Summer 2010
Giving – another option
Friends support Duke Libraries through financial contributions and gifts of rare materials. These are two significant means of aiding the Libraries, for which we are grateful. We would also like to make you aware of a third option; gift planning. It’s as easy as it sounds; you simply plan to support Duke Libraries through your estate. Giving in this way allows donors to incorporate Duke Libraries into long range plans, and often permits individuals to have a more substantial impact than they might manage during their lifetime.
The most common and easiest way to include Duke Libraries in your plan is to include a bequest in your will or revocable (living) trust. The following language is an example of how a bequest to benefit the Libraries may be worded:
I give, devise and bequeath to Duke University, a qualified 501(c)(3) charitable organization located in Durham, North Carolina, _____ percent of my residual estate (or a specific bequest of $__________, or other personal or real property appropriately described) for Duke University Libraries, to be used in accordance with the terms of the most recent written directive I have signed with the University, and, if none exists, to be used as directed by the University Librarian at Duke University.
Once this paragraph is included in your will, we encourage you to make us aware of your plans by completing a confirmation of legacy gift form. This document does not bind you or your estate, the sole purpose is to help us ensure that your wishes are fulfilled. It will also allow us to honor you as a member of the University’s Heritage Society, which recognizes alumni and friends who have provided for Duke through their estate plans or some other form of deferred gift.
Planning a gift can be helpful in reducing or eliminating capital gains and gift and estate taxes. You may realize immediate tax savings as well. As a service to donors, experts in Duke’s Office of Gift Planning are available and willing to assist you.
Gift planning has a special historical significance at Duke. In 1924 Trinity College was renamed Duke University in honor of a generous gift from James Buchanan Duke. Many know of this gift, but many don’t realize this pivotal contribution was made as a planned gift through J.B. Duke’s will. What legacy will you leave?
Friends turn 80
The Friends Annual Dinner, held May 5, 2010, marked a milestone for The Friends of the Duke University Libraries. All who attended helped commemorate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Friends. In 1930, Dr. William K. Boyd formed the Associates of Duke University Library “to promote the development of Libraries through voluntary contributions and to create a larger interest among alumni and friends in improving the book collections.” Eight decades later, the Friends continue to be a strong force in the Libraries.
Each year, the Annual Dinner provides a special opportunity for supporters to celebrate the accomplishments of Duke Libraries and learn about new initiatives. In addition to marking the 80th anniversary, attendees were treated to a program about the Duke Libraries Jazz Archive.
Duke Libraries wish to thank presenting sponsor SunTrust for generously providing vital support for the event. DeHaven’s Moving and Transfer, Whole Foods Market and Duke’s Gothic Bookshop all provided additional contributions to make the Annual Dinner possible. Thanks to each of our sponsors, and everyone who attended the event, for their continued support.
Preservation is 10
In 1998, a special Library Preservation Endowment was started by members of the Friends. This fund has been a boon to the Preservation Department as highly trained staff and librarians work to continue to provide researchers with access to collections. Endowment funds have helped preserve a wide range of material, from H. Lee Waters’ films of Depression-era Piedmont to conservation of some of our most significant material in the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library. This year, the Preservation department is celebrating its 10th anniversary. What started as a shop of three people has grown to include one preservation officer, three conservators and two senior conservation technicians operating in The Verne and Tanya Roberts Conservation Lab, an 1800 square foot world class conservation facility, on the lower floor of Perkins Library.
Check out the Rare Book Rooms
The next time you visit campus, make sure you plan a trip to the Rare Book Rooms on the first floor of Perkins Library. The main room of the suite is the Mary Duke Biddle Rare Book Room, named in honor of Washington Duke’s granddaughter whose gift funded its construction. Among the materials shelved here are Aldine classics, English literature, early American theology, notable first editions and a breathtaking, complete double elephant folio set of John James Audubon’s Birds of America. Adjacent to the Biddle Room are three smaller public areas. The Trent Room houses and displays books, periodicals, manuscripts, proof sheets, pictures, and other items principally from the Trent Collection of Walt Whitman. The Flowers Room contains printed materials from the George Washington Flowers Collection of Southern Americana and works of southern authors. Among the items shelved in the Dalton Room, named for Trinity College alumnus Harry L. Dalton, are incunabula, emblem books, and miniature books.
These remarkable rooms provide a memorable setting for numerous lectures, readings, concerts and social gatherings throughout the year. As event schedules allow, local book clubs are also invited to meet in the Biddle Rare Book Room. If you are interested in scheduling a book club meeting please contact Lizzy Mottern. If becoming a docent in the Rare Book Rooms is appealing to you, please contact Tim Pyatt.
Libraries get greener
Bostock Library recently received LEED certification in recognition of important “green” features that were incorporated into the building and grounds. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification is the standard set by the United States Green Building Council that recognizes the successful integration of energy efficient and environmentally responsible building practices. A plaque that acknowledges this focus on environmental stewardship has been placed in the west entryway of Bostock Library. To achieve LEED certification, projects are evaluated on five green design categories: sustainable site, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources and indoor environmental quality. In order to meet the outlined requirements, insulated glass panel windows were installed, heating and cooling systems were designed to use steam and chilled water, energy efficient light bulbs were used and landscape plantings were designed to use rainwater from an underground cistern for irrigation.
Exploring LEED’s design categories while planning the construction of Bostock Library, provided an opportunity to include important enhancements in the renovation of the 1968 section of Perkins Library. Although Perkins is not LEED certified, upgrades were made during the renovation to dramatically improve energy efficiencies: old, drafty windows were replaced with insulated glass panels, heating and cooling systems share Bostock’s steam and chilled water scheme, and all light bulbs were replaced with energy efficient ones.
As Duke University continues to promote environmental stewardship, it is nice to know that the Libraries support this important initiative.
New Ways to Connect
Social media has been called the new email. It is revolutionizing the way we communicate and gather material. As a leader in technology, Duke Libraries is incorporating opportunities to use social media to share and gather information. Two links have been added to the Libraries’ website. You will notice a “share this link” at the bottom of each page. By using this link you can comment about Duke Libraries’ information using your account on a variety of social media sites. This way you can post a comment on your facebook page, blog or tweet about a new Libraries collection, service, event or activity for your friends to see. We hope you will, because this is a wonderful way for you to help us spread the word about all the great things happening in the Libraries. The second way you can use social media to connect with Duke Libraries is by visiting a newly developed social media website. This site provides information about all Duke Libraries’ social media posts in one place. You can watch new videos posted to youtube, keep up with the preservation department on their facebook page, read blog posts by Libraries staff, view archival images on flickr, or read the latest tweets about GIS and data services. As we experiment with social media, we hope you will provide feedback that will help us make the best use of this exciting new technology.
Demand for e-books
E-books are becoming popular at the Libraries. As e-book collections are expanded, and new programs initiated, patrons are being asked to share their ideas about the future of e-books and Duke Libraries. Read more in an article written by Stuart Wells that recently appeared in Duke Today, the campus daily electronic newspaper.
Recommended by a Friend…..
Book reviews are written by Friends of the Duke University Libraries. They are published electronically through this newsletter and posted online at goodreads.com. You can find the Duke Libraries Friends listing under groups. We are always looking for new reviewers, so the next time you read a great book, take a minute to write a short review and share it.
Sag Harbor: A Novel
Colson Whitehead
2009 Doubleday
A coming of age tale which spans the early to late teenage experiences of Benji and his brother revealed during one summer-long break. The brothers are the mostly sole, summer inhabitants of their parents' second home found in the middle class, racially segregated black wonderland of Sag Harbor, NY.
Whitehead explores the values and differences of middle class African-American culture in the mid 80's. The auto-biographical style offers a palpable sense of teen-gangly, boy angst while the prose reveals experiences and memories that transcend race as much as they must also be rooted in race.
In addition to race, themes of gender, class identity, and generational power struggles form inside this 2009 novel set in 1985. Stories are told as remembrances and feel both fresh and familiar. No chapter captures this feeling more than the "Heyday of Dag." This protracted musing on the word "dag" finds the main character considering and launching into the playful yet insulting banter of young men actively honing verbal combat skills in search of friendship and quarry.
Similar to one of Whitehead's earlier and notable works, _The Intuitionist_, readers are treated to another engaging installment by one of the best novelists actively considering class in modern America, especially from the point of view of middle-class America. Race is of course well apportioned even while Whitehead may have even more to say about the importance of class in the formation of his characters.
- John Little
Homer’s Odyssey, a Fearless Feline Tale
Gwen Cooper
Delacorte Press, 2009
No, no, not the Homer’s Odyssey that you studied in school. This is the story of Homer, a tiny, blind cat who captured the heart of a young woman and went on to teach her valuable life lessons through his own determination and love of life. Homer is fearless: he can launch himself from great heights (he doesn’t know he’s near the top of the drapes) and in the middle of the night has scared off a burglar. His hearing is acute: he can hear a fly and leap up to grab it on his first try. His smell is sharp: he bounds up from the counter to the cabinet and opens the very door behind which cans of tuna are shelved.
Homer amazes all who meet him (well, with one appalling exception). He does not feel sorry for himself, and why should he? He has no idea he is different from other cats. People are drawn to him, not because they feel pity for him, but because he is such a delight to be with. He brings out the best in people. For the author, Homer’s courage was the inspiration for her move from Miami to New York City in search of a better job. The book’s most riveting chapters tell of her attempts to rescue Homer and her other two cats from their apartment four blocks from Ground Zero in 2001. At last report Homer is still on his odyssey, which remains filled with laughter, high spirits, and only a little sadness.
- Barbara Branson
The Sweet By and By
Todd Johnson
2009, William Morrow
The voices of women tell this story of five women’s relationships with family and friends. Margaret and Bernice are residents of a nursing home where Lorraine is a nursing assistant. Margaret is an upper class white woman with a sharp mind, a quick wit and a decaying body. Lorraine, who is black, respects her patients and treats them with sassy tongued dignity. Margaret and Lorraine have an edgy relationship, each ordering the other around. Despite their verbal sparring, the two protect Bernice who is clearly suffering from dementia and whose constant companion, a stuffed monkey called Benny, is a surrogate for her son Benjamin Wade. Rhonda, the ditzy hairdresser who comes in occasionally, doesn’t tell anyone that she knew Benjamin Wade before his death in a car accident; her shop is a safe haven for residents to share their secrets. Lorraine’s daughter April doesn’t quite approve of what she sees as her mother’s servile role until she herself matures and understands the deep regard between Lorraine and the nursing home residents. By telling the story through the voices of Margaret, Lorraine, Rhonda and April, North Carolina born author Todd Johnson tantalizes readers, revealing events in tiny glimpses into his characters and their feelings.
- Mary Dunn Siedow
Nim Chimpsky: the Chimp Who Would Be Human
Elizabeth Hess
2008, Bantam
This fascinating piece of nonfiction documents the life of a captive chimpanzee from his birth in 1973 to his death in 2000. The chimp’s name, Nim Chimpsky, alludes to the role he would play in scientific research: to dispute linguist Noam Chompsky’s theory that only humans were “wired” for language. From his childhood spent as “one of the family” in a Manhattan brownstone to his death on an animal reserve, Hess documents Nim’s life with affection and tremendous care. In particular, I admired the way she could document poor judgment and, often, poor treatment without sounding self-righteous or strident. Her largely neutral tone makes the story more compelling. Hess lets the facts speak for themselves, and offers a biography that is, at times, funny, sad, and thought-provoking: very human indeed.
-Molly Tamarkin
919-660-5870
(Perkins Circulation Desk)
Unless otherwise specified on this page, this work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.