George and Mary Foster Anthropology Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids George and Mary Foster Anthropology Library |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Students protested library cuts at the Anthropology Library in 2012. | |
| Established | 1956 |
| Coordinates | 37°52′11″N 122°15′19″W / 37.869843°N 122.255285°W |
| Collection | |
| Size | 80,000 (volumes) |
| Access and use | |
| Population served | 43,000 Cal faculty, staff and students in addition to the Bay Area |
| Other information | |
| Director | Celia Emmelhainz (librarian) |
| Staff | 3 (1 librarians; 2 staff; 10+ student employees) |
The George and Mary Foster Anthropology Library is a special library at the University of California, Berkeley. It is one of only three libraries in the United States that focuses just on anthropology. The other two are at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. These libraries help students and professors learn about human cultures, history, and how people live.
Contents
History of the Library
The study of anthropology began at UC Berkeley in 1901. A small library for the anthropology department started even before 1909.
However, when Professor John Rowe came to Berkeley in 1948, there was no main anthropology library. He found it hard to find anthropology books. They were spread out in the main university library. So, Professor Rowe started a small anthropology library in a single room.
The library officially became a separate branch of the UC Berkeley libraries in 1956. It then moved to its current, larger home in Kroeber Hall in 1959. This new space had two floors just for anthropology books.
Why the Library Was Renamed
In 1997, the UC Berkeley anthropology library was renamed. It was named after two important Berkeley anthropologists, George and Mary Foster. This honored their contributions to the field of anthropology.
Student Protest at the Library in 2012
In 2012, the university planned to cut hours at special libraries. This included the Anthropology Library. A student group called Occupy Cal decided to protest these changes.
They held a "study-in" at the Anthropology Library. This meant they stayed inside the library for three days and two nights. They wanted the university to know how important the library was to them.
The students explained their reasons for the protest. They said the library's hours were already short and were being cut even more. They also asked the university to hire another full-time librarian. They felt it was unfair to cut library access while increasing salaries for some university leaders.
What You Can Find in the Library
As of 2009, the Anthropology Library has over 80,000 books and bound journals. This is a very large collection. It is similar in size to Harvard's Tozzer Anthropology Library.
The Foster Library collects books about the four main areas of anthropology. These areas are:
- Cultural anthropology (studying human societies and cultures)
- Biological anthropology (studying human evolution and biology)
- Linguistic anthropology (studying language and its role in society)
- Archaeology (studying human history through digging up old sites)
The library has a special focus on California and Latin American populations.
Librarians Who Have Worked Here
Librarians help people find information and use the library's resources. In 1998, a generous donor created a special position. It is called the John H. Rowe Librarian position.
Here are some of the librarians who have worked at the Anthropology Library:
- Alfred L. Kroeber
- Pliny Earle Goddard (until 1909)
- John Howland Rowe (in the 1950s)
- Dorothy A. Koenig (1972-1994)
- Suzanne Calpestri (1994-2008)
- Kathleen Gallagher (2008-2012)
- Susan Edwards (2013-2015)
- Celia Emmelhainz (2015-present)
Other Important Anthropology Libraries
There are three main anthropology libraries at research universities in the United States.
Foster Anthropology Library (UC Berkeley)
The Foster Anthropology Library at UC Berkeley focuses on anthropology and archaeology. It has a special interest in California and the first cultures of the Americas. It is located close to the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UC Berkeley.
Tozzer Library (Harvard University)
The Tozzer Library at Harvard University also collects books on anthropology and archaeology. Its main focus is on Mesoamerican archaeology and the native peoples of the Americas. This library includes the personal book collections of several famous researchers. It also subscribes to 2,000 journals. It works closely with the Peabody Museum at Harvard.
University Museum Library (University of Pennsylvania)
The University Museum Library at the University of Pennsylvania is connected to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. It collects materials on anthropology, archaeology, and related subjects. These include folklore, linguistics, museology (the study of museums), museum conservation, and ethnographic art.
