LI B RARY SN TEU N I V E R S I T Y O F O R E G O N

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PRESERVING THE TRADITION OF THE BOOK: KNIGHT LIBRARY PRESS

In an age when electronic books havebecome a reality, the University of OregonLibrary is preserving its roots.

“The book is one of the greatest technolo-gies of all time . . . what other technologyhas remained essentially unchanged formore than 500 years?” asks UniversityLibrarian George W. Shipman.

During his two-decade tenure as univer-sity librarian, Shipman envisioned alibrary that would provide access to thelatest technology and information re-trieval systems. This vision has propelledthe UO library into the twenty-firstcentury, creating a state-of-the-art facilityequipped with electronic classrooms, technology labs forstudent use, and an extensive instructional program forstudents and faculty and staff members.

While the library hasbecome the informa-tion hub of a campusimmersed in technol-ogy, library profes-sionals continue tobuild the library’sprint collections,safely storing andpreserving rare

books, manuscripts, and materials. In addition to safe-guarding and preserving books, Shipman dreamed of atangible way for the library to perpetuate the creation ofthe book as we know it—through the centuries-oldtradition of bookmaking.

In December 1998, this dream became a reality. A generousgift from Ann and Fay Thompson of Portland, Oregon,provided seed funds to establish Knight Library Press, afine printing press run by Director Sandy Tilcock.

Knight Library Press is one of only a few fine presses inthe nation to be housed under the auspices of a universitylibrary. After a three-year start-up period, Knight LibraryPress is expected to become fully self-supporting.

Fay Thompson told the Register-Guard,“We wanted to support this projectbecause of our interest in books and howbooks are made. This has been a hobby ofours from a collecting standpoint. Theuniversity [library] has been deeplyinvolved in the restoration of books andold manuscripts, and this press is acontinuation of that effort. It’s the designand laying out of new books. Sandy is sodedicated, you just want to help peoplelike her.”

Sandy Tilcock is well established andhighly regarded in the book arts commu-nity. She produces works housed inimportant collections across the country,

including New York City’s Whitney Museum Library, YaleUniversity, Stanford University, and the Portland ArtMuseum.

As director of Knight Library Press, Tilcock continues theachievements of John Henry Nash, who began the Univer-sity of Oregon’s tradition of fine printing in the 1930s. Oneof the nation’s most respected printers, Nash based hisrenowned press at the UO for a number of years. Thisprestigious association with the university was widelyviewed as a symbol of Oregon’s enlightened culturalatmosphere.

Knight Library Press continuesthis fine tradition by publish-ing collectible, limited-editionbooks and broadsides (com-memorative pieces) featuringprominent regional authors, inaddition to university-relatedprojects. Tilcock also teaches acourse on letterpress publish-ing in the UO’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts andconsults with the library’s preservation staff.

Released from the restrictions imposed on publishers ofmass-produced books, Tilcock selects from a wide range ofchoices for each book design: handmade papers from

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around the world, specialized ink colors, type styles fromancient to modern, various binding techniques, and manydifferent forms of artwork, including calligra-phy, engravings, woodcuts, etchings,monotypes, and collotypes. Her creativity,painstaking attention to detail, and sensitivecollaboration with authors and artists ulti-mately result in a one-of-a-kind work of art inthe form of a book.

Says Tilcock, “Knight Library Press providesthe opportunity for me to pursue excellence inthe work I love, and a venue for better sharingthat work with others. It’s a dream come true.”

Knight Library Press’s first book publication is The Letters ofHeaven by Barry Lopez. It features five hand-colored etchings

by artist Robin Eschner, and lettering byMarilyn Reaves. There are 125 signed copiesavailable for sale at a price of $425 each.

For more information about the Knight LibraryPress, call Sandy Tilcock, (541) 465-9079, send herE-mail, klibpr@darkwing.uoregon.edu, or writeto her at Knight Library Press, 1166 West 2ndAvenue, Eugene OR 97402.

Not surprisingly, the explosion of technology we’ve wit-nessed in the past decade has had a profound impact onlibraries and on how they conduct business.

Chief among the many changes we’ve witnessed is the roleof the librarian. Librarians today are teachers and informa-tion mentors, helping students and faculty membersnavigate the nearly limitless array of information resourcesavailable to them. More than 8,000 students and universitystaff members participated in the library’s classes andworkshops last year, classes developed and taught bylibrarians. And for the first time, several courses weretaught completely on line.

So often we speak of the library’s role as that of a storehouseof books and materials, the institution that preservesknowledge and our cultural history. This is true, of course.But beyond this basic function, the library is a living entity,filled with talented and dedicated professionals whoprovide services essential to our university community, theregion, and the nation.

As you read this issue of Library Notes, you will notice thecommon thread that is reflected in our activities and

achievements: our people. It is an honor for me to work withthese outstanding and committed individuals who make upthe University of Oregon Library System.

I am grateful as well for the dedication and vision of ouralumni and friends. Your continuing generosity andcommitment to our endeavors has had a transforming effecton the library and our services as well as a direct impact onstudents and teachers in all academic disciplines on cam-pus. Thank you for all that you do.

If you haven’t been back to campus and the library recently,I hope you’ll consider visiting soon!

With best wishes,

—George W. Shipman, Philip H. Knight University Librarian

F R O M T H E D E S K O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y L I B R A R I A N

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PRESERVING THE TRADITION

ESTATE GIFTS■ The estate of Charlene and Charles LeFebre, which

provided unrestricted funds that will be used to purchasefurnishings for the Knight Library and to establish anendowment for the purchase of books and materials.

■ The estate of Ruth Keene, which provided an extensiveslide and photograph collection and funds to establish anendowment for the purchase of materials in the earth andnatural sciences.

■ The estate of Henry Cyril Stern, which provided funds toestablish an endowment in memory of Mr. Stern’s father,Henry R. Stern, for the preservation, maintenance, andacquisition of music materials.

■ The estate of James Ingebretsen, which provided funds tosupport the preservation, maintenance, and digitization ofthe Conservative-Libertarian Research Collection in thelibrary’s Special Collections, and to create an endowmentfund supporting the James Ingebretsen archive.

■ The estate of Katherine Karpenstein, which providedfunds to establish an endowment in memory of herbrother, C. Andrew Karpenstein, for the purchase oflibrary materials in the areas of theater and horticulture.

CURRENT USE GIFTS■ Kenneth and Helen Ghent, for their gift to the library’s

unrestricted fund.

■ Phillip and Jill Lighty, for their gift supporting thepurchase of furnishings in the Knight Library.

■ The New York Community Trust—Susan Hirschmanfund, for a gift supporting the preservation, maintenance,and digitization of the American Children’s LiteratureCollection and the Greenwillow Books Archive in thelibrary’s Special Collections.

■ Chester and Jacqueline Paulson, for their gift to create anendowment supporting information technology andteaching in the library.

■ David and Nancy Petrone, for their gift supporting facultyfellowships and student internships in the library.

■ Richard and Mary Solari, for their gift to create anendowment supporting library faculty fellowships.

■ Jon and Lisa Stine, for their gift to support a graduateteaching fellow in the Science Library.

■ Dorris Thomas, for her gift to establish the Robert andDorris Thomas Internship in the library.

■ Ann and Fay Thompson, for their gifts supporting theKnight Library Press.

GIFTS OF COLLECTIONS■ An anonymous donor, for a gift of contemporary artists’ books in memory of Peter Ward Britton.

■ Brian Booth, for his gift of archival materials related to activities of the Oregon Institute of Literary Arts(which he founded) and additional materials on Oregon writers.

■ Dan and Donna David, for their gift of pioneer ledgers to the Oregon Collection.

■ Glenn May, for his gift of Filipiniana (books, microfilm, audiotapes, and other materials) and for his gift ofmaterials related to his research in the Philippines.

■ Hugh and Evelyn O’Haire, for their gift of a first-edition volume of Ulysses, by James Joyce, in memory ofHugh O’Haire Sr.

Thank YouT H E L I B R A R Y G R A T E F U L L Y A C K N O W L E D G E S T H E G E N E R O S I T Y

A N D V I S I O N O F T H E F O L L O W I N G D O N O R S :

For more information on how to make a gift to the library or how to include the library in your will, please contact:

Lisa Manotti, Director, Library Development, (541) 346-1823, lmanotti@oregon.uoregon.edu

The UO library’s most exciting new service celebrates itsfirst birthday: the Faculty Instructional Technology Training(FITT) Center opened on June 1, 1999.

The FITT Center provides personalized support for facultymembers as they explore and design ways of effectivelyintegrating technology into their teaching. And, the ex-tremely talented and well-trained FITT Center staff consult-ants are UO students.

In addition to the valuable service and expertise theyprovide the campus community, our student consultantsgain important experience and skills that help prepare themfor future careers. They command a sophisticated knowl-edge of software, graphic design, and desktop publishing;the ability to provide sensitive and informed one-on-oneconsultation and customer service; and advanced problem-solving capability.

In the past, UO faculty members had no central place to goto seek assistance and advice about the use of technology inthe classroom. The FITT Center fills this void, and ourfaculty members are responding.

In its first year, the FITT Center helped more than 550visitors from 70 departments learn how to design courseweb sites, improve classroom presentations, and usemultimedia tools.

Students Teaching Professors in the UO Library: the FITT Center

To learn more about the FITT Center, please call KathyHeerema, (541) 346-1717, or visit the center’s web site,http://libweb.uoregon.edu/fittc/

HERE’S WHAT FACULTY MEMBERS ARESAYING ABOUT THE NEW SERVICE

I was there today and it is such a pleasure to work

there! You have done us all a great service making

this equipment and assistance available!

Something like the FITT Center is the ideal missing

link in the system.

Fabulous . . .Very knowledgeable . . . Solved all my

problems . . . Made sure I could do things on my

own . . . Supportive and encouraging.

This place is extremely valuable. I don’t know what

I would do without it.

EXPERIENCING THE BLUES: A BLUESBIBLIOGRAPHY, VIDEOGRAPHY, AND GUIDE TOTHE UO’S BLUES COLLECTIONS

This web site brings together the library’s complete holdingson the blues. It was prepared for the Blues Exhibit in theKnight Library, February 1–28, 1999, in recognition of BlackHistory Month.

To access this guide browse: http://libweb.uoregon.edu/music/bluex.html

Library Exhibitions On LineThe library’s rotating exhibitions highlight hidden jewelshoused in the library’s collections: photographs, manu-scripts, books, personal papers, and ephemera. Thanks tomodern technology, these informative and creative exhibitsare now available on line through the library’s web site.

Exhibitions are free and open to the public. For a currentschedule, call the Office of the Librarian, (541) 346-3056.

To view the library’s current and past exhibitions on line,browse: http://libweb.uoregon.edu/exhibits/

DOCUMENTING THE UO’S TRACK-AND-FIELDHERITAGEThis exhibit celebrates the rich heritage of track and field atthe University of Oregon.

One of the most famous track facilities in the nation, the UO’sHayward Field, has been the site ofthree Olympic Trials and eight NCAAChampionships, the last of whichoccurred in 1996.

Bill Bowerman, cofounder of Nike,Inc. and regarded by many as thebest long-distance running coachever, coached thirty-one Olympians,twelve American record holders,twenty-four NCAA champions, fifty-one All-Americans, and ten sub-four-minute milers during his twenty-four illustrious years at the Univer-sity of Oregon.

Hayward Field was also home toSteve Prefontaine, one of the mostheroic, passionate, and celebratedrunners of all time. For these reasonsand others, Hayward Field imparts aspecial kind of magic into everyrunner’s heart, a magic laced withlegend, pride, and inspiration for theheroes who ran before, and thosestill to come.

The library’s division of Special Collections and UniversityArchives houses photographs, newspaper clippings, eventprograms, ticket stubs, and other memorabilia, that whenpieced together paint a rich portrait of our past. Throughcareful preservation and storage methods, the legend of UOtrack and field lives on.

You may view an on-line component of this exhibit at:http://libweb.uoregon.edu/exhibits/track_and_field/

UNDER WESTERN SKIES:ERNEST HAYCOX ANDTHE WEST IN FICTIONAND FILMThis exhibit celebrates the lifeand writings of Oregon authorErnest Haycox, consummatewriter of Western fiction. Hisaction stories feature roman-tic cowboys, ranchers, U.S.marshals, farmers, andpioneer women in typicalwestern settings such asfrontier towns, army

outposts, and sprawlingcattle ranches. Haycox was a prolific writer

who produced twenty-four novels and more than twohundred short stories; his first stories appeared in pulpmagazines in the early 1920s and 1930s, but he later becamea regular contributor to many national magazines, includingCollier’s and the Saturday Evening Post.

In the 1960s, Jill Haycox, Ernest’s widow, generously do-nated Haycox’s personal collection of books about the Westto the University of Oregon, Haycox’s alma mater. Thecollection constituted more than two thousand volumes ofrare books and periodicals about the early history of theWest, and its acquisition richly augmented the scope anddepth of the print resources in the library’s Special Collections.

The library was fortunate to receive an additional gift fromthe Haycox family in the form of Ernest Haycox’s personalpapers, including literary manuscripts, research notes, andother documents. Together with his personal library, thiscollection of research materials has become an extremelyvaluable resource on Western history and Western fiction, ahistorical treasure unparalleled in its depth and scope.

Under Western Skies is the fruition of a collaboration of manypeople in the University of Oregon community who gener-ously shared their knowledge and resources. The exhibit wascosponsored and generously funded by the UniversityLibrary System, the Department of English, the Departmentof History, and the Oregon Humanities Center. It is our hopethat this collaborative effort provides the viewer with aheightened sense of awareness of the richness of the library’scollections and the significance of the people they represent.

For more information on the library’s Special Collections, callLinda Long, (541) 346-1906, or send her E-mail,llong@oregon.uoregon.edu

You may view this exhibit on line at:http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/mss/haycox/

Bill Bowerman

Steve Prefontaine

THE TALK OF THE TOWN: JANE GRANT, THENEW YORKER, AND THE OREGON LEGACY OF ATWENTIETH-CENTURY FEMINISTConnections between theUniversity of Oregon andNew York City stretch backto the founding years of theschool, when its financialtroubles (“the pecuniaryembarrassment” in thewords of the Board ofRegents) were assuaged byHenry Villard, the New Yorkrailroad magnate. Indeed,the library’s shelves stillcarry books bought by Mr.Villard as well as titles hepresented to the library.

Over the past one hundred and twenty-five years other NewYorkers have contributed to the enhancement of the univer-sity and its library collections. The Burgess Collection ofmedieval and renaissance manuscripts and printed bookswas acquired in the 1930s from a New York collector whose

sister, Julia Burgess, taught in the University of Oregon’sDepartment of English.

This exhibition celebrates one of the most important of thosegifts—the papers of Jane Grant and the endowment estab-lished in her memory by William Harris, her husband. TheJane Grant collection came to the library in 1976 as part of itsprogram of documenting the achievements of Americanwomen. The endowment established through Mr. Harris’sdonation created the UO’s Center for the Study of Women inSociety and sustains the program today.

Just as this collectionand the Center for theStudy of Women inSociety arose from abroad institutionalcollaboration, so too isthis exhibition a resultof the cooperation of anumber of people and departments in the campus community.

You may view this exhibit on line at:http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/mss/JaneGrant/

W H AT Y O U R G I F T C A N B U Y F O R T H E L I B R A RY■ Augment the library’s heavily used collection of video-

cassettes with the purchase of Mitsuye and Nellie, AsianAmerican Poets. This documentary examines the lives ofAsian Americans through the inspirational poetry ofMitsuye Yamada and Nellie Wong. Interviews, rarearchival footage, intimate family scenes, and a livelydialogue between these fascinating womenunderscore the differing histories of Chineseand Japanese Americans as well as the sharedexperiences of bioculturalism and genera-tional difference. One videocassette, $295.

■ Students and faculty members in thehumanities would appreciate the purchaseof Jane Austen’s novels, letters and memoir—literary texts in their original first editions, withnew introductions by David Gilson. Nineteenvolumes, $1,908.

■ A new and essential reference work for the study ofVictorian Literature would benefit students in literature,English, and creative writing. Purchase A Concordance tothe Poems and Plays of Robert Browning with bibliographicreferences and index. Seven volume set, $1,440.

■ Students and faculty members in the Religious Studiesand Judaic Studies Programs would benefit from thepurchase of the Göttingen Septuagint (the translation ofthe Hebrew Bible into Greek). The UO library haseditions of the Septuagint translated into English butdoes not have the Greek edition most commonly used

by researchers. Purchase this authoritative editionin twenty-one volumes for $2,375.

■ Help students and faculty members in theUO’s internationally known biology pro-grams keep up to date in the field. Purchaseback files of BIOSIS, the electronic version ofBiological Abstracts, the leading reference

publication for life science information. $6,000for one year’s back file.

■ An emerging discipline requires the purchase of coreresources for UO researchers. Researchers in the fieldwould appreciate the Encyclopedia of ComputationalChemistry, a milestone publication which comprisesmore than 300 articles written by more than 350 con-tributors. Five volumes, $3,150.

“A library is a place for the creation of ideas, the discovery of new stories. You go in, find

things, you have an epiphany, but often you move on. To have a press where that kind of

epiphany can become tangible in a broadside or small book makes real a feeling I’ve often

had about libraries, that they are studios for the making of literature rather than ware-

houses for its preservation.”—Kim Stafford

Director, Northwest Writing Institute, Lewis and Clark College

After the first year of his M.B.A. program, Craig Mortensenthought lack of funds would force him to quit school, goback to work, and finish his degree in night classes over aperiod of years.

It was not an attractive prospect since he and his wife hadboth quit their jobs in Utah, sold their home, and movedwith their infant daughter to Eugene so Craig could attendgraduate school.

But, thanks to Dorris Coombs Thomas ’37 of Bend and herlate husband, Bob ‘36, a former UO Foundation trustee,Mortensen is finishing up the second year of his graduateprogram while also learning skills for a future career andperforming a valuable service for all future UO students.

Mortensen is the first occupant of the Robert and DorrisThomas Internship in the UO Library System. Funded with

Making a Difference:the Robert and DorrisThomas Internship

a $100,000 giftfrom Dorris inBob’s memory,the endowedinternship pays aUO student toprovide a year ofservice for thelibrary.

Mortensen,twenty-eight, isworking withlibrary staff members to create a tutorial that students willbe able to access over the Internet to learn how to use thelibrary. The library’s goal is to have the tutorial available bynext fall.

The internship “has made a huge difference in my life,”says Mortensen. “It turned out to be a terrific experience,right along the lines of what I hope to do after I graduate.”

“I’m extremely grateful to Mrs. Thomas and will be forevermore,” he says. “My wife and daughter would say thesame.”

UNIVERSITY OF OREGONKnight Library

Office of the University Librarian1299 University of Oregon

Eugene OR 97403-1299

An equal-opportunity, affirmative-action institution committedto cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans withDisabilities Act. This publication will be made available inaccessible formats upon request. Summer 2000. P0500F2688© 2000 University of Oregon

NonprofitOrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDEugene OR

Permit No. 63

Library Notes is a biannual publication ofthe University of Oregon Library System.

EDITORLisa Manotti

DESIGNERTerry Duffy, UO Publications

PHOTOGRAPHSJack Liu, Diana Dopson, University Archives

WRITERSJuanita Benedicto

Linda LongAnn Baker Mack

Lisa ManottiBernard McTigue

LI B RARY SN TEU N I V E R S I T Y O F O R E G O N

Please send comments to:lmanotti@oregon.uoregon.edu

This publication is also available on the web,http://libweb.uoregon.edu/friends/index.html

W H AT ’ S N E W AT T H EU O L I B R A RY ?Check our web site:http://libweb.uoregon.edu/