Atkins Library News - Exhibits

"The World of Harry Golden": A New Permanent Exhibit in Atkins Library

The J. Murrey Atkins Library of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte announces the installation of a permanent exhibit, �The World of Harry Golden,� based on the library�s extensive collection of Golden�s papers. Golden (1903-1981) was the publisher of The Carolina Israelite and the author of more than twenty books, including Only in America and For 2C Plain, which were on the bestseller list at the same time in 1959.

Golden used humor to attack what he described as �the inherent absurdity of segregation in the South,� and his reputation as a civil rights advocate was such that Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. asked him to write a testimonial for his first book in 1958. In his famous Letter from the Birmingham Jail, King also recognized Golden as one of a small group of Southern journalists who �had written about our struggle in eloquent and prophetic terms.�

The Harry Golden Papers contain approximately 300,000 items and constitute one of the library�s most noteworthy research collections--not only because the papers were produced by a person who was important in his own right but also because of the many different perspectives they offer on the rich tapestry of U. S. history in the middle years of the twentieth century.

The exhibit was made possible by the generosity of Mrs. Anita Stewart Brown, a devoted friend of Golden, who endowed the Harry Golden Fund. It was designed and fabricated by Studio Displays, Inc. and curated by Robert Weis and Robin Brabham.

The exhibit is located on the first floor of the Atkins Library and is available for viewing during all hours that the library is open (http://library.uncc.edu/hours/). For more information on the Harry Golden Papers, please contact Atkins Library Special Collections. (http://specialcollections.uncc.edu/)

May is Older Americans Month

Special Collections materials used for Charlotte Museum of History exhibit

Images from the Atkins Library's Special Collections are being used as part of an exhibit at the Charlotte Museum of History entitled Charlotte Neighborhoods. This exhibit is a community-based, design education and advocacy project, centered on an exhibit series that explores Charlotte's neighborhoods, past and present. This exhibit series gives Museum visitors and Charlotte-Mecklenburg residents the chance to explore and analyze a deeper recognition of "community" and promote positive social change. The exhibit is currently featuring the Center City and will be on display at the Charlotte Museum of History until Fall 2008.

Materials from Special Collections on Display on the 1st Floor in June

Visit the Atkins Library during June to see three different collections that highlight materials from the Atkins Library's Special Collections. They are:

A Million Reasons to Celebrate, highlighting the Library's growth from 1968 to 2007 - includes an exhibit on the 100,000th, 500,000th and millionth volumes.
Bibles, Blocks, and 'Blue Back' Spellers: The Slaves' Tools to Literacy, highlighting holdings related to Phillis Wheatley and George Moses Horton.
Charlotte in the War, focusing on military bases established in Charlotte during the first and second World Wars.

For more information, please click here.