A pack of German bandages that was carried by a German soldier on D-Day and later recovered by Allied soldiers.
Authored by William Braxton Hicks
World War II was the most destructive conflict in human history. Millions of people lost their lives fighting for or defending against tyranny, some for the right reasons, and others for the wrong ones (Hastings 2012). The bandages in the above photo were made by a German company called Hartmann Group. They were just one of the many companies from all around the world that were required by their government to begin producing materials for war in both the 1910s and the 1930-40s. In short, there were no facets of ordinary life, nor anyone in the world who was not affected in some way by the greatest military conflict of all-time.
A mannequin in a short blonde wig, red dress, heart print scarf, and glasses. Her name tag reads ‘Page Turner’
Authored by Hannah Gutzwiller
The school library acts as a central hub for a number of things. Classes, club meetings, budget forums, holiday parties, leisure space, and an important setting for forming social capital (Larsen 2019). What is the one constant that makes Cosby High School library different from other school libraries across the country? Page Turner. Page is the name of the library mascot, a life sized mannequin rescued from the dumpster and installed in the library in 2010. Page, pictured above in her Valentines regalia, is lovingly dressed for each season by a team of dedicated student library aides. Manufactured by Tero Inc. at a date that has been lost to time and wear and tear, she is a library staple. When graduation comes around, students line up to have their picture taken with her, a happy memento of their school years. Page represents community engagement in school libraries and exists to bridge the generational gap between librarians and students.
In school libraries, where reading is chronically uncool and shunned, there must be alternative ways to build social capital outside of the pages of a book. Meeting students where they are and experimenting with new ways to make the library fun is far more effective than sticking to traditional library engagement strategies (Jensen 2019). With her seasonal outfit changes, Page acts as a visual advertisement for the library that has the ability to bring people in without relying on literature. Having a draw that meets students on their level is important for school libraries in particular, but Page has lessons to teach libraries across the country.
When it comes to viewing libraries as a space, we may think of the library as exclusively a learning space. Page emphasizes that the library is for fun and community by being an interactive component of the setting. In designing the library, the focus is always on the patron (Mei 2014). School libraries cater to a very specific kind of patron, but too often try to function like a public or academic library. It is important that students see the space as welcoming and comfortable in order to reduce library anxiety (Mellon 1986).
Page Turner represents a unique way to create social capital within libraries, which is becoming more and more important in an increasingly polarized culture (KNC 2019). As it gets harder to achieve social capital, we must work on new and interesting ways to make the library a welcoming space. Page bridges the gap between librarians and students, an element that is direly important for community engagement in school libraries. All libraries should aspire to have a Page, an interactive space that welcomes and draws in patrons from all backgrounds.
KNC. 2019. “Populism Can Be Beaten Back by Libraries. Really.” The Economist. The Economist Newspaper. https://www.economist.com/open-future/2019/05/31/populism-can-be-beaten-back-by-libraries-really.
Larsen, Dale, Shane Wallace, Adriana Parker, and Lis Pankl. 2019. “From Cubicles to Community: Reducing Library Anxiety through Critically Reimagined Social Spaces.” New Review of Academic Librarianship 25 (2-4): 408–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/13614533.2019.1615966.
Lysander Howe, Caleb. Blake Block, Brattleboro, Vermont, after the Fire.1869.
Albumen silver prints mounted to stereographic card, each sheet and image: 7.6 x 7.6 cm. The Smithsonian American Art Museum. https://www.si.edu/object/blakeblock-brattleboro-vermont-after-fire%3Asaam_1994.91.203
Authored by Katie Spiller
On October 31st, 1869, beginning about 2:30am, Brattleboro, Vermont suffered from a major fire destroying an entire block on Main Street (Cabot 1922). It was the first of two major fires the town experienced in the late 19th century which sparked local businessmen to envision and eventually implement improved firefighting methods (Pierce 2015). The fire began in an eating saloon in the center of the block and moved south and north quickly because four reasons hindered firefighting efforts that day (Brattleboro Historical Society 2021). One, the system for sounding the fire alarm required the nightwatchman to run to the nearest bell tower minutes away; then after more minutes, only two more bells were rung within town leaving several townspeople unalerted (Cabot 1922, 852). Two, four weeks before the fire, a record-breaking flood damaged the water wheel responsible for moving water to this part of town (Pomeroy 1894; Burnham1880). Three, the flood also washed out a bridge making accessing the fire time-consuming for one engine (Cabot 1922, 852). Lastly, the engine closest to the fire had been severely tampered with. The Vermont Record and Farmer, a local newspaper, reported that two leather plugs were inserted into the engine’s hose, paper plugged the works, and buckskin clogged the valves (Brattleboro History, n.d.). Caleb Lysander Howe, the local photographer, captured the remnants of the Brattleboro House after the fire ceased (Brattleboro Historical Society 2020). The town healed from this disaster a few years later with the construction of the commercial Crosby Block and the Brooks House hotel (Brattleboro Historical Society, n.d.).
[image continued] “…doing anything for them although they had called on him three times.”
A letter written by a member of the Freedmen’s Bureau. It was originally a part of the Records
the Assistant Commissioner for Texas, Series 4: Letters Received and was transcribed by Digital Volunteers for the Smithsonian Institution Transcription Center.
Authored by Cassidy Simpson
The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands was established on March 3, 1865 and is typically referred to simply as the Freedmen’s Bureau. The purpose of this Bureau was to oversee what was happening regarding freedmen and refugees in the southern states. The Bureau was also in charge of abandoned and confiscated lands in these states, the District of Columbia, and Indian Territory (The Freedmen’s Bureau Online n.d.). While the Bureau was successful during its lifetime, it only existed for seven years and was disbanded in 1872. The Commissioner was Major General Oliver Otis Howard the whole time and much of the staff was military personnel (Fleischman, Tyson, & Oldroyd 2014, 5). Some of their jobs included ensuring justice, supervising labor contracts, protecting Black people and their property, and supporting them in creating schools. Many white Texans did not support the efforts of the Bureau, so they were working with limited resources (Harper 2020). Even so, they were able to open 66 schools in Texas and many African Americans were educated because of it (ARIS Staff 2022).
An excerpt from the diary currently being transcribed to preserve the text in a digital environment. This page describes some of the trials and tribulations an artist may encounter in the 1800s.
Authored by Noah McKee
Jervis McEntee was born July 14, 1828. Very little is known about McEntee’s early life. McEntee comes from the Hudson River School, which was an art movement that reflected romanticism through American landscape paintings. The Metropolitan Museum of Art described the Hudson River School as “America’s first true artistic fraternity” (Avery 2004, par. 1). Of this popular art movement, McEntee is regarded as a lesser-known figure within the Hudson River School, and the art world as a whole (Levine 2015).
Portong Family Gravestone, Maple Grove Cemetery (Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery, 2020)
In the northwest corner of Maple Grove Cemetery, there is a family plot with a gravestone bearing the name Portong. Last among the names inscribed on its front facing side is Ludolf F. Portong, a bank teller from Jamaica, New York who died at age 28 on September 16, 1920 (Bellows 2018, 42:14; Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery, 2020). This date likely bears little significance in the minds of most people today. However, the date corresponds with what was, at the time, the single deadliest terrorist attack in American history, and Ludolf F. Portong was among the many now mostly forgotten victims (Gage 2009, 1).
This letter was written by Silas Auchmoedy and was sent to his family home in Rosendale, NY. Within this letter, he depicts his experience during the battle of Gettysburg. Auchmoedy was a union soldier during the Civil War.
In 1862, eighteen-year-old Silas S. Auchmoedy was mustered into the 120th New York Volunteers as a private (Lyon 1904). In October of 1862, just three months later, he was promoted as corporal officer (Lyon 1904). During Auchmoedy’s deployment, he wrote a series of letters home depicting the time he spent in battle. On July 20th, 1863, he wrote a letter describing the events he saw at the Battle of Gettysburg (Auchmoedy 1863), also known as the bloodiest single battle of conflict (American Battlefield Trust, n.d.). Within this letter are horrific descriptions of his experience on the battlefield. He writes about his experience running through a field as he underwent heavy fire, his gun so packed with filth that he had to bang it on a stone to get the bullet in. Most tragically, he depicts the screams from A.D. Stokes, “a first-rate fellow,” as a bullet ripped through his thigh. He had screamed to Auchmoedy, “O God, don’t leave me!” (Auchmoedy 1863, para. 1.20). Auchmoedy had not left him and carried Stokes to safety before rejoining his regiment (Auchmoedy 1863). War was not a time of peace, and though these men were regarded as heroes, they were also boys covered in the blood of their friends.
