Redlands and the Citrus Industry

Silent film actress Colleen Moore and the San Bernardino Mountains
Cover of The California Citrograph, October 1923, Vol. 8, Iss. 12

The citrus industry has quite a history in Southern California, and Redlands is one of the cities in which groves were tended for many years. As a citrus town, active packing houses packaged and shipped fruit, smudge pots were lit when the temperatures dropped to protect citrus trees from freezing, and growers prepared to bring their best fruit to the annual Orange Show in San Bernardino, California, to compete for awards.

In the Armacost Library, industry specific publications bring to life the history of citrus in Redlands. The California Citrograph, aimed at citrus growers, published on topics such as propagation, pest control, packinghouse technology, and highlighted people and cities in the industry. After a scan of the covers from the first decade (1915-1925), two were of interest, showcasing the San Bernardino mountains in the background, and a silent film actress in the foreground. For example, here is a close up of silent era film actress Virginia Valli, preparing orange juice, with the Redlands citrus district behind her.

The California Citrograph, June 1923, Vol. 8, Iss. 8.

The California Citrograph also covered the annual Orange Show held in San Bernardino, California, which the Redlands Chamber of Commerce and Redlands area citrus growers attended regularly.

In fact, the Redlands Chamber of Commerce won 2nd prize for a motion exhibit in both 1921 and 1922:

Interested in discovering more local gems like these? Come check out The California Citrograph in the bound periodicals section of the Library. Or, pick up an issue of Citrus Leaves, published beginning in 1921 by Redlands based Mutual Orange Distributors (MOD), a cooperative association of local citrus shippers.

Who's Reading the Reader?

"Who's reading the reader?" is the theme of this year's Choose Privacy Week (May 1-7, 2015).


"During Choose Privacy Week the American Library Association invites librarians and library users to engage in a conversation about protecting and defending reader privacy rights and how to acquire the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to address the widespread surveillance and data mining that collects information about users’ communications, reading and web surfing habits."


The American Library Association will be hosting a week-long online forum for Choose Privacy Week featuring various speakers on privacy and surveillance.  Librarians have long been advocates for their patrons' privacy.   

In 1972 Zoia Horn became the first U.S. librarian ever jailed for withholding information as a matter of conscience by refusing to testify against antiwar activists accused of a bizarre terrorist plot.  She was the chief reference librarian at Bucknell University at the time.   

Librarians have been and continue to be opponents of the broad surveillance power afforded by the Patriot Act. 

"Sonnie and Macrina both see privacy as not just an issue of intellectual freedom, but also of social justice. 'We serve members of communities who have been historically under greater surveillance than the rest of the population: immigrants, Muslim-Americans, people of color, political dissidents,' Macrina explained." http://www.thenation.com/article/206561/librarians-versus-nsa

Recently privacy and security concerns were raised about Adobe Digital Editions platform for ebooks collecting and transmitting user data over insecure networks.  "Adobe’s total failure to protect user information during transmission may be a violation of privacy laws." 

Interested in protecting your own privacy?  Check out the Surveillance Self-Defense toolkit from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. 

Tune in to the forums taking place during Choose Privacy Week, and check out some of the books, films, and other resources on privacy and surveillance available at Armacost Library.