Special Collections and Archives Archives

Special Collections & Archives James J. Periconi Research Fellowship

In late 2021, James J. Periconi donated his collection of Italian-language American imprints to Queens College Special Collections and Archives. Lovingly curated over multiple decades, the collection consists of over 500 items that provide unique insight into what Italian immigrants to the United States were reading, writing, and thinking about at the end of the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries.

After a successful first year, the Queens College Library, in collaboration with the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute and generously supported by James J. Periconi, is again offering a research fellowship program that will defray costs for a scholar to conduct research with the collection over a period of two to four weeks. Read about last year’s fellows and their fascinating research in this collection.

Il Martello [The Hammer], Vol. VIII, No. 14. New York: Casa Ed. “Il Martello,” 27 Aprile [April] 1922

The collection can be browsed through the CUNY OneSearch catalog or on a curated website that includes images and essays. Research fellowship applications are due by June 15, 2024. This program is generously funded by James J. Periconi. Details are posted below.

Research Fellowship details and logistics

Details and Requirements:

Scholars receive a stipend of between $2500-$4500 to defray travel costs, depending on budget and length of stay. The stipend is provided once the scholar is in-residence.
Scholars are expected to be in residence for two to four weeks, between September 1, 2024, and September 1, 2025. Dates must be arranged with Special Collections and Archives well in advance.
All research will take place at the Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library Building, Queens College, City University of New York, during normal business hours.
During the summer months only, on-campus housing may be possible just steps from the library. Detailed information upon request.
Scholars at all stages of their careers from the U.S. or abroad may apply. Accepted applicants from outside the U.S. are required to obtain a J-1 visa.
Fellows will have opportunities to interact with the Calandra Institute and associated scholars at The City University of New York, as well as James J. Periconi.
Fellows are expected to share their research in-progress through a discussion hosted by the Calandra Institute.

Three World War I Patriotic (Anti-German Militarism) Italian-American Chromolithographs. New York: Italian Book Co., 1918

Application details

Applications for the 2024-2025 fellowship are due by June 15, 2024.

Applications must include:

A brief biographical statement of not more than 350 words
An overview of the proposed project, and how access to the Periconi Collection will aid the research process (3 pages maximum)
A current resume or CV.
One letter of reference.
One-page budget and proposed length of research visit (between 2-4 weeks)

Submit applications with Subject Line “Research Fellowship Application to” qc.archives@qc.cuny.edu by the end-of-day on June 15, 2024. Applications will be judged by a committee of reviewers.

Processing the Helen Marshall Papers: A Q/A with the Archivist

Did you know that Queens College Special Collections and Archives is home to the Helen Marshall Papers? Donated to the Library by Donald E. Marshall in 2017, the collection is comprised of 40 boxes of papers, photographs, and memorabilia documenting Marshall’s celebrated career in politics.

Marshall (1929 – 2017) was the second woman and first African American Borough President of Queens, elected to three four-year terms starting in 2001. Earlier, she served on the New York City Council for ten years in the 1990s and in the New York State Assembly for eight years in the 1980s. She was the first director of the Langston Hughes Library in Corona, Queens, when it was founded in 1969. Marshall was the daughter of Guyanese immigrants, growing up in Harlem and the Bronx and obtaining her BA in education from Queens College.

Photo and letter from the Helen Marshall Papers

Thanks to a $12,000 grant from the New York State Archives Documentary Heritage Program, Gianna Fraccalvieri, a graduate student in the Library and Information Studies Program, was recently hired as the Project Archivist to process the collection. In celebration of Black History Month, we sat down with Gianna to discuss the Helen Marshall project as it gets underway.

Q: Gianna, you are near to completing your graduate degree in Library and Information Studies with a Certificate in Archives. What got you interested in this field?

Gianna: I’ve always enjoyed the process of conducting historical research as a student, and working in libraries taught me that I enjoy helping others do the same. I learned about archiving as a career field through the MLS/MA dual degree program and became intrigued by the many different roles that archivists can play in facilitating exciting research experiences.

A conference program from the Helen Marshall Papers.

Q: Now that you have had a chance to survey the collection, what have you learned about Helen Marshall so far?

Gianna: Throughout her political career, Helen Marshall advocated for the rights and needs of Queens communities concerning a variety of social justice causes, including racial equity, women’s issues, public health and housing, improving higher education at CUNY, and much more. She was a leader on multiple fronts, often championing local initiatives in government by closely participating with community groups and organizations.

Q: Any gems in the collection that stood out to you?

Gianna: There are quite a few lovely portraits of Marshall in this collection, documenting the arc of her journey from early childhood to late adulthood. Photographs of Marshall with family and friends, community members, and other well-known politicians help to visually convey her dynamic influence through the years.

Q: What do you anticipate being a particular challenge to processing this collection?

Gianna arranging materials from the Helen Marshall Papers.

Gianna: Arranging this collection in a way that makes it as accessible as possible to researchers is one of my top priorities, but I must also consider practical limitations such as the large quantity of materials and the timeframe of the project. Processing this collection will require me to maintain a healthy balance between detail-oriented and big-picture thinking.

Q: How do you anticipate this collection being used by teachers or researchers in the future?

Gianna: Broadly, this collection has a high research value for scholars interested in investigating the social and political histories of New York State, New York City, and the borough of Queens between the 1980s and 2010s. Additionally, the mix of professional and personal materials in this collection provides excellent opportunities to study Marshall as a historical figure in her own right, especially regarding her position as a first-generation African American woman in politics.

Gianna will be preserving, arranging, and cataloging the collection this spring. The project will culminate this June with the publication of an archival finding aid that will make the collection open for research. Stay tuned!

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James J. Periconi Collection Research Fellows

This month, in collaboration with the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, the Library’s Special Collections and Archives welcomes two visiting fellows who will be conducting research with the James J. Periconi Collection of Italian-Language American Imprints.

To meet the Fellows and learn about their research, please register for the luncheon on November 14.

2023 Inaugural Fellows

Lindsey Kingston

Lindsey N. Kingston is an Associate Professor of International Human Rights at Webster University in Saint Louis, Missouri. She directs the Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies, which includes overseeing the undergraduate program in International Human Rights. Kingston edited Human Rights in Higher Education: Institutional, Classroom, and Community Approaches to Teaching Social Justice (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018) and Statelessness, Governance, and the Problem of Citizenship (Manchester University Press, 2021). She also authored the monograph Fully Human: Personhood, Citizenship, and Rights (Oxford University Press, 2019), which won the International Studies Association’s 2020 Human Rights Best Book Award. She is an Italian-American dual national with advanced Italian language proficiency.

Carmen Petruzzi is a postgraduate research fellow at the Department of Humanistic Studies at the University of Foggia. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Modern Literature, a Master’s degree in Modern Philology, and another in Science of Education. In 2022, she passed the national competitive examination as a teacher of Italian and History at High School. She obtained her PhD in April 2019 at the University of Florence and immediately afterward she perfected her knowledge of qualitative and quantitative methods in a one-year internship in New York between the summer of 2019 and the summer of 2020. She currently collaborates with Antonella Cagnolati, Full Professor of History of Education and Comparative Education at the University of Foggia. She has always been interested in migration with a specific focus on the effects on children’s life histories and projects. Since 2020 she has been working on the reconstruction of educational processes within the broader topic of the history of Italian emigration. Her research investigation intends to illuminate the lesser-known path of autonomy and independence achieved between the late 19th and early 20th century, particularly by the second generations who filled the educational gap between the parent’s generation and long-standing American residents.

To learn more about the collection, you can browse titles in the CUNY OneSearch catalog or explore a curated website that includes images and essays.

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Meet BlackMass Publishing at the Library!

On Black Solidarity Day, meet BlackMass Publishing and celebrate the Library’s acquisition of the BlackMass Collection.

When: November 6, 2023
- 5:00-5:30pm: Open House / Browse the Collection
- 5:30-6:30pm: Talk and Q/A with Yusuf Hassan and Kwamé Sorrell of BlackMass Publishing
Where: Rosenthal Library, Tanenbaum Room 300i
Light refreshments will be served.

BlackMass Publishing is an independent press promoting and publishing material by Black Artists founded by Yusuf Hassan in 2019. Combining archival photographs and found print material with poetry and jazz music, BlackMass grapples with the blurred lines and idiosyncrasies which make up the collective improvisation of African diasporic culture.

Photo Credit, Portrait of BlackMass: Ari Marcopoulos

Queens College Special Collections and Archives recently acquired a curated box of over 60 zines from BlackMass Publishing that explore politics, jazz, religion, architecture and other themes.

Sponsored by: Queens College Library Special Collections and Archives, the Queens College MFA Program, and Queens College Africana Studies, with the generous support of the Pine Tree Foundation of New York. Photo of collection by Annie Tummino.

For more info or to make an appointment to view the BlackMass collection, please contact qc.archives@qc.cuny.edu.

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Reveal Digital Student Activism Collection

Special Collections and Archives (SCA) is pleased to announce that Queens College is now represented in the Reveal Digital Student Activism Collection. The completed collection will contain approximately 75,000 pages drawn from repositories around the country. The collection captures the voices of students across the great range of protest, political actions, and equal-rights advocacy from the 20th and early 21st century United States. 

Queens College Library was selected to participate in this project based on the richness of its student activism materials. SCA carefully collated and packed approximately 600 items and sent them off to Reveal Digital to be scanned and cataloged. The Queens College collection includes student publications created by Black and Latinx students, as well as papers from the collections of alumni Mark Levy, Harvey Silver, Elliot Linzer, Michael Wenger, Andrew Berman, and Phyllis Padow-Sederbaum, and faculty members Michael Wreszin and Oscar Shaftel. Issues such as academic and student freedom, civil rights, high school organizing, and the anti-war movement are well represented.

Oscar Shaftel Papers (SCA-0052), Box 1, Folder 9, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.35516329

The mission of Reveal Digital is to develop Open Access primary source collections from under-represented 20th-century voices of dissent, crowdfunded by libraries. Collections are made available through JSTOR, a database that provides access to more than 12 million journal articles, books, images, and primary sources. 

To learn more about Queens College Special Collections and Archives, book a research appointment, or inquire about instruction sessions, please email QC.archives@qc.cuny.edu.

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Treasures from Special Collections and Archives: Alexander Kouguell Collection

By Pamela Padilla

The Alexander Kouguell Collection follows the life and career of Professor Emeritus Alexander Kouguell (1920-2022), whose nearly 70-year tenure and career are documented in a newly processed collection at the Queens College Special Collections and Archives.

Headshot of Alexander Kouguell with his cello (Box 9)

Alexander Kouguell was born in Crimea on March 27^th, 1920 to parents Arkadie and Marie Kouguell (nee Malinskya). Both his parents had been child piano prodigies, and met at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory whilst studying music. His father’s career as a composer, as well as worsening political conditions, had prompted a brief move to Constantinople (now Istanbul), Turkey, and later Beirut, Lebanon where the family remained for nearly 25 years.

Alexander Kouguell received a diploma from the Ecole Normale De Musique de Paris in cello in 1938, his bachelors and master’s degrees from the American University in Beirut in 1941 and 1943 respectively, and enrolled at Columbia University for a PhD in Comparative Literature in 1944. In this time, he continued his career in music, which led his first position as a professor of cello at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore.

Uncertainty regarding his continued funding would bring him back to New York, where he met musician Leo Kraft. Kraft recommended he apply for a position at the newly minted Music Department at Queens College. He became a professor at the Queens College Department of Music, later renamed the Aaron Copland School of Music, when the area surrounding Queens was still farmland—a far cry from the metropolitan borough it is today. His family followed him soon after in 1956, with the collection even including his parents’ naturalization papers.

Kouguell’s career afforded him the opportunities to play nationwide and internationally with groups such as the New York Chamber Soloists, the Musica Aeterna Orchestra, and the Silvermine Quartet. Hotel brochures, concert programs, and even audio recordings of concerts are available upon request in his collection. True to the deep respect he commanded in the community, the collection holds many music manuscripts of pieces that were dedicated to Alexander.

*Leo Kraft piece dedicated to him (top); Kouguell in an orchestra playing (Box 6) (bottom)*

Although his career and Queens College papers are a testament to his cultural impact, what makes Kouguell’s collection exceptionally special are his personal papers which outline not only his life but also the connections that made him a valued member of the Queens College community. Exchanges with his impressive mentors in France can be found in the same subseries as their obituaries, denoting the passage of time and the impact his mentors had on him.

His eclectic collection includes photographs of his honeymoon, an audio recording of him gently guiding his oldest son’s piano lesson, a brief biography of his parents, and photographs that show the steady progression of his family from the 1940’s through the present. All of the notes that color a person’s life is existent in his collection. The heart of the Kouguell collection lies in the remembrance that the measure of a person’s life is traced through their legacy, but their impact can be felt in the treasures they leave behind.

The Alexander Kouguell Papers are now open for research. To make an appointment to view the collection, please contact the archives at qc.archives@qc.cuny.edu.

Pamela Padilla served as the Shirley Klein Rare Books and Manuscripts Graduate Fellow over the 2022/2023 academic year. Her Fellowship was funded through the generosity of Shirley Klein.

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Women’s History Month in the Archives: Lucille Kyvallos Collection and Exhibit

The library is pleased to announce that the papers of Queens College basketball legend Lucille Kyvallos are processed and available for research. Transferred to Special Collections and Archives last summer, the collection includes administrative, coaching, and teaching records; awards, photographs, and publications; and other materials that shine a light on the history of women’s college basketball from the late 1960s through the early 1980s.

*Madison Square Garden, Queens College vs Immaculata College Poster, 1973. Photo credit Richard Lee*

Select items from the collection are on display in a library exhibit, Leaving it All on the Court: Queens College’s Lucille Kyvallos and her Iconic Legacy. Stop by Rosenthal to see photographs, trophies, awards, and primary documents from this extensive and multilayered collection. The exhibit opened March 1st in celebration of Women’s History Month but will remain on display through December of this year. The exhibit is located in the display cases in the Charles J. Tanenbaum room and adjacent lounge area on the 3rd floor.

Lucille Kyvallos is a trailblazer of women’s basketball in collegiate sports. She was the head coach of the women’s basketball team at Queens College from 1968 through 1981, holding an overall record of 239-77. Kyvallos helped bring her team and the sport to the national stage: she coached the first women’s college basketball game played at Madison Square Garden in 1975 and led the 1977 US National Women’s Basketball Team at the World University Games to a silver medal, among other accomplishments. During her tenure, she worked tirelessly to promote women’s college basketball and bring it to a wider audience.

Sarah Barlow-Ochshorn, a graduate Fellow from the Graduate School of Library and Information Studies (GSLIS), processed the collection and curated the exhibit, thanks to generous funding from Lucille Kyvallos and the Department of Recreation and Athletics.

*United States National Women’s Basketball, World University Games Team 1977*

*Lucille Kyvallos playing for St. Demetrios, circa 1950s*

“Getting to learn about Lucille and her impact on women’s collegiate basketball has been a joy. The materials in her collection reveal the perseverance, resilience, and teamwork that led to the success of the QC women’s basketball team in an era when women’s sports lacked adequate support and resources,” said Sarah.

Interested in learning more about Lucille Kyvallos and her collection?

Access the finding aid for the Lucille Kyvallos Athletics Records and Papers now! To book a research appointment, please email qc.archives@qc.cuny.edu.

View an oral history with Lucille Kyvallos, or download the transcript, on the Queens Memory portal.

Special Collections & Archives Launches Research Fellowship

Thanks to library cataloger Ronnie Gomez, the Periconi collection is now fully cataloged and open for research. What’s more, the Queens College Library, in collaboration with the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, has launched a research fellowship program that will defray costs for a scholar to conduct research with the collection over a period of two to four weeks.

The collection can be browsed through the CUNY OneSearch catalog or on a curated website that includes images and essays. Research fellowship applications are due by May 3, 2023 (extended from April 2). This program is generously funded by James J. Periconi. Details are posted below.

Il Martello [The Hammer], Anno III & IV. New York: Casa Ed. “Il Martello,” 19 issues: Incomplete Anno III, IV- 1918, 1919

Research Fellowship details and logistics

Scholars receive a stipend of between $2500-$4500 to defray travel costs, depending on budget and length of stay. The stipend is provided once the scholar is in-residence.

Scholars are expected to be in residence for a period of two to four weeks between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. Dates must be arranged with Special Collections and Archives well in advance.

All research will take place at the Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library Building, Queens College, City University of New York, during normal business hours.

During the summer months, on-campus housing may be possible just steps from the library. Detailed information upon request.

Scholars at all stages of their careers from the U.S. or abroad may apply. Accepted applicants from outside the U.S. are required to obtain a J-1 visa.

Fellows will have opportunities to interact with the Calandra Institute and associated scholars at The City University of New York, as well as James J. Periconi.

Fellows are expected to share their research in-progress through a virtual discussion hosted by the Calandra Institute within six months of their visit.

Applications for the 2023-2024 fellowship are due by May 2, 2023 (extended from April 2).

Applications must include:

A brief biographical statement of not more than 350 words
An overview of the proposed project, and how access to the Periconi Collection will aid the research process (3 pages maximum)
A current resume or CV
One letter of reference
One-page budget and proposed length of research visit (between 2-4 weeks)

Submit applications with Subject Line “Research Fellowship Application to” qc.archives@qc.cuny.edu by end-of-day on May 3, 2023. Applications will be judged by a committee of reviewers.

Queens College Library begins cataloguing the Harry J. Psomiades Greek Studies Library collection

Librarian Carlo Minchillo and — *Librarian Carlo Minchillo picks up the first batch of books from Director Gerasimus Katsan for processing.*

The Queens College Greek Center for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies have joined efforts with the Queens College Library in an exciting cataloguing project that will make their collection of Byzantine and Modern Greek literature explorable throughout the CUNY library system. Since the Center’s founding in 1974, their Harry J. Psomiades Greek Studies Library has been building an extensive collection of books, journals, and scholarly publications that supports their academic initiatives as well as the country’s largest Greek community right here in Queens. After receiving a generous donation from an anonymous donor, the project was able to begin this spring semester.

It seems almost serendipitous that the cataloguing of these valuable items began just in time for March’s Greek-American History month. Director Gerasimus Katsan and Assistant Director Maria Athanasopoulou, who are overseeing the project, also manage the operations of the Greek Center and are committed to preserving and promoting the history of Greek language and culture. And as the liaison and subject specialist for the Greek Center, Librarian Carlo Minchillo understands the intrinsic value of the collection as a vital educational resource for academic research.

*Assistant Neophytos Ioannou and Gerasimus Katsan helping pack books for processing.*

With approximately 6,000 items to catalog, there are many moving parts and details for such a unique project that require special attention. Cataloguer Ronnie Gomez and his assistant Miguel Nunez will head the book processing part of the project. With half the collection in Greek and half in English, Ronnie and his team must be precise when creating the cataloguing records for these various items. After proposing the initiative in 2022, Carlo now oversees the coordination, logistics, and communication of the project. And finally, the assistant to the Greek Center, Neophytos Ioannou, was hired to help support the Greek Center and transport materials back and forth from the Center and the Library.

Queens College Library Call Numbers

There are also files, special documents, and items that require assessment for permanent retention. This special skillset is best left to the expertise of the Head of Special Collections, Annie Tummino, and Archives Specialist, Caitlin Colban-Waldron, at Queens College Library. So when the Center identified materials in their collection that might meet the criteria for retention, Caitlin visited to determine if they hold historic value of interest to future researchers.

Caitlin Waldron — *Caitlin Colban-Waldron visits the Greek Center to assess materials for possible retention.*

The book processing is underway and there are items from the Greek Center Library that are now searchable through the library catalog! The location is listed as Byzantine & Modern Greek Studies (Jefferson Hall 302) and requests can be submitted by using your CUNY credentials. For research assistance, reach out to subject specialist, Carlo Minchillo, or visit the Reference Search office in room 344 on the main floor of the Queens College Library.

Treasures from Special Collections & Archives: Black History Month Edition

In Celebration of Black History Month, this month we share an item from our digital shelves: an oral history with Nathaniel Smith.

Nathaniel Smith is Director of NYC Men Teach at Queens College, CUNY. The interview was conducted by former staff member Obden Mondésir over Zoom in two parts, in November and December 2020. In the interview, Smith talks about his early childhood, family, and education throughout his life. He also touches on Hurricane Katrina, the organization of the BLFSA (the Black & Latinx Faculty & Staff Association) at Queens College, and the lockdown at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this clip, Smith discusses the work of the BLFSA on campus after the murder of George Floyd:

You can watch the full interview on the Queens Memory Aviary portal. You can read the full BLFSA 2020 statement and call to action here.

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