The Problems of Immigration and the Proposed Remedies of Congress

Authored by Alexander A. LoBianco

The artifact highlighted is a draft of a Statement from the Honorable Lawrence S. Eagleburger, Deputy, U.S. Department of State; an integral component of the hearing: Review of immigration problems.

The Center for Migration Studies of New York has artifacts from the Collection of The Arthur P. (“Skip”) Endres Collection. He created or used them during his tenure as counsel for the United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and International Law. It consists of primary source material on United States migration and refugee law. The artifact discussed was in box 3, folder 30 of the collection in the center’s archives, housed at St. John’s University (Center for Migration Studies 2015).

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North Haven Memorial Library Presents…NoodleMan: Engaging Children During COVID-19

This video was recorded by Emily Jenkins and posted onto Vimeo on January 25, 2021. It was shared on the same day to North Haven Memorial Library’s Facebook page at 4:27 p.m. Titled “NHML Winter Reading Unboxing!,” this video features Miss Emily and NoodleMan as they promote North Haven Memorial Library’s Winter Reading Program for 2021.

Authored by Carlye Mazzucco

When the COVID-19 outbreak forced everything to shut down in 2020, libraries converted programs to online venues, such as Zoom. In an effort to improve their Zoom programs, Head Children’s Librarian of the North Haven Memorial Library Emily Jenkins and her assistant Joe DeFrancesco participated in Connecticut Library Association’s “Magic Square Workshop.”

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Identity through Controversy Lenses

Authored by Darya Zvonareva

Photograph of Hillary Clinton, May 20, 2005

On May 20 2005 Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton received an honorary doctoral degree at Marymount Manhattan College (MMC) and gave the commencement keynote address during the liberal arts institution’s graduation ceremony. The date turned out to be a pivotal moment in the history of MMC that was officially de-Catholicized.

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Gordon Parks’ Son, David, Speaking at Marymount Manhattan College: Honoring a Lifetime of Social Justice

Authored by Caitlyn Daddona

Photo was taken during Marymount Manhattan College’s 58th Commencement, on May 18th, 2007. This photograph shows David Parks, son of famous photographer Gordon Parks receiving an Honorary Degree on behalf of his father.

On May 18th, 2007 Marymount Manhattan College held a commencement ceremony to celebrate the graduating class of 2007. Honored in the ceremony were individuals who had contributed to society and one such individual was Gordon Parks. Almost a year before the Marymount Manhattan College Commencement where Gordon Parks was to receive an Honorary Degree for his commitment to portraying the faces of poverty, race relations and civil rights in his photography, he died at the age of 93 (Grundberg 2006). His son, David Parks, received the degree in his father’s place.

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Remembering Catherine Latimer: The First Black Librarian of NYPL

Authored by Hunter Albini

View of researchers using the Schomburg Collection, when it was the 135th Street Branch Library Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints, as it looked in 1938, with Catherine A. Latimer, reference librarian of the collection, in left background.

In the heart of Harlem, on Malcolm X Boulevard between 135th and 136th Street, stands the Schomburg Center for Research and Black Culture. As one of the research branches within the New York Public Library system, it is “one of the world’s leading cultural institutions devoted to the research, preservation, and exhibition of materials focused on African American, African Diaspora, and African experiences” (NYPL 2021, para. 1). New York Public Library purchased the materials from the personal collection of self-described “bibliophile” Arturo Alfonso Schomburg in 1926, who was later appointed curator of the collection (NYPL 2021). One of the lesser-known people involved in the birth of the Schomburg Collection was Catherine Latimer, the reference librarian for the collection and NYPL’s very first Black librarian.  

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A Local Hidden Gem: Otsego Polka

Authored by Michelle Weigel

“Otsego Polka” Composed and Respectfully inscribed to the Young Ladies of Mrs. Cotes’ Seminary, Springfield NY by J.A Fowler

Collections begin with wants from a collector. In the case of the Clarke family, that want was sheet music. George Clarke loved to play the flute, so much so that he had all three children classically trained to play the flute. On top of that, he also sang, and one could say music was a passion of his. He collected thousands and thousands of music sheets, which were stored in the family library or next to the piano in the drawing-room (Aborn 2021). Their collection can be viewed at their long-time residence Hyde Hall located in Cooperstown, New York. Hyde Hall is now a historic landmark open to guests to come tour and learn about the estate.

One piece of sheet music found in the Hyde Hall archives is “Otsego Polka by J.A Fowler in 1847 and was “inscribed to the Young Ladies of Mrs. Cotes’ Seminary, Springfield” (Otsego Polka, n.d.). This piece was written specifically for the area; Opera pieces were considered for the high class in contrast to folk pieces which were played by the lower class. The “Otsego Polka” combines both worlds, and since it is heavy with the flute, it was a piece George Clarke wanted to have (Aborn 2021). There is a painting in Hyde Hall’s drawing-room, the Gallery of the Louvre by Samuel Morse (Brownlee 2014) were below a piano sat. Guests would gather around and listen to this piece, and more pieces were performed by other guests and members of the Clarke family.

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Provo City Fire Department: Serving the Community for Over 130 Years

Authored by Shawna N. Fluckiger

Taken in the 1800’s, the city of Provo Utah established a fire department that was run by volunteers in the community.

The evening of January 4, 1884 terror struck the town of Provo, Utah. Billows of black smoke filled the auburn colored sky. The school house, Brigham Young Academy, burnt to the ground with no hope of salvation (Jensen 1924). The community was always willing to lend a hand when a tragedy such as a fire struck but there was no authority or supplies dedicated to the town’s fire safety. Five years (1890) after the Brigham Young Academy fire, Mayor John E. Booth decided that it was time to act so he organized the first volunteer fire department of Provo, Utah (Walden 1990). Marshal John A. Brown was appointed as chief captain and Hyrum Hatton as engineer (Herald Publishing Co. 1911).

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A Letter of Welcome: The Plight of the Indochinese Refugees

Authored by Laura Baker

Correspondence from Joshua Eilberg to the Honorable Herbert E. Harris. 3 February, 1977. 241-cms105, Box 3, Folder 24, Item 2. Center for Migration Studies, New York, New York.

On February 3, 1977, Joshua Eilberg sent a letter to Herbert E. Harris welcoming him to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and International Law for the 95th congress. Shortly thereafter, the subcommittee held hearings on May 25th and June 2nd of 1977 regarding H.R. 2051. The legislation, proposed by Representative Hamilton Fish, concerned the first wave of Indochinese refugees who had fled their homelands at the culmination of the Vietnam War (Desbarats 1985, 4; Zucker 1983, 174).

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Greater Things: Following Barbara M. Watson’s Political Achievements

Authored by Brooke Leonard

Newspaper article from the Washington Star-News dated September 4, 1974 detailing the attempt to oust Barbara M. Watson from her position.

Barbara Mae Watson was the first woman, and the first African American Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs. She was first appointed on July 31, 1968, where she served until 1974, and was appointed again on April 7, 1977 (Office of the Historian, n.d.). She served under Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter.

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Spur Rides: An Act of Shameful Hazing or Vincentian Honor?

Authored by Jamie Sloane

Pair of brass cavalry spurs minus leather made from brass expended in Afghanistan. Spurs were earned by troopers who performed job-specific tasks that tested their mental and physical capabilities. These particular spurs were earned by the 3-71 Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.

Earning one’s cavalry spurs has always been considered an act of honor and respect since the civil war (Montazzoli 2019, 1). However, for the past few decades, people began to question whether or not spur rides were actually an act of honor or just another form of hazing because of the mental and physical stress they entail (Mattson 2012). However, if the army doesn’t consider it hazing, then what is it?

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