RAMble, the University Libraries' blog

I recently began working in the library’s Instructional Media Center department in Fall of 2016. I had never worked in an A-V department before, and within a couple weeks of working here it became woefully apparent that I was very far behind on my movie knowledge. I’m not quite sure how it happened, but apparently everyone else has been watching new movies every year and instead I was only re-watching some personal favorites from time to time. This needed to change. I resolved to teach myself about film. I checked out books from our (wonderful) West Chester University Library about the art of film and set about the learning process. However, the first chapter dealt with key words involving the analysis of film, and by the third page I was confusing the difference between a tilt shot and a tracking shot, trying to understand what exactly was a mise-en-scene, and marveling that people could understand the composition of a shot that was only on screen for a brief second. In this moment, I had a brilliant idea.

Rather than try to understand film without watching any film, I would actually watch film! It was genius!

From this point, I went on a mission to discover which films I should watch first. Everyone had their own ideas of which films I should watch. While I appreciated the suggestions and they helped start my movie adventure, my true journey started with the discovery of Letterboxd, a movie tracking website (https://letterboxd.com/). On this website, I discovered a list called “1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die”. It was perfect for me! It would allow me to track my progression (I went through and clicked on the movies I had seen—less than 100) as well as help me remember which movies I had watched.

As I experience these movies, I hope to be able to share my adventure and discoveries with the rest of the West Chester community. Please feel free to comment with any suggestions!

Francis Harvey Green Library is proud to announce a new Library exhibit: Women in Sports at WCU and Beyond.  The exhibit is located on the second floor of FHG Library across from the elevators.  Inspired by this weeks #womeninbaseballweek created by the Internation Women's Baseball Center (IWBC) it celebrates women in Baseball at West Chester University and beyond as well as women athletes generally. 

The exhibit highlights the life and career of Gertrude "Gertie" Dunn, West Chester Class of 1960 and player in the All-American Girls Baseball League (AAGBL); as well as the history of the AAGBL, a league created during World War II to keep baseball alive while men were fighting the war; Ella Ehinger, wife of Clyde E. Ehinger, and an influential professor in the Physical Education department.  The exhibit also highlights early sports at West Chester and the issues surrounding women athletes today. 

The exhibit is open during normal library hours through the remainder of the summer.  Stop by to learn more about women in sports and America's favorite past time!

Gertrude Alice Dunn, known as Gertie, was born in September 30, 1933 in Sharon Hill, PA to Victor and Gertude Dunn. After high school, she was a shortstop for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1951 to 1954, and played for the Battle Creek Belles and the South Bend Blue Sox. She was Rookie of the Year in 1952 and was fourteenth among players in the league in career batting average at .261.

After the League folded in 1954, Dunn attended West Chester University, which did not have a women’s intercollegiate baseball or softball team. Instead, she excelled at lacrosse and field hockey. She majored in Health and Physical Education, and graduated in 1960.

After graduation, Dunn played on the US national teams for both lacrosse and field hockey. She also served as an umpire for 20 years in the Philadelphia Women’s Lacrosse Association, and worked as a physical education teacher for many years.

She was inducted into the U.S. Field Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988 and the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2007, and in 2012 she was the first lacrosse player inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.

She passed away at the age of 71 on September 29, 2004, when the single-engine aircraft she was piloting crashed shortly after take-off.

Ten West Chester co-eds named to All-College Hockey Team. First Row: Gertrude Dunn,
second team; Janet Bickel, second team; Margaret Walter, second team. Second Row:
Nancy Hubbard, forth team; Elizabeth Wolle, second team; Barbara Clyde, second team;
Patricia Melrath, third team. Not Pictured: Joan Waterfield, second team; Marguerite
Crowley, fourth team; Shiela McHugh, forth team.

Updated 8/11/2021 by Christian Sammartino & Jenna Bossert, for accuracy and clarification.