The McCain Library and Archives is the chief reserve library for The
University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...
. It houses the items in Southern Mississippi's possession that are not available for checkout. Besides being the archives, the building also houses the office of the President Emeritus, and the universities audio visual department. The Archives also house the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection, one of the largest collections of children's literature in the world.
De Grummond Children's Literature Collection
The de Grummond Children's Literature Collection is part of the McCain Library and Archives on the
Hattiesburg
Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 45,989 at the 2010 census, with the populat ...
campus of
The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...
. It is one of North America's leading research centers in the field of
children's literature
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
. The focus is on American and British children's literature, historical as well as contemporary.
The collection is named for Dr. Lena Y. de Grummond, who founded it in 1966. She was a professor in the field of library science (specializing in children's literature) at The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, who assembled materials sent by contributors from around the world. More than 1200 artists, illustrators, and collectors have generously donated published books and original materials.
Dr. De Grummond, contacted the Reys in 1966 about the university's new children's literature collection.
H.A. and
Margret made a donation of a pair of sketches at the time. In 1996, after Margret's death, it was revealed in her will that the entire literary estate of the Reys was to be donated to the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection at The University of Southern Mississippi.
One major acquisition was papers of
Ezra Jack Keats
Ezra Jack Keats (né Jacob Ezra Katz; March 11, 1916 – May 6, 1983) was an American people, American writer and illustrator of children's books. He won the 1963 Caldecott Medal for illustrating ''The Snowy Day'', which he also wrote. Keats wr ...
, 165 boxes processed in 1998, the only Keats archive.
[ It includes artwork, dummies, manuscripts, typescripts and proofs for 37 books written or illustrated by Keats; personal, professional and fan correspondence; photographs and childhood memorabilia.]["Ezra Jack Keats: A Virtual Exhibit"]
. de Grummond Children's Literature Collection. University of Southern Mississippi.
(finding aid revised November 2010). de Grummond Collection. USM. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
Curious George collection
The McCain building is home to the world's largest collection of Curious George
Curious George is a fictional monkey who is the title character of a series of popular children's picture books written by Margret and H. A. Rey. Various media, including films and TV shows, have been based upon the original book series.
Geor ...
writings and artifacts. Many of the original artworks for Curious George are housed in the McCain Library and Archives. The author of Curious George even created a special drawing as a gift to the university upon giving their collection to the university that depicts George carrying all of his books, while walking past an old time sign that directs to Hattiesburg.Untitled Document
A copy of this drawing can be viewed in the Curious George section of Barnes and Noble in the
Thad Cochran Center.
See also
References
External links
McCain Library & ArchivesContributor List & Finding Aid Index de Grummond Children's Literature Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mccain Library And Archives
University of Southern Mississippi campus
Libraries in Mississippi
University and college academic libraries in the United States
Children's literature organizations
1966 establishments in Mississippi
British children's literature
American children's literature