From the Princeton Weekly Bulletin, October 20, 1997
Cotsen Children's Library
Permanent interactive exhibit presents books as "passports to other times, people"
By Mary Caffrey
On
October 31 Princeton will open the Cotsen Children's Library, which
comprises one of the world's finest historical collections of
children's books as well as an interactive exhibit designed to
inspire children to read.
This library is the result of a December 1994 gift from Lloyd E. Cotsen '50, a charter trustee of the University. Former chair and CEO of Neutrogena Corp., Cotsen is now head of Cotsen Management Corp. in Los Angeles. His gift included a pledge of $8 million to create new facilities within Firestone Library and to endow research on children's books and education based on the resources of the Cotsen Children's Library.
Holdings in the Children's Library include more than 22,000 items, which Cotsen will continue to own, and two gifts to the University: the Tillson Music Collection, which includes nursery rhymes, sheet music, musical toys and children's song books; and the 130-item Perrault collection, which includes early editions of Perrault's fairy tales, known in English as "Mother Goose." Currently on deposit, the collection will be open to researchers early in 1998.
Go
anywhere, be anyone
For the general public, the highlight of the Cotsen Children's Library is the permanent interactive exhibit, which is open to casual visitors in an area near the main entrance of Firestone Library (no access pass required). Planners of the exhibit aimed for children to discover that books are pass-ports to other places, other times and other people.
A "giant book" that serves as the centerpiece of the display is designed to illustrate how books allow the reader to "Go Anywhere, Anytime." Its 14-foot covers fan out across the exhibit floor, and doorways in the covers transport children into three "worlds." One door -- a wardrobe from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe -- leads to scenes from the C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, introducing children to the world of high fantasy and its connections to mythology and folklore. Another door, shaped like a keyhole, takes visitors into the world of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, where they can play word games that incorporate puns and riddles from Alice and other children's literature. The third door brings visitors into a diorama of the seasons based on Garth Williams's illustrations Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, with a synopsis of the story on audio read by the author. The Giant Book was designed by Jane Bloom, curator of the recent New York City exhibitions "The World of Pooh," "Tar Beach" and "Seuss!"
The Fairy Tale Theater gives children a chance to play well known characters in different situations. In the Voices exhibit, they can "become" characters through the use of special telephones that alter their voices. In the Faces exhibit, they can modify their appearance by manipulating photos of their faces. In the "Be Anyone" playroom, the children can pick a script of a fairy tale, myth or fable; cast parts; act out the story; and record it in front of a Chromakey wall, similar to the "blue screen" used by movie actors before special effects are added. When the children see the final product minutes later, they are surrounded by an animated background. This space was created by N.Y. media artist Ben Rubin of Ear Studios, whose work has been featured at the N.Y. Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Brooklyn Bridge Anchorage.
The goal of the exhibition project is to convey the idea that knowledge of and experiences with books are sources of personal empowerment that broaden horizons and increase awareness of life's options. The exhibition also aims to teach children about the art of the written word and illustration. The prime audience is the fourth to sixth grades; secondary audiences are first through third graders, and seventh and eighth graders. The exhibition team includes Children's Library curator Andrea Immel, Rare Books curator Stephen Ferguson, and gallery designer Lynne Breslin, who has also done installations for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Whitney Museum. Architects for the project are Henry Smith-Miller and Laurie Hawkinson of New York City.
"Playing with Knowledge"
In addition to funding the public exhibition, the Cotsen gift supports scholarship and conferences that explore aspects of the history of children's literature and education. The first of these conferences, "Playing with Knowledge: Text, Toys and Teaching Children in Georgian England," will explore the legacy of innovative Georgian writers and publishers, high-lighting one of the strengths of the Cotsen collection: 3,500 English books and toys that date to the period from 1700 to 1839, including imprints by Newbery, Harris and Darton. The conference, which is open to the public, will be held on October 30 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in McCormick 101. The conference will be followed by a reception in the library and a dedication ceremony at 5:00 p.m. For more information or to preregister, call 258-3184.
Two related exhibits are on view in the Rare Books and Special Collections Department at Firestone through January 11: "The Key to the Garden: Children's Literature at Princeton" in the main gallery and "Orbis Pictus: The World Illustrated in Children's Books" in the second-floor Milberg Gallery.
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