Authors’ Talks Contribute to the APRL 50th Event

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APRL Library View from Second Level (2)One of the special events that will take place as part of the upcoming Golden Anniversary Celebration is a series of authors’ talks scheduled throughout the day on Saturday November 3. The idea beyond the talks is to highlight the American Philatelic Research Library (APRL) as the home of philatelic research and knowledge sharing. Topics for the talks were chosen by each of the invited speakers under the general theme of “the role libraries, like the APRL, play in philatelic research.”

Gary Wayne Loew, a frequent visitor to the APRL and acclaimed philatelic author and researcher, will present a talk titled “Diary of a Philatelic Author” in which he will share what he has learned about research, writing and philately while preparing an upcoming book on the art and science of postal history.

Also in the field of postal history research, particularly local postal history, author of the recent updated version of her 2007 book "Bellefonte and the Early Air Mail 1918-1927,"  Kitty Wunderly will reveal her methods and sources for researching local history during her talk “Mining the News: Origins of a Local Postal History Book.”

In still another avenue of philatelic history those attending the day’s events will be treated to a history of one of the nation’s oldest and most esteemed philatelic institutions. Charles Epting, past Young Philatelic Leaders Fellow and current President/CEO of H.R. Harmer Auctions will present a session on the rich and  storied history of the prestigious H.R. Harmer auction house with his talk titled “The First Family of Philately: A Century of Harmer Auctions.”

While history is the focus of the these three sessions, Tasos Kalfas, also a former Young Philatelic Leaders Fellow currently working for the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General, will look to the future of philatelic research and the new role libraries will play as part of this change in his talk “The Future of Philatelic Research: Bridging the Gap Between Researchers and the Libraries that Serve Them.”

From the future to the present, one of the more recent developments in philatelic research and a common reference request involves “analytical philately,” known as the application of scientific methods and technical research to the study of stamps. Richard Judge, frequent researcher and writer on the topic, will discuss this emerging philatelic field during his talk “Moving from Qualitative to Quantitative: Modern Instrumentation in Philately.”

Along with analytical philately, the most universal and common reference request received at the APRL concerns the care and preservation of stamps and collections. For that Sue Kellerman, Head of the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) Preservation, Conservation & Digitization Department, and Bill Minter, PSU Senior Book Conservator, will discuss disaster planning for philatelic collections as they share their experiences and expertise on disaster planning and recovery for collectors and their collections.

All of these aforementioned talks are FREE to attend during the Golden Anniversary Celebration on Saturday November 3 and will take place in a special area of the public space on the second floor of the APRL, using the library as the appropriate backdrop. Plan to attend these talks and celebrate with us the first 50 years of research and resources of the APRL.  Check out the Golden Anniversary Event page on the APS website and make your plans to  join us today!

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