About the Salant Room
About the Salant Room | Resources | The Salant Room Online
In 1992, Richard Salant made a major gift to
the New Canaan Library to honor his renowned CBS colleague
Eric Sevareid, then near death. It was an unrestricted gift,
but speaking at the Library's Annual Meeting that year, Mr.
Salant expressed his hope that the Library would establish
a news center that would honor Mr. Sevareid by encouraging
"news literacy."
After Mr. Salant's death, the Library Trustees and Director
determined to honor him while also fulfilling his wish to
pay tribute to Mr. Sevareid. Thus the Salant Room houses the
Sevareid Collection and is a place where the public can study
both news events and consequent press coverage. Frances Salant
generously donated to the room her husband's own library on
subjects related to the First Amendment and the media. these
books and tapes form the core of what became the Sevareid
Collection. It is amplified by the library's own holdings
on media topics as well as by new acquisitions. It also includes
a broad spectrum of publications, audio and video cassettes,
electronic databases on the media, and public Internet access
to enhance research opportunities.
To construct and equip the Salant Room and endow its ongoing
collections development, lectures, and programming, the Committee
for the Richard Salant Room led the fund raising that supported
the renovations and built a Salant Fund for the future. On
October 16, 1994 the Salant Room was dedicated following remarks
by Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes and members of the Salant family.
During 1995 Richard C. Hottelet gave a talk in April and
Mike Wallace spoke in November. Walter Conkrite appeared in
November, 1996, Charles Osgood in November, 1997, Dan Rather
in November, 1998 and Lesley Stahl in October 1999.
Since 1995, the Salant Room Round Tables have served as a
public forum on current affairs and their coverage by the
media. Throughout 1996, the Round Tables chronicled "Election
'96" with the co-sponsorship of the League of Women voters
of New Canaan. Development of the Sevareid Collection was
enhanced in 1996 by a grant from the Tribune New York Foundation.
In October 1996, the Salant Endowment sponsored a panel discussion,
What's Next for Public Broadcasting? which brought together
Ward Chamberlin, Larry Grossman, John Jay Iselin and John
(Jack) Kiermaier, the leadership of Thirteen/WNET for several
decades and Bill Buzenberg of National Public Radio.
Gifts to the Richard Salant Room
should be mailed to :
New Canaan Library
151 Main Street
New Canaan, CT 06840
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