Francis and Mary Lois Molson

As part of the Libraries Building Campaign the Clarke Library has recently received two significant gifts. Francis and Mary Lois Molson have agreed to donate a sizable body of art to the Clarke, as well as fund a dedicated endowment to make possible the acquisition of similar works in the future. Meijer Inc., headquartered near Grand Rapids, has announced a $65,000 contribution to support the Clarke.

Francis Molson is a retired CMU English literature professor who between 1986 and 1988 was curator of the Lucile Clarke Children's Library. His wife, Mary Lois Molson, is a retired second grade teacher. Together the couple are donating over forty pieces of original art work commissioned for and subsequently printed in children's books. The collection includes works by many of the world's top children's book artists. Artists represented include Thomas Locker, Michael McCurdy, Trina Schart Hyman, Leo and Diane Dilon, Michael Hague, Jerry Pinkney, Alice and Martin Provensen, Gennady Spirin, James Ransome, and David Wisniewski.

"Our intent is to make it possible for students as well as the public to have the opportunity to study and appreciate these wonderful works of art" said Molson. He added "It is always challenging to convince students that the children's books they read in class are really literature. The same can be said about children's book art. This is art, not 'kiddy' stuff. I want students to see and appreciate these paintings and drawings." In addition to the artwork itself, the Molsons have created a special endowed fund to make possible the ongoing acquisition of work similar to that donated by them. Funds from their endowment may also be used to help preserve the works donated by them or obtained with endowed funds.

In a second major gift Meijer Inc. has announced a $65,000 contribution to the Libraries Building and Renovation Campaign to benefit the Clarke Library. "The Clarke is invaluable as a steward of Michigan's heritage, and its prominent place in the new Central Michigan University library will only strengthen that role," said Hank Meijer, co-chairperson of Meijer Inc. "Meijer is pleased to support such a unique cultural resource a resource that enriches all the citizens of Michigan."

All of us associated with the Library express our deep thanks to Meijer Inc. and Hank Meijer, as well as to the Francis and Mary Lois Molson, for their generous support of the Clarke. The gifts of both Meijer and the Molsons will be recognized through the naming of a room in the new Clarke Library.

With the assistance of two employees of the Library of Michigan and funding through the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Clarke's extensive collection of newspapers on microfilm as well as hard copy papers held in the Library, have been fully cataloged. Records now exist in both CENTRA, CMU Libaries on-line catalog, and OCLC, a national bibliographic database, describing the Clarke's newspaper holdings. Because many newspapers often change titles and frequently vary their schedule of publication, creating accurate cataloging records is an extraordinary time consuming task. Two librarians worked full time for almost six months to catalog our material.

When construction begins this summer on the enlarged and renovated Park Library Building the Clarke Library will be relocated "for the duration" to the "Turfed Room" in the Student Activity Center (SAC)/Rose Athletic complex. The two inter-connected buildings are located just south of Broomfield Road, near the CMU football stadium. Maps to help you find us are included at the end of this story

The Turfed Room is an approximately 13,000 square foot space originally designed for indoor baseball practice, tennis, and similar activities. To better preserve the material the space will be retrofitted with air conditioning. Additional electrical capability and computer cabling will also be installed. We anticipate that the Clarke will remain in the Turfed Room for several years. The tentative construction schedule for the Park Library Project projects that the Clarke will move in January 2002 from the Turfed Room into our new, permanent home on the first floor of the Park Library addition.

The current schedule calls for the Clarke to begin moving the collection from the fourth floor of the Park Library to the Turfed Room in early June.

Researchers who wish to visit the Clarke after the relocation is completed should enter the SAC main entrance, which is located on the east side of the building. Parking lot 62, which is adjacent to this entrance has metered parking available.

After passing through the SAC security checkpoint by informing the attendant that you plan on visiting the Clarke, proceed down the SAC concourse until reaching the first major corridor on the right. The corridor is just past a glass wall featuring a row of exercise machines. Having turned right proceed down the hallway past the swimming pool until you find us in the "Turfed Room."

Every Library has its unadressed problems. The Clarke map room has long been ours. It wasn't that the staff couldn't find things, it just often took a long time. In May 1998, archivist Marian Matyn and many student assistants took on the often postponed job of better describing the room's contents.

The students began their work by measuring, describing, listing, and for the first time boxing, all of the Library's oversized rolled maps. The most difficult part of this phase of the project was unrolling the fragile, bulky maps to measure and fully identify them. Eventually over 180 maps were described, listed, and carefully boxed in telescoping archival boxes to help preserve them from further harm.

Students under Marian's direction also took on the task of organizing a large body of photographic material. Boxes of lantern slides, a few daguerreotypes, tintypes, rolled panoramic photographs, as well as more modern image formats all gave up their secrets and were listed for subsequent control. Aerial photographs of Isabella and neighboring counties, which were simply piled by county on top of cabinets, were organized and boxed.

At the beginning of the Fall 1998 term in August, new students faced a new challenge; identifying and creating a finding aid for the Library's framed art, portraits, and other paintings. A binder was created which included forms describing each framed item with a photograph of the original. The photographic log should significantly lessen the need to consult the bulky and often fragile original art work.

As the students worked through the various material found in the map room they also were instructed to compare catalog records with the originals. Because of their size, "shelf reading" maps is extraordinarily difficult. Nevertheless students gently wrestled the oversized folders from their map case drawer, inspected each folder, and where necessary supplemented old descriptions or created new ones.

Although we now have a much better sense of what is available in the Map Room and far superior tools to locate that information, researchers still cannot find this information on-line. Cataloging maps and similar material is very detailed and requires both special training and far more work per catalog record than is required for books. But clearly, full cataloging is an important next step.

As the date of the our move to temporary quarters has drawn closer, all of the staff has begun to reminisce about "the old place." Anyone who has moved is familiar with the phenomena. As moving day draws closer past problems become minor annoyances and the soon to be abandoned space takes on a sentimental value. For years staff has grimaced at the mismatched carpeting. The eyesore, however, has recently become a reminder of how we survived "the great flood." The flood was caused by a sudden thunderstorm and a roofer who, having ripped the old roof off the library on a Friday afternoon, actually believed the weather bureau's prediction of a bright and sunny weekend and didn't put up a temporary covering. As a result a fair amount of green waterlogged carpet, but fortunately no parts of the collection, ended up in a dumpster and was replaced by blue carpet that has clashed for years with the remnant of green carpet.

Staff members have justifiably complained about the filming area of the microfilm project for years. In truth the filming cubicles were "constructed" (the word can only be used loosely) of ugly six foot portable wall partitions and lightproof fabric, all held together and attached to the ceiling with duct tape. These ungainly monstrosities, however, have become a reminder of personal ingenuity and commitment to an important project triumphing over budgetary limitations. Every corner has its own story. Every office its own tale of triumphs and disappointments.

By the end of the summer all of those corners and offices will be gone. The mismatched carpet, the ceiling tiles sticky from duct tape and all the rest will have been trucked to a land fill as a contractor clears the fourth floor in the first phase of the renovation project. But before this space that has housed the Clarke for thirty years becomes just a memory there is, I think, the need to say a few thank yous and good byes.

One should start at the beginning, with Dr. Clarke Sr.'s initial generous gift and the subsequent long term support by he and his family for the Library. CMU would not have a research facility dedicated to the history of Michigan and the Old Northwest Territory without his vision and his force of will.

The Library's Board of Governors has also been an important force. Those who served years ago and those who currently serve receive little recognition. Yet without them, their insights, and their vision the Clarke would surely be a poorer place.

University officials, past and present , have been extraordinary in their support. Through the years they have advanced us cash when it was needed, forgiven us our sins when things did not quite work out, and shared in the joy of having this unique institution on the Central campus.

Obviously a great debt of gratitude is owed to the Library's staff, past and present. The Library works because they work; long, hard hours, driven by an inner sense of duty and commitment to excellence. Without this dedication the Library literally could not serve the public as it does. ,p> Dr. Clarke Sr. and his family, the members of the Governing Board, university officials, and the Library staff have all done much over the last thirty years. But as I have often written before, the greatest contributions have come from our friends; from you. The generous gifts, the willingness to share with us information about material, and sometimes the ability to persuade a reluctant donor to part with his or her precious possessions, all has helped to build the Library. For thirty years you have helped. For all of us here I thank you for that essential assistance.

Frank Boles
(writing in the old office
one last time)

The library is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m, and some Saturdays. For additional information about the library please call us at (989) 774-3352. Individuals who call after regular hours may leave a message on our voice mail system. You may also reach us by e-mail at clarke@cmich.edu Because of the volume of junk mail received at this address please include the phrase "reference request" in the subject line. Messages lacking this phrase will be deleted.. Please visit our web site at www.lib.cmich.edu/clarke.htm.

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Central Michigan University, an AA/EO institution, is strongly and actively committed to increasing diversity within its community (see www.cmich.edu/aaeo.html).