Date: Sept. 15, 2000
Thousands of historical photographs, documents and publications about Great Lakes shipping will soon be transferred from the collection of the Lake Superior Marine Museum Association to Jim Dan Hill Library at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
The Association's collection has been assembled since the 1973 opening of the Lake Superior Maritime Visitors Center in Duluth's Canal Park. The Association's 600 members support the mission of the Visitors Center, which is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Materials in the collection have been donated by individuals, businesses and government organizations over the years, and are used by Visitors Center staff to assist in educating people about commerce on Lake Superior.
The decision to transfer the Association's collection to UW-Superior was carefully considered by the LSMMA's directors before they approved the action at their June meeting.
“ Board members agreed that the transfer is in the best long-term interest for a valuable collection,” said Association President Dennis Medjo. “ Space was limited at the Visitors Center. This transfer is an opportunity for the collection to continue to grow, to receive the archival care it deserves, and to be more accessible to researchers and other users.”
At UW-Superior, the collection will be under an archivist's care and housed in a dedicated room in Jim Dan Hill Library. Everything will be cataloged, and fragile items such as old books and photographs will be placed in protective storage. Materials will be available for study during many of the hours that the library is open.
Bob Carmack, director of Jim Dan Hill Library, said the University is pleased to receive the collection.
“The Lake Superior Marine Museum Association collection is going to receive wonderful care,” he said. “We'll be able to increase its availability to users, and it will become a key part of the research collection for UW-Superior's program in Transportation and Logistics Management.”
The collection includes more than 30,000 photographs of current and historic ships; books, journals, pamphlets and government registers; historic harbor charts; several hundred ship blueprints; and thousands of information files on nearly all modern commercial vessels that have sailed the lakes. Artifacts such as uniforms, liferings, and other items from ships will remain in the Association's care at the Visitors Center.
C. Patrick Labadie, the former Visitors Center director who assembled much of the collection, endorsed its transfer to UW-Superior.
“The collection is an important regional resource; the largest on the subject of Great Lakes commerce west of Milwaukee. I'd rate it among the best on the Lakes,” he said. “It needs to receive the best possible care to be preserved for future generations.”