[SOA] Press Release: Lloyd Library Launches "Darwin Online"

[Anna Heran]

Please excuse cross-posting of the follow press release.  

 

Designed as a "faux" Facebook page for Darwin and his contemporaries, I
believe all will find this a fascinating and original way to participate
in the 2009 Celebration Year of Darwin's birth and the publication of On
the Origin of Species, as well as a creative way to link Lloyd's
voluminous Darwinian resources to the library's holdings of his many
colleagues, friends, and family members.

 

Please note: The Lloyd also holds a first edition, presentation copy of
Darwin's 1859 publication On the Origin of Species which has been added
to the Darwin Census, a project of the University of Cambridge's Darwin
Online.

 

Visit Lloyd's online exhibit at:
http://www.lloydlibrary.org/exhibits/darwin/index.html

 

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

Contact:               Heather Snyder, Library Assistant

                                Anna Heran, IT Specialist

                                Lloyd Library & Museum

                                513-721-3707


hsnyder at lloydlibrary.org 

                                archivist at lloydlibrary.org 

 

 

For Immediate Release-June 15, 2009

 

Darwin by Post, or "What if Darwin had a Facebook(c) Page?"

Lloyd Library and Museum Launches New On-line Exhibit

http://www.lloydlibrary.org/exhibits/darwin/index.html 

 

Lloyd Library and Museum proudly announces its contribution to the 2009
worldwide celebration of Charles Darwin's bicentennial birthday and the
sesquicentennial of the publication of his book "On the Origin of
Species," Darwin by Post, a new dynamic on-line exhibit, which is a
showcase of the Lloyd's comprehensive collection of Darwin's
publications and the multitude of books by written by his contemporaries
in natural science. It is also a tribute to the history of
correspondence, communication, and letter writing.  Designed with
modern-day on-line social networking and media sites in mind, Darwin by
Post offers a glimpse into the life of Darwin and his vast network of
friends, colleagues, and even a few adversaries.  Visitors to this
exhibit will be able to read excerpts of letters, view images of plants,
animals, landscapes, and maps, and peruse inventories of titles in the
Lloyd collection.  

 

Darwin by Post began as the brain-child of Lloyd staff member, Heather
Snyder.  A creative writer at heart, Snyder imagined the Lloyd stacks
coming to life after hours, with the authors of the many books stepping
off the shelves and spending the twilight hours conversing with one
another.  Around the same time, the Lloyd joined the social media world
by creating a Facebook(c)  page.  One thought led to another and the
question arose: "What if Darwin had a Facebook(c) page?"  Well, Darwin
is everywhere you look this year and already has several Facebook(c)
pages devoted to him.  So, "What would Darwin's Facebook(c) page look
like if it had been around in Darwin's day?" became the working question
along with "How can we feature the Lloyd's collection while celebrating
the year of Darwin in a way that hasn't already been done?"

 

Heather Snyder consulted with Anna Heran, Lloyd's IT Specialist who
designed a portal for the on-line exhibit.  Brainstorming sessions with
other staff and board member, Nik Money, professor of biology at Miami
University (Ohio) finally led to the name Darwin by Post. Darwin sent
and received letters by post; today we post comments to Facebook(c)
entries and blogs.  Darwin sat at a table with paper and pen; today we
sit in front of our computer monitors with keyboard and mouse.  The
vehicle for the correspondence may be different, but the essence of the
communication is the same. 

 

A feature of social media sites is that posts are continually made and
friends regularly added.  Darwin by Post will also operate in this
manner.  The list of Darwin's correspondents is very long, so Snyder and
Heran will continue to gather information, construct profiles, and add
them throughout the year.  Visitors will be able to check back often to
meet more and more of Darwin's friends.

 

Please join us in exploring Darwin's social network and discover the
Lloyd's historical collection of natural science resources along the
way.  And, we would love to hear from you.  Please send comments
directly to Snyder and/or Heran; or, visit Lloyd's Facebook(c) page and
tell all our friends what you think!

 

The Lloyd Library and Museum, located at 917 Plum Street, downtown
Cincinnati, is a local and regional treasure.  The library was developed
in the nineteenth century by the Lloyd brothers-John Uri, Curtis Gates,
and Nelson Ashley to provide reference sources for Lloyd Brothers
Pharmacists, Inc., one of the leading pharmaceutical companies of the
period.  Today the library is recognized worldwide by the scientific
community as a vital research center. The library holds, acquires, and
provides access to both historic and current materials on the subjects
of pharmacy, botany, horticulture, herbal and alternative medicine,
pharmacognosy, and related topics.  Although our collections have a
scientific focus, they also have relevance to humanities topics, such as
visual arts and foreign languages through resources that feature
botanical and natural history illustrations, original artworks, and
travel literature, thereby revealing the convergence of science and art.
The Lloyd is open to anyone with an interest in these topics.  Free
parking is available for patrons and visitors behind the library
building.  For more information, visit the Lloyd website at
www.lloydlibrary.org.

 

Lloyd Library and Museum

917 Plum Street

Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

513-721-3707

www.lloydlibrary.org

Open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Open the third Saturday of the month, September through May, 9:00 a.m.
to 4:00 p.m.

 

 

Bringing Science, Art, and History to Life

 

 

 

Maggie Heran, MLS, Director

Lloyd Library and Museum/

Historical Research Center for the Natural Health Movement

917 Plum Street

Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

mheran at lloydlibrary.org

Phone: 513-721-3707

Fax: 513-721-6575

www.lloydlibrary.org

 

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