“True research casts a net widely in a sea of disparate resources.”  – Gabrielle Roy

Exhibits help future researchers

With the Great American Stamp Show in Sacramento on the horizon, we are reminded of past APS stamp shows and the importance these philatelic events have in bringing collectors, speakers, exhibitors, dealers, societies and clubs together. The philatelic community is a very engaged, informative and diverse group and it is at these shows that the community is at its best. 

My first stamp show experiences small and large were the 2012 Colopex in Columbus, Ohio, and the 2013 AmeriStamp Expo in Louisville, Kentucky, respectively. On behalf of the APS and APRL I attended the Colopex show as a library volunteer alongside then-APRL Reference Assistant Neil Coker and the AmeriStamp show as the library’s new reference assistant.

Then, as now, the shows provide a firsthand account of the scope and breadth of philatelic subject matter and more importantly the role that the APRL resources and those of other philatelic libraries play in supporting the hobby. As one attends the speaker sessions or walks through the exhibit aisles of any World Series of Philately show, the amount of research involved in both activities becomes immediately apparent. The exhibits alone are a testament to the research involved and the need for proper resources. 

Exhibits, specifically copies thereof, in the American Philatelic Research Library collection are of great research value. This is a collection that the library is always looking to grow. Currently, the APRL has 979 hard copies of philatelic exhibits, 49 digital exhibits accessible in the Robert A. Mason Digital Library and another 305 exhibits for which the library has received permission to either print a hard copy and/or upload to the digital library.

We encourage exhibitors to consider donating a copy of their exhibit to the APRL, either digital or paper, to help us grow this collection. If interested, contact library@stamps.org.

Volunteering

The APRL welcomes volunteers to assist with various tasks. Currently, the library is fortunate to have six volunteers that regularly provide support onsite with many more helping the APRL remotely.

Coming in the third week of July (July 18-22) is the annual Volunteer Work Week in which members spend as much as the full week volunteering in various departments at the American Philatelic Center. Usually the library is fortunate to have a number of eager volunteers who have helped with a variety of tasks and this year will be no different. Some of the opportunities that await this year’s volunteers are sorting donations (including the Dr. Herbert Trenchard donation), processing incoming materials, indexing journal articles, inventorying needed and surplus books and organizing the archives work area, along with other tasks.

While registration for Volunteer Work Week is closed, we can always use help throughout the year, both in-person and remotely. And keep VWW on your radar – it’s held every July at the American Philatelic Center.

Film research

There are many unique and interesting experiences that happen at the APRL as a result of the library’s specialization in philately. Periodically the producers of the TV game show “Jeopardy” will contact the library for answers or confirmation of answers to questions for use on the show. Another such experience happened recently when a researcher for Blink Films, an award-winning documentary production company based in London, contacted the APRL as a result of a blog written by Technical Services Manager Marian Mills.

The researcher was looking for content and images for use in an upcoming episode of a British documentary series on fascinating historical objects. One of the upcoming episodes concerns Dr. Lytle Adams, a British oral surgeon and part-time inventor. Marian had written a blog about a donated scrapbook in the APRL archives that documents Adams’ role in the first successful ship-to-shore mail experiment in 1929.  The scrapbook includes original documents such as letters, handwritten notes, newspaper clippings, photos and even passenger lists and dinner menus from the S.S. Leviathan, the ship involved in the experiment.

After reaching out to the APRL, the episode on Lytle Adams will now include many images from the scrapbook held in the library archives (Figure 1). As we learn more about the episode’s premiere date and viewing details, we’ll let you know how to watch.

Figure 1. A photo from the Adams archive, supplied to Blink Films. Lytle Adams holds the mailbag aboard the S.S. Leviathan. Click here to see some photos of the S.S. Leviathan from the APS archives.

Digitization update

The Phase I Digitization Project has brought continued growth for the Robert A. Mason Digital Library. Digital Assistants Betsy Gamble and Geoff Hobart are effectively working through the backlog of materials, specifically philatelic journals already in digital form for which we have received publication permissions. Since commencing on March 1 there have been 654 journal issues added.

In terms of specifics, the journals and the number of issues that have been added are as follows: Tell (321), Philatelic Literature Review (21), Menelik’s Journal (128), the Airpost Journal (95), Penny Post (90), Philateli-Graphics (84) and The Lion (4). As for the pace for uploading issues, our goal was to process and upload 25 journal issues per week. Currently we are maintaining a rate of 52 issues per week. The most recently added journals and issues added to the database are those of the Airpost Journal and Philateli-Graphics. In the upcoming weeks we will look to complete these two journals. Next to be added: issues of El Quetzal. 

We will keep you continually informed about our progress. Thank you for your ongoing support of the project.