American Studies Commons^™

The E. S. Bird Library Reconfiguration Project, Carol Parke

The Courier

This article details the rennovation that occurred on the E. S. Bird Library at Syracuse University in 1991. The then two-decade-old library was changed to better facilitate access and reflect emerging trends in libraries that looked to better integrate academic disciplines. The article includes a brief history of the library, the planning and implementation of the reconfiguration project, and a floor plan of the 1991 library.

Omnibus: Precursor Of Modern Television, Mary Beth Hinton

The Courier

"Omnibus" was, to use an expression current during the Golden Age of Television, a "window on the world", through which art, drama, music, dance, history, literature, science and technology, as well as athletics and comedy were brought into American homes by the gentlemanly and articulate host, Alistair Cooke. Between 1952 and 1961, "Omnibus", in seeking new ways to inform and to uplift, expanded the repertoire of television and stimulated the American public's appetite for 'cultural' programming.

In the early 1960s, Syracuse University unexpectedly acquired kinescope recordings of the "Omnibus" television series' first two seasons: 1952-53 and 1953-54. After the Ford …

The Portfolio Club: A Refuge Of Friendship And Learning, Constance Carroll

The Courier

In 1991 the Portfolio Club still thrives. Despite the social upheavals of the 20th century—especially the evolution of the role of women—the Club has maintained its intellectual vitality, while preserving a quality of graciousness that reminds one of a time long past. In 1990 the Club gave Syracuse University its archives from its founding through 1978. This article highlights much of the Club's history, drawing from sources from Syracuse University's Special Collections.

The Adult And Continuing Education Collections At Syracuse University, Terrance Keenan

The Courier

Since 1949 Syracuse University has assembled historical documents, including manuscript, print, visual, and media materials, related to adult education. The Adult and Continuing Education Collections, housed in the George Arents Research Library, now form one of the world's largest compilations of English-language materials in this field. They occupy 900 feet of shelf space and contain more than 50 groups of personal papers and records of organizations, all of which reveal much about the development of adult education as a field of study and as a practice in such areas as literacy and civic education.

These papers document efforts to define …