Gallaudet University donates book collection to D.C. library on behalf of anonymous donor

President Hurwitz discusses the significance of Clerc-Gallaudet Week, which honors two pivotal figures in deaf history.



Pictured from left: President Hurwitz; Ginnie Cooper, chief librarian, D.C. Public Library; Dan and Ivey Wallace, Gallaudet University Press; Venetia Demson, chief of adaptive services, MLK Library; Janice Rosen, librarian for the deaf community, MLK Library; and Alice Hagemeyer, founder and president of Libraries for Deaf Action.



The 25-book collection contains volumes on deaf history, deaf culture, American Sign Language, deaf American poetry, and deaf education.

On December 5, Gallaudet University President T. Alan Hurwitz presented the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C., a 25-book collection purchased by an anonymous donor. The set is called the “Gallaudet University 150th Anniversary Library Bookshelf” in honor of the University’s sesquicentennial anniversary in 2014 and contains volumes on deaf history, deaf culture, American Sign Language, deaf American poetry, deaf education, and more.

“The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library is a wonderful place to share the rich and vibrant history and culture of the deaf community through literature,” said Dr. Hurwitz. “I give many thanks to the anonymous donor for allowing Gallaudet to donate this special collection to the library where the books will be enjoyed and appreciated by countless readers in the years to come.” 

D.C. Public Library Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper accepted the donation from Hurwitz.

The book donation was followed by a panel discussion and readings given by editors and contributors of Deaf American Prose: 1980-2010, published by Gallaudet University Press.

The MLK Library hosted the event as part of Clerc-Gallaudet Week, honoring two pivotal educators in deaf history, Laurent Clerc and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. Held the first week of December, Clerc-Gallaudet Week recognizes the birthdays of Clerc (December 26, 1785) and Gallaudet (December 10, 1787) who established the first school for the deaf in the U.S. Gallaudet University was named after Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet in 1894 and his son, Edward Miner Gallaudet, was the University’s first president.

On December 20, Hurwitz donated a 25-book collection to the Earle B. Wood Middle School library in Rockville, Md.,  on behalf of an anonymous donor.

Gallaudet University, federally chartered in 1864, is a bilingual, diverse, multicultural institution of higher education that ensures the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf and hard of hearing individuals through American Sign Language and English. Gallaudet maintains a proud tradition of research and scholarly activity and prepares its graduates for career opportunities in a highly competitive, technological, and rapidly changing world.

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