----------------------------Original message----------------------------
This announcement was released today from the College of Architecture at
Texas A&M University. Please excuse any cross-posting.
Paula Bender
************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, July 25, 2000
TEXAS A&M'S COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE LIBRARY
ACQUIRES PRIZED HOSKEN SLIDE COLLECTION
COLLEGE STATION -- The Texas A&M University College of Architecture's
Technical Reference Center recently cleaned out its archival cabinets in
order to make room for a few new slides.
To put it more accurately, the TRC had to make room for an entirely new
cabinet system after acquiring the prized Franziska Porges Hosken Slide
Collection, which chronicles in 35mm slide format a lifetime of travel
and cultural experience as seen through the eyes of one of the female
mavericks of the architecture profession.
Hosken, a former architect, photographer and journalist, previously sold
these images commercially through her company, Architecture Color
Slides, which she founded in 1947. Texas A&M's purchase of her
collection includes the slides -- approximately 52,200 in number -- as
well as all rights associated with the collection, including potentially
valuable image copyrights. These images will be housed as a special
collection within the TRC, which boasts an existing collection of 95,000
art and architecture slides.
"The addition of the Hosken Slide Collection is the latest in a series
of significant improvements to the College of Architecture's Technical
Reference Center," said Tom Regan, dean of the College. "This slide
collection is unique, reflecting the trained eye of one of the women
pioneers in documentation of significant architecture in the 20th
Century. It will be a significant asset for our faculty, both in their
research and teaching. We are fortunate to have this exciting
acquisition."
The Hosken Slide Collection consists primarily of architectural and
planning images, including views of prominent buildings, sites and
regions across the globe. Worldwide historic architecture and
significant contemporary architecture are well represented, as are
architectural styles and urban development.
Other treasures to be discovered within the collection are several
teaching programs comprised of slides, lecture notes and text that
presents various analyses of urban life in the city. These programs
explore the visual city, examining space, scale, color, texture, people
and action; the functions of cities as they pertain to people; the
living city; city spaces for people around the world; the city at night;
and communication.
One particular highlight of the collection is material related to
Hosken's specific research and study of the various towns comprising the
Kathmandu Valley, which resulted in her 1974 book, "The Kathmandu Valley
Towns."
With the acquisition of the Hosken Slide Collection and the associated
intellectual property rights to the images, the College now can pursue
possibilities for future electronic transfer and display of the images
in more public forums, thereby increasing educational access to these
important tools for learning.
The TRC is an independent architectural reference library created and
supported through the College of Architecture. Although not a
traditional branch of the University Libraries System, the TRC serves
the University community by providing additional resources to faculty
and students. Housed within the Langford Architecture Center complex,
the TRC includes a library reference area with seating for 65, a slide
collection with work/study areas and a video viewing area with study
carrels. Additional resources beyond the holdings of the TRC are
available through the Sterling C. Evans Library located on Texas A&M's
main campus.
For additional information on the Hosken Slide Collection or other
archival information available through the College of Architecture,
please contact the TRC at (979) 845-5212.
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Paula Bender
Coordinator of Learning Resources
Technical Reference Center / College of Architecture
Texas A&M University / College Station, TX 77843-3137
PHONE: 979-845-3123 FAX: 979-845-4491
EMAIL: [log in to unmask] http://archone.tamu.edu/trc
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