Vote today for the Myers Family Bible!

The Jean Outland Chrysler Art Library is thrilled to announce the nomination of the Moses Myers Family Bible to the Virginia Association of Museums' Top Ten Endangered Artifacts Program! From now until August 29th, you can vote for the Myers Bible to make it into the prestigious "Top Ten List."  If you believe the Myers Bible tells a significant story about the Myers Family and our local history, vote today!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

What is Virginia’s Top 10 Endangered Artifacts?
The VAM's Top Ten campaign showcases the importance of Virginia’s diverse history, heritage and culture and the role that artifacts and archival materials play in telling those stories. This fun and educational project enables all citizens to take part in supporting the institutions that are entrusted with caring for our communities’ treasures. The public is encouraged to visit www.vatop10artifacts.org and cast their vote for the object that they believe should make the final list. Final nominations will be reviewed by an independent panel of collections and conservation experts, and the honorees will be announced in September 2012.

What is the Moses Myers Family Bible?
From the Jean Outland Chrysler Art Library's archives, this is an American Bible belonging to the Moses Myers Family of Norfolk, Virginia, titled: The Holy Bible, Containing The Old and New Testaments; Together with the Apocrypha Translated out of the Original Tongues And with the Former Translations, Diligently Compared and Reviled. This scarce book was published in Philadelphia in 1798 by John Thompson and Abraham Small, and would become one of the Myers Family most important possessions. Although the Myers were Jewish, they used this Christian Bible as their family bible and recorded important family information within its pages, including birthdays, obituaries and military service information. It was passed down through five generations of the Myers family who lived in the Moses Myers House from 1795 until 1931.The Myers attained a prominent position in Norfolk history, rising to become leaders in both economic and social affairs. In addition, the Myers family were the first permanent Jewish-American residents in the Norfolk area, and would compose the region’s entire Jewish population for over a decade.

As is the case with many family artifacts, the Bible fell victim to Virginia’s heat and humidity while in the Myers’ home. It is now being well cared for and preserved within the Rare Book Archives of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library. By strictly maintaining and monitoring the climate of the Rare Book Room, Chrysler Museum staff ensure that the Myers Family Bible and other unique treasures are preserved for future generations.

A View From the Stacks - A Hairy Situation in the Archives

Sarah continues her work with the Myers Collection. Two interesting excerpts from her daily journal are below, but you can read full entries at http://saosorio.wordpress.com/ .


Day 9: Week 3
"I think I am making improvements from the folders where name abbreviations were used. It is difficult to look up someone named Thomas when the abbreviation is “Thos.” I think many researchers would know the abbreviation, but spelling out is probably useful during searching. There are several other names where abbreviations have been used, such as “Corn” for Cornelius. I made a fairly nice dent into getting the box list done at the folder level, but it will still take a few more days until completion. I am also using the newer way to express materials that are not dated (undated, rather than n.d.) because it follows DACS and I am a proponent of not using abbreviations and sticking to conformity so that searching will be easier on researchers and any future librarians/archivists. I am starting to think about how best to utilize my time with what time I have remaining. It is difficult to believe that I am almost halfway through this internship!"

Day 10: Week 3

"...One interesting tidbit from the end of yesterday was going through the letterbooks. I came across a clump of hair randomly stuck in a letterbook (I think the letterbook belonged to Samuel Myers). I told the librarian about it today, and she went with me to have another look. The librarian said that back in the day it was fairly normal to cut off hair, particularly of deceased persons in order to make jewelry… ??? Anyway, the hair will be kept, and after the location of the hair is properly documented, it will be stored separately. I thought it was gross, and really wild! I am sure that continuing in archival work, there will be stranger things I come across in the future."

Lock of hair found in the Myers Collection

A View from the Stacks: Getting Started with the Myers Papers

The Myers Papers

This summer, Library Archives intern Sarah Osorio,  a graduate student at the University of North Carolina Chaple Hill, is doing some in-depth work with the Myers collection. Over the course of the summer, Sarah will be working to compile a overall finding aid for the collection, creating box lists and topical guides, and incorporating recent additions.  Her work will make the more accessible and will help researchers use the amazing historical documents in the collection.  Sarah is keeping a detailed journal of her work. Below you will find a few excerpts from her first week in the Library. If you'd like to keep up with her daily archival adventures, however, you can read a more in-depth journal of her experiences here:  http://saosorio.wordpress.com/



"Day 1: Week 1

Today was my first day interning at the Chrysler Museum of Art! I will be working there for the next seven weeks from 10am-4pm Tuesdays through Fridays. I left early from my home because I didn’t know how traffic was going to be in the morning, and before today I had never physically visited the museum. I gave myself over an hour to get to the museum, but it only took 25 minutes, so I sat in my car for awhile re-reading the syllabus that my site supervisor wrote for me several weeks ago .
...
After touring the museum and eating some lunch, the interns met with their supervisors. My supervisor gave the three interns a tour of the library, and I got a small glimpse of what I will be working on for the next several weeks. I am looking forward to tomorrow, when hopefully I will be delving more into the manuscripts and conversing with my supervisor on ways to enhance accessibility to the collection."

"Day 2: Week 1



Most of today was dedicated to reading a transcript about Moses Myers. The transcription that I read is given to docents training to give tours for the Myers House, which is located about half a mile from the Chrysler Museum. I thought the reading was very informative and insightful, and I really enjoyed reading about the city of Norfolk from the 1790s through the 1820s; it gives me a very different perspective from what I have seen of Norfolk in the past few years. For example, I have been down Church Street several times before, but I never knew that the origins of Church Street began during the years of the early American republic. In addition, I came across Bank Street in the reading, which as the name suggests, is home to a number of banks. I feel that I have a better background about the time period in which Moses Myers lived, and I think this background is an important basis for future decision-making about the collection that I will be making."
 
"Day 3: Week 1

I have lots of information about the collection to go through still in order to try to piece together how the collection has been processed, arranged, and described over the years. It seems that several individuals have gone through the collection to create order, but altogether there is not a one, central finding aid that can help individuals coming in to look at the collection find what they need. Right now I believe my task is very large, but I think when I sit down and work on it more closely, it will become easier and less daunting. "
 
"Day 4: Week 1
Today I continued to go through some of the administrative documents for the collection, trying to figure out the context of the Myers papers from the 1950s to the present. I looked at an itemized list in bound volumes created by ODU, and I determined that the list was not in any particular order. The list did not correspond with any of the other notebooks, so I am interested to see how the logic behind how the items were arranged in those books. I think it will be quite a challenge compiling a finding aid that includes the papers, music collection (approximately 900 pieces), and library of about 1,000 books. Still, I think going through the documentation has been helpful, and I will still need to go through more things when I get back on Monday. I know that I will need to look at the Access database, some administrative history from the library’s network drive, and perhaps other final documentation.


One thing that I thought was particularly interesting about the documentation I found is that there was a transcript of a master’s paper written by a UNC-Chapel Hill student in library science. The paper was submitted in April 1970, and the paper was about the Myers’ collection of books. The library science student created an inventory of books, creating an arrangement system where she organized the books in alphabetical order (I think it was organized by author’s last name). As the books are today, they are actually arranged by publication date. Still, it was interesting to see that a library science student from 40 years ago was able to make use of the collection for her master’s paper."

 - Sarah Osorio, 2011 Summer Libary Archives Intern

Sarah's doing great work, and we look forward to seeing how her project unfolds throughout the summer!

Archives Month - A Bump on the Head

Pirates and phrenology? Yes. That’s right. In 1827 John Myers, who was Inspector of Customs for Norfolk at the time, received an odd question about the skull of a pirate from his friend Joshua Cohen. Apparently there was a desire for the skull for “phrenological appreciation at Baltimore” by a Dr. Archer. Did Dr. Archer wish to derive meaning from bumps on the bones of the Pirate Tardy? Popular science at the time postulated a relationship between a person’s character and the morphology or shape of the human skull. This study became all the rage, and was used in society at the time to explain misfortunes, predict the future, diagnose maladies, etc. Dr. Archer probably would have wanted to inspect the skull of a pirate in order to determine the malformation that sparked his life of crime.

It was the job of John Myers to say whether or not it was in his jurisdiction to allow this piece of a pirate, buried in the sand at Old Point, to leave the state of Virginia. We’ve had some challenging research questions here at the Jean Outland Chrysler library, but we’re willing to bet that this one had John scratching his own noggin. Interest in the human head has waned little in the last almost two centuries. The use of the skull in art has sky rocketed in the last few years – think of Damien Hirst’s diamond encrusted skull. Do you have a mind for some phrenological explorations of your own? Stop by the JOCL this Fall and glance through such popular titles as Wonder and Horror of the Human Head and Ghost in the Shell. We also have a copy of George Combe’s The Constitution of a Man - one of the most popular works on phrenology.
Just thought we’d give you a heads up.

- SCM

Here's the original 1827 letter from the Myers Collection. Click on the Image for a better view!

In the Library This Saturday! Reading with a 19th Century Family!

 Calling all history lovers, bibliophiles, and   Victoriana Enthusiasts! 

This Saturday, October 23 we have a program just for you!  Join us at 2 pm  in the Library Reading Room for “Reading with a 19th Century Family - The Myers Library”

We all know that the 19th century was a great age of American literature (think Poe, Twain, Hawthorne...), but what were Americans actually reading? With rare volumes of both fiction and non-fiction from the Myers Family Library as a guide, join us to explore the reading habits of a Norfolk family from 1800 – 1900.

This program is free, and open to everyone!

   For more information; contact Laura Christiansen at (757) 965-2035 or  at lchristiansen@chrysler.org.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day 2010

‘Tis once again the magical time of year when we throw grammar and diction, manners and class aside in order to bring you International Talk Like a Pirate Day http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html. Yo-ho, me hearties! It is in this spirit that we here at the Jean Outland Chrysler Library (an aaarrrrrrt library, you know), with the help of the Myers Family papers, bring you the “Pirates Rules for Civilized Living.”

To all of you career pirates out there – Just because Whistler was interested in The Gentle Art of Making Enemies doesn’t mean that you have to be. Here are a few rules for playing well with others and not interrupting international trade this holiday based on actual incidences of piracy that effected the shipping trade of the Myers family.

1- It is not polite to attach a ship and steal someone else’s cargo of $222.86 dollars in sugar. Do you have any idea how much that was in 1822?

2- It is unkind to abscond with a ship carrying mail – particularly that containing good gossip all the way from Richmond. Now what will we read for fun?

3- If you attempt to highjack a schooner off Pensacola, please leave the coffee aboard. We’re dreadfully tired of tea.

Well, me Matey? Do you feel better prepared to celebrate in higher class and style this year? Need a refresher course in pirate manners and 19th century Norfolk society? Stop by the JOCL and ask us about the Myers papers. Mind your pirate Ps and Qs, and make September 19, 2010 arrrrrguably the most polite International Talk Like a Pirate Day ever!

- SCM

Item of the week: the September 3 storm

John Myers Sept. 4, 1821 letter to his brother Sam

It looks like Hurricane Earl has blown by Norfolk, luckily without much damage. The round the clock coverage of approaching storms we enjoy today gives us ample time to prepare for storms – a luxury previous generations of Norfolk residents didn’t have. A pair of letters from the Myers Family papers reveal the surprise and terror they felt in the wake of devastating weather. On September 3, 1821 a powerful storm, probably a Category 2 or 3 hurricane on today’s Saffir – Simpson scale hit Hampton Roads. On September 4 John Myers wrote his brother Samuel Myers in Richmond:


“We have an awful tempest – the damage done is great – the extent not ascertained – sufferers many – some severe – the papers give you a hazy & imperfect sketch. It is a scene that could not be described without detailing a thousand minutia - you must see it to believe – we have not a tree, shrub or fence standing ... I do not know what is the loss in expense to the Richmond Boats – They are both high and dry in a cornfield, about ten miles above the eastern Sandbridge – when & how to be got off I know not.”

On September 5, John wrote again in greater detail, adding:

“Our dwelling stands & all are safe & well within – but every tree & fence & shrub around are leveled – Our drawbridge struck ground & the Lothair (a ship) is in a cornfield not to be gotten off … I would not repair the damage to the town for 200 million dollars - it is a scene of devastation – Chamberlain is a considerable sufferer – His brig sunk – I must refer you more particularly to the papers – The Richmond & Petersburg are in a cornfield ten miles above the Eastern Bridge, how and when to be got off is conjecture – heavy expense at least. Disease & death , which surround us, has no terror like the fury of the tempest...”

The Hurricane, which went on to be the last Hurricane to directly strike New York City continued up the coast, leaving destruction in its wake. Disease often followed a storm, and in 1821 Norfolk was struck by a yellow fever epidemic which increased the toll on the  already suffering city.

If you’d like to learn more about the Myers family, stop by the Library or visit the Moses Myers House.

Music to Our Ears - Myers Music CD Release

The Jean Outland Chrysler Library is very proud to announce the release of Music of Quality and Taste: Selections from the Myers Music Collection. This is the first CD produced using music from the Myers Music Collection – housed in the Library's Archives. In the past we’ve told you about selections from this extensive collection of over 900 pieces of 18th and 19th Century sheet music (more information here) now, you can hear a selection of 18 pieces from the collection as the Myers enjoyed them. The music is exquisitely performed by the Virginia Chorale Trio – featuring talented musicians Amy Cofield-Williamson, Scott Williamson, and Charles Woodward.

The CD will soon be on sale in the Museum Gift Shop. A preview copy will be available in the Library Reading Room – stop by and enjoy a few minutes of Music of Quality and Taste.

A View from the Stacks : Interns' Journal - Week 2

Prior to beginning my internship at the Chrysler, I was told to be ready to “get my hands dirty” in the library. With my outsider’s knowledge of libraries and clichéd assumptions about internships I took this to be a metaphor for fixing someone’s coffee or sorting somebody’s mail. Upon starting my internship I was corrected in my assumptions—none of my tasks were menial or useless and “dirty” was meant literally. In the second week of our internship I and fellow intern, Casey, began the dusty work of library preservation with enclosing fragile and rare books in protective folders.

To begin, we donned protective gloves and looked at the 30 shelves of the Moses Myer’s family book collection with a certain level of awe—first over the age of each volume (some over 200 years old), and second over the sheer amount of time it would take ourselves and future students to fit and enclose each individually. Pausing often to study the books’ 18th century ideals of chemistry or the portraits and signatures doodled in margins, we measured each book for a 4-flap enclosure of archival paper. Over the first half of our preservation week we housed 34 books, protecting them from moisture, light, air, bugs, mold, and each-other. Though it felt great to complete our careful folding with a large chunk of the books protected, our next task certainly left a greater spatial impact.

In the latter half of our week Casey and I completed some lighter wrapping for a shelf of old and tattered books. After some organizing and dusting, we cleared 7 shelves previously covered in bits of aging books and German art periodicals to make light enclosures and some room for the museum’s scrapbooks. Previously crowded under shelves of auction catalogues, theses scrapbooks are now better preserved and more accessible to anyone looking for a visual history of the Chrysler museum, or just some amusing vintage photographs. All in all it feels great not only to accomplish so much, but to know and see how our work is serving the library. My week in learning the process and importance of library preservation has given me the valuable work experience I sought, as well as a feeling of achievement I had never expected.

 - Chelsea Reinhardt 2010 Summer Library Intern

Welcome, Summer 2010 Interns!

The staff of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library would like to bid a warm welcome to our Summer 2010 Interns! Casey Nye (Virginia Tech) and Chelsea Reinhardt (Old Dominion University) will spend the summer learning about the care and management of collections in special libraries. They will be helping with some exciting projects! As this photo shows, they are already hard at work on their first big project – working together to create archival 4-flap enclosures for the Myers family library. Updates on their progress and upcoming events, including the July 21st Jean Outland Chrysler Library Open House, will be posted here each week, so stay tuned!

Item of the Week - Surprise in the Stacks

It's always a wonderful surprise to discover something new between the pages of a book in the Library Collection.  From time to time we like to share them here before returning them to the shelves.  Earlier this week while working with the Myers Library Collection we came a cross a delightful copy of  The Life of Francis Marion by William Gilmore Simms.  Beautifully bound this volume tells the story of the South Carolina Revolutionary War hero perhaps better known as the "Swamp Fox" This copy also contained a suprise which we discovered on the one of the first pages - a portrait in profile. Who is this lady? Is she a member of the Myers family? It's fun to wonder who drew her portrait here, when, and why. 

The Jean Outland Chrysler Library Collection: in Concert this Sunday

Music of Quality and Taste: Selections from the Myers Music Collection

If you are a regular blog reader, you may remember us mentioning the Myers Family Music collection. This impressive library of over 900 pieces of music from the 18th and 19th centuries is a treasure of beautiful music tucked away in our collection. Some of these pieces are little known and rarely heard today. This Sunday, March 14, 2010 the Friends of Historic Houses present Music of Quality and Taste: Selections from the Myers Music Collection. The Virginia Chorale will perform choral and instrumental selections from the collection on  instruments like those the Myers would have used.  Don’t miss this rare opportunity to enter the musical world of the early 1800s in the comfort of the Museum’s Kaufman Theatre. The concert starts at 3 p.m. It’s free for Friends of the Historic Houses, $5 for Museum Members, $10 for all others. For ticket information, please call (757) 333-1087.


We hope to see you there!

Alas! For Lack of Gold She Left Me...

Paul Simon said “Sometimes even music cannot substitute for tears.” Well, the goodly ladies and gentlemen who penned such 19th century ballads as “For Lack of Gold She Left Me,” “Terry Ye Moments,” “The Cavalier from Rokeby” and Farewell, Farewell” certainly attempted just that. The music collection of the Myers family, housed at the Jean Outland Chrysler Library, is simply overflowing with songs of love, loss and waning devotion from England, Ireland, Scotland, France and America. As I thumbed delicately through this music earlier in the week, I could not help but think of the endurance and universality of these themes. One lovely set of lyrics even details a young shepherd herding his flock past his lady-love’s home every day. One must assume that this was the 19th century equivalent of riding your bike past the home of your crush. Whether you love or hate Valentine’s Day, this collection has something for your heart, aching or happy. Happy Valentine’s Day, all! Until next week “Farewell, Farewell.”

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

Edgar Allan Poe - 200 Years

Once upon a a research query while I pondered bright and cheery over many a quaint and curious volume of artistic lore...

In honor of Halloween this weekend and of Edgar Allan Poe's 200th birthday this year, we thought we would present these items from our collection  that are connected to the Poe's life and work. Click on the Album below to see more images. Enjoy!

Edgar Allan Poe in Jean Outland Chrysler Library Collections

Intern Projects - Moving the Myers Library

This summer, we asked the Library interns to write a short paragraph about their favorite assignment this summer. Imagine our suprise when three of four chose to write about the dirtiest, most difficult task they were given - moving the Myers Library. Here is what Gabrielle Barr, Emma Tisdale and Jessica Dame had to say about this unique assignment.

Gabrielle Barr :Tying Up Loose Ends


"Green with Gold. Swirling purple and blue paper. Diamond embossed leather. With the many damaged books in the Myers’ Collection, it was the interns’ task to mend and help preserve these deteriorating volumes. I enjoyed matching covers to works which involved analysis of the book’s size, the color of its remaining cover, and identification of designs on the spine and inside the piece. If both covers were missing, it was necessary to observe the way the pages had laid on the leather. Then I tied linen tape around the volumes to keep them intact until they can be enclosed. The most rewarding aspect of this project was when I was able to unite missing pages with the books such as with Moliere’s plays. These pages often bestowed useful and interesting information about the book as well, giving the name of the author, date, title, and publisher. While I loved the detective and detail oriented nature of the assignment, I relished the opportunity to handle these old works. A drawing of a horse, algebra problems scribbled in pencil and little notes demonstrate the personal quality of books that allow viewers to gain an understanding of the individuals. The Myers’ library encompasses such a range of eras, genres, and authors that reveals a part of each member of the family. "

Emma Tisdale: My Favorite Project

"Before my summer at the Chrysler Museum, I truly had no comprehension of the amount of work a librarian has to face each day. From the numerous long term projects to the preservation of the collection, the tasks that the librarians at the museum have to address are much more than I ever thought existed. I had the chance as an intern to tackle a small part of many of these difficult tasks. My favorite project, however, left me scrubbing smudges off my fingers and sneezing book-rot for days. It involved moving the ever-aging Myers Library from the back corner of the library to the front of the stacks. It took patience and focus, as the books were very delicate to handle and extremely disorganized on their shelves. My fellow interns and I took a new inventory of the collection of books and moved them in chronological order. The project took over a week to finish, but it left me with a sense that I had actually done something to help the library and that Laura could now check one of the many projects off her to-do list. "


Jessica Dame - Favorite Project

"Over the summer, I got the chance to intern for the library and obtain school credits and gain great hands on experience. Of all the projects in the library this summer, my favorite was getting to work with the Moses Meyer book collection. It was fun to look at books from the 1700s through the 1950s and see what a wealthy local family was reading in that time period. I came across books and authors I have heard of or read and got to see science books that had very bad information in them that have long since been changed in today’s books. I had to wear gloves and handle the books with care because I was literally handling history. Somehow when you have to put on gloves for a project, it feels more important and reminded me of professions that require gloves, like doctors, scientists and historians in general.
It also felt like I helped accomplish something big and I got to see an end result. The books were relocated and put in order by year. What began as a bit of a mess came together and now looks neat and organized. "