#ncsu libraries

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n87_w1150 von Biodiversity Heritage Library Über Flickr: Les plantes a feuillage coloré. v.1. Paris :Rothschild,1867-1870. biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16490574

[biodivlibrary]

BHL Sunday Garden: Orange Flowers!

Welcome to this week's #BHLSundayGarden featuring Orange Flowers! To kick off our weekly botanical art series, we have Flame Azaleas (Rhododendron calendulaceum). These stunning flowers are native to the Appalachian Mountains, which range from southern New York to northern Georgia. 

SciArt by Marian Ellis Ryan Rowan for Alice Lounsberry, Southern Wild Flowers and Trees (1901). Contributed for digitization by North Carolina State University Libraries @ncsulibraries via Internet Archive @internetarchive. Join us for more #OrangeFlowers on our Instagram. 

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n9_w1150 von Biodiversity Heritage Library Über Flickr: Les plantes a feuillage coloré. v.1. Paris :Rothschild,1867-1870. biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16490496

[thebotanicalarcade]

n102_w1150 by Biodiversity Heritage Library Via Flickr: Lilies and orchids New York,R. G. Cooke, incorporated,1906. biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16488080

[dr-archeville]

'Treasure trove' of history found in Raleigh church, donated to NCSU Libraries

As St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in southeast Raleigh prepared to celebrate its 150th anniversary last year, its rector uncovered a big piece of history tucked away in his office closet.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- As St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in southeast Raleigh prepared to celebrate its 150th anniversary last year, its rector uncovered a big piece of history tucked away in his office closet. Father Jemonde Taylor was cleaning out the closet and a worn cardboard box tucked away in the corner when he found the church's only surviving copy of blueprints. On Wednesday, ABC11 was there as Taylor donated the documents to NC State University Libraries. "It was a treasure trove," Taylor said.  "Not only these blueprints, but also the pictures that go along with the construction." The church on Darby Street in southeast Raleigh was built in 1965 and designed by Leif Valand. "He was a very prolific architect," said Gwynn Thayer, Assoc. Head and Curator of Special Collections at NC State University Libraries.  "And he's really most known for his work in Cameron Village in the late 1940s." Thayer said when she and her team of curators heard about the discovered documents, they came to St. Ambrose right away. "We were very excited to hear about this because a lot of Leif Valand drawings are gone," she said. St. Ambrose was founded in 1868, originally located at Lane and Dawson Streets; in 1900 the building was moved to Wilmington and Cabarrus Streets before it was torn down. Valand highlighted features of the church's latest design to echo its rich history. Taylor said he isn't letting go of this piece of history he found, but rather granting access to more people who would have never been able to see it otherwise. For St. Ambrose, the blueprints serve as another symbol. "Christianity is big with symbols," Taylor said.  "One of the major symbols being the cross.  And to have symbols like these as touchpoints of where we've been that people who were faithful who gathered and prayed in this place had the vision and forethought to raise money and recruit architects to build where we are today.  It's a touchpoint of our history and realizing that we did not get here without those that came before."

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[dr-archeville]

Susan Keene Nutter Durham Susan Keene Nutter, North Carolina State University's dynamic and innovative former Vice Provost and Director of Librari

Susan Keene Nutter, North Carolina State University's dynamic and innovative former Vice Provost and Director of Libraries, died on Monday, March 25, 2019 of natural causes in Durham, NC.  Nutter was recognized internationally as a visionary in the academic library world.  She was so dedicated to enabling others' success that her impact will be felt far and wide for generations.  Countless research library directors, other library leaders, and new librarians were inspired, encouraged, and mentored by Susan Nutter.  Craig Dykers, Founding Partner of Snøhetta, the architectural firm that designed the James B. Hunt Jr. Library at NC State, captured her "force of nature" personality when he said that she made "passion" a verb rather than a noun.

Nutter is best known for spearheading the development of the iconic and award-winning James B. Hunt Jr. Library at NC State, which created a new model for how academic libraries can be a platform for teaching, learning, and research through a blend of dramatic and inclusive architecture, collaborative spaces, and innovative technology that places the library at the very core of student and faculty life.  Beyond the physical space, her devotion to excellence propelled NC State's library system from a middling position among research libraries to one of national and international renown.  She grew the Libraries' collections from 1.5 million volumes in 1990 to 5.2 million in 2017 and invested significantly in online access to digital resources.  In 2016, Michelle Obama bestowed the National Medal for Museum and Library Services on the NC State University Libraries, which Nutter accepted at the White House on the Libraries' behalf.

Stylish and quietly commanding, Nutter led the library through a period of tremendous change, when computers and the Internet came to compete with book stacks and microfilm as deposits of knowledge.  Her vision for libraries and scholarships in the digital age was nothing short of prophetic and stemmed from her early-career work on the pioneering Project Intrex at MIT, a national incubator for computer-centric library sciences, which instilled in her an ability to predict library trends and needs years in advance.  This special talent of hers was appropriately summed up by Jay Dawkins, NC State's '08-'09 Student Body President: "As time went on, I saw one student need after another directly addressed by Susan and her wonderful staff.  And not only does the Libraries listen -- it anticipates.  Our needs started being met before they even occurred to us."

Nutter created a staff that, in the words of the NC State University Chancellor W. Randolph Woodson, was "on fire to push the envelope of what can be done to make our students and faculty more successful, more alive to the possibilities of a life on the edge of innovation."  She was beloved by her staff, and, with them, she also had great fun; they reveled in each other's foibles as well as their strengths.

Nutter's many honors and awards include the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award (1999), the 2005 Library Journal "Librarian of the Year," and the 2016 ACRL Academic/Research Librarian of the Year.  Under her leadership, the NC State University Libraries was the first university library to win the ACRL "Excellence in Academic Libraries Award."

In describing her career, Nutter said, "I have tried to make the academic/research library strategic and essential to the university's mission and competitiveness, to make a real difference for faculty and student success, and to contribute in a powerful way to the development of the next generations of librarians and library leaders.  To be successful in doing this is what brings me the greatest joy." 

Nutter was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Attorney Edmund Winslow Nutter and Dorothy Hilmer Nutter.  She was raised in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts.  She held a B.A. in American Literature from Colby College (1966) and an MSLS from Simmons College (1968).  Before arriving at NC State in 1987, Nutter was Associate Director of Barker Engineering Library at MIT and a Council on Library Resources Academic Library Management Intern at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Nutter was predeceased in December by her beloved husband, best friend, and creative colleague, Joe Anderson Hewitt, former Vice Provost and University Librarian at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  She is survived and mourned by her sister, Deborah Winslow Nutter, Senior Associate Dean and Professor of Practice at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; her brother-in-law Alan Huntington Rutan; her niece Carolyn Schickel of London; and her nephew Todd Miner of Jacksonville; and their families, as well as her stepson Stephen Hewitt of Durham.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, May 31 at 10:30 a.m. at the James B. Hunt Jr. Library, NC State University, Raleigh, NC.  Contributions may be made to the Libraries' Susan K. Nutter Innovative Leadership Fund.

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[dr-archeville]

Halloween Costume Inspirations from the Digital Archives

by Laura Abraham

Halloween is almost here, and maybe you haven't decided on your costume yet.  Well, NCSU Libraries' Special Collections Research Center are here to help you out, with images from our Rare and Unique Digital Collections.  Let these featured costumes inspire you to create the most talked-about, award-winning outfit this year!

If you would like to learn more about the Special Collections Research Center and our digitized materials, please visit the Rare and Unique Digital Collections for access to thousands of images, video, audio recordings, and textual materialsdocumenting NC State history and other topics.  Happy Halloween!

These two dudes are ready to party, circa 1980

Styling student, Class of 1925

4-H Club girl performing at 4-H Achievement Day, 1960

When the Bug People attack!, 1970s

Children in fairy costumes drinking milk, circa 1920

Amazing fish tank costume, 1991

The legendary love story of a college student and a giant chicken, circa 1980

Halloween Party for children residents at NC State's Vetville, 1953

"Missing Link" at Student Agricultural Fair, 1922

An unconventional meeting between a dragon and a peasant lady, 1981

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[dr-archeville]

The holidays are nearly upon us, and NC State students have finished their exams and preparing for winter break.  We here at the Special Collections and Research Center at NCSU Libraries want to wish you Happy Holidays and show off the Rare and Unique Digital Collections, so here are videos, images, and documents featuring Christmas trees, an important plant industry in North Carolina.

North Carolina produces over 220% of the real Christmas trees in the United States.  NC has over 300 Christmas Tree growers, with a total of 37 million trees growing on 32,000 acres.  The NC Christmas Tree industry in ranked second in the nation, behind Oregon in the number of trees harvested; 2012 Christmas tree sales in NC totaled in excess of $75 million.  North Carolina Fraser Fir has been judged Grand Champion through the National Christmas Tree Association and chosen for the White House twelve times (more than any other species), in 1971, 1973, 1982, 1984, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997,  2005, 2007, 2008, and 2012.  [source]