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Current and Upcoming Exhibits
Past Exhibitions and events
Upcoming Events at the Hoole Library
Current exhibits in the lobby of the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library, Mary Harmon Bryant Hall 2nd floor
Hear Hair Here - Hairdos and Hair Don'ts from the Hoole Library's Sound Recording CollectionsHair in all shapes and sizes grace the album covers selected from the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library's sound recording collections. The Hoole Library holds a vast collection of sound recordings from all genres including Opera, Classical, Country, Gospel, Rock, and Popular music. Hoole Library lobby - Fall 2007. They must be seen to be believed! [pdf of Hear Hair Here flier]
Defining Styles!
There’s no mistaking these looks – the typical hairstyles that are clearly of an era, or those hairstyles that transcend time and place. The 1950s gave us crew cuts and that June Cleaver perky and perfectly coiffed look. The 1960s were ushered in with D.A.’s and pompadours and ended with “anything goes” – in fact, your hairstyle in the late 1960s spoke volumes of your political beliefs and stance on the war in Vietnam.
The early 1970s were a time when the anything goes look spread to the general public, where shaggy and longer became de rigeur on even the most straight-laced people. The 70s brought the Afro to incredible new heights and gave us the ultra feathered look of the disco era for both men and women. The 1980s bring to mind heavy metal “hair bands”, mullets, new wave spikes and asymmetry, and let’s not forget the perm showcased here on Barbara Streisand.
Looking at these records, it’s hard not to immediately recognize when they were made, based solely on the looks of the artists on the covers.
Clinging to Mammy: The Faithful Slave in Twentieth-Century America
“The myth of the faithful slave lingers because so many white Americans have wished to live in a world in which African Americans are not angry over past and present injustices, a world in which the injustices themselves—of slavery, Jim Crow, and ongoing structural racism—seem not to exist at all. The mammy figure affirmed their wishes. The narrative of the faithful slave is deeply rooted in the American racial imagination. It is a story of our national past and political future that blurs the lines between myth and memory, guilt and justice, stereotype and individuality, commodity and humanity.”
This exhibit, curated by Portia Barker, intern at the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library and graduate student in American Studies, highlights key points from Dr. Micki McElya's, Assistant Professor of American Studies at The University of Alabama. Using rare materialsfrom the Hoole Library to emphasize McElya's profound writing and research, it provokes thought and discussion on the issue of race, gender, and humanity.
Great Expectations: Dickens meets Goetzel meets the WPA. A collection of Dickens characters figurines used as teaching tools in the 1930s on, these figurines were created as part of the WPA-funded project, the Alabama Visual Education Program.
The Alabama Visual Education Project came out of cooperation between The State Department of Education and the Visual Education Project of the Work Projects Administration. It provided a way for public schools in Alabama to purchase high quality visual aids for education purposes at a low cost. Some of these items are now housed in the Hoole Special Collections Library, including a catalog from 1940 listing items which were available for purchase by Alabama public schools. Also included in the collection are the instructional books Flags, Seals, and Coat of Arms of Alabama published in 1939 and History of Western Costume: prehistoric through nineteenth century, published in the 1930’s and featuring 114 full color plates with detailed descriptions.
We have chosen to exhibit this set of beautifully carved and painted wooden figures depicting characters from Charles Dickens novels. It is understood that decades ago, this set was used for teaching/visual aids by UA's English Department. Also created was a set of Shakespeare figures and Chaucer figures, but only two of the other figures are part of the Hoole Collections. These tiny figures taken from Charles Dickens' novels and the hand-made wooden storage boxes are compelling and unique items to behold. The Hoole Library also holds a scale model of Shakespeare's Globe Theater, which was created as part of this project. This exhibit features just the Dickens characters, as well as some of Dickens' works housed at the Hoole Library, as well as images from these books -- of course featuring his compelling and classic Victorian morality tale, A Christmas Carol.
The most important volume from our collections exhibited is an 1863 edition of Great Expectations printed by Goetzel in Mobile in 1863. This confederate imprint, though rebound at some point long ago in a library binding is an important piece of Alabama history. Please stop by and see this unique convergence of Victorian London, Confederate-era Mobile, and Depression-era Tuscaloosa. This exhibit was developed largely by Amy Allen, SLIS graduate assistant, working with Jessica Lacher-Feldman.
Inscribed items by Alabama native Helen Keller: A Gift of Betsy Plank, 2007
A small exhibit is now on display in the lobby of the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library. The items were part of a gift to The University of Alabama Libraries by Betsy Plank, UA alumna and pioneer in the field of Public Relations. These items are all inscribed by Alabama native, Helen Keller (1880 -1968), a longtime friend of Ms. Plank’s family.
The photograph and the book Midstream are inscribed to her aunt Adeline by Ms. Keller, her teacher Anne Sullivan, and Ms. Keller’s companion, Polly Thompson. The book, Helen Keller’s Journal is inscribed to Bettye Hood Plank, Ms. Plank’s mother.
Helen Adams Keller was an author, activist and lecturer and is known internationally for her courage and triumph over adversity. Her story was made famous through dramatic productions of the Miracle Worker, both on the stage and screen.
At the age of 24, Keller graduated magna cum laude from Radcliffe College, making her the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor’s Degree. She went on to author numerous works, and to speak and advocate for numerous causes the world over. A prolific author, she was well traveled, and was outspoken in her opposition to war. She campaigned for women's suffrage, workers' rights and socialism, as well as many other progressive causes.
Fellow Alabamian Betsy Plank graduated from The University of Alabama in 1944 and went on to a stellar career in public relations, eventually becoming known as “public relations’ first lady” and garnering numerous awards. In 2004, the UA Board of Trustees adopted a resolution establishing the Betsy Plank Center for Public Relations Studies to promote “effective and ethical representation of institutions, organizations, ideas and individuals.” As donor for the Center and to University Libraries, Ms. Plank has demonstrated her continued dedication to the University, its students and society.
Photograph featured here of these materials by Zach Riggins, UA Photography.
Past Exhibitions page
©2007-2009 The
University of Alabama
Last modified:
01/28/08
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