Rochester Regional Library Council

As showcased by the 2020 virtual Archive Fair, The Yellow Fever Collection at the University of Rochester Medical Center Miner Library has a lot to boast. Altho...ugh there was probably never an incidence of yellow fever in Rochester or the Genesee Valley, the Miner Library is the repository for one of the nation's finest collections on this subject. The Yellow Fever Collection consists of more than 500 titles published between 1741 and 1915 that fully represent the development of medical thought on the disease, i.e., the confusion of 18th-century physicians confronted with a new and deadly malady; the debates between contagionists and non-contagionists during the 19th century; early attempts to identify a bacterial pathogen; and the consequences of Reed's discovery of a mosquito vector. The occurrence of yellow fever in the Caribbean, the Middle Atlantic States, the Mississippi Valley and several European ports is abundantly documented. Its origin lies in the experiences of Rochester businessman, Edward G. Miner, during a trip to South American in 1908. In a letter written 36 years later, Miner reminisced, "One could only faintly realize how dreadful had been the devastation in life and property from this disease, but the tales of survivors and the evidence of former precautions which still remained, left an indelible impression upon my memory." This impression was translated into an enduring interest that took the form of book collecting. Miner's bibliographic interests were extended to the library of the School of Medicine and Dentistry when the medical school opened in 1925. In April 1927, Miner presented to the Medical Library 41 titles on yellow fever - the first of many donations which he would make to the collection until his death in 1955. (The Library, of course, added to the collection simultaneously, and has continued to do so.) In recognition of his services to the University of Rochester and its libraries, the Medical Library was named in honor of Edward G. Miner in December 1952. In 1990 the Miner Library published An Annotated Catalog of the Miner Yellow Fever Collection, describing the 415 titles then in the collection. Copies of this ninety-five page catalog are available (gratis) from the Rare Books & Manuscripts Section. The Yellow Fever Collection was digitized and uploaded to New York Heritage digital collections in 2018. The digitization of the Yellow Fever Collection was made possible through a generous gift from Ranlet and Beth Miner. https://nyheritage.org/collections/yellow-fever-collection

Attend this year's virtual Archive Fair on December 15, 2020 from 2-3 pm to hear Pam O'Sullivan from Drake Library discuss the advent of sound recording in her ...lighting talk. "One way in which it was very relevant for archivists and historians is interviews with a variety of people, often retirees or "the first" to do or achieve something in their Town or institution. In some cases, the interviews were left on formats that have become obsolete. They can be difficult to impossible for researchers to utilize. Adding them to your institutional repository, with an accompanying transcript, makes these items far more accessible and useful to researchers."

Our virtual Archive Fair lightning talks include a behind the scenes look at the Parker Brothers game company and founder George S. Parker through original archival materials. Join Strong Museum of Play archivist, Julia Novakovic, on December 15, 2020 from 2-3 pm to hear more!

Science is happening all around you! Register today for the webinar "National Library of Medicine Resources for Citizen Science"! To learn more and to register click here: https://rrlc.org//national-library-of-medicine-resources-/

The New York State Education Department announced today that it will hold a series of regional meetings to engage and gather input from stakeholders in the reli...gious and independent school community, as well as their counterparts in public schools, to inform policy decisions related to the substantial equivalence of instruction in nonpublic schools as required by Education Law Section 3204(2). The Department will conduct five regional meetings that will take place virtually, in addition to other forms of outreach to communities that may not utilize the internet. A sixth virtual meeting will engage current nonpublic students, parents, and alumni from across the state. https://bit.ly/35DBigL Given the volume of comments on the July 2019 proposed regulations, the Board recognized the need to re-engage with stakeholders to devise an approach that would be collaborative in nature, said Vice Chancellor T. Andrew Brown. The Board and I are committed to leading an educational system where all learning environments, whether public or private, respect and affirm students’ racial, linguistic, cultural and religious identities, and we look forward to hearing the thoughtful input from educational leaders across the state throughout this endeavor. All children, regardless of their race or religious beliefs, deserve access to a high-quality education that will allow them to meet their full potential, said Interim Commissioner Betty A. Rosa. As we begin the process of engaging our partners in the field, we anticipate constructive and thoughtful discussions to develop an inclusive framework for determining substantial equivalence for the students of New York State.

RRLC is celebrating American Archives Month this October by recognizing some of our region’s collections on New York Heritage. How long has it been since you’ve been to the dentist? University of Rochester Medical Center - Eastman Institute for Oral Health archives has a wonderful collection of images titled, Dentistry at the University of Rochester. The collection includes photographs of dentistry’s earliest leaders in Rochester, historical dental equipment and procedu...res, and dental education and care. There are interior and exterior views of the Rochester Dental Dispensary; views of dentists and hygienists performing procedures on patients; and class photographs from the School for Dental Hygiene. To see more from this collection, visit their collection at New York Heritage here: https://nyheritage.org//university-rochester-medical-cente See more

Join us for "Food for Thought: Exploring Nutrition Information Resources"! This webinar will take place November 13, 2020. This class is designed to assist librarians, public health workers, health professionals, and the general public in locating authoritative information on nutrition and topics relating to nutrition. To learn more and to register click here: https://rrlc.org//food-for-thought-exploring-nutrition-in/

Nominations are now open for IMLS' 2021 National Medal for Museum and Library Service!! Submissions will be accepted through November 2, 2020. Learn more

Registration is open for the webinar, National Library of Medicine Resources for Citizen Science, happening November 16, 2020. Learn more here: https://rrlc.org//national-library-of-medicine-resources-/

Join us for "Food for Thought: Exploring Nutrition Information Resources". This webinar is taking place November 13, 2020. This class is designed to assist librarians, public health workers, health professionals, and the general public in locating authoritative information on nutrition and topics relating to nutrition. Learn more here: https://rrlc.org//food-for-thought-exploring-nutrition-in/

We value your feedback! Please assist RRLC in its planning efforts by filling out this brief, anonymous survey. This survey, administered by Causewave Community Partners, will help RRLC determine which of our services you value the most, and where our efforts should be focused in the future. To share your input click here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RRLC2020. Thank you for your participation!

Our Serving Diverse Communities Toolkit is regularly updated with new resources, so be sure to bookmark it and check back frequently! Have any helpful resources to add? Feel free to use the submission link in the document to make recommendations: http://bit.ly/alscsdc

October is American Archives Month! Let's visit virtually some archival institutions in the United States through the records represented in the National Regist...er of Historic Places. Grab your acid-free folders and your fastener remover and come along for a tour. You may want to put on a sweater, as those vaults are temperature and humidity controlled! https://go.usa.gov/xGtzH

Join us for a free webinar on November 5 to help your community gain the technology-oriented skills they need to succeed in their job hunt. COVID-19 has acceler...ated job loss and the affects of the digital divide. This free webinar will cover the new skills needed in today's changing workforce; identify 10 jobs that are in-demand today and well positioned to continue to grow in the future; and cover free and low-cost virtual learning pathways, online courses, and certifications to prepare job seekers for in-demand careers. Register now at https://bit.ly/34cJULV. #PLAEducation #publiclibraries #workforcedevelopment #LibrariesStrong See more

5th Annual Rochester Archives Fair - Call for Proposals Now Open! This year's theme is "Living Through History: Movements, Milestones, and Moments of Impact" and we have two ways that libraries and archives can participate! Find out more and submit your proposal today: ... https://rrlc.org//call-for-proposals-5th-annual-rochester/ See more