Category Archives: Libraries

Gail Wadsworth in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania

Country of Service: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania
Service Type: Secondary Education, Librarian
Dates in Service: 1970-1972, 1973-1976, 1980-1982
Keywords: Education, Libraries

Accession Date: March 9, 2018
Access: No restrictions.
Collection Size: 4.0 linear feet

Document Types

Uganda
Photographs
Correspondence
Sound
Official Paperwork
Training Materials
Assignment
Articles
Travel brochures, maps, postcards

Kenya
Photographs
Correspondence
Official Paperwork
Assignment
Travel brochures, postcards

Tanzania
Photographs
Correspondence
Official Paperwork
Assignment
Travel postcards

Finding Aid

Box 1

Uganda

    1. Application Materials 
      1. Application # card 
      2. Application rcvd. Notification 
      3. Peace Corps booklet 
      4. Draft of volunteer application 
    2. Brochures & Postcards 
      1. Tourist brochures 
      2. postcards 
    3. Cassette of Gail speaking to parents 
      1. One cassette tape of Gail speaking to her parents, C. Morton and A. Jean Wadsworth.  
      2. The tape contains Gail’s first impressions of Uganda and about Peace Corps training June-Sept, 1970 in Kampala, Tororo, Lake Victoria. It also includes descriptions of photos on two rolls of film Gail took during this time and sent to her parents to be processes. Listing of photos included. 
    4. Correspondence, 1969-1971 (1/2)
      1. (These letters written by Gail to her parents, C. Morton and A. Jean Wadsworth.) 
      2. 3 letters: December 8, 1969 to January 1970 referring to Peace Corps availability date and application. 
      3. 104 letters: June 1970-Sept 1972
    5.  Correspondence, 1971-1972 (2/2)
    6. Newspaper Articles 
      1. Various articles about Uganda during this time period. 
    7. Official Paperwork 
        • Peace Corps ID card 
        • Passport 
    8. Photographs
      1. 49 photos taken during peace corps service in Uganda (many of the photos are prints of the slides included in the donation)  
    9. Post Evacuation Materials 
      1. Peace Corps Volunteers were evacuated from Uganda in Sept & Oct 1972. These items are post evacuation materials. Includes Description of Service. 
    10. School Stuff 
      1. Gail was a PCV English as a Second Language teacher at Tororo Girls’ School in Tororo, Uganda. She was also Adviser for the student publications “The Voice” (one copy included) and the literary magazine “Beyond These Gates” (2 copies included) and the students for two years – first in Form 2 (sophomores) and then in Form 3 (juniors). Class list included along with the East African certificate Exam results. 
      2. Three articles related to Tororo Girls’ School: 
        1. US 1A World Sept. 1986: Article with pictures of Gail and former Tororo Girls’ School student Annie Kakooza. Annie followed in Gail’s footsteps and became a qualified librarian. 
        2. Article with pictures of Tororo Girls’ School and students during Gail’s time teaching there. 
        3. Weatherford, Oklahoma article about former Peace Corps Volunteers Lucille and Henry Simmons who taught at Tororo Girls’ School with Gail in 1970. 

11. Slides

  1. Photos and descriptions 
  2. Box of 91 Extrachrome slides 
  3. CD-Rom of digitized versions of the slides 
  4. Printout of descriptions of the individual slides 

12.Training 

            1. Invitation to train, staging in Philadelphia, various items 
            2. Uganda Argus newspaper – May 22, 1972 – Article with photos of P.C. Training group on arrival in Uganda. Gail appears in two of the photos. 
          2. Training Materials/Newsletter 
            1. Items provided by P.C./Uganda to trainees during training in Uganda 1970. 10th Anniversary Volunteer newsletter distributed to Volunteers 1971. 
          3. Uganda Tourist Brochure Map
            1. Uganda tourist brochure map  

Kenya 

              1. Brochures, Stamps, and Postcards 
                1. Tourist brochures and stamps and postcards 
              2. Correspondence, 1973 Kenya A (1/2) 
                1. 261 letters written by Gail to her parents, C. Morton and A. Jean Wadsworth 1973-1976. Kenya A, 150 letters.
              3. Correspondence, 1974 Kenya A (2/2) 
              4. Correspondence, 1975-1976 Kenya B
                1. Kenya B, 111 letters.  
              5. Kenya Volunteers Documents
                1. Miscellaneous documents related to Peace Corps Kenya Volunteers and staff and specifically to Gail’s assignment as a librarian with the Kenya National Library services. Includes description of service.  
              6. Library Services 
                1. Miscellaneous documents regarding Kenya National Library Services, where Gail was posted as a Volunteer librarian, and Kenya Librarian Association and other libraries in Kenya. 
              7. Miscellaneous Documents 
              8. Official
                1. Passport
                2. Peace Corps Kenya ID Cards (2)
                3. Kenya Drivers License
                4. International Driving Permit
              9. Photographs 
                1. 60 photos 
              10. Slides and Photos 
                1. 70 Extrachrome Photographic Slides 
                2. CD-Rom of digital versions of the slides plus description document 
                3. Printed descriptions of the slides 

4. Tanzania 

  1. Correspondence, May-October, 1980 
    1. 129 letters from Gail to her parents, C. Morton and A. Jean Wadsworth, 1980-82. Applying for and preparing for Tanzania PCV/UNV contract. 5 letters. 
  2. Correspondence, November 1980-April 1981 (1/2) 
    1. 129 letters from Gail to her parents, C. Morton and A. Jean Wadsworth, 1980-1982. Tanzania, 11/1980 – 12/1981. 69 letters. 
  3. Correspondence, May-December, 1981 (2/2) 

Box 2

  1. Correspondence, January-June, 1982 (1/2) 
    1. 129 letters from Gail to her parents, C. Morton and A. Jean Wadsworth, 1980-1982. Tanzania, 1/1982 – 11/1982. 
  2. Correspondence, July-December, 1982 (2/2) 
  3. Photographs 
    1. 39 photos 
  4. Postcards and Stamps 
  5. Official Documents 
    1. Miscellaneous documents 
    2. WHO International Certificate of Vaccination – yellow booklet 
    3. Passport 
    4. East African Management Institute ID Card 
    5. Tanzania Driving License (2 – class A – Class D) 
  6. Documents and Brochures, Arusha 
    1. Documents and brochures related to the Easterman Southern African Management Institute, Arusha where Gail was assigned as a PCV/UNV librarian. 
  7. Slides & CD 
    1. 113 Extrachrome Photographic slides 
    2. Printout of descriptions of slides 
    3. CD-Rom digital versions of slide photos  
  8. Miscellaneous Documents, PC & UN (1/2) 
    1. Miscellaneous documents related to Peace Corps/United Nations Volunteer assignment. Includes description of service. (Chronological order). 
  9. Miscellaneous Documents,  PC & UN (2/2) 

 

Elizabeth Krakauer: Determined Peace Corps Librarian

A selection of newspaper headlines from articles detailing Elizabeth Krakauer’s work in the Peace Corps.

Elizabeth Krakauer spent her retirement as a Peace Corps volunteer in South America with the Peace Corps. Krakauer completed three two-year enlistments, for a total of six years, starting in 1975. She spent five years in Colombia and one year in El Salvador. Krakauer’s Peace Corps service was non-traditional in both length of service and focus. After retiring as head librarian at Goddard College in Vermont, Krakauer utilized her skills in library science to organize and preserve rare book collections.

For the bulk of her service, Krakauer served as a Library Science Consultant organizing a rare book collection for the University of Los Andes in Bogota, Colombia. She identified, cataloged, and gathered all rare books in the University’s library. She also made recommendations on the conservation and preservation of these books. Following this, she worked with the Colombo-American Institute (Bi-Cultural Center USICA) and the University to organize the first rare books exhibit in the country.

Krakauer’s exhibit was so successful that several libraries and agencies requested her assistance to compile a national inventory of rare books in private and public Colombian collections. Krakauer worked with a number of organizations including the Anthropological Museum, UNICEF, San Buenaventura University, Seminario Mayor de Bogota, and the University of Cauca in Popayan. She organized training programs for employees of these institutions.

With the support of the Colombo-American Institute (Bi-Cultural Center USICA), Krakauer organized a second exhibit of rare books featuring the collections of other Colombian Universities.  She joined the Colombian Library Association and worked as a library consultant. She subsequently published two catalogs about the rare book exhibits, wrote several articles, and made two videos on the preservation of rare books.

In 1976, the Secretary of Education of the Republic of El Salvador invited Krakauer to organize a National Library. She also attended the World Congress of Information Scientists in Mexico City in 1976.

Throughout her Peace Corps service, Elizabeth Krakauer helped build and preserve institutional holdings of rare books as well as assisted other Peace Corps Volunteers in constructing small libraries within their own communities.

 

For more information, please visit the Peace Corps Community Archive website. To use the collections or make a donation, please contact the AU Archives at archives [at] american.edu.

Exhibits on Display: The Peace Corps and its Volunteers

 

Alongside the annual conference of the National Peace Corps Association held in Washington, D.C. in September 2016, AU Archives and Special Collections is debuting two exhibits highlighting its Peace Corps Community Archive. One exhibit will be a physical exhibit on campus and the other online.

The Peace Corps through the Lens of its Volunteers will be on display through the end of the semester on the third floor of the Bender Library.

PCCA Exhibit Screenshot

The Peace Corps and Its Volunteers, the online companion exhibit, will go live this Friday August 26.

Both exhibits draw from the Peace Corps Community Archive and showcase the experiences of Peace Corp Volunteers through journals, letters, and photographs from the 1960s to the present.

For more information, please visit the Peace Corps Community Archive website. To use the collections or make a donation, please contact the AU Archives at archives [at] american.edu.

Albert Briggs and Anne Briggs in Malaysia

Albert Briggs
Anne Briggs

Country of Service: Malaysia
Place of Service: Penang
Service Type: Education
Dates in Service: 1964-1966
Keywords: Library, Mathematics, Penang

Accession Date: January 7, 2016
Access: No restrictions
Collection Size: 0.25 linear feet

Document Types

  • Photographs
  • Letters
  • Programs
  • Publications

Finding Aid

  1. Holiday Greetings from Al and Anne (Christmas 1964, 1965, 1966) 
    1. Christmas letters 
  2. Letters from Al to parents (Training, May 1964 and ‘Thank You’ for Anne’s parents) 
  3. Letters from Anne to Parents, Feb 23, 1964-May 6, 1964 (Training at Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL and Hilo, Hawaii) 
  4. Letters from Anne to Parents, ’64-’66 (Service; may 9, 1964-Nov 30, 1966 and Travel; Dec 9, 1966-Jan 12, 1967) 
  5. Letters from Anne to Jenny and Hans Arps (January 18, 1965-December 14, 1966) 
  6. Newsletter, “Keridek Glugor,” 1966 (Interview with Anne Briggs) 
  7. Official Letters to Al Briggs 
  8. Programme, Nov 6&7, 1965 
  9. Teaching Material, Malavia, Oct 1965 
  10. Workshops, Nov 1966 

“The PC Nepal Photo Project 1962-1975”

Many Returned Peace Corp Volunteers recognize the value in preserving their experiences. Currently, the Peace Corps Community Archive has over 50 donors, but other volunteers, like Doug and Kate Hall, have created their own related collections.

Doug and Kate served in the Peace Corps from 1968 – 1969  and were stationed in Kathmandu, Nepal. They met during their Peace Corps training and were married in 1972, after their Peace Corps service. In the last few years, they have pushed for a collective effort from Nepal’s volunteers to digitize and catalog photographs taken between the years 1962 – 1975. Titled the PC Nepal Photo Project 1962-1975, the collection currently has over 90 contributors and 12,500 photographs.

According to Doug, the project does not emphasize the Peace Corps experience, but rather focuses on life in Nepal from 1962 – 1975. Specially, the images highlight Nepali life outside the Kathmandu Valley.

While libraries and archives in Kathmandu have photos from the 1930s, these are almost exclusively from the Kathmandu Valley. Peace Corps volunteers were mostly posted in towns and villages where no Nepali had a camera. Thus, these early photos are among the first ever taken in many regions of the country.

The photograph’s being collected represent a range of Nepali life. They span regions and lifestyles, from agriculture and rural schools to coronations and urban architecture.

In addition to the online collection which uses Adobe Lightroom, Hall has created a Facebook page that highlights the images by theme. Both are fantastic resources for researchers. Hall reports that once the project is complete he will share copies with 3 national libraries and archives in Nepal.

To donate to the PC Nepal Photo Project 1962-1975 please contact Doug Hall, doughallnh [at] comcast.net.

Date: 1971 Location: Shani-Arjun, Jhapa Description: A rural scene in Parakhopi. The man is an Indian sadhu.

John Hughes submission
Date: 1971
Location: Shani-Arjun, Jhapa
Description: A rural scene in Parakhopi. The man is an Indian sadhu.

Date: 1967 Location: Gulmi Description: A wedding party. The sounds of the band echo across the valleys and can be heard for miles.

Carl Hosticka submission
Date: 1967
Location: Gulmi
Description: A wedding party. The sounds of the band echo across the valleys and can be heard for miles.

Date: 1966-07-14 Location: Majhuwa, Gulmi Description: One of a series of pictures depicting rice cultivation. The field is partially flooded and the plowing is continued.

Carl Hosticka submission
Date: 1966-07-14
Location: Majhuwa, Gulmi
Description: One of a series of pictures depicting rice cultivation.The field is partially flooded and the plowing is continued.

Date: 1964-1965 Location: Baglung, Baglung Description: Women wash themselves and clothing in the sacred waters of the Kali Gandak as part of the Dashain festival.

David Carlson submission
Date: 1964-1965
Location: Baglung, Baglung
Description: Women wash themselves and clothing in the sacred waters of the Kali Gandak as part of the Dashain festival.

Date: 1964 Location: Kathmandu, Kathmandu Description: Tibetans hand-weaving rugs.

Diane Wishinski submission
Date: 1964
Location: Kathmandu, Kathmandu
Description: Tibetans hand-weaving rugs.

7

Bill Hacker submission
Date, Location, and Description unknown

Date: 1968 Location: Baglung, Baglung Description: Women cross a crude suspension bridge across the Kali Gandaki River, near Baglung, with heavy loads of firewood.

Hank Lacy submission
Date: 1968
Location: Baglung, Baglung
Description: Women cross a crude suspension bridge across the Kali Gandaki River, near Baglung, with heavy loads of firewood.

Date: 1972 Location: Kathmandu, Kathmandu Description: Gaun Panchayat banner at a holiday event

Bob Nichols submission
Date: 1972
Location: Kathmandu, Kathmandu
Description: Gaun Panchayat banner at a holiday event

Date: 1968-04 Location: Solukhumbu Description: Girl in field. Picture may be at the Lukla airstrip. Rock fence row in the background.

Bob Nichols submission
Date: 1968-04
Location: Solukhumbu
Description: Girl in field. Picture may be at the Lukla airstrip. Rock fence row in the background.

Date: 1973 Location: Bhaktapur, Bhaktapur Description: Red peppers spread out to dry on mats in a street

Jim Coleman submission
Date: 1973
Location: Bhaktapur, Bhaktapur
Description: Red peppers spread out to dry on mats in a street

Date: 1964-01 Location: Pokhara, Kaski Description: Residents of Pokhara and nearby villages coming to the Seti Gandaki at Ram Ghat for ritual bathing during the Magh Mela. This view is from the east side looking west at the point where the Seti Gandaki emerges from a deep gorge and widens out (Ram Ghat).

Stu Ullmann submission
Date: 1964-01
Location: Pokhara, Kaski
Description: Residents of Pokhara and nearby villages coming to the Seti Gandaki at Ram Ghat for ritual bathing during the Magh Mela. This view is from the east side looking west at the point where the Seti Gandaki emerges from a deep gorge and widens out (Ram Ghat).

Date: 1978-12 Location: Sindhuli Description: Porters carrying empty kerosene cans in the riverbed of the Sun Koshi.

Mike Gill and Barbara Butterworth submission
Date: 1978-12
Location: Sindhuli
Description: Porters carrying empty kerosene cans in the riverbed of the Sun Koshi.

Date: 1969-1971 Location: Siraha Description: Group of women pressing and flattening marijuana (ganja). Ganja was the most important cash crop in the district. The price of finished ganja was 12 rupees per kilo in the local market. By the time it hit Europe, it was $120/kilo and had been cut.

Gerard Oicles submission
Date: 1969-1971
Location: Siraha
Description: Group of women pressing and flattening marijuana (ganja). Ganja was the most important cash crop in the district. The price of finished ganja was 12 rupees per kilo in the local market. By the time it hit Europe, it was $120/kilo and had been cut.

Date: 1975-02 Location: Kathmandu, Kathmandu Description: Preparations for the coronation of King Birendra.

Rick Pfau submission
Date: 1975-02
Location: Kathmandu, Kathmandu
Description: Preparations for the coronation of King Birendra.

Date: 1964-05 Location: Bhojpur, Bhojpur Description: Gold and silversmiths sell gold ear and noserings, silver wrist and anklets. Clearly, paper money was much used at this time, though notice the necklace of old Indian rupees that was still a staple of women's clothing, showing off to the community women's value.

Larry Daloz submission
Date: 1964-05
Location: Bhojpur, Bhojpur
Description: Gold and silversmiths sell gold ear and noserings, silver wrist and anklets. Clearly, paper money was much used at this time, though notice the necklace of old Indian rupees that was still a staple of women’s clothing, showing off to the community women’s value.

Peace Corps and International Relations: UGA’s Russell Library Collection

Robert J. Bielen served as a staff physician for the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic in the early 1960s.  While living abroad, Bielen and his wife witnessed the 1965 revolution and U.S. military intervention in the Dominican Republic.  Bielen recently donated his collection of personal papers and related artifacts to the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies at the University of Georgia.

The collection includes manuscripts, scrapbooks, reports, slides, photographs, articles, and newspaper clippings.  To learn more about the collection, visit http://www.libs.uga.edu/russell/index.html or contact russlib@uga.edu.