Brodsky endowment to support library conservation education at Syracuse University

Brodsky endowment to support library conservation education at Syracuse UniversityFebruary 07, 2005Edward Byrnesedbyrnes@syr.edu

Syracuse University has received a generous gift from William J. (’65, G’68) and Joan (’67, G’68) Brodsky, which has made possible the new Brodsky Endowment for the Advancement of Library Conservation. Beginning in spring 2005, the endowment will be used to promote and advance the knowledge of library conservation theory, practice and application. Programs designed for on-campus and regional participants will include lectures and workshops by prominent library conservators.

The idea for an endowed lecture and workshop series on library conservation appealed to Joan Brodsky, who has strong interests in the traditional art of book production and works as a volunteer in conservation facilities, including the Newberry Library and the Spertus Museum in Chicago. Joan also serves on the board of visitors for SU’s School of Information Studies, from which she earned a master’s degree in library science.

“Bill and I are delighted to establish a program that promotes the understanding and importance of book and paper conservation. We hope and expect this initiative will fill a void that currently exists in this field. We are excited that our gift will both enhance learning within the university community and also showcase our library and its expertise in the art of conservation,” says Joan.

The educational programming sponsored by the endowment will be organized by Peter Verheyen, SU’s Preservation and Digital Access Librarian and an internationally known and award-winning conservator, craft binder and book artist.

Verheyen, who directs the conservation lab at the Special Collections Research Center at SU Library, says “The Brodskys’ gift will enable us to offer high-quality theoretical and practical learning opportunities in library conservation that will appeal not only to students and faculty from the School of Information Studies, but also from the College of Visual and Performing Arts, which offers a graduate degree in Museum Studies and courses related to the arts of the book. It will also contribute significantly to regional educational needs and bring prominence to SU nationally.”

Endowment-sponsored events will complement the internship, independent study and class presentations currently offered by the SU conservation lab, which have already led some students to pursue library conservation as a career.

The Brodskys have both been named members of the Chancellor’s Council in recognition of their support of many advancement initiatives at SU, including renovation of the Hall of Languages, construction of the Schine Student Center, and the Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics in the Maxwell School. More recently, they have contributed to the Eleanore and Marcus I. Breier Digital Learning Center at the School of Information Studies (in honor of Joan’s parents) and the Winnick Hillel Center for Jewish Life. Bill Brodsky, chair and CEO of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, was a University trustee from 1987 until his promotion to emeritus status in 2003. He has served on the board of visitors of the SU College of Law since 1995. All three of the Brodskys’ children-Michael, Stephen, and Jonathan-received undergraduate degrees from SU in the 1990s.

John Dean, preservation and conservation librarian at Cornell University, will inaugurate the series on April 1, 2005, with a lecture (location and time to be announced at a later date) on the role and development of conservation and preservation programs in research libraries. After emigrating from Great Britain in 1969, Dean managed the preservation program at the Newberry Library. In 1975, he established the apprentice training and conservation program at the Johns Hopkins University; and ten years later established the Department of Preservation and Conservation at Cornell. Widely recognized as one of the major proponents of preservation programs in academic libraries, Dean was the 2003 recipient of the American Library Association’s prestigious Paul Banks and

Carolyn Harris Preservation Award. He is increasingly in demand internationally as a conservation consultant.