Library displays special photo collection
By Grant Merritt
Web Video Editor
Perfect weather, food, fun and fellowship among the residents of Pembroke and UNCP communities at Pembroke Day on Oct. 6 made a perfect combination for the Mary Livermore Library's Special Collections' staff to showcase the Elmer W. Hunt Photograph Collection.
University Library Specialist for Special Collections Carlene Cummings said that there were about 150 photos on display at Pembroke Day. The photos span from the 1940s to the 1980s and feature different community and university events in Pembroke.
The main goal of the photo viewing, Cummings said, is to let Pembroke residents identify the people in the photos. The photos will be on display through July 2011 in the library. The photos were put on display during Lumbee Homecoming in July 2010.
According to Assistant Dean for Research Services Anne Coleman, many people visited the special collections table at Pembroke Day to view the photos and help identify the people in them.
"I think it's a unique opportunity for the people to get a glimpse of the past," Coleman said. "For people of this generation to see these pictures, it's just so powerful."
Coleman said that the photos were sorted into three notebooks and set out on display for the people at Pembroke Day to view. Once all the people in a photo were identified, that photo was transferred to a different notebook. Each notebook held about 30 photos.
Coleman said that at Pembroke Day, one whole notebook was filled with fully identified photos. The photos were sorted into categories labeled as town, UNCP campus, churches and schools.
"What struck me the most was the number of older people that came by and were able to identify people in the photos," Coleman said. "With older people passing away, these photos go unidentified and history is lost."
The special viewing at Pembroke Day was the first time the photo collection was taken out of the library for the public to see.
Elmer W. Hunt became UNCP's staff photographer in 1969. His collection reveals the Pembroke community during the 40-year period that highlighted parades, fairs, civic clubs, school groups, stores, buildings and landmark events.
Hunt graduated from UNCP in 1953, and he captured the life of the university for many years. Hunt died in 1987 at the age of 67.
Dean of Library Services Dr. Elinor Foster said that Elmer Hunt's son Bill Hunt found the photograph collection negatives in 2002. Hunt brought the negatives to the American Indian Studies Department at UNCP for sorting and preservation.
In 2005, the American Indian Studies department transferred the collection of 53,678 photos to the Special Collections staff at the library. Library staff Lillian Brewington and Cummings sorted and categorized the photos so they could be sent to the National Archive Publishing Company to be scanned, digitized and saved to external computer hard drives.
Dr. Foster said that the library purchased software called CONTENTdm and a server to host and preserve the photos. CONTENTdm is a database where people can sort and view the collection.
"It's a great service for people to be able to access and view these photos and learn about the history of Pembroke," Dr. Foster said.
The Friends of the Library will host special programs for viewing the photo collection in the Mary Livermore Library.
Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. with
Dr. Malinda Maynor Lowery
as the guest speaker.
• Jan. 18, 2011 at 7 p.m.
with Dr. Michael Cummings
as the guest speaker.
• March 15, 2011 at 7
p.m. with Dr. Ben Chavis as
the guest speaker.
The fourth and final photo collection viewing will be during the week of Lumbee Homecoming on June 27 through July 2, 2011.
After Lumbee Homecoming 2011, the photo collection will be further sorted and categorized, scanned, digitized and stored on the CONTENTdm database for public viewing.
