Worklife:
I've
been at the Hiram
College Library since 1984. Currently, I am Coordinator of Government
Documents & Collection Development, although the job seems to
involve more than the title implies.
My
responsibilities include administration of U.S. and Ohio
government documents depository program; liason
to the science departments, some social science departments, and music;
collection development in the sciences and social sciences; development
of the music collection; reference
services and library instruction; cataloging of government documents,
music CDs, LPs, and gift books; web page development; Library and campus-wide
committee work; and, of course, other duties as assigned.
I
was the Coordinator of Reference from 1985 until 1998,
when we did some reorganizing. I
was Acting Director during the Summer of 1992, and from
January-July 1998. Please,
no more.Since
1987, I have also been an Adjunct faculty member in the Dept.
of Sociology/Anthropology, teaching courses in anthropology and
archaeology. These include Cultural Anthropology, Native
Peoples of North America, Peoples and Cultures of the Pacific Islands,
Introduction to Archaeology, and Archaeological Origins of Civilized
Societies. I also teach
Library-related courses and
workshops on research methods and library use.
In my previous
life, I worked as an archaeologist. From 1981-82
I was with the Maryland
Historical Trust
as a Research Archaeologist, doing
a survey of extant artifact collections for Southern Maryland. In
1982, I was a Field Assistant at the
St. Mary's City Commission,
excavating portions of the 17th century capital of the Maryland colony.
From 1974 to
1981, as a graduate student, I held various positions at the Public
Archaeology Facility, SUNY-Binghamton, including Project Director
and Research Assistant, and various field hand capacities.
Education
(the official credentials):
M.L.S.,
University of Pittsburgh, 1983.
Library Science
M.A., SUNY-Binghamton,
1981. Anthropology
B.A.,
Adelphi University,
1974. Anthropology
East Rockaway Junior/Senior High School, East
Rockaway, New York, 1970.
Interests & Pursuits:
I seem to lead two lives, one in
librarianship, the other in some hybrid dimension of
anthropology/archaeology/material culture/history/music. At some
points these worlds overlap. My current interests are:
Cemetery
& gravestone studies: I've been doing research on
changes in gravestone styles in Northeast Ohio for a number of
years. I've presented one paper (see below), and intend to delve
more into the stone carvers and types of stone used. I regularly
give presentations on the history of gravestones in the Western
Reserve.
American industrial history:
My particular interests are stone quarrying, canals, and more
generally extractive industries and transportation. I have
written an article on Benjamin Wright, engineer on the Erie
Canal, and
one on quarrying in New England. Another is in press on the use of
stone in American folklife.
American popular music: My
interests range widely, from Doo-Wop music to late 19th century brass
bands to polka, bluegrass and blues. I have two short pieces
published on Panama Francis and Joe Liggins,
and a slightly longer article on
Erskine
Hawkins. Most recently, I've been reviewing jazz and folk
music for CD Hotlist.
Collection Development: I
have been working to develop the Library's Music Collection, and
as a result, have been noticing patterns of collecting by different
libraries and kinds of libraries. I hope to investigate these
patterns further. I have also been creating a web-based newsletter
for the Hiram College campus, A Fistful of
Music, to keep folks informed about the latest acquistions.
Miscellaneous
Past Activities:
President/Program
Chair, Government Documents
Roundtable of Ohio, 1990-1992.
Participant in NEH Summer Institute, "The Historical Archaeology of
European Expansion," Flowerdew
Hundred Plantation, Virginia, Summer 1989.
Librarian Referee, Books for College Libraries, 3rd
edition, North American Indians section, 1987.
Selected
Publications/Papers/Presentations:
"Panama Francis."
Encyclopedia of the Blues, 2006. (Rhythm & Blues drummer)
"Joe Liggins." Encyclopedia
of the Blues, 2006. (Rhythm & Blues pianist and singer)
"Marble
and Granite Quarrying."
Encyclopedia of New England,
2005.
"Benjamin Wright."
American
National Biography, 1999. (Engineer on
the Erie Canal)
"Gravestone Production & the Transition
from Sandstone to Marble in the Cemeteries of the Western Reserve of
Ohio, 1800-1850." Paper
presented at the Pioneer America Society Annual Conference, 1999.
A Survey of Prehistoric Artifact Collections from Central Southern
Maryland.
Maryland Historical Trust Manuscript Series No. 23, 1982.
Social Archeology: Beyond Subsistence and Dating.
Co-editor. Academic Press, 1978.
Author and editor of over a dozen cultural resource
management technical reports on archaeological survey and excavation in
New York, for the Public Archaeology Facility, SUNY-Binghamton, from
1977 to 1981.
Presentations to classes and area groups on gravestones and
cemeteries of the Western Reserve, 1990-present.
Presentations to classes on the history of Doo-Wop music.
Over 80 book and web site
reviews for Choice, American Reference Books
Annual, Historical Archaeology,
Material Culture, and other publications.
1989-present.
I Belong to a Lot of Organizations:
Academic Library Association of Ohio
| Government Documents
Roundtable of Ohio | Society
for Historical Archaeology | Pioneer America
Society
I participate actively in only a few, as time and money permit.
On
the Personal Side:
My wife
and I have been living in Garrettsville since 1995, but moved
around a bit, having lived in Norton, Hiram and Chardon before
finally buying a house. We are formerly a two-career
couple, but one of us has had the brains to retire. We
have a cat, delightful nieces in Arizona,
South Carolina, and North Carolina, large collections of books and CDs, and sadly neglected
gardens. We spend some time every year going to the Ohio
Light Opera, the Shaw Festival,
and like to travel the Great Lakes and New England regions. |
