MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Penn State University Libraries’ next virtual Library Discovery Hour program, “Penn State Special Collections Spotlight: The Alice K. Marshall Women’s History Collection,” will offer attendees an inside look at one of central Pennsylvania’s most distinctive collections documenting women’s history across multiple centuries.
The event will be held at noon (ET) on Tuesday, July 14, on Zoom, and attendees may register online now. Heidi Abbey Moyer, archivist and humanities reference librarian at the University Libraries’ Madlyn L. Hanes Library at Penn State Harrisburg, will lead the event. The Zoom event will be recorded and shared with registrants following the event and linked to the Library Discovery Hour webpage.
“Since 2006, I have been honored and grateful to work with the Alice Marshall Women’s History Collection and to make it as accessible as possible to users worldwide,” Abbey Moyer said. “The breadth of primary sources that Alice collected over 50 years is truly astounding — advertising trade cards, books, broadsides, graphics, newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, pin-back buttons, postcards, postage stamps, posters, sheet music and even vinegar valentines. I love coming into the archives every day and, literally, find something brand new to me and our users. How many people can say that happens in their career? If Alice was with us today, I hope that she would be pleased with how Penn State has stewarded her collection over the past 35 years.”
The Alice Marshall Women’s History Collection, housed in the Archives and Special Collections at the Hanes Library, was compiled across more than 50 years by Alice Kahler Marshall (1923-97), a Harrisburg-area journalist, editor, researcher and avid collector. Her collection contains a range of materials including 7,000 books and pamphlets, more than 400 periodical titles and thousands of pieces of ephemera, such as diaries, fashion plates and advertisements. The collection has been referred to as the most comprehensive, privately compiled collection of women’s history materials in the United States. It focuses primarily on American women’s history, although the collection is not representative of all womanhood experiences.
“The Alice K. Marshall Women’s History Collection is a compelling example of how Penn State University Libraries preserves and elevates the voices that shape history, and a nuanced example of how history is shaped by the perceptions of the individuals who collect,” said Associate Dean for Distinctive Collections and Digital Strategies Nathan Hall. “Library Discovery Hour allows us to share these remarkable materials with the broader Penn State community and demonstrate the enduring impact of philanthropy through ongoing critical examination and reflection.”
Library Discovery Hour is a program that gives participants an insider’s perspective of today’s Penn State University Libraries, a top research library in North America. These programs offer opportunities to hear from experts and students while learning more about the University Libraries and its primary priorities: Community, Commons and Collections. This series also showcases how philanthropy has a positive impact and connects donors with other passionate Penn Staters. For questions about Library Discovery Hour, contact Gretchen Little at grl5147@psu.edu.