Rudman Children's Literature Collection
UMASS AMHERST LIBRARIES LAUNCH
MASHA KABAKOW RUDMAN
ISSUES IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE COLLECTION
Amherst, MA - UMass Amherst Libraries will launch the Masha Kabakow Rudman Issues in Children’s Literature Collection on Saturday, September 17, 2011, at the Du Bois Library at UMass Amherst. The event will include a self-guided tour of the collection from 2-3 p.m. on Floor 11 and a multimedia program from 3-5 p.m. on the Lower Level. The program will include an introduction to the collection and comments by authors Jane Yolen and Jacqueline Woodson, and other special guests. Refreshments will be served. The event is open to all.
School of Education Professor Emerita Masha K. Rudman, Ed.D, G’70 is one of the first scholars to have studied children’s literature from an issues approach. She has donated her collection of more than 8,000 volumes of juvenile literature and related scholarly references to UMass Amherst Libraries. “One of the reasons I didn’t pursue retirement was that I didn’t want to toss out these books. I was so invested in this; it made me very sad to think that this would disappear. And when the library came up with this idea of making my library a permanent, special collection, I was thrilled,” Rudman said. “I was so impressed. I thought ‘WOW!’ It was a big surprise and satisfaction.”
Dr. Rudman is an accomplished author in her own right. Her books include Books to Help Children Cope with Separation and Loss: an Annotated Bibliography; and Children's Literature: An Issue Approach. She is the co-author of Critical Multicultural Analysis of Children's Literature: Mirrors, Windows, and Doors. In 1972, Dr. Rudman received the first UMass Amherst Distinguished Teaching Award from the School of Education and in 1999 she received the School of Education Outstanding Teacher Award.
From 1989-92, Dr. Rudman chaired the Joint Council of the National Council of Teachers of English and the Children’s Book Council. She was a member of the Massachusetts Advisory Commission on Personnel and Teacher Certification. From 1982 to 2009, she directed the regional annual “Perspectives in Children’s Literature” conference, which brought hundreds of authors and illustrators to campus annually.
For more information, contact Carol Connare at 413-545-0995 or cconnare@library.umass.edu.
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Last Edited: 31 August 2011
