SGGL’s New Volunteer: Tola Ajay Lends His Writing & Production Skills to Two Major BDM Projects

The SGGL is excited to have Ahmed “Tola” Ajayi volunteering for a three-to-six month stint. The grandson of Friends of the Banneker-Douglas Museum member, Dr. Mary Hunt, Tola is working part- time while honing his skills in writing,
photography, and filmmaking.

This graduate of Broadneck Senior High School and Morgan State University (Economics) is planning for a career in audio visual production. Fittingly then, he is working on both preserving and registering the Banneker-Douglass Museum Photo Archives and writing portions of the Banneker-Douglass Museum Foundation’s 25th Anniversary souvenir booklet.

Want to work on a project that matches your interests or goals? Contact BDM Volunteer Coordinator at BDMlib@goci.state.md.us.

Holiday Greetings

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. I'm sure all of us have a lot to be grateful for, even as we face the challenges of life in a weakened economy. One thing you should know is that admission to the Banneker/Douglass is free, so kept that in mind when planning family activities. And, if you like to be charitable but just can't afford a cash donation to your favorite cause, please know that the greatest gift you can give is your time. Any organization would be thrilled to have a staff of dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers, and the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library is no exception. Dr. Jones is eager to put you to work, so if you have a few hours, or if you have more than a few hours, please contact her. The library needs help with shelving and with sorting and identifying photographs, and with any number of other projects. Please call 410-216-6187 for details, and have a wonderful holiday.

Robert Walsh
Friend of the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody for giving up a few hours of a glorious Saturday afternoon to attend the SGGL’s first anniversary celebration. A crowd of about 85 was on hand-- a figure that exceeded our expectations. I would also like to extend a special thank you to all our performers, which--as it turned out--was everyone. Mrs. Betty Henry read a poem in the call-and-response tradition, and it was especially gratifying to see all of you stand and participate. Gratifying too was that so many took the time to fill out our event evaluation forms. A number of you seem to want this to be an annual event, and I appreciate that response and the affirmation behind it. A lot of planning goes into an event like this, but a receptive audience makes it all worth it. Thank you to all of you, and especially to those who put money into the donation box.

I would be remiss at this point if I didn’t say something about the election. As the librarian-archivist in an African American museum, we saw history made, as I did when I was in Chicago to see President-Elect Obama accept the nomination for the Democratic Party. I was at home in Maryland last night, so I was not able to rub elbows with a teary eyed Oprah Winfrey or an equally emotional Jesse Jackson. But even from the remove of several hundred miles, this was a special night, one that is the culmination of so many dreams and aspirations. His victory is shining evidence that the American Dream is alive and well, that all boys and girls can grow up to become President. I couldn’t be prouder to be an American than I am this afternoon.

--Pictured: Sylvia Gaither Garrison and Joni Jones

Make Your Voice Heard

If you haven't already done so -and if you live in Maryland you have not- don't forget to vote on Tuesday, November 4th. Turnout is expected to be at record high levels -I have heard the figure 130 million bandied about- so expect a line. But be patient, your vote really does matter. As we saw in both 2000 and 2004, a ballot here and a ballot there may well decide who our next President will be.

Also, as a final reminder, please be sure to attend the library's first anniversary party on Saturday November 1st. The Navy football game isn't until 3:30, so getting into the city for the event shouldn't be too difficult. But if you are concerned, why not come early and tour the museum before the event begins at 1? See you there!

Robert Walsh
Friend of the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library

A Reminder

Saturday, November 1st is the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library’s first anniversary party, so mark your calendars and come enjoy the festivities! Do you like poetry? Betty Henry, Cynthia Crowner, Betty Coleman and Ida Mae Henson will share selections with you. Do you like music? There will be performances from John W. Baer, Atlay Washington, and Juan Brown and the JB Singers. And if you like what you hear you can visit the sales desk to find items by the artists on our bill.

This is the library’s opportunity to raise awareness about its holdings, so please take the time to browse through our stacks. There you will find resources that document and elucidate Maryland’s African American Heritage, a veritable treasure trove of books and pamphlets and other materials that bring that rich history into clear focus.

As always, Dr. Joni Jones will be on hand to answer any questions you might have about the library or its founder. She can also help you if you are pursuing information for a research project, because the Banneker Douglass Museum is the state’s repository for all things relating to Maryland’s African American material culture. And should you have items that you would like to donate to the library, she is always eager to make those materials available to the citizens of Maryland and to visitors to our fair state.
So please clear your schedule, pack up the kids, tell your friends, and come join the party! The events will begin at 1 p.m., and continue for two hours. See you there!

Robert Walsh
Friend of the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library

SGGL 1st Anniversary: You Are Invited

I would like to take this opportunity to invite all of you to help the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library celebrate its first birthday. We have a wonderful program lined up; full of very talented poets and musical performers, and it all takes place here on November 1 between the hours of 1 and 3 pm.

It hardly seems possible that a year has passed already, but as I look around me, I see the progress that we have made. Our holdings are cataloged now and available digitally. We have begun a very exciting oral history project. We have hosted events in coordination with the One Maryland One Book initiative. And we have bid a tearful farewell to two wonderful interns.

As you may know, Sylvia Gaither Garrison is my mentor and my role model. The dedication of the library in her name is merely the culmination of a distinguished career as a scholar, an educator, a church leader, a community activist, and yes, a librarian. She was the driving force behind the establishment of the Banneker-Douglass Museum’s library, and so it could not have a more fitting name. We only hope that we can live up to such a lofty designation. I believe that we are well on our way.
--Joni Jones

Sara Smith: Intern Extraordinaire

On October 3, 2008, I bid a fond farewell to IMPART intern extraordinaire, Sara Smith. Sara is a highly talented and tireless worker, who is truly dedicated to the library and its mission. She is irreplaceable.

Sara was the very first IMPART intern for the SGGL. After only a few months on the job, I felt comfortable assigning her a key role in the rededication ceremony on Oct. 27, 2007. In the year to follow, Sara greatly surpassed my expectations. She became our cataloger (cataloging well over one thousand books using a software she taught herself) the IT trouble shooter (oh, the stories she could tell), the designer of our electronic vertical file, and the creator of this very blog. She was also invaluable as we prepared for our two OMOB events (and you can read her impressions of that weekend--and offer your own reflections here--if you wish).

So taken were we with Sara’s skills that she became the only IMPART intern given supervisory authority. Clearly, her job assignments far exceeded those of a typical intern, but that was just it: Sara was no typical intern. She's all-around outstanding (Did I mention that she's a black belt and fluent in German?). The BDM staff and I gave Sara a nice sendoff at a local sushi restaurant, which is where the picture above was taken. The smiles of that afternoon are tears today however; and I am very nearly inconsolable (chocolate helps, but not enough). Thank you, Sara, for your distinguished service.

--Joni Jones, SGGL Librarian-Archivist

Book Discussion: A Hope in the Unseen

Two Saturdays ago, many of us gathered here at the Banneker-Douglass museum to discuss A Hope in the Unseen... by Ron Suskind. Currently this book is being discussed throughout Maryland, as part of the One Maryland One Book program (you can read more about it here ). We continued this discussion by inviting several speakers to join our panel and share their own experiences.

Our panelists, Kelsey Bush and Kimberley White, contributed to the conversation by telling their stories--as did the moderator, our Librarian Archivist, Joni Jones. They compared their experiences to that of Cedric Jennings, the main character in the book. Although many of the experiences were similar--identifying with the cultural divide between inner city and higher-education culture--other parts of their own narratives reflected a different experience of growing up African American, such as Busch who, raised in the military, grew up in a diverse environment. Encouraging audience participation, we were then able to engage the conversation by relating our own experiences and raise our own questions, particularly as it related to education and raising children in a society which today is very different, yet very much the same.

The conversation continued over lunch, as the panelists joined the crowd in an informal discussion, continuing to work through and process the various issues presented and how they apply to daily life.

While the event itself was very successful and enjoyed by the many participants, it is hoped that the conversation does not end behind these walls. Indeed, the conversation continued the next day at the Bates Legacy Center and through programs throughout Maryland. Interested to see if there is an event in your area? Click here to see what is coming up in the next few weeks. Cannot attend? Leave a comment on our blog!

Attending AAAM's 30th while Obama Makes History

Last week, I, along with Tonya Hardy, the Executive Director for the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture, had the distinct privilege of representing the Banneker Douglass Museum at the Association of African American Museums (AAAM) National Conference. For thirty years, the AAAM has been the professional nexus for those working in the African American museum niche of the American museum industry.

We were afforded visits to many of the city's diverse cultural institutions, including the McCormick Freedom Museum, the National Museum of Mexican Art, and the Harold Washington Library Center. Impressive places all and, under normal circumstances, I might fill this entry with tales of these sites, their holdings, and their exhibits. But on August 28, 2008, Barack Obama, the United States Senator from Illinois--a man whose father is a black man from Kenya and whose mother was a white woman from Wichita Kansas--delivered his speech in Denver, officially accepting his nomination as the Democratic Party's candidate for US president.

Like many of you, I was glued to the television screen. But that screen happened to be housed in the DuSable Museum of African American History, an institution founded in 1961 to document and disseminate black history and culture. This was the first museum of its kind in the United States, and it is a place where candidate Obama has made appearances.

Approximately 200 AAAM attendees were treated to a lavish meal and saw a spectacular performance by some very talented African drummers and dancers. But all this was only window dressing for the main event--the one unfolding about 1000 miles away. The 80,000 or so lucky souls at Invesco Field can rightly claim to have been on hand for history in the making, but I wouldn't have traded my experience for theirs. We whopped and hollered, and laughed and cried, and we saw that dreams really can come true in America. Being there in Chicago, the city the candidate calls home, at the DuSable, clapping and cheering among the assembled representatives of America's African American museum community, that is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and I too felt as if I were part of an historic moment.

We have seen gifted black orators countless times before in this country, but those speakers, even when they were running for president, were always outsiders demanding their rightful place at the table. This time though, by popular acclaim and consent, the black orator in question will be seated at the table's head. It is his party to lead.

Barack Obama may not win the election in November--and some of us may well support his opponent--but one can't help but swell with pride at the accomplishments of the man and at how far we have come as a country. I wish you could have been there with me.

--Dr. Joni Jones, Librarian-Archivist, SGGL

Image: The DuSable Museum of African American History; source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/The_DuSable_Museum.jpg/800px-The_DuSable_Museum.jpg

From current Hodson Intern J. Caity Swanson: Farewell!

With the end of August comes the end of my internship here at the Banneker-Douglass Museum! Beginning in September, I will be returning to my life as a student at St. John's, armed with the solid work experience I have gathered here. I may not be going very far (it's a 7 minute walk), but finding myself at the end of this experience still provides a bittersweet moment for reflection.

There have been several projects that I have worked on during my internship, such as my time spent organizing and cataloging the museum's photo collection. During the first part of my internship I dedicated my afternoons to sorting through hundreds of photographs and putting them into some semblance of organization. The next step was to set up a classification hierarchy (an organizational system) that could be used to classify all of the photographs in our collection and allow for the addition of future photographs. Finally I cataloged a select group of our photographs dating from the museum's early years. This cataloging resulted in nine binders of photographs containing almost 500 pictures that are searchable, protected, and organized.

Each step in this process had its own challenges and rewards, but the best part is the project does not end with me. My work may be coming to a close, but the system I organized and implemented can and will continue to be used in the museum's efforts to be an accesible resource for Maryland's African American history. The system will be used to catalog all the photos currently in our collection, in addition to those we acquire in the future. Also, it can be used as a finding aid for researchers and individuals seeking for information about African American or Banneker-Douglass Museum history, exhibit designers, and educators.

In every way my internship has been a great experience. It has given me the opportunity to learn about the museum industry, the Banneker-Douglass Museum, and Annapolis' African American history. I have nothing but praise for my experience as an intern. If you are interested in getting involved in the work here, I highly recommend joining the Banneker-Douglass Museum as an intern, volunteer, or supporter. From my own experience, I have discovered working for a museum or library allows you to engage your mind and the minds of others in a way that is unique from other educational experiences I have encountered. This experience has certainly influenced my own thoughts and decisions regarding my own career path, and I look forward to continuing relations with the Banneker-Douglass museum as I continue my education nearby and there after.

What's Going on in the Museum?

February 24, 2009 will mark the Banneker-Douglass Museum's 25th anniversary. This is a huge achievement for a building that was almost razed and turned into a parking lot. We've come a long way from those days, but it's still important to remember how we got here. Throughout the museum's history there have been many people who have worked tirelessly on its behalf. Now, with so much change in the air and such a great milestone upon us, it is the ideal time to hear the history of the museum from those who lived it. With this in mind, the museum has decided to launch an oral history program. This program will be focused both on gathering histories having to do with our mission of preserving Maryland African American history and serving as a resource for those who want to record oral histories for themselves. Of course, with our own history knocking on our door, our first project will be to interview those who helped the museum get to where it is today. From those who fought for Mt. Moriah in the 70's to those who work here now, everyone has an important perspective on our history and stories that need to be told.

Already we're taking the initial steps to make this program a reality. On July 21, museum staff and community members took part in an oral history workshop led by Laura Croghan Kamoie from the Naval Academy. Dr. Kamoie covered everything from the definition of oral history to the process of interviewing an individual. Everything she covered made the process seem simple and approachable. After learning the basics we're ready to do the work. Currently we're trying to acquire the equipment necessary to record our interviews and decide on the format on which to save our interviews. We are also continuing and intensifying the ongoing task of researching our past so that when the time comes we will be able to ask informed and meaningful questions. This is a new and exciting project, which will hopefully allow us to reconnect with our past and better serve our community. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment.

Posted by J. Caity Swanson, Hodson Intern

JOIN OUR DISCUSSION

As you may be aware, the Maryland Humanities Council’s Center for the Book has launched an initiative called “One Maryland One Book,” a statewide community reading program. What this means is that Marylanders of every age, ethnicity, gender, and background are being encouraged to read the book A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League by Ron Suskind. This book tells the story of Cedric Jennings, who went from one of Washington DC's poorest neighborhoods (and its most neglected school) to success at Brown University, one of the most storied institutions in the nation. It is ultimately a tale of inspiration, since there are many roadblocks and obstacles along the way for Cedric.

Of particular interest to this discussion is the prevalent attitude among his peers that academic success is somehow a betrayal of his race and his community. In one early scene, Cedric literally hides as the student body is called to assembly because he knows that there will be payback for his being honored as an outstanding student. And Suskind tells of how administrators try to trick the kids into being recognized for academic achievement. The kids fear reprisals, and the administrators know this, but they also need some symbols of hope and possibility in an otherwise bleak and forsaken place.

What we would like is for all of you, Marylanders and also out-of-staters who happened upon this blog, to, of course, read the book. But we also encourage you to post your impressions of the book on these pages, and to tell us about your own school days. You might also tell us what success, especially in an academic sense, means to you.

Is Cedric "acting white" to get ahead in the world? What does racial authenticity mean to you? And what of re-segregation? Cedric attends a nearly all black school. Are things different in a more diverse student body, or are the African American students still very much marginalized? The Banneker-Douglass Museum will be hosting two events (see our Calendar of Events--September) in conjunction with the initiative. The book is available at local bookstores, and at your neighborhood library. We look forward to hearing from you.

--Joni Jones, Librarian-Archivist, SGGL

Breaking News - We have a online catalog!!!!

After nearly a year of anticipation, hopes, dreams, dedicated cataloging, and persistence - our catalog is now online and available! You can search it by clicking on the above link, or you can click here.

Although we still have a few kinks to work out, you can browse through our collection and search our materials, all from the comfort of your own home! This is a great step forward for the library, and holds much potential. We are ecstatic!

Stay tuned as we add more records to the database! And if you think of a book that we should have in our collection, let us know!

Happy searching :o)

Blog post by Sara Smith, IMPART intern

You're Invited: One Maryland One Book (OMOB)

Who: Everyone
What: A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League by Ron Suskind
When: Reading this summer followed by community based programs this fall
Where: All over Maryland

Imagine if all of Maryland were reading the same book at the same time, if all of us were engaging in constructive discussion, sharing from personal experiences, and connecting as a community. Well this summer that dream is becoming a reality through the One Maryland One Book (OMOB) program! Launched by The Maryland Center for the Book, a division of the Maryland Humanities Council and hosted by Katie O’Malley, The First Lady of Maryland, this program is being supported by groups across the state, including the Banneker-Douglass Museum. The plan is to read the book and discuss it both as individuals and small groups over the summer. Early fall community partners will host events to engage community discussion and thoughtful reflection about the book and the topics it raises. This program will encourage us all to read, communicate, relate, and explore the themes raised through this and other materials. If you want more information about the program you can go to its website at http://www.onemarylandonebook.org/ where you’ll find information about the program and the book, the community partners, and up-coming events.

The book chosen for this year is A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League by Ron Suskind. It follows the life of Cedric Lavar Jennings, beginning with his junior year in one of the worst Washington, DC, high schools up through his time at Brown University. Having read about eighty pages, I can’t wait to read more. The book is hard to put down. The subjects it addresses, such as race, the influence of society, the claws in the education system, and the importance of family, guarantee no shortage of topics to think about and discuss.

While we all are reading and anxiously waiting for our community programs to start the Maryland Humanities Council has provided a Readers Guide with resources to both excite readers and help them engage the reading. With biographies of both Cedric Jennings and Ron Suskind and discussion questions both for the general reader and specifically for teens, the Readers Guide is a great resource for everyone interested in reading this book alone or with others. Also included in the Guide are lists of other resources, including books ranging from fiction, nonfiction, teen, and Maryland based stories, and even some movies that might appeal to those who enjoyed A Hope in the Unseen.

Books are available for purchase at the Banneker-Douglass Museum (BDM) for $12.00. For more information on the program and the events planned by the BDM in relation to OMOB feel free to contact us at (410) 216-6180 or JJones [at] mdp.state.md.us.

Good luck and happy reading!

photo source:
OMOB website http://www.onemarylandonebook.org/
Blog composed by J. Caity Swanson, Hodson Intern

Intern's Corner: Behind the Scenes at SGGL

Welcome to the Intern's Corner, where once a month we'll post about a project currently in process at SGGL! This week's Intern's Corner will be written by Sara Smith, an IMPART intern, who has been hard at work cataloging the collection.

The past few months I have been very busy creating the first database of our collection! This is a very exciting process, making our collection of books searchable and accessible to ourselves and the general public.

When I began this project, I was very new to MARC cataloging and data mapping - which are all part of creating these records for our books. With the guidance of my supervisor Dr. Joni Jones, we have steadily increased our skills and confidence in mastering the system and have entered our first records into the database! Now the process is quite seamless and records are entered into the database on a daily basis, then given their call numbers and re-shelved in our stacks.

We now have about half of our initial book collection entered into our database and the number of these records grows on a daily basis. We can now search our collection by keywords, author, title, subject headings - the list goes on and on! For instance, I just did a quick search for "Maryland" and found more than eighty books about this state, ranging from biographies, such as Fredrick Douglass or Barry Black, to community histories, including Annapolis, Baltimore, and smaller towns such as Brentwood and Easton.

The potential is amazing: as our collection grows through our own acquisitions and the kind generosity of library supporters, so will this database, rendering it more useful and informative for all those looking for information on African American history. If you would like to be part of increasing our collection holdings, feel free to suggest additional resources! For ideas see our "Book Wish List" on the side of this blog (clicking on the book's title will take you directly to amazon.com) or see the suggestions in our newsletter. And if you have any suggestions, just let us know!

We are increasingly on our way to a fully cataloged collection. We will be keeping you up-to-date as progress continues. Thank you for your support and for reading the blog - come by and visit and see for yourself!

photo source:
Appalachian State University Blog www.library.appstate.edu/blog/

SGGL Spotlight: Trails, Tracks, Tarmac: African American Narrative Quilts from Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Based upon the November 2006-07 Banneker-Douglass Museum exhibit, Trails, Tracks, Tarmac: African American Narrative Quilts from Anne Arundel County, Maryland presents detailed photographs of twenty-five documentary quilts created by African American communities throughout Anne Arundel County. Reflecting their rich and vibrant history, the quilts display the stories of local African American societies, from 1850 to the present. Subjects range from entire communities to the details of a single church or family.

Published by the Northern Arundel Cultural Preservation Society (NACPS), this book presents images and histories of these quilts. Created using a process dubbed “quilting from the soul” the stories are depicted through beads, photo transfers, bright colors, words, and images. The color photographs allow each quilt to speak for itself, demonstrating the new and innovative quilting techniques being used to depict the stories of African American communities. By crafting together recollections of childhood, school pride, church activities and sporting events, these quilts give an intimate account of the African American communities of Anne Arundel County.

Separated into eight sections, each highlighting a different aspect of Anne Arundel County, every quilt is accompanied by a short paragraph describing the history and significance of its story. Included is a foreword by attorney William Dawkins and introductory writings by Isabel Shipley Cunningham, author-historian; Dr. Leslie King-Hammond, Graduate Dean at Maryland Institute College of Art; and Dr. Joan M.E. Gaither, fiber artist and principal quilter. The book also offers a poem titled “‘Twas Quilting Time” by Joyce Carroll Sias and an epilogue by Edward C. Sewell, an NACPS member.

Available for viewing at the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library. For purchasing information please contact NACPS president Betty Mack at: BDelta[at]verizon.net.

Photo Source:
Trails, Tracks, Tarmac: African American Narrative Quilts from Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Northern Arundel Cultural Preservation Society, Inc., 2007.

32 pages
Includes photographs and map of Anne Arundel County
Review by J. Caity Swanson, Hodson Intern

Welcome!

Welcome to Sylvette Online!

Here we will be posting all the exciting news happening here at SGGL - from new books in our collection, updates on upcoming events, and insider information on our projects! Keep checking our blog for weekly postings!

To read a previous edition of the Sylvette, please visit http://www.bdmuseum.com/5SylvettaWinter08.pdf, where you can download a PDF file of the newsletter.

We hope you will enjoy your digital visit! Come by the library sometime and visit!