Librarian in Black – Sarah Houghton. Earlier this week, California Governor Jerry Brown appointed Greg Lucas as the new California State Librarian. The appointment requires state senate confirmation, which has not happened yet. Lucas is not a librarian, nor has he ever (per information readily available online) worked in a library, volunteered for a library, served on a library Board or Commission, or…well…had any involvement with libraries at all.
So what has Lucas done? He was a political reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle and more recently has been a political blogger. My Own Reaction My initial response on social media was in line with that of many librarians: “California’s new State Librarian isn’t a librarian. After the initial outcry, there was a backlash of people telling those of us with grumpy faces to hold on and stay positive. I stopped for a moment and reconsidered my position. That being said, as many have pointed out in discussions on Lucas’s qualifications the California State Education Code states: Iowa Women's Archives. Today's Document. Historical Object of the Month. 1937 Vaudeville poster with Harryette on the left and Dorothy Bercu on the right Dorothy Bercu was born in Douglas, Wyoming, on June 14th, 1917 to George and Olive Bercu.
Her father was a Jewish immigrant from Romania, and her mother hailed from Minnesota. The American West provided many economic opportunities for Eastern European Jewish immigrants, and Jewish-owned businesses were a feature of many western towns. Her father owned the Chicago Hide, Fur, and Wool business. The show advertised in the poster was a Vaudeville production staged at the Opera House in Grace, Idaho, in 1937.
The Bercu Sisters, featured in the 1937 show as dancers and acrobats, traveled and performed on the Orpheum circuit, which stretched from Chicago to California and included a theater in Denver. Dorothy grew up in Wyoming, but as a show business performer, she traveled widely. Bercu Sisters at Gold Palace in 1925. Hack Library School | by, for and about library school students. Cat lady librarian.