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Introduction:
The Ralph D. DeChabert Collection in the Library
of the St. Croix
Campus of the University of the Virgin Islands was
established in April
of 1996 in honor of the memory of Ralph D. DeChabert,
outstanding
Virgin Islands journalist and politician. The collection
includes books,
government documents, microfilm and microfiche which
focus, first, on
the history and culture of the United States Virgin
Islands and second,
more generally on the broader Caribbean. The collection
of books is
housed with the Special Collection of Caribbean
materials on the
Library's second floor. At the present time, the
collection is growing at
a considerable rate, due to a generous donation
of $26,000 from the
DeChabert Family of St. Croix. In particular, materials
are being
added regularly from various libraies and archives
in Denmark in order
to advance research relative to the Danish West
Indian period of local
history (1672 - 1917).
The appreciation ceremony was held April 15, 1996
at 1:00pm. The
DeChabert Family and UVI signed the agreement during
the
ceremony. Comments made by participants included:
"He [Ralph DeChabert, Sr.] believed in
the dignity of
land ownership. He spoke with many young people.
He
participated in so many areas of life on the
island."
Dr.
Ralph DeChabert
"We need for people to have knowledge
of history so
they can strengthen their roots." Dr. Orville
Kean,
President, UVI
"The fact that we are here today demonstrates
the
DeChabert family's concern for the agony we feel
when we are unable to locate materials for research
on regional issues." Judith Rogers, St. Croix
Campus
Librarian
"This is a possibility for the people
of the Virgin
Islands for the First time to reinterpret a history
that
has always
been explained by outsiders." Dr. Arnold
Highfield
SOURCE: St. Croix Avis, 16 April 1996, p.15
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Access to Materials:
Items in the DeChabert Collection are catalogued
and
listed among the regular hodings of the UVI Library.
To reach that
collection, click the Library link on the menu to
access the University
Libraries home page. Select
From St. Croix under the heading 'Search
UVIAL
(Public Access Catalog). The collection is non-circulating,
though inquiries and visitors are welcomed. Copies
of materials may
be requested through interlibrary
loan - copyright restrictions
apply.Collection hours
coincide
with those of the regular library and
depend on the time of year and semester.
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In the months ahead, new pages concerning
the DeChabert
Collection will be posted regularly on this website.
The following is a
sampling of the kinds of documents that will appear:
- maps
- plantation plans
- graphic illustrations
- government documents, from both the Danish
(1672­ 1917) (1917present) periods
- databases
- publications. Click here to see the first of
these, a fully annotated
Bibliography of Slavery in the Danish West
Indies.
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Thank you for visiting the site of the Ralph
D. DeChabert
Collection. Send your comments and inquires to ahighfi@uvi.edu.
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