Helene S. Baumann (1941-2006) was a guiding force in the the Cooperative African Newspapers Project, as she was in so many other collaborative initiatives. It is in her honor that we dedicate this site.
From: http://www.indiana.edu/~libsalc/african/retirements.html
Before moving to the U.S., Helene Baumann obtained a book-trade certificate in Switzerland and, after moving to Philadelphia with her husband, she started working in a college library. Following the family’s move to North Carolina, she got a BA in Anthropology from Duke University and an MLS degree from North Carolina Central University. She first worked as a cataloger in the Duke University Libraries in 1979, became head of Bibliographic Searching in 1981 and later, in 1985, she moved on to Collection Development as General and African Studies Bibliographer. She was the librarian for African and Western European Studies at Duke University since 1988. She retired from the African Studies part of her position in July, 2005, though continued in her position of librarian of Western European Studies until 2006.
Helene was a long-term ALC member since she took on responsibilities for Duke’s African Studies collection in the early 1990s, and she served in various key roles ever since: as Chair of the Bibliography Committee 1993-1995, as ALC Chair 1996/97, as CAMP Chair in 1998/99 and as member and secretary of many other committees. She hosted the ALC spring meeting in 1994, and she gets “a pedestal for organizing and updating the long-neglected ALC bylaws” (Greg Finnegan). She was also an active member of the West European Studies Section (WESS) of the Association of College and Research Libraries.
In 2004, Helene was selected to receive the Coutts Nijhoff International West European Specialist Study Grant for her translation of the subject thesaurus of the Pictorial Archive of the German Colonial Society (Bildarchiv der Deutschen Kolonialgesellschaft) from German to English. In the words of committee chair Gordon Anderson, “Her work with the Frankfurt University Library and its German Colonial Society Archive will make more accessible to English-speaking scholars this extremely valuable source of documentation about an important period in African and European history.” She has since completed the translation and presented her findings at a conference on “Images of African Peoples” in March 2006.
Apart from her various leadership roles within the ALC, Helene is appreciated for her sense of humor and her kindness. Helene was a caring colleague who always reached out to the newcomers in the group, making them feel welcomed, and she was a wonderful friend to many of us. It is difficult to imagine future ALC meetings without her serene and kind presence.
(Gretchen Walsh).
The Helene S. Baumann Memorial Endowment Fund has been established by the Duke University Libraries. It will be used to enhance the collectiosn in areas of interest to Helene and to support creative professional development opportunities for library staff. Donations may be sent to: Helene S. Baumann Memorial Endowment, 220 Perkins Library, Box 90193, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708
