Around Amherst: Former library collections curator getting Historical Society’s Conch Shell Award

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Staff Writer

Published: 02-08-2023 7:26 PM

AMHERST — A former special collections curator at the Jones Library, who served patrons there for more than seven years, is being recognized by the Amherst Historical Society and Museum at its annual Founders Day celebration, being held virtually on Saturday.

Cyndi Harbeson will be presented with the Conch Shell Award, established by the late Arthur Kinney in 2007, to recognize an individual, business or organization that has contributed to the preservation and awareness of Amherst’s history. The award takes its name from the conch shell used in the 1700s to call Amherst residents to town meeting and worship.

“The Historical Society’s board wanted to recognize her years of generous service to all the patrons of special collections as well as years of being an ex-officio member of the Historical Society’s board,” said President Georgia Barnhill.

Harbeson, now the director at the Clapp Memorial Library in Belchertown, said she is grateful for the honor.

“Working to preserve Amherst’s history while making it as accessible as possible to the community was a fulfilling challenge,” Harbeson said.

The event begins at 2 p.m., with a brief business meeting to elect new trustees and officers and to present the budget.

That will be followed by the Mabel Loomis Todd Lecture, titled “A New Massachusetts Historical Society for the 21st Century” presented by Catherine Allgor, president of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

A graduate of Mount Holyoke College who also holds a doctorate from Yale University, Allgor has led the Massachusetts Historical Society since 2017.

Article continues after...

Yesterday's Most Read Articles

Amherst councilors accused of racism, disrespect over heated meeting on cease-fire
Yankee Candle settles $1.2M class action lawsuit over time clock rounding
UMass basketball: Josh Cohen, Robert Davis Jr. first Minutemen to enter transfer portal
Reimagining the Hampshire Mall: UMass architecture students share their visions
Hadley nearing settlement over campers dispute along Connecticut River
Longtime employees buy Kitchen Garden Farm in Sunderland

Elissa Tardif, a colleague off Allgor’s, will provide information about the state society’s sponsorship of National History Day. Over 6,000 students across the state participate in this program.

Climate Justice kickoff

The Amherst Climate Justice Alliance is holding a kickoff event Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. in the Woodbury Room at the Jones Library.

During the event, there will be introductory climate art, a land acknowledgment and then a panel discussion with state Rep. Mindy Domb and representatives from Sunrise Movement, the town’s Energy and Climate Action Committee and the Native Land Conservancy.

The Amherst Climate Justice Alliance is a coalition of groups with a mission to support accelerated, effective climate action by Amherst; identify strategies and actions for the town; help foster a community-wide commitment to significantly lowering public and private carbon footprints; and prioritize racial and economic justice.

Current members include Amherst Sunrise, Climate Action Now Western Massachusetts, Extinction Rebellion Western Massachusetts, the First Congregational Church Earth Ministry Team, the Jewish Community of Amherst, Local Energy Advocates Western Massachusetts, Mothers Out Front, Progressive Coalition of Amherst, the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst Green Sanctuary Committee, UMass Sunrise and Zero Waste Amherst.

For more information, send email to amherstsunrisemovement@gmail.com.

Judy Brooks Conversation

Whitney Battle-Baptiste, a professor in the Department of Anthropology and director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Center, will present “Balancing Data & Democracy: the Restorative Work of W.E.B. Du Bois & the Importance in This Moment” on Tuesday from 7 to 8:15 p.m.

Battle-Baptiste’s talk is part of the Judy Brooks Conversation series put on by the League of Women Voters. For the virtual link, go to lwvamherst.org.

Meanwhile, the league is celebrating its 84th birthday with a virtual event with Domb on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

Frost Library exhibition

A celebration of Black and Afro-Indigenous families who have lived and worked in Amherst, organized by District 4 Councilor Anika Lopes, will be on display at Amherst College’s Frost Library through summer.

An opening reception for the exhibit was held Thursday.

Lopes, founder of the Ancestral Bridges Foundation, explains in a statement that the project is about her ancestors and generations of people who lived in town and were affected by systemic racism.

This “seeks to center this long-neglected aspect of town history and to reveal the rich and complex lives of the Black and Afro-Indigenous community,” Lopes said.

Valentine’s Dance for high school music program

The community is invited to join the Amherst Regional High School Jazz Combos on Valentine’s Day with snacks, desserts, live music and DJ sets, and a dance tutorial.

The dance is being held at the Munson Memorial Library on South East Street on Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. Beginner dance tutorials are at 6:15 p.m.

Admission is on a sliding scale from $10 to $50 and proceeds will support the high school music program.

Meetings

SATURDAY: Four Towns Meeting, 9 a.m.

MONDAY: African Heritage Reparation Assembly, 2 p.m.

TUESDAY: Library trustees, 8:30 a.m., and Public Shade Tree Committee, 5:30 p.m.

THURSDAY: Joint Capital Planning Committee, 1 p.m., and Historical Commission, 6:35 p.m.

]]>