department, will be the focus of an exhibit celebrating the history of the company. On Tuesday, November 3 at 6:00 PM Professor William Conlogue of Marywood University, and author of Here and There: Reading Pennsylvania’s Working Landscapes and Working in the Garden: American Writers and the Industrialization of Agriculture, will talk about the history of ICS at a reception for the exhibit in the Heritage Room of Weinberg Memorial Library.
This exhibit will be on display in the Weinberg Library’s fifth floor Heritage Room through Friday, December 11, 2015. For more information, please contact Special Collections Librarian Michael Knies Michael.Knies@Scranton.edu (570) 941-6341.
Throughout the month of June, The University of Scranton Alumni Authors Exhibit is on display in the Library’s 5th floor Heritage Room. The exhibit showcases books by more than a hundred alumni authors and includes many signed copies.
The range of subjects varies greatly, encompassing alumni who became authors in their academic fields, nonfiction writers, novelists, children’s literature writers, and historians. The earliest alumnus featured is Clarence Walton, ’37, 10th president of The Catholic University of America and the first layman to hold the position. The youngest graduate featured in the exhibit is Sarah M. Piccini, ’07, G’10, whose local history book, Framing Faith, provides a pictorial history of former churches in the Diocese of Scranton.
Also included in the exhibit is Jason Miller, ’61, H’73, who received the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play That Championship Season. Two of our very own librarians, Bonnie Strohl, G’90, and Kristen Yarmey, G’12, are also alumnae and have books on display in the exhibit.
We also have numerous books by alumna and children’s literature writer, Susan Campbell Bartoletti, G’82, who has written a Newberry Honor Book and a Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal winner. She is also the recipient of 2013 Friends of the Weinberg Library Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award.
A recent addition to the collection is a book by retired NASA engineer, Glynn Lunney, ’55, H’71. Lunney was an employee of NASA from its creation in 1958 until 1985 and was the flight director during the Gemini and Apollo programs. He was on duty during historic events such as the ascent of Apollo 11 and the pivotal hours of the Apollo 13 crisis.
We encourage you to explore this wonderful exhibit and celebrate our alumni and their important contributions in the publishing world. The exhibit is on display during normal library hours. For a full list of books by alumni authors that are available at the Weinberg Memorial Library visit Scranton.edu/alumniauthors.
For more information about the exhibit, please contact Michael Knies, Special Collections Librarian, (570) 941-6341.
If you an alum with a published book and would like to donate a copy to the library for display in its annual exhibit, please mail a copy to The Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement, 800 Linden Street, Scranton, PA 18510.
A Mind of Its Own: Healing the Mind and Heart of the Parasite of Child Abuse by John J. Lemoncelli, Ed.D. ’71 Avventura Press 2008
Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850 by Susan Campbell Bartoletti G’82, HMH Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition 2005
*Winner of the Robert F. Sibert Medal
New Women of the Old Faith: Gender and American Catholicism in the Progressive Era by Kathleen Sprows Cummings ’93 The University of North Carolina Press 2009
Driving with the Devil: Southern Moonshine, Detroit Wheels and the Birth of Nascar by Neal Thompson ’87, Broadway Books; Reprint edition 2007
Framing Faith: A Pictorial History of Communities of Faith by Sarah Piccini ’07, G’10 Tribute Books 2011
The President’s Ladies: Jane Wyman and Nancy Davis by Bernard F. Dick ’57 University Press of Mississippi 2014
The Seven Deadly Sins of American Democracy: The Legacy of Slavery by John J. Fendrock ’48 Xlibris, Corp. 2007
The Press and the Suburbs: The Daily Newspapers of New Jersey by David Sachsman and Warren Sloat ’57 CUPR/Transaction 2013
Muzzle Thyself Poems by Lauren Fairbanks ’81 Dalkey Archive Press; First edition 1991
Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night by Barbara J. Taylor ’85, G’87, Kaylie Jones Books 2014
Italians of Northeastern Pennsylvania by Stephanie Longo ’03, G’06 Arcadia Publishing 2004
Pick up the Pennies In Every Season of Life by Michael T. Goskowski ’50 Tate Publishing 2009
This month the Weinberg Memorial Library is hosting its annual Faculty Scholarship Exhibit in the Library’s 5th floor Heritage Room. The exhibit features books, journal articles, and presentations produced by University of Scranton faculty members since 2012. The exhibit, organized by academic department, provides an overview of the diversity and quality of scholarly accomplishments by the University’s faculty.
Please take a few minutes to explore the exhibit and learn about the variety of interests that University of Scranton faculty have studied and written about in the past few years. Congratulations to the University faculty members on all of their recent scholarly successes!
For further information please contact Michael Knies, Special Collections Librarian, michael.knies@scranton.edu, (570) 941-6341.
Millions of young Americans served in the armed forces from 1941 to 1945, including many students and alumni of The University of Scranton. To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the formal conclusion of World War II, the Heritage Room is featuring an exhibit, Cornerstone of Victory, as a tribute to all of the men and women, particularly our veteran alumni, who went into harm’s way to serve their nation. The exhibit is based on materials from the Helen Gallagher McHugh Special Collections and the University Archives. Although the McHugh Special Collections does not specifically collect material on World War II, a number of collections have relevant material that highlight the impact that this tragic event had on the University, our nation, and the world.
Two presentations and an exhibit reception will be held on Thursday, April 9 at 6pm in the Library’s fifth floor Heritage Room. This event is free and open to the public, but registrations are encouraged.
For more information, and/or to register, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
“From Harvard to Nuremberg: Father Fabian Flynn and His Service with the 26th Infantry Regiment 1943-1946″ by Dr. Sean Brennan.
Fr. Fabian Flynn was an American priest from the Passionist order who spent the years of 1943 to 1962 in Europe and who served as a military chaplain during World War II.
Dr. Sean Brennan is an Associate Professor of History at The University of Scranton. He specializes in the History of 20th Century Europe, especially in the 1940s and 1950s.
The Impact of World War II on The University of Scranton by Dr. Francis X. J. Homer
The University of Scranton underwent a transition from Christian brothers to Jesuit stewardship in 1942. Besides the change from the Christian brothers to the Jesuits, the University was significantly affected by the war, as were all other institutions of higher learning as young men went to war instead of University.
Dr. Frank Homer is a Professor of History Emeritus and serves as The University of Scranton Historian.
The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library.
Click here for more information about the exhibit, which is on display in the Heritage Room until Sunday, April 26, 2015 during normal library hours.
For additional information, please contact Michael Knies, Special Collections Faculty Librarian, (570) 941-6341 or michael.knies@scranton.edu
Millions of young Americans served in the armed forces from 1941 to 1945, including many students and alumni of The University of Scranton. To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the formal conclusion of World War II, the Heritage Room is featuring an exhibit, Cornerstone of Victory, as a tribute to all of the men and women, particularly our veteran alumni, who went into harm’s way to serve their nation. The exhibit is based on materials from the Helen Gallagher McHugh Special Collections and the University Archives. Although the McHugh Special Collections does not specifically collect material on World War II, a number of collections have relevant material that highlight the impact that this tragic event had on the University, our nation, and the world.
Two history talks and an exhibit reception will be held on Thursday, April 9 at 6pm in the Library’s fifth floor Heritage Room. This event is free and open to the public.
“From Harvard to Nuremberg: Father Fabian Flynn and His Service with the 26th Infantry Regiment 1943-1946″ by Dr. Sean Brennan.
Fr. Fabian Flynn was an American priest from the Passionist order who spent the years of 1943 to 1962 in Europe and who served as a military chaplain during World War II.
Dr. Sean Brennan is an Associate Professor of History at The University of Scranton. He specializes in the History of 20th Century Europe, especially in the 1940s and 1950s.
The Impact of World War II on The University of Scranton by Dr. Francis X. J. Homer
The University of Scranton underwent a transition from Christian brothers to Jesuit stewardship in 1942. Besides the change from the Christian brothers to the Jesuits, the University was significantly affected by the war, as were all other institutions of higher learning as young men went to war instead of University.
Dr. Frank Homer is a Professor of History Emeritus and serves as The University of Scranton Historian.
The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library.
Click here for more information about the exhibit, which is on display in the Heritage Room until Sunday, April 26, 2015 during normal library hours.
For additional information, please contact Michael Knies, Special Collections Faculty Librarian, (570) 941-6341 or michael.knies@scranton.edu
Honoring and celebrating Black History Month, The University of Scranton, in collaboration with The Center for Anti-slavery Studies, is pleased to welcome the Glass Artisans Chapter of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen to the Library’s 5th floor Heritage Room. The Glass Artisans will share their creative process in designing an exhibit titled: The History of the Freedom Quilts and the Underground Railroad in Northeast Pennsylvania.
Students, faculty, staff, along with Scranton area residents, are invited to a lecture/reception/book-signing on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015 from 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Sherman and Cindy Wooden, founders of the Center for Anti-Slavery Studies will lead us with a lecture along with Dr. Pedro Anes of the Glass Artisans who will explain their creative process in designing the spectacular stained-glass “Freedom Quilt” Art Exhibit.
This project is supported by a Lackawanna County Community Arts and Culture Grant, a program of the Lackawanna County Commissioners Corey D. O’Brien, Jim Wansacz and Patrick O’Malley. The event is hosted by The Office of Equity and Diversity, Education for Justice, The Jesuit Center, Office of Community and Government Relations, Peace and Justice and the History Departments of The University of Scranton.
The exhibit is on display in the Library’s Heritage Room until Wednesday, February 25, and the evening lecture will be held in the Heritage Room on Tuesday, February 24 from 5:00 to 6:30pm.
For more information, contact the Office of Equity & Diversity, 570-941-6645
Millions of young Americans served in the armed forces from 1941 to 1945, including many students and alumni of The University of Scranton. To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the formal conclusion of World War II, the Heritage Room is featuring an exhibit as a tribute to all of the men and women, particularly our veteran alumni, who went into harm’s way to serve their nation. The exhibit will be based on materials from the Helen Gallagher McHugh Special Collections and the University Archives. Although the McHugh Special Collections does not specifically collect material on World War II, a number of collections have relevant material that highlight the impact that this tragic event had on the University, our nation, and the world.
The Abe L. Plotkin Collection is focused on the end of World War II and immediately thereafter. Plotkin, a 1935 graduate, served in the United States military and was a witness to the liberation of the Ohdruf concentration camp. After the war ended, Plotkin assisted survivors of the concentration camp in getting in touch with American relatives. The exhibit will feature photographs and correspondence from his collection.
The recently acquired Passionist Congregation Archives contains Military Chaplain Reports. The Passionists, like other Catholic Church orders and congregations, provided chaplains to perform sacraments and provide counseling to soldiers. The collection contains photographs and reports from the chaplains detailing their day-to-day life and activities.
The Joseph Polakoff Collection primarily features his editorial writing on Middle Eastern affairs; however, during the 1940s Polakoff, a 1932 graduate, worked for the United States Information Agency, and some of his correspondence relates to World War II activities.
The exhibit will also feature assorted publications collected over the years that relate to the war. The University of Scranton underwent a transition from Christian brothers to Jesuit stewardship in 1942. Besides the change from the Christian brothers to the Jesuits, the University was significantly affected by the war, as were all other institutions of higher learning as young men went to war instead of University.
This exhibit reflects a period of great transition for The University of Scranton and an experience that shaped the character of many of our alumni, the institution, our nation, and the world. Seventy years ago, America rejoiced in the hope for enduring world peace. Through this exhibit, we aim to honor the bravery, honor, strength, and sacrifices of all veterans and those impacted by war.
This exhibit will be on display in the Heritage Room until Sunday, April 26, 2015. For more information, please contact Special Collections Librarian Michael Knies, Michael.Knies@Scranton.edu (570) 941-6341.
Now through November 26, the Library’s fifth floor Heritage Room is hosting a traveling exhibit showcasing the social justice photography of Linda Panetta. The images and stories presented by Photojournalist Linda Panetta will take audiences on a moving journey, challenging their own reality of the world as they experience the joy, beauty, hope and sorrow of people affected by violence, sanctions, and misguided foreign policy.
Over the past 25 years, Panetta has traveled throughout Latin America and the Middle East using her firsthand knowledge and experiences in impoverished – war torn areas of the world, including Guatemala, Colombia, Nicaragua, (Chiapas) Mexico, El Salvador, Haití, Argentina, Chile, Perú, Uruguay, Ecuador, Panamá, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine, to advocate for environmental, economic and social justice. In her work, she captures the daily realities of life of the people she advocates for with the goal of raising public awareness about world events and the cost of war and its “collateral damage”.
“When looking through the lens of a camera, you’re ever so present to the details of one’s face: the smirks, smiles and frowns; the wisdom and age that accompany the sun baked wrinkles, a depth of sorrow, joy, uncertainty, curiosity and oneness in the eyes.” – Panetta
Panetta’s vivid photographs speak volumes and inspire others to act. Throughout the exhibit and talk (slide presentation), you will see and hear the prevailing sense of hope for a better tomorrow as inspired by the individuals in her photographs. Catch a glimpse of the world around you and its very soul in photojournalist’s Linda Panetta’s rousing stories and images.
Along with the exhibit held in the Heritage Room there are other events scheduled. Last Friday Ms. Panetta also hosted a First Friday Scranton event at the Connell Building where she exhibited a different set of photographs.
Tonight, October 6, Ms. Panetta will do a public presentation titled: Latin America Through the Lens: A Compassionate Look Back at Our Future. The lecture will be held at 7pm in theMcIlhenny Ballroom on the fourth floor of the DeNaples Center. The event is free and open to the public.
The exhibit and lecture are made possible by a grant from The University of Scranton Office of Equity and Diversity, Diversity Initiatives and the generous support of the Latin American and Women’s Studies, the Weinberg Memorial Library, University Ministries, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Office of Community Relations and the Office of Equity and Diversity
To view a collection of Panetta’s photography visit: www.OpticalRealities.org
Contact Michael Knies 570-941-6341 Michael.Knies@Scranton.edu for more information on the exhibit.
Contact Karl Kretsch 570- 941-4729 Karl.Kretsch@scranton.edu for more information on the lecture.
