Thinking About Your Ancestors Could Make You Smarter

At least that’s what the Los Angeles Times is reporting via the Hartford Courant. See the story here. If you want to do more than think about your ancestors, visit the Grosvenor Room to get started on your genealogy! Take note of our changed hours:

Beginning January 2, 2011, the Grosvenor Room is open:

Monday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Tuesday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Wednesday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
*Sunday: 12 p.m.-5 p.m.

*January 2-April 17, 2011, October 2- December 18

Happy new year from all of us in the Grosvenor Room!

Final Month for Kelmscott Exhibit!

Been meaning to stop into Central and view The Ideal Book: William Morris and the Kelmscott Press?  Artvoice has been here; so has Buffalo Rising!  Even the Rebel Alliance has been here to see the exhibit, and they’re from a galaxy far, far away!  What are you waiting for?

The exhibit closes January 30th.

**The Rare Book Room exhibit area is located on the first floor of the Central Library at the top of the escalators. Exhibits are open during regular library hours.

Happy Kwanzaa!

Did you know that Buffalo has one of the largest celebrations of Kwanzaa in the United States?   Its celebration here is so prominent that Maulana Karenga, the holiday’s creator, has visited Buffalo during its celebration for most years since 1967.  To read how Buffalo has celebrated Kwanzaa over the years, visit the Buffalo Kwanzaa Celebrations digital project at the Monroe Fordham Regional History Center’s website.   This online collection includes local programs, photographs, newspaper articles, recipes, as well as other materials.

•  What is Kwanzaa?

Kwanzaa is a non-religious celebration of African American history and culture, which takes place from December 26 through January 1.  It was developed by Maulana Karenga in 1966.

•  Read More about Kwanzaa:

The Official Kwanzaa Website

Kwanzaa – History.com

•  Local 2010 Kwanzaa Events:

Kwanzaa Celebrations Across Buffalo – WGRZ

Frank E. Merriweather, Jr. Library – Dr. Maulana Karenga visits the library on December 28^th!

• See our African American History in Buffalo and African American Genealogy finding aids to research Buffalo’s African American culture and history.

Season’s Greetings from the Rare Book Room!

Julius John Lankes completed his first woodcut while working as a draftsman at a Buffalo rifle factory. From those beginnings, Lankes would become the first to take the woodcut from commercial illustration to art form. Over the course of his life, Lankes made more than 1300 woodcuts for various books and prints, including several for the poet Robert Frost during their friendship. The rare book room has a wide collection of J.J. Lankes’ work, including correspondence and many original sketches and prints, donated by his brother, Frank. These holiday cards, made between the 1920s and 1940s are a prized part of that collection.

It’s AM&Azing!

If you’ve lived in Buffalo, you probably remember the AM&A’s Christmas windows on Main St. in downtown. The day after Thanksgiving families would pile into their cars or public transportation to view the mechanical wonders. Not to be outdone, nearby stores such as Kleinhan’s and L.L. Berger’s would dress up their windows with holiday wares.

AM&A’s seems to have cornered memory lane. Displays from their windows became part of a holiday display in the Village of Lancaster, which dubs itself “Christmasville”, several years ago. For the first time in many years, a piece of the AM&A’s windows are in downtown Buffalo. Walk along Main St. near Shea’s Buffalo for a taste of the holiday spirit. Happy holidays from all of us in the Grosvenor Room!

 

Looking for a new car?!?

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RBR TL160 .N3 1911 Hand Book of Gasoline Automobiles, 1911. Eighth Annual.

A Buffalo Weather Bibliography

Ice Mountain and Ice Bridge in Front of American Fall, 1901. Source: The grandeurs of the Exposition by Richard Hayes Barry, 1901.

 

• Annual Meteorological Summary of Buffalo, New York – U. S. Department of Agriculture, Weather Bureau.  Buffalo QC 984.N6 U62. 

Buffalo weather data for the years 1906-1939.  Monthly summaries of data such as temperature, precipitation, and wind is given as well as comparative charts which give data back to 1871.

• The Blizzard – by Robert Bahr.  Buffalo F 129.B8 B157. 

A narrative account of Buffalo and its citizens’ survival during the snowstorm.

• Buffalo Buried: The Blizzard of ’77 – by Katy Kline and Carol Nash.  Buffalo F129.B8 B6833.

Experience or re-live the blizzard through photographs: complete with white outs, dig outs, mountains of snow, the buried city, snow play and sculptures, and beautiful images of the blizzard’s architecture.

• Confronting Severe Winter Storms: Preparedness and Response in Buffalo and Erie County – by Timothy Burman.  Buffalo QC 984.N6 C66 2003.

A report put together by Urban Planning students at UB which makes recommendations on improving winter weather disaster preparedness.  It includes historic weather data such as deaths due to winter weather, record snowfalls, injuries from winter weather, and frequency of winter storm consequences.

• Frozen Assets: The Beautiful Truth About Western New York’s Fourth Season – by Mark Donnelly.  Buffalo F 129.B843 D66 2009.

An entertaining book to help you get through the Buffalo winter.  Read about Buffalo weather myths, weather terminology, winter survival strategies, poetry, and more!  This work also includes many modern photos. 

• Summary of Weather Records at Buffalo: Nov. 1, 1870 – Nov. 1 1970 – prepared by Benjamin Kolker. Buffalo QC 984.N6 K6

A chart of weather records as of 1970 including topics such as average and extreme: temperatures, precipitation, snowfall, and wind speed.

• The Weather: Clippings about the Weather and the Weather Bureau – Buffalo and Erie County Public Library. Scrapbook QC 984.N6 B9

A collection of newspaper articles related to Buffalo weather from 1903-1961. 

• Western New York Weather Guide: A Century of Sun, Snow & Rain – by Tom Jolls. Buffalo QC 984.N6 J65 1996

This fact-filled book includes weather anecdotes, historic weather conditions, weather records, and other topics.

• White Death: The Blizzard of ’77 – by Erno Rossie.  Buffalo QC 929.S7 R67 1999.

Read first hand American and Canadian accounts of the storm. Black and white images are included.

Thanks Large Doc and Mrs. Lee!

Friends of the Rare Book Room Dr. Richard and Susan Lee donated a 10 volume set of Sir Richard Burton’s 1001 Arabian Nights.  The Lees were important proponents of the Rare Book Room’s 2009-2010 exhibit, Darwin: The Origin of Influence.  We couldn’t be more proud to be the custodians of this generous gift.

Buffalo News story on the donation here.

Bookarts Holiday Panic Marketplace

The Western New York Book Arts Collaborative is holding its annual holiday marketplace this Friday and Saturday.  Located one block from the Central Library, stop in and grab some last minute gifts.  Join us, and bring a friend too!  Let’s support our local artisans and craftspeople.

Details:

Location: At the main gallery, 1st floor of the Western New York Book Arts Center 468 Washington St at Mohawk in Downtown Buffalo

When: Friday Dec 17, 2010 4-8pm and Saturday Dec 18 2010 12-6pm

Free admission and open to the public.  Artists, craftspeople, printers, & other handmade/self published/locally produced items. Perfect gifts for giving or hoarding.

More info on specific vendors on the Bookarts Facebook page.

Genealogy: Back to Basics

Want to trace your family tree but don’t know where to start?  Discovering the resources available and how you can use them can be tricky, so we’ve put together a quick guide for those just Getting Started with Genealogy.  Once bitten by the genealogy bug, it’s tempting to dive right in, but a little prep work can save a lot of time and frustration.

A few key tips from the guide:

• Start with yourself!
• Record names, dates and places on a pedigree chart
• Look for records at home
• Interview family members for more information
• Read a good “how-to” book
• Consult census & vital records
• Read another good “how-to” book!

When planning a visit to the Grosvenor Room, the better prepared you are, the more likely you’ll be successful in your research. Bringing a pedigree or ancestor chart, with as much data recorded on it as possible, helps librarians and staff better assist you.

Winter is the perfect time to start your genealogy research–spend your days inside with your family tree and keep the snowy blues away!