PSPA Member Database Updated
The Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture’s Memoirs VI, printed in 1939, contains a consolidated list of PSPA members from 1785 to 1939. In it, the Committee on Activities details the sources from which the names were gathered, notably the Germantown Telegraph, which provided “a number of names elected” in the second half of the nineteenth century.
One of the current projects of the Historical and Library Committee has been to list names of members elected since 1939. An initial start was made by simply typing a list, but Lynne Farrington, who curates the Society’s collections at the University of Pennsylvania, saw the limits of such activity. Instead, Lynne designed a spread sheet that would list name, city, date of election, type of membership, and office held. Then she assigned the project to a student, Ryan Morgan, who in a short period of time completed a consolidated list of all PSPA members since 1785.
The Society expresses its appreciation to Lynne and Ryan for a project that will be of great use in the years to come.
How to Use the PSPA Library Online
Last year the Historical and Library Committee worked on some reorganization of the online access to the PSPA Library and set-up some clear directions for use. On www.pspaonline's website, click “Resources,” then “
Library and Archive
.” You will see a collection of options. Click “
How to Search the Penn Libraries Online Catalog
” and the instructions for use will come up. If you wish to learn more about the collections, on the website, click “Resources,” then “Library and Archive,” then “
Introduction
."
