Tag Archives: Joseph Henry

This Week in Princeton History for October 5-11

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In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, women gather to discuss sexism on campus, a new kind of roof is being installed for Nassau Hall, and more.

October 5, 1978—Female students and staff hold an exclusive meeting to discuss sexism on campus. Barring men from the meeting is controversial, but the women say this is necessary, “because a lot of women feel uncomfortable saying things in front of men that they wouldn’t feel uncomfortable saying in front of women.” At the meeting, women complain about inadequate medical care, discriminatory employment practices, and professors who penalize female students for refusing their sexual advances.

Marsha Rosenthal ’76 collected a variety of material on women’s issues while she was a student at Princeton University. This pamphlet, published by Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood in 1973, is among the reading material apparently available to Princetonians in the 1970s and is evidence of the concerns of the community.  Marsha Rosenthal Course Materials and Student Activism Materials (AC409), Box 2.

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This Week in Princeton History for June 15-21

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In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, Joseph Henry’s accomplishments are honored, the Director of Admission reports on changing demographics on campus, and more.

June 16, 1885—A tablet to the memory of Prof. Joseph Henry is unveiled. The tablet commemorates Henry’s contributions to the development of the telegraph, but does not mention his assistant, Sam Parker, without whom Henry would have been unable to carry out his work.

Joseph Henry, ca. 1843. Historical Photograph Collection, Individuals Series (AC067), Box 22.

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This Week in Princeton History for June 18-24

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In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, seniors warn underclassmen not to encroach on their singing territory, the School of Science is dedicated, and more.

June 18, 1930—Charles H. Rogers, Curator of the Princeton Museum of Zoology, catches a ride with the crew of a banana ship from New Orleans to Veracruz as the only passenger. He will collect bird and insect specimens on his summer trip through Mexico.

Charles H. Rogers, undated. Historical Photograph Collection, Faculty Photographs Series (AC067), Box FAC81.

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This Week in Princeton History for December 1-7

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In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the Daily Princetonian elects its first female chairperson, Andrew Carnegie gives Princeton a lake, and more.

December 2, 1978—The 102-year-old Daily Princetonian elects Anne C. Mackay-Smith ’80 its first female chairperson. In June 1980, she will be elected to the Princeton University Board of Trustees.

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Anne C. Mackay-Smith, 1980, Office of Communications Records (AC168), Box 125.

December 3, 1846—Natural philosophy (physics) professor Joseph Henry begins a new job as the first Secretary of the newly created Smithsonian Institution after 14 years at Princeton.

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“Sketch of the Life of Professor Joseph Henry,” Faculty Files, AC059, Box 229.

December 4, 1798—William Richardson Davie, a member of the College of New Jersey Class of 1776 and the 1787 “Tiger Nine,” is elected governor of North Carolina.

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William Richardson Davie, 1800, Undergraduate Alumni Records 1748-1920 (AC104), Box 33.

December 5, 1906—There is standing room only in Alexander Hall as steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie formally presents documents conveying legal title for Lake Carnegie to Princeton University.

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Washington Road bridge over Lake Carnegie, Princeton, New Jersey, 1907, Historical Postcard Collection (AC045), Box 1.

For last week’s installment in this series, click here.

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Wikipedia Edit-a-thon at Mudd Library

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by: Q Miceli
A group of sixteen enthusiastic volunteers, including Princeton undergraduates, Princeton community members, Wikipedians from the Wikimedia-New York City, and Mudd Library staff, gathered in the Wiess Lounge on Saturday, 18 February 2012, to write and update Princetoniana Wikipedia articles.
Princeton_editathon_Get_the_food_1st
In July 2011, I participated in an edit-a-thon about the Armory Show at the Archives of American Art in Washington, D.C. A Wikipedia edit-a-thon is a gathering of individuals creating Wikipedia articles and uploading media related to a theme, events, subjects, or places. Once I saw firsthand how GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) institutions and Wikipedia can benefit one another, I returned to Princeton and my student job at the Princeton University Archives inspired to act on this experience. After discussing the idea with University Archivist Dan Linke, we decided to host an edit-a-thon in February with the theme of “A Valentine for Princeton.” The goal was to have participants update pages on Princeton’s presidents and other Princetoniana materials.
Mudd_Library_Edit-a-thon_participants
On the day of the event, after introductions over pizza and Indian food, I gave a brief PowerPoint presentation describing basic principles of Wikipedia articles: notability, neutral point of view, reliable sources, and individual accountability. Reference Archivist Christie Peterson introduced the reference room and the sources available for participants to browse. After that, we were off!
Choosing_Topics

Choosing topics.
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Discussing the finer points of Wikipedia.
While writing articles about topics such as Seeley G. Mudd Library to the Putnam Collection of Sculpture to the East Asian Studies Department, and updating articles about the Log College, the Two Dickinson Street Co-op, and the Joseph Henry House, we used reference room publications and online resources to increase the number and reliability of Wikipedia articles about Princeton University.
RefRoomWriters

Princeton resident Mimi Omiecinski said about the event, “My family was so impressed that I was doing this today.” Wikimedian Pete took photos of the nearby eating clubs to update their pages. A Free Culture Chorus recorded a rendition of “Old Nassau”, and both the pictures and the recording are available on the Wikimedia Commons website for the event: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Editathon,_Princeton_University. We challenge any Princeton University a cappella group to upload an animoso version of “Old Nassau.”

By the numbers, we had:

16 attendees
6 usernames created
4 articles created
9 articles expanded

We look forward to holding more edit-a-thons in the future!

For more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/Princeton_University_Edit-a-thon