Sanders Scholar ends fellowship, grateful for experience BY DYLAN DERRYBERRY
After nearly two years, Stuart Roberts, the first Sanders Scholar, has ended his time with KU Libraries. The Sanders Library Scholars Fund was established by former library dean Bill Crowe, and by his late wife, Nancy Sanders, in memory of Nancy’s parents, R.W. and Dorothy J. Sanders (see front). The fund was designed to provide scholarships for students at the University of Kansas interested in working with a librarian mentor at KU Libraries.
Gift from former dean
(CONTINUED FROM FRONT)
The Sanders-Crowe Library Fund for Kansas History supports KU Libraries’ efforts related to preserving and promoting knowledge of Kansas history. Proceeds from the $50,000 endowed gift can be used to acquire, process and preserve collections of library and archival materials related to Kansas history; promote awareness of related resources and services at KU Libraries; and hold related lectures, exhibits and other events. The gift is named in memory of Nancy Sanders (KU class of 1967), and to honor their daughter, Katherine M. Crowe (KU class of 2004).
Roberts, who grew up in Lawrence, graduated in December with a degree in English and classics and plans to relocate to New York to pursue opportunities in book and magazine publishing. The Sanders Scholars program gave Roberts the opportunity to work as an editorial assistant to Beth Whittaker, head of the Kenneth Spencer Research Library. Roberts’ work included support for the publication “RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage,” editing texts related to the Vivat Liber event in honor of Sandy Mason and other library projects.
Acclaimed street photographer Gary Mark Smith donates collection to Kansas Collection at the Kenneth Spencer Research Library
A recent gift of library materials on contemporary Japanese prints from Ted and Sumie Childers of LaMesa, California, is a timely addition to the collection at Murphy Art & Architecture Library at KU.
some years later. I subscribed to some Japanese language journals— good pictures fortunately, as I do not read much Japanese—and bought a number of books, museum catalogs and other related materials as the opportunity presented itself.” Craig reviewed the materials and selected items appropriate for the library.
Internationally renowned street photographer Gary Mark Smith—who has shot photos of wars, revolution, peace, volcanic eruptions and most importantly, everyday people—has donated his collection to the Kenneth Spencer Research Library at the University of Kansas.
“I graduated in the class of ’62 and a half (flunked a lot of Spanish), and got interested in the KU art museums one spring morning when I wandered into Spooner Hall,” Childers said. “Bergman’s movie ‘The Seventh Seal’ was the current rave among the literate/ academic classes, and the gallery had an exhibit of etchings depicting ‘The Dance of Death.’ So I got the idea that works on paper were ‘art.’”
Smith, a KU alumnus, has made a career of shooting photos of candid moments on the streets of 66 countries on six continents since 1978. His photos have been displayed in museums and galleries, featured in books and will now be part of the Kansas Collection at Spencer Research Library. The donation includes everything from shots of the 198284 civil war in El Salvador to a 1997 volcanic eruption in the tiny Caribbean island nation of Montserrat and photos of street sweepers, police and poverty from around the world.
BY SARAH KANNING
Seventeen boxes of books, exhibition catalogs and journal issues arrived last fall, just as Dr. Sherry Fowler, associate professor of Japanese art in the Samuel H. Kress Department of Art History, prepared to teach a fall lecture course and then a spring graduate seminar on Japanese prints. The materials include items in both English and Japanese. Susan Craig, art librarian for KU Libraries and head of the Art & Architecture Library, said Fowler “had a chance to review the collection before it was processed and declared that it had some real gems,” which would be of immediate use to the students in her classes. “Many of these publications are from museums that do not distribute their publications through the regular book trade,” Craig explained, “so normally only visitors to those museums would get to hear about and purchase them.”
Crowe explained there are often misconceptions as to what librarianship entails. He created the scholarship to expose selected students to some of the interesting roles of librarians, including many that take place behind the scenes, which proved beneficial for its first recipient. “The Sanders program enabled me to explore and engage with the varied facets of librarianship, while allowing me to apply and exercise my personal passions and interests,” Roberts said. “It’s such a unique program, and as a platform for students interested in librarianship, it is invaluable. I look forward to seeing how the program develops and the range of talent that will benefit from the experience.”
A gift to Murphy Art & Architecture Library documents contemporary Japanese prints
Nancy Sanders and Katherine Crowe, 2003.
“[Bill’s] contributions as a librarian, an administrator and a leader in the profession nationally have brought distinction to KU, and with this gift, he has created a valuable legacy for future scholars and librarians.” - Lorraine Haricombe “Bill’s commitment to service and his passion for librarianship, throughout his career and into his retirement, have been unparalleled,” said Lorraine Haricombe, dean of KU Libraries. “His contributions as a librarian, an administrator and a leader in the profession nationally have brought distinction to KU, and with this gift, he has created a valuable legacy for future scholars and librarians.”
“We are grateful for the chance to work with Stuart,” Whittaker said. “We are confident he has gained experience, perspective and increased passion through his employment as the Sanders Scholar.” v
A Bostonian by birth and education, Crowe spent the early years of his career with Boston Public Library, Indiana University Libraries, and Ohio State University. He was dean of libraries at KU from 1990-96, and then served as the vice chancellor of information services until 1999, when he became the Spencer librarian. In phased retirement, he became part-time special assistant to the dean of libraries at KU in 2007 before retiring in 2010. A member of the KU Libraries Board of Advocates, Crowe serves as the chair of the Libraries’ capital campaign committee. v
Bibliophile is published in print and online semi-annually by the University of Kansas Libraries for alumni, friends and benefactors. Printing is paid for with private contributions.
Dean of Libraries - lorraine j. haricombe | Editor - Rebecca Smith Content - Sarah Kanning and Dylan Derryberry Design and production - Courtney Foat and Claire Dooley
Childers says of his gift, “I got hooked on contemporary Japanese prints in the late 60’s and started collecting in earnest
Childers has not only donated publications to KU Libraries, but has also given Japanese prints to the Spencer Museum of Art. Murphy Art & Architecture Library, located on the first floor of Spencer Art Museum, has one of the finest art library collections in the Midwest, and offers knowledgeable, in-depth consultation to the KU community and visitors. Learn more at www.lib.ku.edu/artlib. v
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“It’s Gary’s life work. He’s given us his whole life story,” Sherry Williams, curator of collections at Spencer Research Library, said of the gift. “I think it’s a very compelling story, and he’s a great role model for students and researchers. I’m very, very happy to have this here in Spencer.” The gift contains thousands of Smith’s photos. Smith also donated articles both authored by him and about him, his research notes from international photographic excursions and personal items such as his baby book and high school yearbook. Even though he took a somewhat nontraditional approach to his career, Smith has received plenty of honors from the academic and photographic fields along the way. He was nominated for a William Randolph Hearst Award in 1983, donated work for the George Eastman House 2011 and 2012 History of Photography auctions in New York, and earned a master’s degree at Purdue University through a teaching fellowship. “I’m not an academic, but I’ve always said I work with academic purpose,” Smith said.
Smith’s work has covered daily moments in the lives of numerous cultures and historical moments such as the Russian revolution, fall of the Berlin Wall and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. His artist’s statement in part describes street photography as a form in which “predominantly urban people can be studied and photographed in the wild going about the task of living out the commerce and leisure and bustle and sometimes grind of their everyday public lives.” The collection will be cataloged at Spencer and available for research purposes. “I’m really humbled by all of this,” Smith said. “I’m not going to get used to the fact that I have a collection here at Spencer.” v Images courtesy of the Gary Mark Smith Collection, Kenneth Spencer Research Library.