Ultra-Modern Recording Instrument Recently Acquired for Poetry Room

Located in the Poetry Room on the top floor of Widener Library is one of the best instruments yet discovered for playing recordings of the human voice.

Ten years ago F. C. Packard, Jr. '20 assistant professor of Public Speaking conceived the idea of a "vocarium" in order to make a collection of records of speech and, with this object in mind, has had a number of recordings made.

New contained in the Poetry Room in a complete set of all the recordings of Shakespeare's works, that have been made thus far. Chief among the actors reciting the Shakespearian dramas are such celebrities as John Barrymore, Maurice Evans, and Orson Welles.

Owns McLeish Records

Outstanding among the Room's holdings in the new field is a Columbia Broadcasting Company version of "Air Raid" by Archibald McLeish, Curator of the Nieman Collection of Journalism. There is also a temporary recording of "Air Raid" by the poet himself.

Under the direction of Arnold Kenseth, assistant in English and Crator of the Poetry Room, the Library has bought all available records of poetry. Plans are under way to make available an extensive collection of McLeish records. In addition, recordings may be made of Robert Frost, and Robert S. Hillyer '17, Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory.

All Can Listen

The new machine, has a special attachment for gramophones so that one man can listen at any time without disturbing anyone. Except for Tuesday, there are regular listening hours every afternoon from 4 to 5 o'clock, at which time the program is arranged by request.

Certain classes and groups, from Radcliffe as well as from the University have been using the Victoria and find it most helpful in analyzing and truly appreciating the mortise of the world's finest poetry. During the coming year a number of lecturers will speak in the Poetry Room and use the records to illustrate their talks. By giving proper notice to the Curator, any group in the University may take over the room and have free use of the records.

Both as a means of preserving a poet's own version of his works, and as a way of studying the human voice, Professor Packard's experiment has met with nationwide approval.