Trout Library Blog

A new map recently donated to the Archive Collection (click to expand).

Recently the Archive Collection at the Charles H. Trout Library received a donation of a map of Harcum College campus at Bryn Mawr from approximately 1941. It is hand-drawn and hand-lettered in ink. The map shows the major roads of the Main Line from Philadelphia to Valley Forge Park. The Harcum campus is shown in an inset in the bottom-left corner.

The campus map does not much resemble the current campus map. In the 1940s the Harcum campus consisted of just three buildings, Hatcher Hall, Melville Hall, and Bedford Hall. The buildings on the map are not labeled but thanks to the research recently completed for the Harcum Mile project, we can determine the other two buildings. Melville Hall has a distinct building footprint so it is easy to identify as the middle of the three buildings. The building on the corner of Morris Avenue and Montgomery Avenue was once owned by Harcum College. It was called Hatcher Hall, after Edith Hatcher Harcum's family in Virginia. It was used as a dormitory but also had classroom space and may have housed the library as well. An image of Hatcher Hall can be found in the 1954 yearbook and the digital archive. Hatcher was designed and built by a well-known local architect Addison Hutton who designed buildings on the Bryn Mawr College and Haverford College campuses. Harcum College sold the building in 2002. It is still standing and is now a condominium apartment building. 

The eastern-most building on the map is likely Bedford Hall. The name "Bedford" was likely inspired by Bedford County, Virginia, the birthplace of Edith Hatcher Harcum's father, Rev. Dr. W. E. Hatcher. Initially, Bedford was used as a dormitory. It could accommodate fourteen students and one house director. Today, we know Bedford Hall as home to Institutional Advancement. You can read more about the history of Bedford Hall and all of the buildings on the Harcum campus in the digital exhibit of the Harcum Mile. 

Posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a psychiatric condition that occurs in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event. It is most commonly associated with combat veterans but also affects those who are rape survivors, survivors of accidents or natural disasters, and others who have been threatened with death, violence, or serious injury. Symptoms include intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares, avoiding reminders of the traumatic event, mood changes, angry outbursts, and reckless behavior. According to data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, about 6% of the U.S. population will have PTSD at some point in life, and about 12 million adults in the U.S. have PTSD during a given year.

With June being National PTSD Awareness Month, I would like to bring your attention to my PTSD & Psychic Trauma library guide. Access the link to the guide under Health Topics on our Library Guides page. The guide contains a wealth of resources on the topic, including websites, books, eBooks, videos, podcasts, articles, open educational resources, and relevant databases. The following are some highlights of what we have to offer on PTSD:

PTSD: A Short History by Allan V. Horwitz

Call Number: eBook -- Available in EBSCO eBooks Collection

Publication Date: 2018

Examines how the definitions of and responses to traumatic psychic conditions have changed over time.

 

 

 

 

Beyond PTSD: Helping and Healing Teens Exposed to Trauma by Ruth Gerson (Editor); Patrick Heppell (Editor)

Call Number: eBook -- Available in EBSCO eBooks Collection

Publication Date: 2019

Helps adults recognize and understand traumatized youth, providing concrete strategies for talking to and engaging teens, overcoming resistance, and finding the most appropriate evidence-based treatment approach for them.

 

 

 

Buried Above Ground: Three Personal Stories About Battling PTSD

Streaming video -- Available in Kanopy

Publication Date: 2015

This 77-minute documentary follows three Americans who are fighting ongoing battles with PTSD - Luis, a combat veteran and author who has emerged as a leading advocate for PTSD awareness; Erundina, a survivor of child abuse and domestic violence who has battled addiction and relapse for many years; and Ashley, a New Orleans resident whose home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and who later returned to confront the aftermath.

 

To access the above resource suggestions from off campus, locate the username and password for the appropriate database in the Library Database Password List under the gray Quicklinks tab in Harcum Hatch.

 

Remember that if you have questions about these resources or any others, please don’t hesitate to ask us. You may visit the Library during the hours posted on the Library's homepage, email us at library@harcum.edu, use our chat service, or call us at 610-526-6085.