The Pennsylvania Ballet’s 50th anniversary season opens in October, and they are using their archives, housed in the Temple Libraries Special Collections Research Center, to highlight their history. A few years ago, SCRC used Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Collections project grant money to prepare the first 40 years of the ballet’s records for research use. Totaling 91 linear feet (think eleven 4-drawer filing cabinets), the collection includes clippings, correspondence, financial records, photographs, posters, playbills, souvenir programs, and other materials documenting the ballet’s history as a vibrant presence in Philadelphia’s cultural life. For more information about the archival materials and the history of the company, see http://library.temple.edu/collections/scrc/pennsylvania-ballet-records-0

Taking advantage of digitization of images and poster in the collection for the anniversary celebration, we have been building digital content for our Philadelphia Dance collections. Digitized materials will soon appear on the Libraries website as well.

To join in the Ballet’s anniversary celebration, please visit www.paballet.org