Hannon Library’s Special Collections recently received the gift of a Bausch and Lomb “balopticon” slide projector (sometimes called a stereopticon or “magic lantern”) which had belonged to John Herbert Doran, the first manager of Lithia Park Auto Camp. Stereopticon shows were a form of popular entertainment before the advent of moving pictures. The gift also includes three sets of glass slides.
Ashland’s free Lithia Park Auto Camp, which opened in 1915, accommodated a considerable number of visitors, catering to the growing Southern Oregon tourist trade. According to The American Motorist, the journal of the newly organized AA A, the Lithia Park Auto Camp was an “Auto Camp Delux, with electricity, gas cooking plates, and hundreds of lights strung in trees.”
Realizing that he could put on evening programs in the camp, Doran purchased a stereopticon and showed colored slides of Southern Oregon sights including Ashland, surrounding areas, Crater Lake, Oregon Caves, and flowers. He also had a show about the Oberammergau Passion Play and created a lecture entitled “Man in the Making,” which related to evolution. These slide shows were shown from 1917 until 1924 when the Dorans moved to California.
Doran’s slide presentations in the Lithia Park Auto Camp became a popular evening entertainment, particularly during evenings when there was not a Chautauqua program. Ashland was a Chautauqua town. The Chautauqua movement began in Ashland in 1893 and faded away in the 1920s. With a goal of furthering moral and intellectual culture, Ashland Chautauqua programs consisted of concerts, classes, prayer meetings, and lectures, including a packed address by William Jennings Bryant in 1897.
The stereopticon and slides remained in the Doran family until July 12, 2018 when it was generously presented to Hannon Library by Cynthia Doran, Herbert Doran’s granddaughter-in-law.
Special Collections staff look forward to displaying the Doran stereopticon and slides in the future within the library and in conjunction with regional commemorations. Plans are underway to restore the Doran stereopticon to working order.
Blind Date with a Book
Library NewsIt’s Valentine’s Day, and to show a token of our appreciation to our lovely patrons, Hannon Library is bringing back Blind Date with a Book!
Stop by the library today, and visit the designated Blind Date table located in the main lobby on the first floor. Choose a book from the display—any book! It is free and yours to keep. Your date might be well-read, scholarly, or even whimsical, but there’s only one way to find out. Supplies are limited, so hurry in and grab your new read before they’re all gone.
Blind Date books are donated by library faculty and staff.
If you need disability accommodations to participate in this event, please contact Disability Resources at (541) 552-6213 or dss@sou.edu. For more information, contact Hannon Library Administration at libraryevents@sou.eduor (541) 552-6816.
Overcome Your Overwhelm at Long Night Against Procrastination
Library NewsDo you find yourself feeling stressed as due dates and deadlines creep ever closer? Fortunately, Hannon Library can help you make headway on your to-do lists and overcome your overwhelm. That’s right; the Long Night Against Procrastination returns!
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
8 pm to 12 am
Hannon Library, First Floor
Winter Features
At this term’s LNAP event, you can expect:
If you would like more information about the Long Night Against Procrastination, email Hannon Library at libraryevents@sou.edu. If you need disability accommodations to participate in this event, please contact Disability Resources at (541) 552-6213 or dss@sou.edu.
FHL Speaker Series: Literary Activism
Library NewsJoin the Friends of Hannon Library and author Midge Raymond for a discussion about literary activism and how writers can change the world for animals and the planet:
February 14, 2019
4 pm
Meese Room, Hannon Library (SOU Campus)
Raymond is the author of the novel My Last Continent and the award-winning short-story collection Forgetting English. Her writing has appeared in TriQuarterly, American Literary Review, Bellevue Literary Review, the Los Angeles Times magazine, and many other publications. Midge has taught writing at Boston University, Grub Street Writers, Seattle’s Richard Hugo House, and San Diego Writers, Ink. She has also published two books for writers, Everyday Writing and Everyday Book Marketing, and is a co-founder of the boutique environmental publisher Ashland Creek Press.
As part of the Friends of Hannon Library Speaker Series, this event is free and open to the public. Attendees can get free campus parking for this event by visiting any campus parking meter and using this code: FHL1902
If you need disability accommodations to participate in this event, please contact Disability Resources at (541) 552-6213 or dss@sou.edu. For more information, contact Hannon Library Administration at libraryevents@sou.eduor (541) 552-6816.
22nd Annual William Stafford Poetry Celebration
Library NewsJoin the Friends of Hannon Library for their 22nd Annual William Stafford Poetry Celebration:
January 10, 2019
7 pm–9 pm
Meese Room, Hannon Library (SOU Campus)
Featured poets will present readings, followed by an open mic session where audience members are invited to read a William Stafford poem of their choice. This year’s featured poets include Diana Morley, Jim Flint, Lisa Baldwin, Philip Newton, Richard Lehnert, and Alma Rosa Alvarez.
This celebration is held every year to commemorate the birthday of the late Oregon Poet Laureate, William Stafford. A prolific writer, Stafford was known for his work inspired by nature, family, and the poet’s pacifist views as a conscientious objector during World War II.
As part of the Friends of Hannon Library Speaker Series, this event is free and open to the public. Attendees can get free campus parking for this event by visiting any campus parking meter and using this code: FHL1901
If you need disability accommodations to participate in this event, please contact Disability Resources at (541) 552-6213 or dss@sou.edu. For more information, contact Hannon Library Administration at libraryevents@sou.eduor (541) 552-6816.
A Piece of Lithia Park History
Library Collections, Library NewsHannon Library’s Special Collections recently received the gift of a Bausch and Lomb “balopticon” slide projector (sometimes called a stereopticon or “magic lantern”) which had belonged to John Herbert Doran, the first manager of Lithia Park Auto Camp. Stereopticon shows were a form of popular entertainment before the advent of moving pictures. The gift also includes three sets of glass slides.
Ashland’s free Lithia Park Auto Camp, which opened in 1915, accommodated a considerable number of visitors, catering to the growing Southern Oregon tourist trade. According to The American Motorist, the journal of the newly organized AA A, the Lithia Park Auto Camp was an “Auto Camp Delux, with electricity, gas cooking plates, and hundreds of lights strung in trees.”
Realizing that he could put on evening programs in the camp, Doran purchased a stereopticon and showed colored slides of Southern Oregon sights including Ashland, surrounding areas, Crater Lake, Oregon Caves, and flowers. He also had a show about the Oberammergau Passion Play and created a lecture entitled “Man in the Making,” which related to evolution. These slide shows were shown from 1917 until 1924 when the Dorans moved to California.
Doran’s slide presentations in the Lithia Park Auto Camp became a popular evening entertainment, particularly during evenings when there was not a Chautauqua program. Ashland was a Chautauqua town. The Chautauqua movement began in Ashland in 1893 and faded away in the 1920s. With a goal of furthering moral and intellectual culture, Ashland Chautauqua programs consisted of concerts, classes, prayer meetings, and lectures, including a packed address by William Jennings Bryant in 1897.
The stereopticon and slides remained in the Doran family until July 12, 2018 when it was generously presented to Hannon Library by Cynthia Doran, Herbert Doran’s granddaughter-in-law.
Special Collections staff look forward to displaying the Doran stereopticon and slides in the future within the library and in conjunction with regional commemorations. Plans are underway to restore the Doran stereopticon to working order.