Tuesday, February 2, 2010

**My cultural exhibit post**


de Grummond Assignment


The de Grummond cultural exhibit is located here on the grounds of the University of Southern Mississippi. Most of the special collection is housed at the McCain Library and Archives also at the University of Southern Mississippi. It is one of the best children’s literature collections in the United States. The collection was founded by Dr. Lena Y. de Grummond in 1966. Lena de Grummond worked as a teacher here at the university and she was an admirer of children’s literature around the world. As a Library Science teacher, de Grummond focus on giving her students a first hand experience of how children’s literature could be expressed. According to the USM Website, “If students could study the creative processes of authors and illustrators by examining the manuscripts and illustrations first hand, she knew they would better appreciate the literature.”
The literature is that focused on by American and British children books, historical as well as modern pieces. Many of these books were requested by Dr. de Grummond to assemble a collection that would archive original materials of great children’s literature authors. According to the USM library Website, “The Collection holds the original manuscripts and illustrations of more than 1200 authors and illustrators, as well as 100,000+ published books dating from 1530 to the present.” The book holdings and exhibits for this collection are folklore and fairy tales, courtesy books, fables and tales, alphabets and nursery rhymes, primers and readers, grammars and schoolbooks, children’s Bibles and religious books, puzzles and riddles, sports and games, fantasy and fiction, almanacs, and science fiction. According to the USM library Website, “The de Grummond Collection was created to preserving the manuscripts and artwork of the creators of children's and young adult literature. These manuscripts, illustrations, galleys, dummies, correspondence, and fan mail document the entire creative process of this unique literature.”
Over 250 historical and modern magazines are also housed in the de Grummond collection. These periodicals date from 1788 to the present and are similar to that effect of the historical and modern book materials. The magazines include The Little Corporal, Little Folks, The Monthly Packet, Oliver Optic's Magazine, St. Nicholas, The Union Jack, Wide Awake, and Youth's Companion. All these magazines, manuscripts and artwork are found in the Cook Library and/or McCain Library and Archive for research and viewing. A virtual tour is also available for those who can not come to the university to explore it.

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