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College Hall
Gallaudet University |
Did you know that Deaf History Month, March 13 – 15, celebrates three historic and key milestones? Thirty years ago, on March 13, 1988, following the Deaf President Now! Movement, Gallaudet University appointed its first Deaf President. On April 8, 1864, President Lincoln signed a federal charter to establish a college for the deaf at what is known today as Gallaudet University. And on April 15, 1817, the American School for the Deaf, the first permanent school for the deaf in the Western Hemisphere, was established in Hartford, CT.
The metro Washington area is full of deaf history gems that can be found in our libraries. Our libraries offer books, e-books, and DVDs written or produced by both deaf and non-deaf authors or producers which highlight the achievements of individuals of the American past and how they have influenced deaf culture of the present.
The new Maryland Deaf Culture Digital Library (MD DCDL), a statewide one stop resource on deaf cultures and deaf resources, hosted by Montgomery County Public Libraries at the Germantown branch, has now made available a collection of e-books on deaf culture, history, literature, and American Sign Language (ASL) through the Maryland’s Digital eLibrary Consortium (Overdrive). Library cardholders who use libraries in all 24 counties in the state of Maryland can find these titles by clicking into the Digital eLibrary and typing the word “deaf” into its search box.
In addition to e-books, the Maryland Deaf Culture Digital Library features several new additions to its collection, such as The Sage Deaf Studies Encyclopedia, co-edited by Genie Gertz and Patrick Boudreault, The History of Gallaudet University: 150 Years of a Deaf American Institution by David F. Armstrong, In Our Own Hands: Essays in Deaf History, 1780-1970 edited by Brian H. Greenwald and Joseph J. Murray, also available in e-book format, and Fighting in the Shadows: the Untold Story of Deaf People in the Civil War by Harry G. Lang.
Are you also looking for a list of places to learn or practice American Sign Language or online streaming ASL stories for children? The MD DCDL webpage, temporarily hosted on the Montgomery County Public Libraries website, features these ASL resources. In addition, we have books on the history of American Sign Language that can be borrowed from the library with a current library card. If the items you want are not available at your library, we can place a hold for you.
Are you also looking for ASL classes, ASL Conversation Clubs, Bilingual ASL/English Storytimes or Book Discussions in ASL? View the MD DCDL webpage for a list of these events, updated monthly. You can also order accessibility services at your library when attending library programs.
Connect with the deaf community on MD DCDL Facebook page, watch streaming video news in ASL, or find community events and conferences. The Maryland Deaf Culture Digital Library is the place to make these connections.
Susan F. Cohen,
Project Coordinator/Librarian II,
Maryland Deaf Culture Digital Library
Labels: Databases, History
