New Accessions

Records

The Western History Department of the Denver Public Library announces the acquisition of the records of the organization which began in 1988 as Equal Protection Ordinance Coalition and ended up as Equality Colorado. Originally organized to help pass a nondiscrimination ordinance, the organization soon became embroiled in fighting to defeat Amendment #2.

The thirty plus boxes of records document the organization's twelve years of activism, including strategies for education; legal strategies such as "Boycott Colorado;" information on opposing organizations; participants; and files on related issues in other states.

This acquisition complements other lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender archives at Denver Public: Records of Colorado Aids Project; Lambda Reports, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender public access television program; Denver Nevaar/Sister Who, creator of Denver chapter of Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence; oral history of Women's Outdoor Club, 1979--2000; and papers of activists Dee Farrell and Ellis McFadden.

Foster Gunnison, Jr. Papers

at U. Connecticut

submitted by Rutherford Witthus

The University of Connecticut Archives & Special Collections announces the partial processing of the library and papers of Foster Gunnison, Jr. Though the bulk of the collection pertains to railroading and other topics, Gunnison is known as an early, self-proclaimed archivist of the gay and lesbian movement in America. He formed the Institute for Social Ethics as the umbrella under which he collected lesbian and gay periodicals and newspapers from many parts of the country.

Gunnison's papers have been divided into series that include correspondence, organizational files, topical files, and newspaper clippings. Of particular interest is Gunnison's correspondence with such seminal figures as Richard Inman and Bob Martin. Among the extensive organizational records are the nearly complete files of the North American Conference of Homophile Organizations (NACHO) and its regional offshoots. Because Gunnison considered himself the archivist for the movement, he convinced a few leaders to send him their own papers. Gay Liberation Front (GLF) activist Morris Kight sent large amounts of material to Gunnison that chronicle gay liberation in Los Angeles.

Phil Samponaro, PhD candidate in history at University of Connecticut, has worked on the collection this past year and contributed to this announcement. For information on access to the papers, contact Rutherford W. Witthus via email at rutherford.witthus@uconn.edu or by telephone at (860) 486-4508.

Tobias Schneebaum Papers,

University of Minnesota Libraries. by Jean-Nickolaus Tretter

In a special ceremony on 17 June 2003, the University of Minnesota Libraries marked the official acquisition of the field notebooks and personal papers of Tobias Schneebaum.

Beginning on 12 May 2003, the Library opened an exhibit honoring Schneebaum which will run through July in the Atrium, Elmer L. Andersen Library. The hours for the exhibit are 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays except holidays.

For further information, contact Jean-Nickolaus Tretter, GLBT Collections Specialist, Special Collections & Rare Books, 111 Elmer L. Andersen Library, 222-21st Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55455; email: trett007@umn.edu; telephone: (612) 624-7526.

Records of

Theatre Rhinoceros

Donated to Bancroft Library

at UC, Berkeley

Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley has announced the accession of the archives of Theatre Rhinoceros from San Francisco. The records document the entire history of the twenty-five year old theater company.

Theatre Rhinoceros has presented numerous plays over the years which have reflected the then-current issues in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered community. As a result the records document the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.

Theatre Rhinoceros has also done the very unusual among small theaters in the United States. It has remained a viable theater company even while focusing on the works of relatively unknown playwrights and while not relying upon big name stars to draw in the audiences. The collection includes a complete set of board meeting minutes which may help document the why's and how's this theater group has succeeded.

For other interested patrons, the archival materials also include original scripts, videos, tapes of sound cues, programs, files of plays rejected with accompanying evaluation sheets, and reviews of plays performed, some coming from lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender publications which no longer exist.

For more information, see the web site http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releas%20es/2003/06/16_theatre.shtml.

Susan von Salis

Becomes First Curator of Archives at Harvard University Art Museums

The Harvard University Art Museums has announced the appointment of Susan von Salis as Associate Curator of Archives. At HUAM, Susan will be responsible for developing acquisitions and access policies, overseeing the arrangement and description of the museums' archival collections, implementing a records management program, and managing preservation initiatives. She will also participate in the planning process for upcoming institution-wide initiatives such as the renovation of the museums' facilities and reimplementation of the website.

The Harvard University Art Museums began with the founding of the Fogg Art Museum in 1895. The archives document the Harvard University Art Museums' buildings, institutions, collections, and staff; as well as the teaching of art history, museum curatorship, and art conservation at the University and in the United States. Von Salis indicated that "the archives contain rich collections that document not only the history of Harvard's art museums, but of the development of the pedagogical philosophy that demands that original works of art play a central role in the education of art historians, curators, and conservators."

Susan's new email is susan_vonsalis@harvard.edu; she can also be reached by telephone at (617) 384-7983.

GLBT Historical Society

Opens New Space

by Julia Bazar

The Gay, Lesbian Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society in San Francisco has moved. The new facilities provide much more space, divided into storage, spacious office, and separate gallery and reading room. GLBT Historical Society opened to the public in the new place on 1 March 2003.

The new location is across the street from the California Historical Society, around the corner from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and upstairs above the Cartoon Art Museum. The address is 657 Mission Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94105, (415) 777-5455.