Spinelli Archives

Tonight!

It's the last week of classes and the library is looking forward to our night in the library event on May 5th. Come join us! Watch a movie, play co****le, or do nothing at all!

Our newest exhibit is "Transmission Transition: WPCR & the Technology of Student Radio, 1968-2024," curated by Troy Brainerd and designed by Maya Russell, both PSU Student Archives interns.

WPCR was established in 1968 as an AM radio station by Ed Simmons and was first broadcasted from Mary Lyon Hall! However, WPCR turned to FM and broadcast in stereo in the 1970s and made its way over to its current home in the HUB in the 1990s.

This past fall, WPCR upgraded their broadcasting equipment, donating their now out of date console sound mixer (pictured below) to the Spinelli Archives, which is now part of the exhibit.

You can find out more about WPCR's current lineup and listen to streaming radio online from anywhere at https://www.plymouth.edu/wpcr.

The full exhibit is viewable online at https://library.plymouth.edu/archives/exhibits.

Pictured above are several stereographs and a stereoscope. The original stereoscope was created in the 1850s. Sterographs were one of the first mass produced images and often depicted scenic looks, foreign and local cities, and more.

A stereograph consists of two photos taken next to each other, when viewed through a stereoscope they would appear to be three dimensional.

If you wish to see the effect for yourself consider or any other item in our collection, feel free to make an appointment at: https://plymouth.libcal.com/appointments/archives?u=73071

And finally thank you to Griffin for demonstrating how a stereograph is used.

A busy evening in the Spinelli Archives at PSU, investigating the university's labor history. Got the microfilm humming, checking out old issues of The Clock, and diving into so many cool photos and artifacts. A great place to stop by if you are working on research or just want to take a walk back through time!

It's Valentines Day Month and Lamson wants your heart! Not literally, of course, but we'd like to hear what you love about your library. Hearts and receptacle boxes are scattered around the building.

We spent the afternoon prepping for an upcoming new mini exhibit on PSU’s radio station WPCR, which included cleaning up the vintage sound mixing board. Don’t worry, we left all the good archival gunk on it.

Besides Rounds Hall's pumpkins, Plymouth State has been home to several other Halloween traditions throughout the years.

The very first was the annual Halloween banquet held from the 1900s into the 1940s.

In the 1920s, First Years were forced to complete Halloween Week "stunts," often to make them look silly or show respect to Seniors. Some highlights are: walking sideways or backwards in their dorms; eating while standing when in the presence of a Senior; or looking for the ghost "Susie Normal" in the tunnels between Mary Lyon and Rounds.

The 1970s saw the start to several more traditions, such as Rotary Club parties, Sororities holding Halloween events on campus for local children, chess competitions, haunted houses, and, of course, the pumpkins on Rounds Hall starting in 1975.

"Plymouth, N.H. in the future?" This futuristic vision of Plymouth preserved on a postcard from early in the 20th century features air travel by zeppelin and subway service to Boston!

A few of the publications by PSU faculty that we've recieved. Did you know that the Spinelli Archives collects faculty publications as part of the history of PSU? We retain a secondary copy for preservation while Lamson Library has copy in circulation for use by students and the public.

Every year from 1980 to 2014, Plymouth State held a Medieval Forum. The event was a mix of a renaissance fair and an academic conference.

Since 2014, the Medieval Forum has been held at Keene State College.

Pictured above are some of the medieval seals that would have been displayed at the forum, in addition to photos of participants.

Happy Homecoming panthers!

Spinelli Archives will be hosting an open house today from 12 - 2pm. We would love to see you there! And we will also be accepting donations!

The Spinelli reading room is located on the Upper Level of Lamson Library in room 212.

Photo: Plymouth State student participating in a Homecoming parade, ca. 1980s.

In 2003 the newly renamed PSU commissioned a team of architects and engineers to update its Master Plan to fulfill the mission for all current and future students. Many of these recommendations can be seen today, 20 years later.

One of the largest changes since then has been the addition of Allwell North, Ice Arena, and Welcome Center, which were proposed to be one combined complex as seen in the photo above.

The complex would have connected to the current Physical Education Center and would contain an indoor pool, ice arena, fitness rooms, facilities for the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation program, as well as other supporting facilities.

Check out the very helpful handwritten caption on this photo we came across today: “Old.”
Don’t worry, the back of the photo is a bit more specific: “Original Lamson Library in Hall Dormitory, circa 1932.” 😂📚⏳

Our Fall hours begin on Monday, August 28th. We are excited to welcome our students back to campus!

August 28-December 15

M-W 7:45a-11:00p

Th 7:45a-9p

Fri 7:45a-5p

Sat 12p-5p

Sun 10a-11p

Exceptions:

Monday, September 4th (Closed for Labor Day)

Friday, November 10th (Closed for Veteran’s Day)

Tuesday, November 21st (Closing Early at 9pm for Thanksgiving)

Wednesday, November 22-Saturday, November 25 (Closed for Thanksgiving)

Sunday, November 26th (Opening Late at Noon)

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Spinelli Archives table yesterday to reminisce at the Plymouth State Alumni Association Donor Thank You BBQ & Summer Reunion! We had a blast, and some folks even found their own pictures in our vintage yearbooks and issues of The Clock!

We hope you can join us tonight for the fourth lecture in our summer exhibition series, The Great Stone Face: The Making of an Icon, presented by Marcia Schmidt Blaine. This event will be hosted at the Museum of the White Mountains on Thursday, August 3, 7-8pm!

Presented as part of our 2023 An Enduring Presence: The Old Man of the Mountain Event Series. This project was made possible with support from New Hampshire Humanities, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities. Learn more at www.nhhumanities.org.

This is a hybrid event. To receive a Zoom link, please visit the link to our website here: https://www.plymouth.edu/mwm/event/the-great-stone-face-the-making-of-an-icon/

We hope you can join us next week for the fourth lecture in our summer exhibition series, The Great Stone Face: The Making of an Icon, presented by Marcia Schmidt Blaine. This event will be hosted at the Museum of the White Mountains on Thursday, August 3, 7-8pm!

Presented as part of our 2023 An Enduring Presence: The Old Man of the Mountain Event Series. This project was made possible with support from New Hampshire Humanities, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities. Learn more at www.nhhumanities.org.

This is a hybrid event. To receive a Zoom link, please visit the link to our website here: https://plymouthstate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEqf-6gqT4uH9GzkrW_S9t0fXUruwknaHhP #/registration

On this day 20 years ago, Plymouth State College became Plymouth State University! The New Hampshire bill that made the name change was signed into law on June 17th, 2003.

Then PSC President Wharton described the day: "It was a beautiful morning on June 17, 2003 in Concord, N.H. Fifty of us from Plymouth State College gathered on the grounds of the New Hampshire Statehouse for an historic occasion. Our group included alumni, students, faculty (current and retired), staff, trustees and friends. The group spanned several generations and represented Plymouth Normal School, Plymouth Teachers College and Plymouth State College. We had our picture taken and then proceeded to the Governor and Council Chambers in the Statehouse. There Governor Benson, flanked by the many legislators who supported our name-change bill, signed into law and made official our change to Plymouth State University."

See his full statement and the photo taken in Concord that day in the Fall 2003 Plymouth Magazine: https://buff.ly/3qTo5yt

Our summer exhibition "An Enduring Presence: The Old Man of the Mountain" is now open! This exhibit will be on view until September 16. Be sure to come in for a visit!

We had a lot of fun when students in Nic Helms & Jessie Chapman’s Shakespeare for Social Justice course visited this week! The Bard has a long history with Plymouth State, and we explored our collections to look at how his works have been taught and performed on campus through the years.

Have trouble finding motivation to get your work done? We can help! Come to the library on Tuesday evening from 6-9pm (or for any portion of that time) and we will help you focus and get down to business in a fun, relaxed, and supportive environment. Food, prizes, and the satisfaction of getting stuff DONE! Please share this info with your students and friends!

Happy birthday, Plymouth State University!

A few more highlights from Professor Keul’s Ecotourism class visit.
Did you know that New Hampshire was once called “the Switzerland of America?”