Report on the Docents’ Orientation to the Digital First Folio by Mike Neuman

First-time visitors to the Folger are sometimes disappointed to learn that they are not permitted to browse through the Library’s rare resources. Some consolation, though, is available at the kiosk in the Exhibition Hall with its fine example of a First Folio and its digital surrogate that permits browsing and provides many helpful notes. On October 27th, a group of nine docents who offer detailed coverage of the First Folio on their tours gave sample presentations to approximately two dozen of their colleagues who had gathered to learn from and respond to their fellows. Altogether, then, more than half of the docent community was on hand for the event.

The series of five-minute presentations began with an orientation by Jim Kuhn, Folger’s Head of Collection Information Services, on the interface to and features of the digital First Folio. He was followed by the following presentations that, in general, progressed from details on individual pages of the First Folio to broader issues of background:

 Ben Jonson’s tribute to Shakespeare (Larry Plotkin)
 "BI" as Ben Jonson (EJ Truax)
 The Droeshout engraving (Dottie Boerner)
 Lack of a prologue in R&J and problems in editing Shakespeare (Amy Thompson)
 Table of contents: 35 titles for 36 plays (Elaine Miller)
 Featured actors of the King’s Men (Gina Guglielmo)
 The first page of R&J and limited space at the start of a quire (Mike Neuman)
 The law of printing and presenting plays in Shakespeare’s time (Martha Patterson)
 Why do we have so many First Folios? (Sarah Rosenbaum)

Charlton Hinman, Peter Blayney, and Paul Collins—authors of influential works on the First Folio--were often cited, and two question-and-answer sessions were held along the way.
Outside on this late October day, the weather was dreary, but gathered around the light of the First Folio, the docents by all reports had a cozy and stimulating time.

Docent Board of Directors By Steve Krawczel

Every year there is an election for your Docent Board of Directors. A question that some of you may have asked is what does the Board do. A quick summary of its responsibilities is as follows:

 Serves as the direct liaison to the Folger Education Department
 Submits the annual docent budget to the Education Department and approves/monitors budget expenditures
 Oversees docent participation in major activities like the Elementary School/High School Festivals, 12th Night Celebration and Shakespeare’s Birthday Bash
 Tracks docent membership, maintains the monthly schedule and collects hours worked
 Arranges for new docent training
 Reviews changes to docent policy

Just as importantly, the Board seeks to keep you informed and serves as a forum for your ideas and concerns. Your input is welcome! Please contact any Board member with your thoughts, ideas or questions at any time or feel free to attend the Board Meeting the first Tuesday of every month. A list of the board members is provided below:

Julian Ullman , Chair (julianmullman (at) hotmail.com)
Louise Wheatley, Vice Chair (lswdc (at) aol.com), Docent Dispatch December 2009 Page 7
Otice Sircy, Treasurer (ocsircy (at) verizon.net),
Mary Seidell, Secretary
Nancy Howard, (idodrma (at) hotmail.com),
Diane Shages (Diane.shages1 (at) verizon.net),
Helen Urquhart (h_urquhart (at) juno.com),
Steve Krawczel (rex2rex1 (at) cox.net)

Chest in Founders' Room

One of our curators recently spoke to a reader who was surprised to learn that the chest in the Founders’ Room once belonged to Francis Bacon...

Unfortunately this is not true.

The initials on the left panel look like FB, but they’re more likely TB (based on the style of T in the inscription along the top). And even if they were FB, there’s no evidence FB was Francis Bacon except that a previous owner wanted it to be Bacon.

Please take a chance to make sure this change (cleared up in 1991) has been made to the Docent Handbook at the desk!