MLA GNY Chapter meeting minutes
10/21/03: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
20 members attended.
Have received dues for 2003/04 from 27 members.
As of 9/30/03 $2,304.37 in chapter account.
It was decided that the chapter will be holding a meeting in Washington at the scheduled time.
Our meeting consisted of three presentations. Our first began at 9:30 with a ½ hour presentation by Diana Lachatanere curator of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Division. Schomburg owns 50 music collections mostly of composers and lyricists. They recently acquired the Nat King Cole Collection. Other musicians and collections of note include: Lena Horne, Florence Mills, Clarence Cameron-White, Alberta Hunter, Morris & Martin Publishing House collection of sheet music.
Mary Yearwood, curator of the Photographs and Prints Division, discussed its collection which consists of photographs of people of African descent, photographs by Black photographers, studio portraits, candids, African-Americans in European classical music, large collection of theatre, opera, & movie stills.
James Briggs Murray, curator of the Moving Image and Recorded Sound division, showed us some marvelous footage of the historical CBS Television broadcast of some Columbia Records jazz recordings done in the 1950's. This division is also known for its oral history project that it has conducted with major jazz musicians.
