The Associates will hold annual meeting at 4 p.m. in the Grand Reading Room of the Claire T. Carney Library
/filters:quality(90)/prod01/production-cdn-pxl/media/umassdartmouth/news/2024/Mel-Yoken-Headshot-2151-1-613X927.png?text=945+WebP)
On Thursday, May 23, 2024, the Claire T. Carney Library Associates will hold its annual meeting at 4 p.m. in the Grand Reading Room of the Claire T. Carney Library at UMass Dartmouth. The meeting is open to the public. The brief meeting will be followed by a talk from Chancellor Professor Emeritus Mel Yoken, who will discuss the importance of letters.
This year's program is dedicated to the memory of the Associate's namesake, Claire T. Carney, who passed away on March 24, 2024.
Professor Yoken has an extensive collection of letters from the many luminaries of the 20th Century, which he has amassed over decades. The collection began when Professor Yoken was a graduate student, and he wanted to know more about the French authors he was studying and what their work meant to them. His correspondence began when authors took the time to respond, often in handwritten letters. Professor Yoken wrote to French authors and authors from other countries, politicians, actors, etc. He meticulously kept each letter and envelope and cataloged them for the use of future generations to further their understanding of each luminary and their contribution to literature, government, and the arts. His collection is housed at the John Hay Library on the Brown University campus.
Professor Yoken has chosen to share some of these letters in two recently published volumes, highlighting some of the letters in his collection.
Professor Yoken has served on the Claire T. Carney Library Associates board in various capacities and is currently responsible for securing the authors for the annual Claire T. Carney Library Associates authors' brunch. This fundraiser helps fund special projects for the Library, including the Veterans' Reading Room.
The event is free and open to the public. Parking is available in Lot 13. Light refreshments will be served.
For further information, please contact Maria Sanguinetti at 508-991-5096.