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I am delighted to welcome Jill Luedke to Temple University Libraries. Jill joined us as the Reference Librarian and Subject Specialist in Art on Monday, August 10. Jill will work with faculty and students in art, art history and art education at the Tyler School of Art, providing them with instructional services and research assistance. Jill will also help develop and manage print and electronic collections in art-related subject areas, and will develop guides and resources for finding and navigating the rich resources now offered at Temple.

Jill comes to us from the Adam & Sophie Gimbel Design Library at the New School in New York, New York, where she served as a Reference and Instruction Librarian. Prior to that, she worked as the Visual Resources Assistant, and then the Electronic Reserves Manager, also at the New School.

Jill earned a B.A. in Art and Art History, with a specialization in German, from Fort Hays State University, in Hays, Kansas. She received a dual MS in Library & Information Science and the History of Art & Design from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. She is active in the Art Libraries Society of New York, and recently published an article, “ It All Started with a Button…”, in the Urban Library Journal. Please join me again in welcoming Jill Luedke to Temple University Libraries.

With warm wishes,

Larry P. Alford

I am delighted to welcome Krystal Lewis to Temple University Libraries. Krystal joined us as the Coordinator of Information Literacy and Reference on June 8. In this new position, Krystal will coordinate the Libraries’ various information literacy initiatives and the broad array of virtual and in-person reference services based at Paley Library.

Krystal comes to us from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she served as an Assistant Librarian and Assistant Professor in the Reference Department of the Richard J. Daley Library. Prior to that, she was an Acting Assistant Special Collections Librarian and Academic Resident Librarian and Instructor at the Library of the Health Sciences-Chicago.

Krystal earned a B.A. in History and her MLS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition to her extensive reference experience, Krystal also has also worked with special collections and archives at the Library of the Health Sciences-Chicago. Please join me again in welcoming Krystal Lewis to Temple University Libraries.

With warm wishes,

Larry P. Alford

I am delighted to welcome Thomas Heverin to the Temple University Libraries. Thomas started Monday, September 22nd, in the position of Science Librarian/SEAL Instruction Coordinator.

Prior to arriving at Temple, Thomas worked at the Carlson Science and Engineering Library at the University of Rochester and the Center for Natural Language Processing at Syracuse University. Additionally, he served several years as an officer in the U.S. Navy. Thomas received a MLIS from Syracuse University and a B.S. in Meteorology from Penn State.

He will provide research and instructional services for science, engineering, and architecture students and faculty. Thomas will also serve as the coordinator of SEAL’s instructional program and its integration into the Libraries' information literacy initiative. Thomas' subject responsibilities will include mathematical sciences, earth and environmental science and physics.

Please join me in welcoming Thomas to Temple Libraries.

Sincerely,

Larry P. Alford
Dean of University Libraries

Distinguished professor of women's studies, Janet Jakobsen of Barnard College, lectured at Paley on April 7.

Dr. Jakobsen is the Director of the Center for Research on Women at Barnard. Her research interests include: feminist and queer ethics; religion, gender, and sexuality in American public life; social movements and feminist alliance politics; and global issues of economics.

Jakobsen's research truly crosses disciplinary boundaries, and her engagement with a number of issues crosses the traditional lines established between the academy and activism.

This lecture was part of a series presented by the Libraries and the General Education Program, which aims to bring interdisciplinary scholars in a variety of fields to Temple. The departments of Religion and Jewish Studies also played a significant role in sponsoring Dr. Jakobsen's visit.

Dr. Jakobsen's lecture at Paley Library can be downloaded from iTunes U.
When you see the Temple University page, click Paley Library at the bottom, then Janet Jakobsen, then click "Get" and wait for the download to complete.

After the lecture, Dr. Jakobsen was interviewed by Professor of History, David Watt, and Professor of Religion, Women's Studies, and Jewish Studies, Laura Levitt.

I am delighted to welcome Jim Bongiovanni to Temple University Libraries. Jim joined us as the new Systems Librarian on May 1. Jim will manage ILS administration tasks, technical support supervision, help desk and inventory management, and other related projects.

Prior to joining us at Temple, Jim served as Assistant Librarian for Electronic Resources at St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, New Jersey. He also has experience in library acquisitions, serials control, and archives and special collections. Jim received his BA from Monmouth University, and his MLS from Rutgers.

Larry P. Alford
Dean of University Libraries

Daddy Grace was a flamboyant preacher of the 1930's, 40's, and 50's who created a religious organization with churches situated mainly up and down the east coast of the United States, including Philadelphia. His church was pentecostal in orientation and known for extravagant rituals, parades, and festivals. Until now, Daddy Grace and his United House of Prayer for All People has been relatively neglected in the scholarship of religious studies. Temple's Adjunct Associate Professor Marie Dallam has gone a long way in filling in the gaps in our understanding of this fascinating figure in American religious history with her new book, Daddy Grace: A Celebrity Preacher and His House of Prayer, published by New York University Press.

On March 10, Marie Dallam stopped by Paley Library to discuss her new book with librarian Fred Rowland. Below is a link to this audio interview.

Marie Dallam Audio Interview (mp3)

Don't forget that if Daddy Grace: A Celebrity Preacher and His House of Prayer is checked out from Paley Library, you can request it through E-ZBorrow.

---Fred Rowland

Temple University Libraries, Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection recently received a generous gift of books on education, culture and the arts in Africa by Dr. Jack Lutz, a distinguished alumnus of the College of Education. The Blockson Collection is one of the nation’s foremost research centers on the study of the culture and people of Africa and its diaspora. The collection holds materials with a special emphasis on the experiences of African Americans in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley region. It is located in Sullivan Hall on the main campus of Temple University, and was donated to the university in 1984 by renowned historian, Charles L. Blockson.

Dr. Lutz has travelled the world through initiatives and programs that brought a quality education to all. Dr. Lutz spent most of his time in Africa, and from that experience he gained a passion for its culture. He also began collecting books and materials that help tell the history and story of those he met overseas. These books and materials have since been donated to the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University Libraries. Here are excerpts of a broad conversation between Dr. Lutz and Nicole Restaino of Temple University Libraries.

• Nicole Restaino: How has your training at Temple’s College of Education impacted your life? You’ve traveled all over the world to bring education to those in need. How did your time at Temple prepare you for this?

Dr. Jack Lutz: Temple’s College of Education, along with the Boy Scouts and my time at Northeast High School, are some of the major influences in my life. My years at Temple imbued in me a sense of service, and I knew that is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

I received so much sagely wisdom from so many of the professors at Temple over the years. The tutelage I received while earning my BA, MA and doctorate were truly inspirational.

• NR: What struck you about your time in Africa? Do you have any stories or anecdotes about a favorite place or experience?

JL: As much as I served Africa, Africa served me ten times over.

I was a professor at Glassboro College (now Rowan University) and was offered an opportunity to join UNESCO as an education advisor. I spent over 24 years in Africa in this position, developing teacher’s colleges. During my time in Africa, I am met my wife, Dr. Paz Lutz. A Fulbright Scholar and doctor of education herself, she served many years in Africa as well.

While I was in the village of Abraka, Nigeria developing teacher training programs for UNESCO, I realized that only two universities in Nigeria offered master’s in education. Both universities were quite a way from Abraka, so I proposed the idea of starting a program at the University of Benin, which was much closer. I presented the idea to the government of Bendel State and the university. We all concurred that starting a graduate teaching program was a step in the right direction. And that is when I got Temple on board.

I further proposed that Temple professors come teach in Abraka, and the new graduate program would be a joint venture between the University of Benin and Temple University. Shortly thereafter, the Dean of the College of Education at that time, Paul Eberman, along with late Temple University President Marvin Wachman, came to Abraka, Nigeria, to implement the cooperative program with financial help from UNESCO.

This arrangement existed for six years, I am proud to say, and graduates were awarded a dual diploma from Temple and the University of Benin. Outstanding master’s candidates in the program were offered an opportunity to study for their doctorate at Temple’s campus in Philadelphia. I believe that many top educators in Nigeria have their doctorate from Temple, in fact.

Another important part of my time overseas was my participation in communal life and the rites of passage of the diverse nations I lived in. I spent most of my time in Nigeria and Sierra Leone. I also lived in the Republic of Malawi, Uganda, Ethiopia and Swaziland. In Nigeria I was named Chief Dr. Jack Lutz, the Ehele of Abraka; Ehele being a Uhroba word for an “old warrior, not afraid to stand up and fight.” The cultural practices I was welcomed into have made such an impact in my life. In fact, my wife and I were wedded by a female Muslim magistrate (that’s quite unique!), a Catholic priest, and a justice of the peace while living in Sierra Leone. The warmth and diversity we experienced overseas was extraordinary. When we came back to Philadelphia after our wedding, we were also blessed in front of the Torah at a synagogue by a prominent Philadelphia Rabbi. (We touched all the bases!)

• NR: What was your impetus to begin collecting books and objects while in Africa?

JL: I began to amass materials related to curriculum and education in the countries in which I worked. My doctoral area of specialization was curriculum development and I helped to rework curriculum strategies in Nigeria, and documented that process. My interests later expanded and I started exploring materials on art and culture of local communities.

• NR: How did you find out about the Blockson Collection? Why did you see this as a fitting home for your outstanding collections?

JL: I knew collection founder Mr. Charles L. Blockson from Norristown, PA, years back, and that is how I first learned about the collection and its mission. My ultimate respect for Mr. Blockson and the collection’s goals to preserve African, African American and African Caribbean culture, led me to make my donation to the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University Libraries. I’m proud to know, as a Temple grad, that the university prioritizes this amazing collection, which is one of the best around on African and African American life. I’m also proud that I could contribute to its mission with my donation.

• NR: How can the Temple community benefit from your gift? Are there any specific ways in which College of Education students might utilize the materials now housed at the Blockson Collection?

JL: The materials I donated to the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection are good research tools for the Temple community as a whole. These materials will be of particular use to students in the College of Education, in the areas of comparative educational and cultural studies, in specific. Graduate students can use these primary sources for doctoral and masters level research, while undergraduate classes can have a directed experience with the materials; they can be closely tied to a course syllabus at the undergraduate level. Courses in many areas, such as Africana studies, American studies, International studies and regional/area disciplines will also benefit from the materials. Several of the books, which are on African arts and crafts, should be useful to students in the Tyler school of fine arts as well as students of art history and anthropology.

• NR: Thank you so much, Dr. Lutz. Temple University Libraries and the Temple community are certainly thrilled by your contribution to the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection. I can’t wait to see the materials myself, in the collection’s wonderful new home in Sullivan Hall. Thanks again.
To finish off our conversation, what are you and Paz doing now?

JL: We continue to be deeply involved with service and education overseas. Most recently, our endeavors have taken us to Eastern Europe, where we served in the Peace Corps, which we joined in 1997, when I was 75 years old. We spent four years in Poland, working in a small town by the name of Nowy Sacz (about 100 miles SouthEast of Krakow), teaching English and instructional methods. Now we live in New Jersey, and are still involved with Temple’s College of Education. I hope that Paz and I inspire others to teach and live a life of service.