Season’s Greetings from the Jean Outland Chrysler Library

It seems like such a small thing, but I find it thrilling to unlock my apartment’s shiny brass mailbox to find a stack of brightly-enveloped holiday cards. Every year, I await their arrival with child-like anticipation. I excitedly check the postmark and return address, then gently peal back the adhesive flap. (Be careful. There may be glitter inside!) I relish the words in ink biting into the paper, the photos tucked inside of younger cousins who are no longer small, the holiday letters telling of loved ones’ joys and sorrows. If there happens to be a gift card from Target tucked inside by a far-away aunt, well, that’s just a bonus. The real joy in these small paper and paste wonders is that someone, somewhere intentionally chose, purchased, inscribed and mailed this lovely remembrance to me. They thought of me, just as I think of the people who have touched my life over the last year as I fill out my holiday cards. With a quiet smile, I pin these magical mementos to a card display wreath, hand-made by a friend years ago, and bustle off to make a cup of cocoa. ‘Tis the season to be jolly.

Since the production of the first commercial Christmas card by Sir Henry Cole in 1843 London, they have been a staple of Christian and non-Christian celebrations alike during this festive time. The archival collection of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library contains many holiday cards to and from people all over Hampton Roads, including the Chryslers. If you’re in the mood for a burst of holiday cheer, please stop by and have a look. We wish you a bright and happy holiday season.

Library Assistant Sara Mason

All that glitters...

          This is one of my favorite times of the year. As the December nights grow colder and longer Norfolk is truly illuminated with glittering lights and decorations. Inspired by this, I’ve collected some of what glitters in the Library’s collection - twenty-four gilt decorations from books on our shelves to share with you. In most cases hand-tooled onto leather, these tiny decorations – often not more than one or two inches in size – are often amazingly intricate. The detail images above are just a sample of the thousands of designs you can find on bindings in the Library -  ranging from 18th century volumes in the Myers collection to 1915 edition of A Christmas Carol illustrated by Arthur Rackham that is currently on display in the reading room. Glistening on the spines and covers and books throughout the Library collection these small details truly make our collection shine.

 - Laura Christiansen Dickson Librarian

Item of the Week: Art in the Making

Ever wonder about the artist’s process behind Degas’ Dancer with Bouquets or just how artists such as Manet, Monet, and Renoir worked? This week’s featured items may answer your questions. The Library recently acquired three DVDs from the National Gallery, London’s wonderful series Art in the Making including “Degas,” “Impressionism,” and “Italian Painting Before 1400.” Each film delves into the materials and techniques used to create a selection of works. Drawing on tools often used in the conservation of paintings, such as infrared and X-ray photography Art in the Making provides a unique view of each work from the canvas up, so to speak. Each disk also comes with a bonus film that looks at a broader range of work. For example, Art in the Making: Degas is paired with Degas: Beyond Impressionism, a short film that features the later work of Degas and its impact on twentieth – century painters like Picasso.


Interested? Like all of our videos and DVDs, the Art in the Making series DVDS may be checked out by Museum Members or watched in the Library. Stop by take a look .

We know what you're reading...

There are many daily duties in the life of a library that keeps things running smoothly. One of the weekly tasks is managing interlibrary loans. As a member of OCLC (Online Computer Library Center), we can search the collections of libraries all over the world in order to borrow their books for staff and patrons. In return, they may ask to borrow ours. Participating in this system allows us to share resources with scholars all around the globe. Think of it as lending a your favorite book – the one you bought on Amazon just before it went out of print – to a friend that lives all the way across the country. When an institution requests a loan, we find the book on the shelf, check it out to “interlibrary loan,” package the item safely, and ship it off. Items are returned in about a month so that books may be shared fairly.

Over the last year, we’ve noticed that some books are lent out on a regular basis. The four that seem to go out the most are Traditional Korean Wrapping Cloths, Codex Seraphinianus, Memento Mori: Death in Nineteenth Century Photography and Let Us March On! Selected Civil Rights Photographs of Ernest C. Withers, 1955 – 1968. Of those four, The Codex Seraphinianus has been lent the most: 4 times this year! That might not sound like a lot, but in a collection of 111,000 items, that makes “The Codex” our M.V.P.

You too can see what others are reading! Please drop by the Jean Outland Chrysler Library and have a look at some of our most popular and well traveled holdings.

Library Assistant Sara Mason (a.k.a. The Interlibrary Loan Lady)

Wondering where our Interlibrary loans go? The map above features just a few of the locations items from our collections have visited in the United States in 2009.