Exciting Archive News from Auburn

(from the Birmingham News/al.com) "Auburn University has acquired an original copy of Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1865 letter to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, setting the terms of surrender for the Army of Northern Virginia."

click here to read the story in its entirety on al.com

A New Painting For Our Reading Area

On Friday, we hung Amy Feger's painting "Panorama at Ebenezer Swamp" in the reading area just to the left of the library's entrance. It's a beautiful depiction of a beautiful locale. Come check it out!

Twitter, in the 1930s? Well, sorta...

While doing some research for Kathy Lowe earlier today, I stumbled upon some interesting gems from the Shelby County Democrat, circa 1930s. Check the photo below (click the image for a larger view).



Apparently, it was common practice in the 30s for the local paper to publish the day-to-day doings of the townsfolk. Many of these little blurbs could easily fit into any of today's Twitter accounts or Facebook statuses. "Claud Coppinger spent the weekend with the home-folks," for example, or "Mrs. Len Cochrane spent Tuesday shopping in Selma."

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Photos from President Williams' Trip to Japan

Last week, Dr. Williams and family (sans Zorro) traveled to Montevallo's sister city, Echizen, Japan. They were joined by UM professors Hollie Cost and Ted Metz. Dr. Williams kept in touch with us here in Montevallo through his Twitter account, UMPrez, and posted a ton of great photos from his trip. Here are a few photos from the trip.


The UM crew meet with city officials from Echizen, Japan.


A Japanese craftsman shows how he customizes paper designs.


Dr. Williams plants one of 10 oak trees to commemorate the Montevallo-Echizen sister-city relationship.



The temple at Nara, Japan.

These photos and more can be found at Dr. William's Twitpic page.

Librarians Gone Wild: Our Trip To The Cahaba Lilies 2009

Yesterday, several members of Carmichael Library's faculty and staff escaped the confines of the stacks. Though armed (with walking sticks), they were not considered dangerous, and the suspects were soon rounded up and returned to their posts by the afternoon.

Every year, the library crew takes a trip out to the Cahaba River to see the lilies bloom. The swift currents made it difficult to actually get out to the lilies this time, but a few of us managed to brave it and Gloria Beasley snagged some great photos for us to share with you.

About The Cahaba Lily

Hymenocallis coronaria (Cahaba Lily or Shoals spider-lily) is a species of the genus Hymenocallis, native to the Southeastern United States. It is an aquatic perennial flowering plant found only in Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. Within Alabama it is known as the Cahaba Lily, outside of that state it is known as the Shoals spider-lily because it requires a swift, shallow, water current and direct sunlight to flourish. The plant grows to about 3 feet (0.9 m) tall and develops from a bulb that lodges in between rocks in the shoals. It blooms from early May to late June. Each fragrant flower blooms for one day. (source)

From left to right: Michael Price, Amanda Melcher, Gloria Beasley, Rosemary Arneson, Joel Bullock, Adam Kamerer, Joie Molden, Brian McConnell, Mary Seagle