On Thursday, June 21, Sarah Lawrence College celebrated the dedication of the Eleanor Weisman Edelman Reading Room and College Archives in the Esther Raushenbush Library. Eleanor Edelman was a lifelong Bronxville neighbor and loyal Sarah Lawrence supporter who founded the Friends of the Library in 1975. She also served as its first president, forging a wonderful partnership between the Bronxville community and our library that continues to thrive today.
President Cristle Collins Judd welcomed members of the Edelman family, students, staff, friends, and neighbors. She thanked Eleanor Edelman’s son, Thomas J. Edelman, who made the gift in memory of his late mother and in honor of his sisters Gwen Edelman’72 and Jennifer Edelman ’76, and who also established an endowment in support of the archives. Guests then joined President Judd in a toast in tribute to Eleanor Weisman Edelman for her service and generosity.
The Sarah Lawrence Archives houses the official records of Sarah Lawrence College including publications, photographs, artifacts, and audio-visual materials. It also maintains a collection of faculty papers and other manuscript collections related to the College, and receives over 400 research requests annually. The Eleanor Weisman Edelman Reading Room fulfills the Archives’ longstanding need for a quiet space dedicated to research and scholarship, and makes it possible for the Sarah Lawrence Library to serve as a digital partner site for Yale Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies.