The University at Albany has acquired the papers of author Joseph E. Persico, the best-selling writer of Roosevelt’s Secret War, Edward R. Murrow: An American Original, The Imperial Rockefeller, and co-author of former Secretary of State Colin Powell's autobiography My American Journey, as well as other acclaimed works of history and biography.

Persico's personal and professional papers, documents, memorabilia, and speeches, many written during his 11 years as a speechwriter for Governor and later Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, will be stored in the University at Albany Libraries' M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives. The collection will serve as a resource for scholarly research on Persico's literary career, and on the subjects of his many works. Persico is a 1952 graduate of the University.

In recognition of Persico's career accomplishments, service, and donations to UAlbany, the University has established an annual Joseph E. Persico '52 Scholarship for undergrads and the Joseph E. Persico '52 Fellowship Fund for graduate students of American history.

The collection, totaling some 40 cubic feet, includes original long-hand manuscripts and revised versions of the author’s books; correspondence with editors and publishers at Random House, Simon Schuster, Viking and McGraw Hill and with fellow authors; interviews conducted for The Imperial Rockefeller, a biography of the New York governor and U.S. vice president; correspondence and memos between the governor and Persico; interviews with prosecutors, defense lawyers, victims and relatives for his book Nuremberg: Infamy on Trial; correspondence relating to his book on President Franklin D. Roosevelt; interviews with American secret agents who penetrated Germany during World War II for the writing of Piercing the Reich; and original drafts of numerous articles and book reviews written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, American Heritage, and Military History Quarterly.

The collection also includes videos and tapes of Persico's media appearances, as well as tapes of interviews with dozens of subjects, among them Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Bob Woodward, Arthur Goldberg, William Safire, Richard Helms, William J. Casey, William F. Buckley, and John Huston.

The University's Web site features a press release about this acquisition and a video clip of Joseph Persico.

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The Minerva online catalog will be unavailable between 7-8 a.m. on Monday, March 27, for hardware maintenance.

We appreciate your patience.

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Contact: Roberta Armstrong, 518-442-3540, or cmcallister@uamail.albany.edu

ALBANY, NY (March 20, 2006)—Friends of the Libraries, University at Albany, will sponsor a special paperback book sale, from 10 am-3 pm, in the University Library on the uptown campus.

All paperback books will sell for $ .50 each. The books on sale include fiction as well as non-fiction books, with all genres represented. Volunteers who would like to participate in the sale should contact Del Cummings (518-356-0377 or delmagic1@aol.com) or Gloria Herkowitz (518-482-3663 or herky@nycap.rr.com).

All proceeds from the Friends’ annual book sale go to Albany’s University Libraries, in support of student scholarship and services.

To learn more about the Friends of the Libraries : http://library.albany.edu/friends. Membership in the Friends of the Libraries is open to all who share an enthusiasm for books and a commitment to building for the future of the University Libraries at the University at Albany.

Albany’s University Libraries are ranked as one of the top 100 research libraries in the United States by the Association of Research Libraries. The Libraries serve the University’s community, the citizens of New York State, and scholars and researchers from around the world. For up-to-date information about the University’s Libraries, see the Website: http://library.albany.edu.

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LIBQUAL+ Survey. Tell the UA Libraries what you think.... From March 20th to March 31st, the Libraries will be administering the LIBQUAL+ user survey. If you receive an email message inviting you to participate, please connect to the Web site indicated and invest ten minutes in taking the survey. Your feedback will make a big difference.

LibQUAL+(TM) is a standardized survey that libraries use to solicit, track, understand, and act upon users’ opinions of service quality. The survey is a rigorously tested Web-based instrument that can be used to help libraries assess and improve library services, change organizational culture, and market the library. The goals of LibQUAL+(TM) are to help libraries better understand user perceptions of service quality and to foster a culture of excellence in providing library services.

For questions or comments, contact Gregg Sapp, Head of the Science Library. gsapp@uamail.albany.edu, 518-437-3951.

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The University Libraries are about to begin the process of reducing the acquisitions budget by up to $500,000. Frank D’Andraia, Dean and Director of Libraries sent out the following message to all Deans and Directors:

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The University Libraries' M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives recently acquired a hand-colored presentation drawing from 1884 of the Willett Street campus, one of the University at Albany's first buildings.

The Willett Street building was located at 82-96 Willett Street and faced Washington Park. The building’s architect was Frank J. Wright of the Albany firm of Ogden & Wright and this illustration of the planned campus building appeared in the architecture publication American Architecture and Building News.

Additional information about the Willett Street and other campus buildings is available in the Campus Buildings Historical Tour at http://library.albany.edu/speccoll/campusbuildings/.

Click image for larger view

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