@library.edu Fall 2002 Vol. 5 #1
The newsletter of the Swarthmore College Libraries
Karaoke night at the Library? Students make suggestions for improving the library “What thoughts, what urging thoughts, what keen suggestions Crowded upon me like a band of fiends.” Joanna Baillie, The Separation, A Tragedy in Five Acts, 1851
Mondays @McCabe Workshops for Students, Faculty, and Staff
As you may have noticed, the Library recently established a new suggestion box for students, staff, and faculty. Placed close to the Circulation Desk, this simple device gives you a quick and easy way to provide the library with feedback, suggest purchases, make complaints, and, hopefully, convey the occasional compliment. The Library depends on feedback from its patrons to improve services, detect problem areas, and build a collection that meets the needs of the Swarthmore community. In the two semesters the box has been available, we have received over 100 suggestions. We hope to receive even more during upcoming semesters. This is not the first time the Library has offered a public venue for suggestions. In 1970, the library initiated a short-lived suggestion box at the request of the student members of the library committee. Reporting in December 1970, The Phoenix found that students used the suggestion box to ask for extended library hours, more study space, and, sensibly, pillows “for those of us who want to sleep but don’t want to make the long trek back to our rooms.” (Phoenix, 12/15/70). The tenor of the suggestions we have received 32 years later echo earlier concerns but also speak to the new technologies offered by the library. While earlier generations of students fretted chiefly about the dearth of comfortable seating and the deplorable lack of convenient cigarette machines (yes, really!), today’s Swarthmore student is much more concerned with the provision of high-quality DVD players, access issues for the popular electronic reserves system (ERes), and in particular, the availability of wireless laptops. As soon as we introduced wireless laptops for check-out, this became one of our most popular services. According to suggestions left in the box, students would be even happier with a larger number of laptops. This student’s response is representative: “Why doesn’t the library buy a few more laptops? There ain’t never none left.” Problematic grammar notwithstanding, we listened to this comment and acquired three additional PowerMacs in December 2001 and two additional Dells (PC’s) in January 2002, bringing our total to ten laptops available for checkout. We hope to obtain even more in the coming year. We plan to address several requests by way of our upcoming renovations in the summer of 2003. For example, we hope to replace the rather strident buzzer that sounds at the closing of the library with a more mellifluous recorded voice, one that will no doubt be greatly appreciated by the troubled soul who wrote: “Why doesn’t the library find a less offensive way to let people know it’s closing time? The buzzer is terrible. I was using the paper cutter while it went off recently, and I almost lost a finger!” Additionally, thanks to many student suggestions we are aware that the temperature in our electronic classroom on the 4th floor is inconsistent at best and usually insufferably warm. We have installed four floor fans that do little to address the temperature but do manage to vigorously circulate the air. The wind-swept look is popular in that room! Rest assured, we expect to attend to the temperature control more effectively in the upcoming renovations. continued on page 6
Copyright & its everyday uses Sept. 23: 11:30-12:30 pm Internet Searching Techniques Oct. 7: 11:30-12:30 pm Ingenta – Why you should be using it! For faculty and staff. Oct. 21: 11:30-12:30 pm Debunking the PDF Mystery – Highly Recommended for Faculty & Staff Oct. 28: 11:30-12:30 pm Endnote: Collecting & Organizing Bibliographic Information Nov. 4: 1:00-3:00 pm Wild & Amazing Structures – Library Tour Nov. 11: 1:00 pm Dynamic Research for-students taught by-students Pizza too. Nov. 11: 7:00-8:00 pm Internet Searching Techniques Dec. 2: 11:30-12:30 pm All classes are held in the computer classroom, level IV, McCabe Library. RSVP to Pam Harris, pharris1, Ext. 2056 or go to: www.swarthmore.edu/library/ instruction/workshops.html
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We are not alone..... The Library participates in a number of organizations that enhance our offerings. These are some of the key organizations the Library is involved in: The Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium, Inc. (PALCI) A federation of 35 academic libraries in Pennsylvania. PALCI enables direct borrowing of materials by library clients of its member libraries. Research Libraries Group (RLG) A not-for-profit membership corporation of over 160 universities, national libraries, archives, historical societies, and other institutions with remarkable collections for research and learning. Group of 17 An informal group of 17 liberal arts college libraries that meet annually to discuss topics of common interest and concern. Online Catalog Library Center, Inc. (OCLC) A global library cooperative, OCLC is a nonprofit membership organization. OCLC provides many services and databases such as WorldCat and Firstsearch. Oberlin Group The Oberlin Group is an informal organization of select liberal arts college libraries. Its main purpose is to share information among the library directors in a collegial way. The group conducts an annual statistical survey of its member libraries. American Library Associations (ALA) ALA, “the voice of America’s libraries,” is a national organization providing leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services. Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) A division of ALA, ACRL is the professional association for academic librarians. Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) CLIR is an independent, nonprofit organization that works to expand public access to information, however recorded and preserved. Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) CNI is an organization designed to advance the promise of networked information technology for the improvement of scholarly communication. It is a program of the Association of Research Libraries and EDUCAUSE. - A. NEWMAN
Vol. 5, no. 1 Fall 2002
Think before you print! Save trees and other natural resources: think before you print that email, web page, journal article, or notyet-finished paper you’re writing. The Library and ITS encourage you to practice conservation and environmental responsibility by printing less. ITS is using an open source program from Whitman College to track printing levels on the public printers. Weekly usage graphs will be posted and available online. With your help, we should see printing levels go down as the term progresses. LIBRARY HOURS McCabe Library (610) 328-8477 M-Th: 8:15 a.m. - 1:00 a.m. F: 8:15 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Sat: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Sun: Noon – 1:00 a.m. Cornell Library (610) 328-8262 M-F: 8:15 a.m.– midnight Sat: 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Sun: Noon – midnight Underhill Library (610) 328-8232 M-Th.: 8:30 a.m.– 5:15 p.m. 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. F: 8:30 a.m .– 5:15 p.m. Sat: 10:00 a.m. - 5:15 p.m. Sun: 1:00 p.m.– 5:15 p.m. 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. During breaks and summer: M-F: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Closed weekends
New electronic resources ATLA Religion Database + ATLAS (updated) Designed to support religious and theological scholarship in graduate education and faculty research. Contains citations from more than 1,400 international titles. ATLAS provides full text article links for more than 50 core journals. HAPI Online Information about Central and South America, Mexico, the Caribbean basin, the United States-Mexico border region, and Hispanics in the United States. Covers Latin American arts and letters; analyses of current political, economic, and social issues. History Books Online A collaborative effort by the Penn Library and the Oxford and Cambridge University presses. Currently contains 348 books; will number between 1,500 and 2,000 books over the next five years. InfoTrac OneFile (includes Expanded Academic ASAP) Provides indexing and abstracts to 6,000 news sources, academic journals and general interest periodicals in most subject areas back to 1980. International Medieval Bibliography Online Leading interdisciplinary bibliography of the European Middle Ages, covering Europe, the Middle East and North Africa in the period 400-1500. All listed databases are available from the library’s database page: http://www.swarthmore.edu/library/databases/alpha.html
@library.edu is the newsletter of the Swarthmore College Libraries, published once a semester. Editorial Staff: Pam Harris, Terry Heinrichs and Annette Newman Thank you to all who contributed to this issue, especially: Chris Densmore, Alison Masterpasqua, Amy Morrison, Tammy Rabideau, Sandra Vermeychuk, Amy McColl, Rose Maio, Miguel Diaz-Barriga, Seth Frisbie-Fulton, Anne Garrison, Meg Spencer E-mail: <libnews@swarthmore.edu> Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081
Vol. 5, no.1 Fall 2002
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Who reads what? Match the book to the person Here are the clues: Joy Charlton: Good novels are like good ethnographies, detecting and illuminating social worlds for us. Miquel Díaz-Barriga: I like novels that combine political activism, partying with peasants, and religious symbolism. Farha Ghannam: This is a book that focuses on specific struggles but manages at the same time to depict more universal feelings of displacement, loss, and alienation. Bruce Grant: Faded aristocracy, melancholy, the importance of excellent table linens as the world collapses around you. Left to right, Ginny O’Connell, Robin Wagner-Pacifici, Miguel DíazBarriga, Farha Ghannam, Bruce Grant, Joy Charlton, Steve Piker, Braulio Muñoz, Sarah Willie and Rose Maio.
Can you match professors and staff from the Sociology/ Anthropology department with their favorite novels? This is a game from the department’s picnic in May. The two students who won first prize – Reiko Toshiba and Rachel Schultz – guessed four out of eight correctly. At the Honors dinner in May, the department gave novels to the visiting examiners, who also tried to match each book to its selector. The gift-giving used the “generalized reciprocity” idea of sociologist Marcel Mauss and anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss. Unlike “balanced reciprocity” where gifts are given in gratitude for a service, “generalized reciprocity” means no immediate or specific return is expected. As Professor Bruce Grant explained, the novels were given in the spirit of the honors weekend, which is about the broader circulation of honor, knowledge, and peaceful futures.
Rose Maio: This book was a true test of trust and faith. Ginny O’Connell: I like this book because it has a visceral relationship with the soil and lots of raw emotion. Robin Wagner-Pacifici: This is a good book to read in February, which I do every year. I like books that combine dirty hems with good manners. Choose the book that matches the person: The Earth (Emile Zola) Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) The Brothers Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoyevski) Men in the Sun (Ghassan Kanafani) A Bitter Feast (S.J. Rozan) Great Expectations (Charles Dickens) Shame (Salman Rushdie) (Answers are at the bottom of the page.)
Don’t forget the coffee bar!
What’s happening with the globe?
The Daily Grind, the coffee bar in McCabe, offers Fair Trade coffee, tea, hot chocolate, juice, water, bagels, and pastries for sale during the early morning, late afternoon, and evening hours.
After the article in the last @library.edu and a subsequent article in the Swarthmore College Bulletin, the Librarian’s office has been receiving numerous inquiries from potential new homes for the 75-inch diameter globe. Inquiries have come in from all across the country from Oregon to Florida from schools, colleges, museums and interior decorators. Even though the library has fielded many initial inquiries, we have yet to
find the globe a new home. All serious parties are asked to write a letter to Peggy Seiden, College Librarian, describing their organization and why they want the globe. Preference will be given to educational organizations. The only caveat is that it is the responsibility of the new owner to disassemble and move the globe to its new home. For more information on the globe, contact Annette Newman, Assistant to the Librarian at (610)328-8489 or anewman2@swarthmore.edu.
Answers: 1. The Earth: Ginny 2. Pride and Prejudice: Robin 3. The Brothers Karamazov: Miguel 4. Shame: Bruce 5. Men in the Sun: Farha 6. A Bitter Feast: Joy 7. Great Expectations: Rose
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Vol. 5, no. 1 Fall 2002
Researching the Underground Railroad at Friends Historical Library Friends Historical Library has letters of Thomas Garrett, William Still, Graceanna Lewis and others who can be documented to have participated in the Underground Railroad. In the years after the end of slavery, some participants recorded their memoirs in publications such as the Friends Intelligencer or The Journal. The Underground Railroad, that clandestine system for aiding people escaping enslavement in the United States before the final abolition of slavery in 1865, is a part of both American history and folklore. School children learn about Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, Levi Coffin and Thomas Garrett. Yet beyond the careers of a handful of individuals, solid information on the Underground Railroad is difficult to find. It was after all an illegal activity, and those fugitives like Douglass who wrote about their escapes from slavery were careful to avoid giving concrete details of routes or identifying individuals so as not to compromise the safety of others attempting to reach freedom. In the years since the end of slavery, local stories about the workings of this mysterious network have been passed down and recorded by largely amateur historians. The legend of the Underground Railroad can obscure the reality. The region of southeastern Pennsylvania, just north of the Mason-Dixon line dividing the nominally “free” from the slave states, is replete with houses claimed to have been used on the Underground Railroad, with secret tunnels and hiding places. In some cases the identification of an Underground Railroad station is clearly wishful thinking. Some houses previously believed to have been stations were not actually built until after the end of slavery, so they could not have been part of the URR. Many supposed hiding places are actually root cellars or water cisterns. Friends Historical Library has received inquiries from local historians who assume that just by showing that a former owner of a house was a Quaker, they have proof that it had to have been used as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
The evidence for a particular house or individual as having been involved on the Underground Railroad is seldom clear. I recently presented a talk at the East Fallowfield Friends Meeting in Ercildoun, Pennsylvania. There was an active AntiSlavery Society in the community and strong evidence of participation in the Underground Railroad by at least two of the local Quakers. There is a high probability their houses were used by the URR. A few miles away is the site of an African Union Methodist Church, dating from at least the 1820s. This seemed to be a possible URR site. African-American fugitives were certainly passing through the area, and what more logical place to look for help than the African Union Methodist Church? Evidence soon came in the form of a letter written in 1840 by one of the URR agents among the East Fallowfield Friends, James Fulton Jr., describing the death and funeral of a preacher of the African Church who was a fugitive slave. Both Quakers from East Fallowfield and Methodists from the African Church participated in the funeral. This is not absolute evidence to establish the East Fallowfield African Union Methodist Church site as an URR station, but it did, in my own estimation, raise its status from a possible site to at least a very likely site that merits more investigation. Research is making connections. One URR agent in western New York, Eber Pettit, published an account of his activities, but took care to disguise the names of his coworkers. He told of passing on fugitives from Versailles, New York, through the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation to a man named only as “Friend Andrew.” A researcher from Western New York e-mailed FHL for information on a local man named Andrew Varney, reputed to have been involved in the URR. No Varney papers appear to have survived, but a
quick check of the obituaries in Friends Intelligencer identified Andrew Varney as a member of East Hamburg Friends Meeting. His obituary ended with the statement that “The oppressed African, too, found in him a sympathizing friend, as he sought shelter and protection on his way to the land of the free...” The obituary also mentioned Varney’s concern for Native Americans, and he was, as documented in the New York Yearly Meeting Indian Committee records, a teacher on the Cattaraugus Reservation in the 1840s. Another connection made. A selection of these accounts, including a recollection by Swarthmore College President Edward Magill, is available on the web at the Friends Historical Library homepage as “Quaker Accounts of the Underground Railroad in the Region of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.” (http:// www.swarthmore.edu/Library/friends/ index.html) - CHRISTOPHER DENSMORE Curator, Friends HIstorical Library
Vol. 5, no. 1 Fall 2002
what’s what’snew new Desktop delivery of ILL articles Journal articles requested through interlibrary loan will soon be delivered right to your desktop. ILL will email you when the documents are available on the special trico server, and you then use a password and unique login to access them. This desktop service means faster delivery of articles and possibly reduced printing. Tri-college libraries staff directory Greg Posey, tri-college libraries web developer, has created a searchable tri-college librarie staff directory available at http://www.tricollege.org/staff. There are also links to this directory from the library web site. Please send questions/comments regarding the directory to Greg at gposey1@ swarthmore.edu. Subject guides available on-line New web-based subject guides that list the most salient resources by discipline are available. The subject guides are created and edited by librarians at Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore College who identify the most recommended print and electronic resources by discipline. The guides are available at the library web site by clicking on “Subject Guides” on the home page and at http://tricollege.org. Every discipline has a basic guide available and sub-discipline guides are being created. The members of the tri-college libraries’ group currently working on the underlying system for this project are Berry Chamness, Mark Colvson, Mary Lynn Morris, Tammy Rabideau and Greg Posey. Earlier contributors were Linda Bills and Cecelia Buchanan. Much of the start-up development for the system was outsourced to a company called TechSense. The underlying system, developed with funding support from the Mellon Foundation, presents information dynamically through the use of innovative tools and techniques. Additional features for this application are being developed. Email comments to Greg Posey at gposey1@swarthmore.edu or Tammy Rabideau at trabide1@swarthmore.edu. Look for a fuller article on this project in the next newsletter to learn more!
@library.edu
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Blackboard to replace ERes in 2003-04 In the fall of 1999, the Library began offering course readings online through an application called ERes (http://trires. brynmawr.edu/). Use of the ERes system has grown steadily since 1999, with approximately 134 courses using the system and with the library scanning approximately 75,000 pages during the 2001-02 academic year. Since the spring term 2001, use of Blackboard (http://blackboard. swarthmore.edu/?bbatt=Y), a powerful and popular online course management tool, has also been growing steadily. In the first term of its presence at Swarthmore, five courses were delivered using Blackboard in some way. In the 2001-02 academic year, almost 40 Swarthmore faculty used Blackboard to teach over 60 courses to 1,050 students. Faculty utilized the Library’s scanning services to deliver content for 41 of these courses. The decision to support only one system for online course readings was deferred, but now that the proof-of-concept period is over it is clear that Blackboard is superior to ERes as a pedagogical tool. Its superiority is evident in several areas. First, having one login for all courses using Blackboard ensures that students are more likely to see and use the course content that is made available online. In ERes, each course requires a unique password. Second, Blackboard allows the faculty to directly control the organization
Get turned on at the library!
During April 2002, the McCabe Library featured a giant light switch by art student Jake Beckman ’04. photo courtesy of Swarthmore College Publications Office
and timing of release of content for courses. Blackboard also provides a much broader collection of web-based tools than ERes, making it easier to present online course activities, including: • Document sharing (syllabus, reserve/ course readings, assignments, digital drop box) • Image, movie and audio file sharing • Communication (mailing lists, discussion boards, chat, groups) • Assessment (quizzes and surveys) • Course administration (online gradebook, announcements, class calendar) • Links to other on-line resources (web pages, databases, library subject guides) • Contact information for technical and research support staff The costs of maintaining redundant systems are very high. Therefore, the Library is announcing that support for ERes will cease at the close of the 200203 academic year. The Library will continue to offer scanning services for readings for Blackboard, and both Library and ITS staff will do everything necessary to support the transition of all current ERes users into the Blackboard system over the next year. We are confident that all faculty and students will be impressed with the results. - TAMMY RABIDEAU Digital Services Librarian
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staff notes Library receptionists Anna Agenbroad and Viola Holdsworth retired in May after serving for many years as the first and last contact for patrons using McCabe Library. They greeted visitors, answered innumerable questions about locations of things in the library as well as on campus, and sometimes served as surrogate parents to students. Before the security gates were installed, they also checked patrons’ bags as they left the building. Anna worked weekdays for 11 ½ years. Viola worked weekends for almost 18 years and taught in the Springfield School district during the week. Benedict Criscuolo, of McCabe Library circulation department, died on May 28 after battling heart disease and other health problems. He worked the evening shift since 1994, becoming a familiar and friendly face to many students entering McCabe. Ben’s popularity earned him a feature article in the March 2, 2000 issue of The Phoenix, the student newspaper. Mary Marissen, new part-time employee in McCabe technical services department, has an extensive music background (MM from Catholic University). Currently a private piano teacher, she played cello at White House state dinners with the U.S. Army Band during a four-year period. She also worked at Harvard’s main library for five years. Her husband Michael is an associate professor in the Music department. Library financial administrator Kiana T. Nesbitt became a member of the staff last fall. Previously employed in the financial reporting division in Citigroup, Kiana received a B.S. in business administration from Widener University. Andrew Miller has left his position in McCabe technical services department to teach history at both Neumann College and Immaculata College and to continue his writing projects. Andy handled serials binding, mail, and some of the standing orders. His journalism training and experience enhanced the library newsletter’s spring issue. George Plummer works on weekends as the tri-college van driver, delivering books to the three campuses, and substituting occasionally during the week. Retired from PECO, he is the husband of Maureen Plummer in the Admissions Office. Digital services librarian Tammy Rabideau was elected to the OCLC Members Council, a group of 60 librarians who influence OCLC policy and planning. The Online Computer Library Center is a nonprofit organization that provides computer-based cataloging, reference, resource sharing, and preservation services to 41,000 libraries around the world.
Vol. 5, no. 1 Fall 2002
Karaoke night? continued from page 1
Gratifyingly, there were several notes of thanks in the suggestion box. Librarians respond quite well to praise of any kind, so we are deeply appreciative of the kind soul who thanked us anonymously for having “such a cute staff.” And in terms of odd comments, our favorite by far was “why doesn’t the library have a karaoke night? Preferably Friday 8:00-10:00?” Trust us, we’ve thought about it. (There are even librarians among us who own karaoke machines.…) The suggestion box is just one of many ways you can comment on the Library. You are also encouraged to e-mail librarian@swarthmore.edu with your comments, purchase suggestions, and reference questions. If you prefer more immediate feedback, do try our LiveHelp service at http://www.swarthmore.edu/ library/reference/vr.html. This service provides live chat assistance with a librarian Monday through Friday 1:00-5:00 p.m. and most weekday evenings 7:00-10:00 p.m. - ANNE GARRISON Humanities Librarian
Recent surveys by both the Library and ITS show: •
Borrowing laptop computers at McCabe is very popular and students would like more.
•
In April, Gretchen Stroh left her position in McCabe technical services department to be a full-time mother to her son Zachary, who was born last September. Gretchen worked in McCabe for 8 ½ years. Her duties included overseeing processing of material, binding of monographs, some of the book ordering, book mending, and receiving new orders.
Reasons laptops are preferred: freedom to get away from noise and crowds, more comfort and privacy, easier access to research materials, better for group work, convenient.
•
Kerry Walton began her new job as acting Government Document, Map and Reference Librarian at West Chester University, leaving her position as serials specialist at Cornell Science Library in August. She recently completed a MLIS degree at Drexel University. While at Swarthmore, Kerry also worked in interlibrary loan, technical services, and reference departments at McCabe. - T. HEINRICHS
Students prefer to work in the libraries and dorms, and they would like to have McCabe open more hours.
•
Students would like more computers and printers in the dorms.
College Librarian Peggy Seiden has been elected to the board of directors of the Research Libraries Group. RLG. is a nonprofit international alliance of universities, colleges, national libraries, archives, historical societies, museums, and public libraries. Through collaborative means, RLG addresses information needs of these institutions. Peggy was also elected for a three year term to the ALA Council, the governing body of the American Library Association. Donny Smith, access and lending specialist at McCabe, has earned a MLIS degree at Drexel University. In addition to managing the electronic reserves program for the Library, he supports faculty who use Blackboard, the course management system. He also assists patrons at the reference desk and conducts workshops on special topics.
Associates of the Swarthmore College Libraries Volume 5, Number 1
Fall 2002
Innovative book forms Renowned book artist Claire Van Vliet will present a slide lecture on October 1, at 4:15 in the Scheuer Room, Kohlberg Hall. Her lecture will focus on her special vision of how ink, paper, color, structure and the printed word come together to make a book. Asked how she decides which poem, play or text will become her next book, she explains: “A lot of things move me, but not all of them inspire me to create a book. I am more interested in how the fact that a book is made by hand can be an opportunity to serve the text.” Since 1955 Van Vliet has been best known as the founder and proprietor of the Janus Press. By combining authors’ texts with works of art, she has created some 90 books and 15 broadsides. Her work appears in numerous collections such as the Library of Congress, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Montreal Museum of Fine Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Swarthmore College has a nearly complete collection of Janus Press books in its Private Press Collection. Many of these works will be on display in the lobby of McCabe Library from mid-August through mid-October. At her home and studio in Newark, Vermont, Van Vliet draws inspirations from the surrounding woodlands and hills to create watercolors, etchings, woodcuts, lithographs and paperworks, which she uses in her books. She challenges what constitutes a book by using
Reprinted with permission of the artist
an increasingly creative combination of material, form and structure. “A book,” she explains simply, “is something you can hold in your hand, you can read, and has a sequence. For me it must be comfortable in the hand.” In addition to her bookmaking, Van Vliet is a master of the art of pulp painting. Van Vliet has received many well-deserved honors, including the prestigious John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Prize Fellowship, for her innovative approach to bookmaking. She received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia in 1993 and another from San Diego State University in 2002. In 1995, she was elected to the National Academy of Design in New York. - A. MORRISON
Danse Macabre exhibit and lecture Fall 2002 Events September Claire Van Vliet ~ The Janus Press: Innovative Book Forms Follow Text Slide-lecture & reception: Oct. 1, 4:15 pm, Scheuer Room Exhibit: August 22 – October 4 October Meaning and Symbolism Surrounding the Dance of Death Talk & reception TBA Exhibit: October 10 – November 5 November Clay Bennett, Editorial Cartoonist, The Christian Science Monitor Talk & reception: Nov. 12, 4:15 pm, Scheuer Room Exhibit: November 8 – December 6 December Newton Student Library Prize: Jonah Volk & Graphic Novels, Chirag Chotalia & Macaulay’s Indian Children Talk & reception TBA Exhibit: December 9 – January 17
In the Middle Ages as one-third of Europe succumbed to the Black Death, survivors struggled to make sense of the magnitude and mystery of the plague. This obsession with the Black Death inspired a genre of literature on the subject of the Danse Macabre, or Dance of Death. The major motif in the Danse Macabre was not the fear of death but a great leveling of classes by death, regardless of rank, age, sex, or fortune. To the poor, this provided some consolation as the epidemic spared neither rich nor poor. The earliest painting of the Dance of Death appeared in Paris in the early 1400s. The plague inspired major artists of the time to create art that attempted to make sense of the apocalyptic events of the Black Death. Swarthmore College and Bryn Mawr College Libraries hold a considerable collection of early books centered on the Dance of Death theme. These macabre and fascinating books contain woodcuts and engravings by Albrecht Dürer and Hans Holbein, as well as original 15th century texts. Books and art inspired by the Dance of Death continued to be produced into the 20th century. Christiane Hertel, professor of Art at Bryn Mawr College, will give a lecture and presentation at Swarthmore College, date to be announced. The exhibit will run from October 10 - November 5 in the lobby of McCabe Library. - P. HARRIS
Clay Bennett, featured editorial cartoonist On Nov. 12, Clay Bennett, winner of the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartoons, will present an illustrated lecture on the art and politics of political cartooning. An exhibit of his work will be on display in McCabe Library lobby. For the past four years Bennett has been on the staff of the Christian Science Monitor where he produces five color cartoons a week. His career began as an editorial cartoonist for his college paper and as managing editor of the alternative student newspaper at the University of Northern Alabama, where he received degrees in art and history. Before assuming his current position, he was the editorial cartoonist at the St. Petersburg Times for 13 years. He is trained in computer graphics and animation and produces fully animated editorial cartoons for the internet. To see a large selection of his work and his animated cartoons, visit http://www.claybennett.com.
Reprinted with permission of the artist
What do graphic novels and Indian literature have in common? Graphic novels and Indian literature are two of the prize winning collections in the 2002 A. Edward Newton Student Library Award. Jonah Volk (’03) received first prize for his collection of “Graphic Novels – Comic Books.” Arising from his dissatisfaction with the standard superhero, Jonah cultivated a taste for graphic novels that combine words and pictures to create illustrated novels. These are not for children. Sharing exhibit space will be Chirag Chotalia’s (’04) collection, “Macaulay’s Indian Children.” Chirag’s collection began in response to a critical comment by Sir Thomas Macaulay, a prominent English literary figure. His collection of Indians’ writing in English beautifully demonstrates how India has claimed English for their own by creating a rich and varied literature. The exhibit will run December 9 - January 17. The dates of the talk and reception will be announced. The other winners, who graduated this year and will not be exhibiting, are: Michelle Siu-ching Lee, “Modern French Art;” Kaysha Corinealdi, “History through Novels;” and Brian Byrnes, “Bird Book Collection.”
Newton winners First Prize: Jonah Volk ‘03 - Graphic Novels 2nd Prize: Michelle Siu-ching Lee ’02 Books on Modern French Art 3rd Prize: Kaysha L. Corinealdi ‘02 Looking at History Through Novels 3rd Prize: Chiraq Chotalia ‘04 Macaulay’s Indian Children Honorable Mention: Brian J. Byrnes ‘02 - Bird Books
Looking for next year’s winners of Newton Awards The A. Edward Newton Student Library Awards of $500, $250, and $150 are given annually for the three best undergraduate book collections at Swarthmore. The student must be the owner and collector of the books. Each collection will be judged by its unifying theme; for example, an author, a subject, or a group of authors. To enter, submit an annotated bibliography of no less than 25 titles. Please attach a brief commentary describing how, when, where, and why the books were acquired. Winners will be invited to display their collection in McCabe Library. Sample entries available upon request. Entries should be submitted by March 21, 2003 to Pam Harris, McCabe Library, or pharris1.
Associates of the Libraries - Annual Membership Registration - 2002 - 2003 The excellent quality of our library can be attributed both to the strong support from the College and to the generosity of our many friends. The Associates provide a link between the campus and the community of book-lovers. Members receive: • invitations to events, exhibits, tours, & lectures • subscription to @library.edu • discounts on workshops and tours Annual memberships run from January to January. Corporate Matching Gift Forms may be included with your check or mailed directly to the College’s Gift Records Office.
CIRCLE: Individual $30 Family $50 Sustaining $100 Benefactor $250 Life $1000 Student $5 Other $ ____ Enclosed is $ _________ for my/our annual membership payable to Associates of the Swarthmore College Libraries. Please charge my/our membership to: VISA ___ MASTERCARD ___ DISCOVER ___ Account Number: ______________________________________ Expiration Date: _________________ Or CALL Swarthmore College Credit Card Hotline: 1-800-660-9714 Fund: Associates of College Library NAME: ADDRESS: EMAIL: TELEPHONE: Mail to: Associates of the Swarthmore College Libraries, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081