Howard-Tilton Memorial Library celebrates twin milestones
As the city of New Orleans celebrates its tricentennial, Tulane University marks the 80th anniversary of the union of the Howard, Tilton, and Newcomb libraries, which created the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library. It is also the 50th anniversary of the current Howard-Tilton Memorial Library building located at 7001 Freret St.
To commemorate these anniversaries, a series of exhibits and events are planned throughout the year.
In January, the library sponsored “Binding Wounds, Pushing Boundaries,” a traveling exhibition from the National Library of Medicine that focuses on African-Americans in medicine during the Civil War. In March,Tulane alumna Liz Skilton presented “Tracking Moving Targets: Hurricanes, Libraries, and the Crescent City” in coordination with the Tulane School of Liberal Arts’ Department of History.
“Many Tulanians studied in the library, but many students also held jobs here, socialized here, and even met their future spouses in the library.”
David Banush, dean of libraries and academic information resources
This week, the “Cook Dat!” exhibit, which celebrates the unique relationship of New Orleans to its rich culinary history and draws on the holdings in the Library’s special collections, opens in Jones Hall. Liz Williams, founder of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, will be the featured speaker at a reception on May 14, where food items prepared from historic recipes will be served. Additional celebrations are planned for the fall.
“One ongoing project is to collect memories and stories from Tulane alumni, staff and faculty about the library, said David Banush, dean of libraries and academic information resources.
Banush said the library is meaningful in part because of how it has the potential to have an impact on a student’s life.
“Many Tulanians studied in the library, but many students also held jobs here, socialized here, and even met their future spouses in the library,” said Banush. “We want to hear from people about these and other experiences.”
Current students, faculty, staff and alumni are welcome to share their memories for use in a future project. Visit the library’s website regularly for updates on future events.
