From the Desk of the Chief Librarian

We have long taken pride in the breadth and depth of Sealy Library’s research collections in the College’s primary disciplines. Our holdings in criminal justice and ancillary areas are unparalleled among academic libraries. The College’s mission statement reads that we are “dedicated to education, research, and service in the fields of criminal justice, fire science, and related areas of public safety and public service.” Many tend to overlook the “fire science” part of our mission. Not Sealy Library. We have long acquired the materials needed for the study of this discipline, both for curricular and research support. And, as I have written before, we acquire rare and unique materials in our mission areas whenever possible. So, I am pleased to report our most outstanding book acquisition of the year to date is a groundbreaking work in the field of fire science: Lukas Voch’s Abhandlung von Feuersprützen. Nebst einem Unterrichte, wie man sich bey enstandenen Feuerbrünten zu verhalten (or, Treatise on fire engines, and how to handle them in case of fire), printed by Mathäus Riegers in Augsburg, Germany in 1781. Voch was a civil engineer and mathematician who was involved in urban planning in Berlin and Augsburg in the 18th century. He wrote works on hydraulics, bridges, land surveying, and a number of engineering textbooks. This book (one of his last) on firefighting and firefighting equipment contains Voch’s illustrations of fire fighting apparatus, multiple views of hoses, pumps, valves, and seals. One plate illustrates a portable fire engine with internal pumps that force out water through a fixed delivery pipe.

On a number of occasions I have written about the importance of special collections in any research library. John Jay boasts the world’s foremost such library in criminal justice and first and early editions of key works, such as Voch’s, help us to maintain this well-deserved reputation. We must remember that subsequent editions frequently have major textual alterations and changes of format. When we learned that no copy of this seminal work on firefighting was in a library in the United States (and only two other recorded copies worldwide) we snatched it up with alacrity. The book is a welcome addition to our fine fire science holdings and we are pleased that it has found its rightful place in an American collection.

Larry Sullivan

Ordering Interlibrary
Loans Electronically

A new link from the Library s homepage makes it possible to order interlibrary loan materials electronically. On the right hand side of the page, under Library Information, there is a link for ILL. Simply click on that and scroll down the page to Interlibrary Loan Request Forms for either a book or article request form. One form must be filled out fully for each item you are requesting and remember, you should check the CUNYPLUS catalog and/or the electronic journals list first to make sure that John Jay does not have the item in any format.

Now that we receive some articles from other libraries in an electronic format via ARIEL software, we may be able to send them directly to your email account. This is only possible, however, if you have a valid John Jay email account. If you would like the articles sent to you electronically, include that address in the request form as opposed to any commercial email address you may have. If you have any questions or comments about these or any other interlibrary loan services, please contact me at x8269 or at negan@jjay.cuny.edu.

Nancy Egan

News From
Special Collections

Recently the Special Collections has had several visitors working on a variety of interesting topics. Our most popular collections remain the Lewis Lawes Papers and the Trial transcripts of the County of New York, 1883-1927. The papers of former John Jay College faculty members Lloyd George Sealy and Flora Schrieber as well as the John Jay College Archives have also been popular with researchers.

Scholars from various parts of the U.S. and Europe have come to use the Trial transcripts to research female criminals, sexual deviance and events in late 19th and early 20th century New York City. One researcher came in to make a copy of the transcript of the trial of his grandfather, who was convicted and executed for murder. He had only recently discovered the existence of his grandmother s first husband, who had been involved in the New York Mafia. The collection was an important resource for a major study of gay subcultures in New York during the 20th century (Chauncey 1994).