Barbara Goldsmith

OPENING OF THE NYPL LIBRARY SERVICES CENTER

On April 22nd the New York Publ Library Services Center opened in Long Island City—A 146,000 square foot building with 266 conservators and other preservationists. For me it represented the culmination of 25 years of work in Preservation and Conservation. Now we can be assured that a great mass of the written word will not go down the Orwellian “memory hole.”

The Preservation and Conservation of written materials has been one of my passions (writing being the other). Some people say that an individual cannot help in accomplishing a challenging goal but I quote Margaret Mead who said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." That’s what has happened here.

When first I became interested in Preservation and Conservation, the New York Public Library, of which I am a Trustee, had 33 linear miles of decaying books largely do to the acidic paper on which they were printed. Over the years I began a campaign to switch to cost-comparable, acid-free paper—paper that lasted 300 years instead of deteriorating in 30. It took a long time and a lot of effort, including a signed Declaration from 40 publishers and 2,500 writers that they would only be published on permanent acid-free paper. With a lot of help I was instrumental in securing an increase from the National Endowment for the Humanities of $20 million annually for this purpose.

All of this sounds abstract but there it is—realer than real—this beautiful building with dedicated people working there, each floor pristine, state-of-the-art, and color-keyed—A dream come true. I wanted you to share my joy in this.

PEN/​BARBARA GOLDSMITH FREEDOM TO WRITE AWARD WINNER FREED!

What a week! Every year I give a PEN/​Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write award. The purpose of this award is to make sure that prisoners of conscience, who have done nothing more than express their opinions, are not tortured, do not disappear, and are released from jail. Years ago I thought if we could turn a spotlight on these unfortunate souls that we would see that they were freed. It worked! Thirty-two of the thirty-four prize-winners were released from jail after receiving this award. However, among the hardest of our cases was a young man named Normando Hernández González only 40 years old. He has endured seven years of prison in Cuba under the worst possible circumstances. He is now gravely ill. On July 10th Normando was finally released, seeing his baby daughter for the first time in years and finding asylum in Spain where he was picked up at the airport and taken to a hospital.

I used to wake up in the middle of the night thinking about Normando and wondering what I or PEN could do, other than utilize PEN’s 147 branches, to turn the spotlight on this terrible abuse. What great news this week has brought. I always say when I present my award, “Keep the spotlight on.” We did and thanks in large part to the Cuban clergy over 50 other Cuban prisoners of conscience will probably go free in the near future. I’ll keep you posted.

To bring you up to date: My newest project is being presented in a partnership between HBO and Sony. It is based on my last book the New York Times bestseller “Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie.” My book has been translated into twenty-two languages and has gained world-wide attention. The script for this production will be written by Nigel Williams. Williams wrote the script for “Elizabeth I.” It won a Golden Globe awarded to the actress Helen Mirren. I’m a co-producer of this project and frankly it’s a delight to be involved with these competent people for awhile instead of just burying my nose in research and writing.

“Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie” is based on Madame Curie’s letters, diaries, and workbooks, sources that prior to my book had been sealed tight for seventy years. It was a delight to find this new material and to realize that the icon Madame Curie is not at all the real Marie Sklodowska Curie, that determined immigrant scientist who discovered radium and led a tumultuous personal life. You’ll be hearing more about this exciting project soon.

BARBARA GOLDSMITH RECEIVED THE LITERACY PARTNERS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD ON MAY 6, 2009 AT LINCOLN CENTER'S NEW YORK STATE THEATER.


Barbara Goldsmith was named a "Living Landmark" by the New York’s Landmark Conservancy and its affiliates! This prestigious honor was celebrated on November 5th, 2008


Barbara Goldsmith is a noted author, historian. Her best-selling books include The Straw Man, Little Gloria…Happy at Last, Johnson v. Johnson, and Other Powers: The Age of Suffrage, Spiritualism, and the Scandalous Victoria Woodhull (soon to be a major motion picture produced by Kathleen Kennedy for Universal Studios) and Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie. She is the recipient of many literary awards and two Emmy Awards for her work. Barbara Goldsmith has long been at the forefront of the effort to preserve our written heritage. She is the donor of the Goldsmith Conservation and Preservation Laboratories at the New York Public Library, and these Divisions were recently named in her honor. She has donated the Preservation and Conservation Departments to New York University as well as a state-of-the-art Rare Book Library at the American Academy in Rome and at Wellesley College.

Ms. Goldsmith accomplished the Herculean task of organizing this country’s most influential writers to insist that they be published on cost-comparable permanent paper (which lasts 300 years instead of deteriorating in 30.) She spearheaded a landmark event in which forty of the nation's most influential trade-book publishers and 2,500 writers signed a Declaration that they would publish only on permanent paper, thus insuring our cultural heritage and potentially saving billions of future dollars that might otherwise be spent on preservation. Ms. Goldsmith helped effect a $20 million annual increase in the budget of the National Endowment of the Humanities for paper preservation.

Barbara Goldsmith is dedicated to working for human rights and the freedom of expression. Nineteen years ago, she conceived the “PEN/​Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Awards,” that consistently turns the media spotlight on imprisoned writers invariably securing their release. Of the 31 writers imprisoned or missing at the time of her awards, 28 were subsequently set free.

Barbara Goldsmith has written for The New York Times, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker. Ms. Goldsmith is a Doctor of Literature and of Humane Letters, honoris causa. Among her honors are an appointment to the President’s Commission for the Celebration of Women in American History, the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Literary Arts of the Guild Hall Academy of the Arts, the Poets and Writers “Writers for Writers” award, and the American Publishers Association Literary Award. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Ms. Goldsmith served on the New York State Council on the Arts, the Commission for Preservation and Access and the Permanent Paper Task Force of the National Library of Medicine. She is a Trustee of the American Academy in Rome, the New York Public Library and was elected a Literary Lion at that institution. Barbara Goldsmith is a member of the Authors League, Authors Guild of America, and Poets & Writers. She was a founder of the National Dance Institute and wrote "Jump! Why Do I Dance?” which was performed at the White House. Information on her books follows.

Barbara Goldsmith was at the forefront of the effort to preserve our written heritage. She helped accomplish the Herculean task of organizing this country’s most influential writers to insist that they be published on cost-comparable permanent paper (which lasts 300 years instead of disintegrating in 30) and spearheaded a landmark event in which forty of the nation's most influential trade-book publishers and 2,500 writers signed a Declaration that they would use only permanent paper, thus insuring our cultural heritage. Ms. Goldsmith has often testified before the congressional committees on the importance of writer’s grants and on the preservation of our written heritage. She helped effect a $20 million annual increase in the budget of the National Endowment of the Humanities for paper preservation. Goldsmith is dedicated to working for human rights and the freedom of expression. Eighteen years ago she conceived the “Barbara Goldsmith/​PEN Freedom to Write Awards,” that consistently turn the media spotlight on writers imprisoned for expressing their views and has invariably seen them released. Of the thirty-four writers imprisoned, missing, or tortured at the time of her award, thirty-one were soon set free.

For further information on Barbara Goldsmith refer to:

American Academy in Rome (www.aarome.org) Trustee, Provided technology state-of-the-art Barbara Goldsmith Rare Book Library designed by architect, Michael Graves

Harper Collins (http:/​/​www.harpercollins.com) Chapter excerpt Other Powers: The Age of Suffrage, Spiritualism and the Scandalous Victoria Woodhull (School and book group guide)

New York Public Library (http:/​/​www.nypl.org/​collections/​nypl-collections/​preservation-division) Trustee, Donor of Barbara Goldsmith Preservation & Conservation Divisions, Nominating Committee, Headed campaign to promote acid free paper (that lasts 300 years) for trade books. Facilitated government subsidy of $20 million for project

New York Times (http:/​/​www.nytimes.com) Eleanor Blau interview, Other Powers review by Richard Bernstein

New York University (http:/​/​library.nyu.edu/​preservation/​conservationlab/​conservation.html) Barbara Goldsmith Preservation Laboratory, Goldsmith Lecture Series

PEN American Center (http:/​/​www.pen.org) Trustee, Originated Freedom to Write Award, Originated Library Initiative against censorship

Presidential Commission on the Celebration of Women in America (http:/​/​govinfo.library.unt.edu/​whc/​whcreport.pdf) Dr. Goldsmith received the Presidential Citation

Wellesley College (http:/​/​www.wellesley.edu) Alumni, Donated Library Preservation Laboratory

Who’s Who in America (http:/​/​www.marquiswhoswho.com/​index.asp) Biography

BARBARA GOLDSMITH to Received Authors Guild 2007
Distinguished Service Award Presented by ROBERT CARO

ANDY BOROWITZ Hosted

New York, NY, April 2007 – Comedian and satirist Andy Borowitz, author of the popular free online "The Borowitz Report," will be Master of Ceremonies of the 15th Annual Dinner in celebration of writers and writing to benefit the Authors Guild Foundation and the Authors League Fund on Monday, May 21st at the Metropolitan Club in New York City. This year the Authors Guild will honor author and historian Barbara Goldsmith with its Distinguished Service Award presented by the eminent biographer
Robert Caro. Barbara Goldsmith's acclaimed best-selling books and articles have won her numerous prestigious awards, among them the U.S. Presidential Citation, election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Presidential Commission for Preservation and Conservation, two Emmy's, New York Public Library's Literary Lion Award and New York University's Distinguished Writing Award. She is the recipient of four doctorates, honoris causa. Her most recent book, Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie, has been translated into fifteen languages and just earned her The American Institute of Physics' highest honor for a writer, its 2006 Science Writing Award.

In the New York Times Vartan Gregorian, President of the Carnegie Corporation, cited Barbara Goldsmith as one of the ten most enlightened and influential philanthropists in America. She originated and spearheaded a successful campaign culminating in a 20 million dollar contribution from the Federal Government to convert to acid-free permanent paper, thus helping preserve our literary heritage for 300 years and saving untold millions in future conservation costs. She is a major donor of Preservation and Conservation facilities at several prestigious institutions here and abroad. She originated the PEN/​Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Awards and harnessed world-wide media to spotlight the terrors and humiliations faced by writers of conscience. Of the 32 writers imprisoned at the time of her awards, 30 were subsequently released.

The Co-chairs of the evening are authors Judy Blume, Barbara Taylor Bradford and Robert Bradford, Sandra Brown, Mary Higgins Clark, Michael Crichton, James Gleick, John Grisham, A.E. Hotchner, Garrison Keillor, Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, John R. MacArthur, Katherine Neville, Mary Pope Osborne, R.L. Stine and Jane Stine, Scott Turow and Stuart Woods.

Confirmed attendees included: Ken Auletta, Roy Blount, Patricia Bosworth, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Sandra Brown, Robert Caro, Carol Higgins Clark, Mary Higgins Clark, David Patrick Columbia, Gael Greene, John Grisham, Robie Harris, A.E. Hotchner, Susan Isaacs, John R. MacArthur, Katherine Neville, Victor and Anne Navasky, Sidney Offit, Mary Pope Osborne, Hannah Pakula, Peter Petre, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Peter Price (President of the National Television Academy), Roxana Robinson, Lynn Sherr, James Stevenson, Jean Strouse, Nick Taylor, Jeffrey Toobin, Amanda Urban, Scott Turow, Margo Viscusi and Stuart Woods.

All the profits from the event will support the Authors Guild Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting writing as a livelihood and promoting the importance of writing, publishing, copyrights, free speech as well as the Authors League Fund, which helps professional writers and dramatists who find themselves in financial need because of medical or health related problems, temporary loss of income, or other misfortune.

The evening will begin with cocktails at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner and the award presentation at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling 212-594-7931.