The JKM Library Blog

August, 2022

National Archives Month and A Very Archival Playlist
October is National Archives Month and the Chatham University Archives is celebrating with a playlist! A Very Archival Playlist! Click here to listen to it free on Spotify. With contributions from notable archivists in the US and Canada along with details of what makes these songs so very archival, we invite you to enjoy the music, consider the connections to archives, and tune in on October 12, 2022 for #AskAnArchivist where we’ll be soliciting more archives-themed songs to add to the list! Here goes…

Dirty Work by Steely Dan
 
How many times have you heard the phrase “dusty archives” or other illusions to archive being dark, dank, and grimy? Perhaps you’ve heard of archives as being forgotten, secret, or unwelcoming? Here is our tip… say any of these things to an archivist and prepare yourself, first for a death stare, and then for a lecture on how depictions of archives as being ANYTHING OTHER THAN WELCOMING AND OPEN are ill-informed, outdated, and just completely untrue. Depending on which archivist you’re talking to, they may then break into a rendition of Tom Petty’s “Don’t Do Me Like That” and then start showing you their repository’s Instagram feed and online collections and exhibitions and asking about your research interests and recommending relevant collections.
It is also worth noting here that the narrator completes their work despite feeling devalued.
I’m a fool to do your dirty work
Oh yeah

Many archivists are passionate about their work and continue in their careers with an abject recognition that their work is undervalued and our collections under-resourced. Whether that valuation results from gender-based income disparities persistent in professions historically dominated by women-identifying individuals or because a lot of people don’t understand what archivists do, the unfortunate reality is that most archivists face a disproportionately low income ceiling relative to other professions requiring a master’s level education.
Like the castle in its corner In a medieval game
I foresee terrible trouble
And I stay here just the same

This devaluation extends to all resources relating to the care of archival collections. Dependent upon grant funds to enact preservation measures or reliant upon consultants to voice concern about needed infrastructure like climate control, archivists seek to overcome avoidable losses with whatever tools can be mustered.
I Turn My Camera On by Spoon
Selections by Patrick Gavin, Teaching and Learning Librarian, Huron University College, London, Ontario, Canada
Spoon has a lot of very archivally-titled songs. Playlist options from Spoon include: All the Negatives Have Been Destroyed, Plastic Mylar, The Delicate Place, Before Destruction, and The Book I Write. Ultimately, I picked I Turn my Camera On because of how it reflects the idea of “archival objectivity.” It’s also pretty rockin.
I turn my camera on
I cut my fingers on the way, on the way
The way I’m slippin’ away

In an interview with NPR, Spoon’s Britt Daniel shares that the song is about emotional distance. Daniel states, “The idea of instead of engaging with the world you’re holding a camera up which, a) puts a camera in front of your face, and b) puts some distance between you and the outside world. And you’re sort of documenting the world.”
I turn my feelings off
You made me untouchable for life
And you wasn’t polite

To me, this verse relates to a controversial notion about “archival objectivity” as a basis of archival authority. Contemporary archivists increasingly recognize the impossibility of their own impartiality as well as the need to preserve materials reflecting a more inclusive and diverse range of records creators. Gaps in the historical record relating to minoritized communities are a reflection of earlier “impolite” views and efforts to engage and empower more voices reflect an increased focus on equity in the archival profession.
 

I’m On Standby by Grandaddy

Hardware and software obsolescence are major challenges to the preservation of born digital and digitized records with long-term historical, fiduciary, or cultural value. With this song, we can imagine the speaker as an obsolete software, like WordPerfect, dodging requests for cloud integration or the ability to transform documents into aweb page that now come standard with word processing tools. The speaker says:
I got good at saying “I gotta go”
Number one at saying “I don’t know”
But from the stories that I heard
You humans require more words

Sympathetically personifying software like this may be a little saccharine, but it does reflect the challenge that comes with preserving digital items that were built to work on software, operating systems, and hardware that have reached end-of-life.
Bye
I’m on standby
Out of order or sort of unaligned
Powered down for redesign

The Chatham Yearbooks from 2003 to 2006, distributed on discs and based on software that requires Windows 95 and Internet Explorer 4.1., are a good example of the need for active digital preservation in the modern archival landscape. These digital records are currently “on standby” in their native file format and copied from the original optical disc carrier. They can be rendered to patrons, but it’s a little complicated and would require a few additional “work orders.”

Miserere mei, Deus, Amplius Lava Me composed by Gregorio Allegri and performed by The Tallis Scholars

Control. The Vatican controlled all access to Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere mei Deus, only allowing its performance in the Sistine Chapel on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday of Holy Week. Additionally, the Vatican promised to punish anyone attempting to copy or publish it with excommunication. Mozart, however, couldn’t be stopped. Only 14 years old but already a renowned composer, Mozart attended the 1770 Ash Wednesday performance in the Sistine Chapel and then rushed back to his lodgings to write the entire work from memory. According to the story, he made minor corrections after hearing the Friday performance.
Is it true? Could Mozart have jotted down—from memory—the two chorus parts (sometimes divided to create four groups of simultaneous parts) as well as an additional four singers? Plus, it lasts about twelve minutes (this playlist includes the movement with the high C,
Amplius lava me) and is all a cappella, so only voices and no other instruments. We are talking about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, sooo…. maybe?
Whether or not this actually happened, Miserere is a shockingly beautiful piece and I’ll never forget the first time I heard it.
Moreover, the Mozart story brings up issues relating to access and thievery in archives. Modern high-profile thefts of records function to destroy public access to historical materials through illicit sale to private owners, a practice in stark contrast to Mozart’s pirating of
Miserere (the Vatican probably has a different perspective on this). And while some stolen cultural property is accessible to anyone with an entrance ticket to the British Museum, theft of cultural heritage remains a major preservation concern in archives across the world.
 

Box of Letters by Wilco

Song selection by Matthew Strauss, Director of the Detre Library and Archives at the Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, PA
This one is pretty straightforward. A lot of archives contain boxes of letters. The letters could be postcards, personal letters, business correspondence, memos, and notes. Some even consider diaries to be a type of correspondence, written to a future self or to future readers.
An extra archival bit for this entry can be found in the second verse, in which the speaker says:
I wish I had a lotta answers
‘Cause that’s the way it should be
For all these questions
Being directed at me

Loosely interpreted as relating to the process of researching with primary sources, this verse touches upon how the research process invariably generates new questions and prompting re-examination of initial theories.
This verse seems to relate to the reference process, whereby patrons talk to librarians and archivists about their research questions. While librarians and archivists might happen to have an answer to a specific question right on the top of their head, it is more likely that they will propose research avenues where a patron will look for answers. This can be unsatisfying for patrons—whose time for combing through records is limited–and for archivists—whose primary aim is to make records accessible. However, the process of researching with primary sources invariably leads to new discoveries and new considerations. Research is dialogue, after all.

My Back Pages by Bob Dylan

Song selection and annotation provided by Michael P. Martin, Records Advisory Officer, Towns, New York State Archives
To me, the song captures many archivists’ struggles.
Lies that life is black and white spoke from my skull, I dreamed
Romantic facts of musketeers foundational deep, somehow

Life is far from black and white and only a fuller understanding provided by records stored in archives can provide.
Romantic ideas can be accepted as facts but again a more complete knowledge can be found in archives. Sometimes those deep well known “facts”, about someone or a place that are the foundation of many beliefs are simply not true.
Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking I had something to protect
Good and bad, I define these terms quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then I’m younger than that now
The abstract threats can be anything from fires, mold, water damage, human destruction or ransomware.
And, of course,
good and bad I define these terms
is part of the appraisal process. What archivists decide to keep or not.
As far as the refrain,
I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now.
I see it as the importance archives and records have in any organization. Typically, they are seen as the forgotten, older papers that no one ever needs or uses. But we all know the moment when something is needed for legal, financial, or just general interest reasons that suddenly the Archives and the records become not only important but seen is a new gem and resource.

Time by Pink Floyd

How many times have you looked at old pictures and considered them to be of an era so far removed that you can barely relate? Or marveled over that something that happened last month seems like it took place a year ago? Our experience of time is variable, even though the passage of it is a regular as a metronome.
You are young and life is long, and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you

Archives and the records they contain present researchers with documentation of earlier times, whether the recent past or 200 years ago. Moreover, they deliver the past into the present and invite reflection.
Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over, thought I’d something more to say

Do the records of successful businesses show a few failures? Do the papers of authors include only those story ideas that came together for publication? Have all architectural drawings been built? Of course not! Sometimes, those unresolved exercises and project failures can become the most informative resources.

Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel

Gosh, this is such a pretty song. And, such an archival one!
Clocking in at just under 4 minutes and with just 36 lyrics, Bookends is a spare, acoustic exploration of the forward progression of time and physical embodiments that remain of one’s experiences. Reflecting on the past, the speaker classifies with phrases that define, characterize, and summarize a seemingly vast bulk of experience.
Time it was
And what a time it was, it was
A time of innocence
A time of confidences
In describing collections of materials that span across thousands of boxes or terabytes of data, archivists pragmatically summarize a collection’s scope to make an intelligible entry point for research. Do summary descriptions fully convey the impact made by a person, family, or institution? No. But they provide a framework from which deeper research can be guided. Was there more that happened in the past besides “confidences?” Of course, but the speaker notes only the most salient elements of the past.
Long ago it must be
I have a photograph
Preserve your memories
They’re all that’s left you

Here, the speaker touches upon the remnants of the past that move forward in time, like photographs, and implores others to create remembrances for future reflection. That records of hugely impactful times aren’t always actively preserved is evidenced by the dearth of records of the 1918 pandemic, for example.
This speaker, like many archivists today, would likely encourage folks to take the time to reflect on their present and to consider how a record of their experience could move forward in time. The Chatham Archives provides opportunities for community members to contribute documentation of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic at: https://covid19.chathamarchivesdigital.org/
That’s all for now, folks! We’ll be joining in on #AskAnArchivist Day on October 12, 2022 to share the list and asking for some additional archival tunes to add to the playlist. What songs do you think carry a secondary, archivally-relevant theme? - Molly Tighe (August 2022)
 

March 2022

We at the JKM Library know how difficult COVID-19 has been on our Chatham community. Many of us have never had the opportunity to meet, when in normal circumstances there would have been plenty of moments for librarians and library staff to meet you, help you personally, and put faces to names. Now that we are mostly back on campus, and some faces are being revealed, we decided to put together a fun “Staff Picks” book display and Spotify playlist to help you get to know us a bit better! Stop into the JKM Library in March to browse our physical book display showing off some of the library staff’s favorite books from our collection, and visit our Spotify account to listen to a playlist of some of our favorite songs. We have a broad range of tastes, and we’re always delighted to talk to you about books, music and more! If you’d like to get in contact with one of the librarians, you can find our emails on our Staff Directory page of our website. All books included in the display are available for you to checkout and read yourself. Perhaps you’ll discover a new personal favorite. Keep reading to learn more about your library staff, our areas of academic expertise (that we’re more than happy to help you in), fun facts and interesting hobbies about each of us, and then the book and song we each picked!

Jill Ausel
Job title: Library Director
Favorite part of job: I really enjoy my job, and the
best part is helping students and making the library a place of learning and fun.
A fun fact: I’m an Ancient Greek History nerd!
My book pick: The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World by Adrienne Mayor
My song pick: “In These Shoes?” by Kristy MacColl

Kate Wenger
Job title: Head of Access Service
Liaison areas: Accounting, Business, Economics, Criminology, Psychology, Social Work
Favorite part of job: Working with students, including our wonderful student workers!
An interesting hobby: I enjoy vegetable gardening,
and I love the snow and am excited to use my new cross-country skis again soon!
My book pick: Think Again by Adam Grant
My song pick: “That Was a Crazy Game of Poker” by O.A.R.

Dana Mastroianni
Job title: Head of Public Services
Liaison areas: Health Sciences, Art & Design, Communication
Favorite part of job: Being a practical help to students. Helping them discover, think and rethink,
and successfully fulfill their information needs. And my fellow librarians are pretty awesome
An interesting skill: My car karaoke skills are on point.
My book pick: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
My song pick: “Where the Streets Have No Name” by U2

Daniel Lincoln Nolting
Job title: Head of Technical Services
Specialty areas: Data and materials management.
Favorite part of job: Stickers! Putting call numbers on books! Never gets old…
An interesting skill: Along with an MFA in painting, while in NYC, I also learned an old Japanese woodcut method.
My book pick: These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore
My song pick: “Keep It Comin’ Love” by KC & The Sunshine Band

Molly Tighe
Job title: Archivist & Public Services Librarian
Academic expertise: Archives, preservation, and museums
Liaison areas: History, Political Science, Policy Studies, Bio, Chem, Math, Physics
Favorite part of job: Sharing and discovering (or helping others discover) Chatham history and how it informs campus activities today.
An interesting hobby: I sew my clothes! While I still
wear a fair bit of ready-to-wear, I try to include a me-made in every outfit.
My book pick: Ramp Hollow: The Ordeal of Appalachia by Steven Stoll
My song pick: “Jolie Holland” by All the Morning Birds

Jocelyn Codner
Job title: Reference & Outreach Librarian
Liaison areas: Food Studies, Sustainability,
Environmental Science, Education, English, Creative Writing/MFA
Favorite part of job: Working one-on-one with students!
An interesting skill: I play Irish flute.
A fun fact: I used to DJ my high school dances.
My book pick: The Diviners by Libba Bray
My song pick: “No Quiero Saber” by Selena

Carina Stopenski
Job title: Access Services Associate
Academic expertise: Gender and cultural studies, media studies, comics
Favorite part of job: Getting to see all the
interesting titles that patrons request!
A fun fact: I love to collect natural curios, like rocks, herbs, crystals, and resins!
My book pick: Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
My song pick: “Calamity Song” by The Decemberists

Jennifer Langilotti
Job title: Technical Services Assistant
Favorite part of job: Learning from more experienced librarians.
A fun fact: Good at Tetris!
My book pick: A Lost Lady by Willa Cather
My song pick: “Dennis Quaid” by Taylor Janzen

Alley Lindner
Job title: Reference Associate
Specialty areas: English Literature with a focus in Queer Theory
Other areas of interest: Juicy pop culture takes!
Favorite part of job: I love working with students–helping with research, talking through book recommendations, etc.
A fun fact: I was named after my grandmother’s three-legged dog.
My book pick: Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson
My song pick: “Motion Sickness” by Phoebe Bridgers

Chelsea Gabrielson
Job title: Reference Associate
Specialty areas: Health Sciences and Children’s Literature
Favorite part of job: I love when I can help students with research!
A fun fact: I once did a 185-mile bicycle ride down the coast of Oregon.
My book pick: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
My song pick: “Dark Red” by Steve Lacy

Amy Melnyk
Job title: Reference Associate
Specialty areas: Social Sciences
Favorite part of job: Definitely helping students!
A fun fact: I have 51 tabs currently open.
My book pick: Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong
My song pick: “Family Affair” by Mary J. Blige

Jackson Adkins
Job title: Access Services Aide
Major: Management Information Systems, Data Science minor
Favorite task at the JKM Library: Getting journals and scanning them from the basement!
A hobby: I have been snowboarding for 12 years.
An interesting skill: I can clap with one hand!
My book pick: Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black
Youth’s Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa by Mark Mathabane
My song pick: “Footsteps in the Dark” by The Isley Brothers

Trai BreenLusen
Job title: Access Services Aide
Major: English, Creative Writing and Studio Arts minors
Area of academic interest: Animation
Favorite task at the JKM Library: Pulling books for EZ Borrow and packing mail.
Something interesting about me: I’m an artist hoping to start my own business.
My book pick: The Hobbit: There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkin
My song pick: “Hey Look Ma, I Made It” by Panic! At The Disco

Riley Hurst Brubaker
Job title: Access Services Aide
Major: Journalism and Film
Favorite task at the JKM Library: Shelving and interacting with staff and fellow students.
An interesting skill: Arranging flower bouquets.
My book pick: A Black Women’s History of the United States by Daina Ramey and Kali Nicole Gross
My song pick: “Highway Unicorn” by The Highwomen

Leyla Fevola
Job title: Access Services Aide
Major: Mathmatics and Secondary Education
Favorite task at the JKM Library: I love helping and creating projects with other staff members!
Something interesting about me: I am a dual citizen, I am a citizen of the USA and Italy!
My book pick: Beautiful Boy by David Sheff
My song pick: “All For Us” by Labrinth and Zendaya

Becca Pennington
Job title: Access Services Aide
Major: Exercise Science
Favorite task at the JKM Library: Stack searches (searching for missing books)
A hobby of mine: I run cross country and track
My book pick: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
My song pick: “Runaway” by Linkin Park

Jolie Phan
Job title: Access Services Aide
Major: Human Biology
Favorite task at the JKM Library: Checking books in and out to patrons
A hobby of mine: I love playing the piano and violin
My book pick: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
My song pick: “Heroes” by David Bowie

Stephanie Spano
Job title: Access Services Aide
Major: Cell and Molecular Biology
Area of Academic Interest: Genetics
Favorite task at the JKM Library: Stack searches
(searching for missing books) or helping patrons at the desk!
A fun fact about me: I’ve been to 25 out of 50 states in the US!
My book pick: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
My song pick: “Oh My God” by Adele

Julia Windsheimer
Job title: Access Services Aide
Major: Interior Architecture, Music minor
Favorite task at the JKM Library: Shelving books
A hobby of mine: I like playing the flute
My book pick: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
My song pick: “Rock and Roll” by The Velvet Underground

Savannah Wood
Job title: Access Services Aide
Major: Psychology
Favorite task at the JKM Library: Doing inventory
An interesting skill of mine: I can twirl batons and was the majorette captain at my high school.
My book pick: Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur My song pick: “Thelma + Louise” by Bastille

April 2018

In conjunction with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s upcoming performance of Silent Spring, a symphonic tone poem created to honor the 50th anniversary of the publication of the seminal Rachel Carson book, the Chatham University Archives is presenting an exhibit titled Nature & Nurture: The Rachel Carson Legacy in Pittsburgh. On view in Heinz Hall from April 6 through April 22, the exhibition presents highlights from the collections of the University Archives that explore the roots of Rachel Carson’s interest in science and writing and the legacy of celebrating her achievements though music.
Chatham Archives exhibit Nature & Nurture: The Rachel Carson Legacy in Pittsburgh at Heinz Hall
Widely recognized for The Sea Around Us, Silent Spring, and countless articles that brought attention to the detrimental effects of widespread pesticide use, Rachel Carson’s connection to music isn’t frequently discussed. However, music played a major role in Rachel’s upbringing, as her mother taught piano lessons to local children in the family home and many days were spent setting Mother Goose rhymes to music.
Nature & Nurture exhibit essay in Pittsburgh Symphony Concert Program
Rachel remained a classical music fan throughout her lifetime, even writing liner notes for the National Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Claude Debussy’s Le Mer and speaking at an orchestra benefit luncheon. As a student at Chatham (then Pennsylvania Female College), Rachel evoked the sound of piano music in her literary club award winning essay, Broken Lamps. This essay is available online through the University Archives at this link.
Nature & Nurture exhibit from University Archives in Heinz Hall
The exhibition, Nature & Nurture: The Rachel Carson Legacy in Pittsburgh, spans Rachel Carson’s experience as a student and a few of the local, musical events that have honored her work as an environmental pioneer. The display includes photographs, programs, and documents from the 1995 Opus: Earth symphony concert to benefit the Rachel Carson Institute and the World Wildlife Fund.

Opus: Earth Program Cover Of particular note is a score to Silent Spring inscribed “in honor of Rachel Carson to her Alma Mater Chatham University” by the composer, Steven Stucky. The score was presented during an on-campus discussion of his piece and the legacy of Rachel Carson in 2011.
Score for “Silent Spring” inscribed to Chatham by composer Steven Stucky

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is generously offering discount codes for students, staff, faculty, and alums. Contact Student Affairs for more information. You won’t want to miss the special pre-concert lecture by Dr. Patricia DeMarco, former head of the Rachel Carson Institute and our region’s foremost Rachel Carson scholar.

Dr. DeMarco’s lecture will occur on Friday, April 20, 2018.
Can make the event? Check out the finding aid for the Collection on Rachel Carson or contact the Chatham University Archives & Special Collections to learn more about Rachel Carson `29 and her local legacy.

February 2016

Did you know that, as a Chatham student, staff, or faculty member, you can experience a world-class symphony for $15-20 (http://bit.ly/1PpszOp)? And you don’t have to leave town! The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has been bringing classical music to Pittsburgh audiences since 1896 and today they have a mobile app that makes it easy to purchase tickets, listen to music, and more. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Fan App is free and available for both Android and iOS users. It is developed by Instant Encore, a company that has helped create similar apps for institutions such as the New York Philharmonic and Houston Ballet. Designed for phone and tablet use, the interface is attractive and easy to navigate. A rotating set of images representing upcoming performances set the background of the main page and a series of tabs at the bottom of the frame correspond to different content and media types. The content included in this app is dynamic and includes audio, video, maps, and calendar schedules. Additionally, the in-app browser makes it easy to view content on YouTube, various news sites, and the Symphony’s main webpage without taking you out of the app. Don’t know anything about classical music? Or looking to learn more? The app connects you to the Pittsburgh Symphony’s YouTube channel. The channel features videos demonstrating different instruments as well as interviews with Symphony musicians and audience members. This function is available when clicking “Videos” from the “More” tab. The “Music” tab features free audio clips of Symphony performances, so you can get a small taste of the experience. The “What’s New” tab includes links and clips of news articles, the Symphony’s blog, and videos relating to current performances. Looking to plan a visit? You can view a calendar of events in a list form in the “Events” tab as well as in a calendar in the “More” tab. You can purchase tickets and share event information from the app. Information about parking, dining, and accessibility services is also located in the “More” tab. You can set up notifications for upcoming shows and concert series when you first download the app or later under “Settings.” If you are interested in attending a Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performance (they offer everything from Beethoven to music from the Pokémon video games), the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Fan App is definitely worth the download.  

January 2016

You’re probably familiar with the Song Contest as one of the longest-running and most cherished of all the Chatham traditions, but have you heard any of the vintage recordings of these tunes in the University Archives? You’ll have a chance this weekend as Chatham’s Archivist Molly Tighe joins the hosts of WESA’s Rhythm Sweet &
Hot for a chat and a spin around the vinyl grooves cut by PCW singers all the way back in 1947.
During this week’s live broadcast, which airs from 6:00 until 8:00 pm on 90.5 FM, Molly will chat with hosts and hepcats Mike Plaskett and Dale Abraham about a recently discovered recording of the Class of 1947 singing classic Song Contest tunes We Sing Hi-Ho, Charm Girl of PCW and PCW Progress. Since these swingy tunes
are sure to make you slap-happy and to blow your wig (21st century translation= become very excited), we decided to dig around in the University Archives and pull out some Song Contest treasures to get everyone prepped and ready for the big show.
First, a little bit of history. Chatham’s Song Contest dates back to 1921, when a competition between the classes was enjoyed so much that it became one of the most hotly anticipated traditions of every school year.
Competitive Sing in the June 1921 issue of Sorosis
Read the full June 1921 issue of The Sorosis here: http://tinyurl.com/jl896qc
For many years the Song Contest was held in combination with Color Day and together the two traditions generated a whirl of class spirit. The two events would occur during the fall semester after the first-year students had successfully completed their first round of exams and had sufficiently settled into college life (including learning all the favorite school songs!).
Selected pages from the 1927-1928 Student Handbook including mention of Color Day, Song
Contest, and song lyrics.
In 1928, song lyrics and music were compiled by the Song Book Committee into a song book.
Copy of the Chatham Song Book from the University Archives and Photo of the 1959 Song
Contest Leaders
The rules for the contest were a little different back then. Each class was responsible for presenting three songs: one with original lyrics and music, one with original lyrics set to an existing tune, and one song selected by the judges just prior to the contest.
Chatham Song Contest, 1957
According to an article in The Arrow on November 22, 1944, each class would practice their songs daily, sometimes sending a secret operative to spy on the other classes to try to discover the competing classes’ performance plans. On the day of the contest…
…there was a mad checker game struggle for the right seats for the right voices. After everything was under control except Bertha Butterfly in our stomachs, we sat through a hymn, through the announcement of the Freshman Commission, through Hail to PCW, the presentation of the colors and the reception of the new
Freshman. All the time we wondered- whether our class Rachmaninoff had remembered to fetch along her music. (Read the whole article here: http://tinyurl.com/homkedn)
Awaiting results of the Song Contest, 1959
In the early years, the winning class was awarded a five pound box of candy.
Song Contest Winners, 1959
Later, the candy box was replaced with a silver cup.
Song Contest, 1980s
There’s no mention of recording any Chatham songs until 1946, when a contributor to the student newspaper implored her classmates to join forces to document their musical history. She writes, “Without old college songs to sing while in the shower, PCW graduates can probably hold their job competently or cheer hubby after his hard
day at the office, but it might be nice to have something specific to help them reminisce once in a while.”
Editorial in a 1946 issue of The Arrow
Chatham University Archives maintains a healthy collection of LP recordings of Song Contest, no song recordings predate the late-1950s. We couldn’t be sure if this 1946 editorial had spurred any action- until now!
LP covers of Song Contest recordings
A recently unearthed 1947 recording was produced at George Heid Productions & Transcription Services in downtown Pittsburgh and features the same three songs performed at the Senior Dinner for the Class of 1947. Could it be that the 1946 editorial inspired the creation of this recording? Could it be that the students took a trip
downtown on a streetcar to cut record of the winning songs from the Song Contest? Could it be that this is one of those very recordings? We think so!
The recording, which you can hear when you tune your radio dial to WESA 90.5 from 6:00 until 8:00 pm this Saturday night, may very well be our earliest recording of a campus tradition that spans decades and even continues through to today (Click here for a video of the 2014 song contest). We hope you’ll tune in!
Can’t wait for the show? Want to prepare for a sing-along? Here’s the music and lyrics to a couple classic Chatham tunes.
We Sing Hi-O, words and music by members of the Class of 1929
Chatham Charm Girl
Still hungry for more? Come by the University Archives in the JKM Library on Monday from 1-5 or Thursday from 1:30-3:30 to chat with Chatham Archivist Molly
Tighe about the Song Contest or any of your favorite Chatham traditions!
 

January  2014

November 2013