Management of Archives to be Cooperative Effort between Philadelphia University and the University of Pittsburgh

In an agreement that will promote access to and preservation of the papers of the late U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, Philadelphia University and the University of Pittsburgh will cooperatively manage the archive, which is part of the Arlen Specter Center for Public Policy. Under the agreement, Pitt’s University Library System will organize and manage the Arlen Specter Collection over the next four years and store the collection for a period of 30 years. Philadelphia University retains ownership of the archive, and the two universities will collaboration on educational programming related to the archive and facilitate access to it by students, researchers, and the general public.

Philadelphia University has been accepted as a member of the Philadelphia Area Consortium for Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL)

Philadelphia University has been accepted as a member of the Philadelphia Area Consortium for Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL), which is prestigious area group comprised of 36 institutions – all with a strong interest in collecting, caring for, and sharing with a world-wide audience collections and archives of impressive depth and variety. The consortium sponsors numerous grant-funded projects which enhance the visibility, use, and recognition of the many extraordinary collections available in the Philadelphia region. Other members include: the Barnes Foundation, The Academy of Natural Sciences, Villanova, Temple University, and the University of Pennsylvania. Stan Gorski, Gutman Library’s Coordinator of Special Collections, will serve as the institution’s representative for PACSCL

Forthcoming : Exhibition on Arlen Specter’s role in the Warren Commission

Thanks to a generous grant from the PNC Foundation, a multidisciplinary team of Philadelphia University faculty, staff and students are developing an extensive exhibit to showcase Arlen Specter’s seminal role in the Warren Commission investigation of the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The exhibit opening, targeted for November, 2013, coincides with the 50th anniversary of the assassination. The exhibit will depict the Senator’s selection, participation, and unique contributions to the Commission’s activities and final report, with special focus on the “single-bullet theory or conclusion”, and associated long-term controversy.

The exhibition will take place within the Paul J. Gutman Library, Philadelphia University, and components will eventually be transferred to Roxboro House, the planned headquarters for the Arlen Specter Center for Public Policy.

The following are participants in this collaborative, Nexus learning-type undertaking:

• Frank Baseman, Program Director and Associate Professor, Graphic Design
• Donald Dunham, Assistant Professor of Architecture
• David Kratzer, Associate Professor of Architecture
• Evan Laine, Director, Law & Society Program
• Sarah Moore, Collections Curator, The Design Center
• Karen Albert, Library Director; Coordinator, Arlen Specter Center
• Stan Gorski, Collection Development Coordinator and Special Collections Librarian; Curator, Arlen Specter Center
• Jenny Barr, Archivist, Arlen Specter Center
• Elizabeth Lewis, Project Manager, formerly video producer for WHYY-PBS, and Senior Exhibit Developer and Designer at the Connecticut Historical Society

Students from a variety of Architecture and Graphic Design courses will be involved in concept creation, design, fabrication, and installation of exhibit components, including : Design VII (Kratzer) Philadelphia University Design Workshop (PUDW) (Baseman); Law & Society Independent Study (Laine); and Exhibition Design & Planning (Dunham).