UCSB Special Collections: Collections: News and Events

News and Events

Darrell Baker and Tina Arth

Darrell Baker and Tina Arth Donation

September 2008
Collector and author Darrel Baker and his wife Tina Arth gave the library a generous donation to acquire new cylinders for the library's Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project. The money will be used to purchase recordings that the library would otherwise not be able to acquire. Mr. Baker has had a long interest in early sound recordings, significantly recordings by Scottish entertainer Harry Lauder. With Larry F. Kiner he is the author of The Sir Harry Lauder discography (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1990) and the Encyclopedia of Egyptian Pharaohs: predynastic through twentieth dynasty (3200 B.C.-1085 B.C.) (London: Stacey International, 2008).

This is Baker's second major gift to the library. He also donated his collection of Harry Lauder cylinders and discs to the UCSB Libraries in 2006. The Lauder cylinders have since been digitized by the library and can be listened to online at the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project.

Advertisement, featuring Neil O'Brien's Minstrels.

Neil O’Brien Papers
August 2008
This summer, the library was pleased to receive the papers of early 20th century American blackface entertainer Neil O'Brien, leader of "Neil O'Brien's Great American Minstrels," including scripts, music, set designs, photographs, posters, programs, sheet music, and financial documents.

Collection is currently being inventoried and processed.

Siberian Jerboas from Cassell's Popular Natural History v.1(1865). Gift of Sara Miller McCune

Current Exhibit: Recent Acquisitions
July- October 2008
Special Collections recently has acquired a number of interesting printed and manuscript materials, some of which are on display in our lobby through mid October.

Bruce Bastin/Interstate Music Collection

Bruce Bastin with his record collection.

May 2008
This May, UCSB Libraries acquired a portion of folklorist Bruce Bastin's record collection, consisting of 10,000 78rpm ethnic and folk recordings from Latin America and Europe. The collection also includes recordings in popular traditions, such as Argentine tangos. Bruce Bastin started Interstate Music in the 1970s to reissue important folk, jazz, country, blues, and ethnic recordings on LP. Over the years, he issued some 850 compilations on LP and CD, featuring music from The Americas and the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Currently, the recordings are being cataloged.

For older news, please see the News Archive.