UNCG Music Library Becomes The Harold Schiffman Music Library

A new name is huge!!  An event to celebrate our new name and our generous benefactors is happening on October 5, 2012 from 4PM - 6PM in the Music Building at UNCG. The building that houses The Harold Schiffman (WOO HOO!) Music Library.  Come on by for the fun if you are around on the 5th.

Here is a photo of Harold from 2005 that accompanied an article written by Barry Miller and posted here and there.  He graciously agreed to let me repost it here.  Thanks, Barry!

The celebration on October 5 will include a world premiere performance of choral music by Harold Schiffman as well as his fanfare.  The unveiling of the name as well as the face lift happening right now in the library itself will also be highlights of the event.  Stay tuned for more details! 

Here is the article:

Harold Schiffman and Jane Perry-Camp have made a $2 million planned gift to UNCG. The university’s music library will be named for Schiffman, a Greensoro-born composer.
The couple’s gift will provide music scholarships and support the University Libraries. A naming ceremony for the music library is planned for September [now October 5].

“During my childhood days,” Schiffman says, “the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina (now UNCG) was very important, even crucial, to my development as a musician. I attended many concerts and even had some performances of my music there. Now, UNCG has become a home for my musical archive, and I am truly grateful for the wonderful care for it from the staff of the Jackson Library and the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.”

John Deal, dean of the School of Music, Theatre and Dance, says, “This generous bequest from Harold Schiffman and Jane Perry-Camp, along with their previous gifts to the Jackson Library, constitute the largest gift to the School of Music, Theatre and Dance since its inception in 2010 and to the School of Music since 2001. The scholarship endowment component will provide financial assistance to hundreds of future music students. It is truly a transformational gift. We are tremendously indebted to Harold and Jane for their generosity.”

Dean of University Libraries Rosann Bazirjian says, “I am thrilled to receive this very generous gift from Dr. Harold Schiffman and Dr. Jane Perry-Camp. The gift will allow the University Libraries to acquire, provide access to and preserve scores, manuscripts, musical collections and other materials of importance to researchers and scholars. We cherish this gift and the opportunities it provides to grow our very special and unique collections that can be shared with students and scholars. To recognize and provide a legacy for their generosity, the Music Library will now be named The Harold Schiffman Music Library. The University Libraries are also the home of the Harold Schiffman Archive and the Egon Wellesz Contemporary Music Archive, both previously given by Harold and Jane.”

Party on, y'all!

Renovation Plans Revealed by Ritch!

Long time no post...but this will be changing along with many things...

Here in the Harold Schiffman Music Library at UNCG we have lots to celebrate!  More on the name change soon (thank you, Harold and Jane!!), but first heads up on the Renovation!

Library employee Lauren Ritch has made an AMAZING display showing the before and after set ups.  Here are some photos so you can see what I mean.  Explanations under the specific photos. Thanks, Lauren!

As you can see, Lauren named the display appropriately: Changes in the Library.  Now a little more detail...starting with how things are now:

The BEFORE set up:

Lauren took photos of shelves, furniture, the music desk and created a "bird's eye" view of the library.

She even took photos of our offices:

OK, then comes the next part:

After the various phases of the renovation are done - before classes start (as the plan stands right now), here is what the library will look like (again, if you were a bird):

We are reducing and rearranging the Reference shelves, moving the Periodicals to a new area which will have some "comfy" chairs (and new shelves), removing the old, clunky carrels and replacing them with new, more space-efficient carrels (two kinds!) and putting "comfy" chairs in the main study space as well.

(And there is going to be....color!!  Lots of this is thanks to the input from Patrick Lukas and his IAR class - more on that soon)

Here is another view of this most excellent display (did you notice the colors of the words BEFORE and AFTER?). See the new orientation of the shelves near the entry?  See the new furniture?  We're excited to see this happen in reality!

Don't let this posting keep you from coming to look at our wonderfully communicative and creative display.  Thanks again to Lauren Ritch for her visionary labors!

Stay tuned...more to come!

p.s. There are other things happening in the lower portion of the library as well (though that is out of the scope of Lauren's display).  We are rearranging the location of LP shelving, adding some LP listening, and moving some graduate carrels down there (and some other furniture as well).