@library.edu Spring 2003 Vol. 5 #2
The newsletter of the Swarthmore College Libraries
Get to know the library staff The staff of the library is as varied and interesting as the library’s collection. They come from many disciplines and backgrounds with a wide array of interests. We asked them to respond to a set of questions to help you get to know them better. Of 33 staff members, 11 sent replies. Can you tell us what you think about any librarian/library staff stereotypes? (Give specific example.) Who is your favorite librarian in a movie, play, or television show? What do you like best about working in a library? Please tell us briefly about your background - work, education, other. Megan Adams Social Sciences Librarian Stereotype: I tend to prefer the newer stereotypes of the “alternalibrarian” that you can find on the web. Examples are the Modified Librarian (http://www.bmeworld.com/gailcat/), Library Chicks (http:// www.librarychick.com/), and the Lipstick Librarian (http:// www.lipsticklibrarian.com/). Librarian in a movie: Mary (Parker Posey) in the movie “Party Girl,” directed by Daisy Von Scherler Mayer, is my favorite EVER library worker in a movie. She dresses well, thinks creatively, and listens to incredible music. The best scene is when she’s re-organized her DJ roommate’s vinyl album collection according to the Dewey Decimal System, a system that “is good for collections with a small number of records.” Working in a library: The interaction with a wide variety of people - students, staff, faculty, and members of the public - keeps me going on a day-to-day basis. Background: After 18 months in snowy Syracuse and two stints at large public university libraries, I’m thrilled to be working at Swarthmore. I like it so much, in fact, that I just bought a house in West Philly. Pam Harris Outreach and Instructional Librarian Stereotype: The stereotype that fascinates me most is one that revolves around library conferences - librarians with posters sticking out of their canvas publisher bags (free at the conference), greying hair (librarians don’t color their hair), practical shoes, hems of indiscriminate length, no make-up, an overall out-of-style, disheveled, unkempt look. This is a stereotype that exists with good reasons . . .I too fail to wear makeup, love practical shoes and am first in line for the free posters. Librarian in a movie: I absolutely adore the librarian in “Ghostbusters” - what calm, what a beatific presence, and then, the ever present shush and bun, and finally, the power to terrify. Working in a library: The books, the people, the exhibits, the endless flow of knowledge and learning, being surrounded by so many wonderful things and people is such a great feeling. Background: I was always torn between being a famous dancer living abroad, a foreign correspondent, or raising kids and caring for animals in a renovated farm house. I think that I have a combination of all of that here. My background is in foreign languages and education, undergraduate degree in French and Italian, graduate work in education and library science. continued on page 3
calendar MONDAYS at McCABE Workshops for students, faculty, and staff McCabe computer room, level III, 11:30-12:30. For more information: call Pam Harris, x2056
February 10 Internet Searching Techniques February 24 Debunking the PDF Mystery March 3 (11:30-1:00) EndNote: Bibliographic Tool March 31 Copyright Primer - for faculty and administrative assistants. April 7 Hidden Treasures: An Introduction to Friends Historical Library and Peace Collection LIBRARY EVENTS Behind the scenes of Flying Fish Press Slide talk: Feb. 3, 4:15 pm, McCabe coffee bar. Gallery walk: Feb. 3, 5:00 pm McCabe lobby. Reception following. Exhibit: Jan. 1-Feb. 28 A Library Associates event
The Price of a Child – One Book! One Philadelphia! Friends Historical Library Exhibit: Feb. 1- Feb. 28; Monday-Friday, 8:30-4:30; Saturday, 10-1:00. Talk: Wed., Feb. 19, 7:30 pm Tour: Feb. 15, 1:30 pm Irish Dramatist Reading: Marina Carr Thursday, March 20, 6:30 pm, Scheuer Room, Kohlberg Hall A Library Associates event
Family Weekend: Apr. 11-13 Book sale - Apr. 11-13, 1-5 pm Internet Searching Workshop Fri., Apr. 11, 11:15-12:15 Information: 610-328-8489
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Revolution at the Reference Desk A new generation of librarians see information as a social cause By Chris Dodge, Utne Reader
A DOWDY WOMAN in thick glasses shushing people who dare to raise their voices: That’s the old stereotype. When you think “librarian,” do you picture a tattooed man, or someone who knows almost everything about punk music fanzines? Probably not. But just wait. A new spirit seems to be energizing the profession. Web sites such as Snarky Librarian (www.sarcastra.net/snarky/) and Modified Librarian (www.bmeworld.com/gailcat) show the playful side of this new wave of librarians. There is a strong activist element, too, as library professionals develop new services for immigrants, resist the dumbing down of library collections, and struggle against injustice in the world at large. The idea of librarians as social activists and community builders goes back at least to the late 1960s, when the Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) of the American Library Association came to life Part of the broad feminist, antiwar, counterculture movement of the time, SRRT was inspired by some of the contributors to a rabble rousing 1972 book called Revolting Librarians (Booklegger Press). Thirty years later, Jessamyn West and Katia Roberto are compiling Revolting Librarians Redux (McFarland), new writings that challenge many current library practices. Many libraries today are led by people who run their institutions as businesses: charging extra fees, outsourcing work, and supposedly giving the people what they want. Budget cuts grow deeper while technology costs explode. The false sense that everything is available on the Internet pervades even minds that should know better. “I became a librarian because I believe information should be free,” West asserts in Ex Libris (#77), a weekly e-zine (http://marylaine.com.exlibris/). Librarian.net Weblog turns up facts and stories related to libraries, with a flavor that is “pro-freak, pro-social responsibility, and just generally pro-information.” As well as participating in a wide assortment of social causes, from opposing corporate globalization to marching for peace, activist librarians teach classes, write articles, organize unions, and advocate for library users’ rights. They also get involved in community infoshops (see “Media Junkie Paradise,” Utne Reader, Nov./Dec. 1998) and other new venues for providing information to the public. In his zine Thoughtworm (#7), Sean Stewart, a librarian at the Wichita Falls, Texas, public library, writes about being inspired by radical librarians’ presence on the Web. For Stewart, such sites as Library Underground, Renegade Librarian, and Rogue Librarian represent the diversity of people, ideas, and opinions that attracted him to his field. “I embraced librarianship knowing that it would not make me rich,” Stewart writes, “but suspecting strongly that it would reward me in other less tangible ways.” TELL ME MORE New Breed Librarian: www.newbreedlibrarian.org Anarchist Librarians: www.infoshop.org/librarians.html Library juice: www.libr.org/Juice SQL (Spanish in Our Libraries)/PLUS (Public Libraries Using Spanish): www.sol-plus.net Social Responsibilities Roundtable: www.libr.org/SRRT Library Underground:www.topica.com/lists/libraryunderground/ Renegade Librarian: www.renegadelibrarian.com Rogue Librarian: www.roguelibrarian.net Reprinted with permission of the author, copyright Utne Reader, Nov.-Dec. 2002
Vol. 5, no. 2
Spring 2003
Donny Smith receives Art Libraries award The Art Libraries Society of North America has granted the Gerd Muehsam Award to Donny Smith, McCabe Library, for his article “The surrogate versus the thing.” The article focuses on the pros and cons of looking at art online. In addition to $500, the award includes a paid trip to the ARLIS/NA annual conference in March and possible publication of the article in Art Documentation, the society’s journal. The award is given annually to recognize excellence in a graduate student paper or project on a topic relevant to art librarianship and honors the memory of Gerd Muehsam, a scholar, teacher, and art bibliographer. Alternative Library Literature recently published “Digital libraries for all,” another article by Donny. It is about practical strategies for access to information in poor areas. He hopes to present another paper, “Barefoot informatics: consumer health in underserved populations,” at the International conference on Information Communication Technologies in Education in Greece this summer. Donny works in the circulation department of McCabe Library and received his MLIS degree from Drexel University last year.
@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: Macy Chadwick, Chris Densmore, Linda Hunt, Alison Masterpasqua, Amy Morrison, Donny Smith, Barb Weir, Mary Ann Wood E-mail: <libnews@swarthmore.edu> Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081
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Get to know the library staff
George Huber
Linda Hunt
George Huber Music Librarian Stereotype: Stereotypes are convenient labels to use, but I know most of the time in individual cases they are not true and no one here thinks of librarians that way. You get to know the individual behind the stereotype in any case. If I want to quiet down some noisy students, I can do it with a twinkle in my eye as if playing to the stereotype. Works for me! Librarian in a movie: I don’t have a favorite librarian in a movie, play or TV show. I can’t even think of any. I’ve been trying but so far have come up with nothing. Or if I have come across some in novels for instance (don’t do TV), they haven’t made any impression. Working in a library: What I like best about working in a library is the quiet! I don’t like listening to music while I work for instance. I also really like working with the students too. They keep you on your toes. Background: B.A. in music from the University of Pennsylvania and M.L.S. from Drexel University. Linda Hunt Circulation Stereotype: That’s easy. The one that I think of most is that we spend most of our time telling people to be quiet because the library is a quiet place. Whoever thinks that hasn’t been in a library lately!! Librarian in a movie: Has to be “Marian, Madame Librarian” of “The Music Man” fame of course. I like that she sings and dances around the library; so do I. Working in a library: Having easy access to so much information for personal, academic and pleasure use. Background: BA in Psychology, and many years experience as a wife/mother and mother of 3 (no degree - still learning). Discovered library work after many years of trying to find my niche and I’m delighted I did. My sideline and passion theatre. Alison Masterpasqua Circulation Stereotype: It’s changing just as quickly as technology. Librarian in a movie: Katherine Hepburn in “Desk Set”. Working in a library: People, books, people, books, etc. Background: 6 years as a special education teacher, then an athome mom for 6 years before coming to work at McCabe.
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Alison Masterpasqua
Melinda Kleppinger
Melinda Kleppinger Interlibrary Loan Stereotype: All librarians are mean little ladies with eyeglasses, their hair gray and wrapped up on their head in a bun and they wear out of style clothes. Librarian in a movie: The one that comes to mind is the librarian in the first “Ghostbusters” movie who has the pants scared off her by a ghost while shelving books in the basement of the New York Public Library. Working in a library: Meeting new people. Learning all aspects of the various departments within a library. Keeping up with technological advances. Background: Graduated from Lebanon Valley College in 1993 with a BS in Hotel/Restaurant Management. Worked in front office and catering departments in a hotel. Past library experience includes: Widener Law School, Wilmington, Delaware (interlibrary loan and serials check-in); Dechert Law Firm, Philadelphia, PA (research/reference for partners, attorneys, staff); currently, Interlibrary Loan here at Swarthmore.
Academic and Public Library Salaries - 2001 (school librarian salaries are on a par with teacher salaries)
Director: Associate Director: Department Heads: Supervisors: Starting Librarians:
$72,384 $59,346 $52,677 $42,629 $32,891
Number of libraries in the United States Public Libraries 9,074 Academic Libraries 3,658 School Libraries 93,861 Special Libraries 9,170 Armed Forces Libraries 329 Government Libraries 1,326 Total Libraries 117,418
How many people work in libraries? Librarians Staff Academic 24,815 71,894 Public 29,519 100,583 School 66,471 99,557 Total
Total 96,709 130,102 166,028 392,839
What education do librarians need? All librarians need a Masters Degree in Library Science from an accredited institution. School Library Media Specialists must meet state standards to work in public schools. Academic librarians usually have a second graduate degree beyond the Masters in Library Science. Source: ALA
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Vol. 5, no. 2 Spring 2003
photos: A. Newman
Amy McColl
Tammy Rabideau
Amy McColl Technical Services Stereotype: Can’t stand the typical old lady-with-a-bun stereotype! A good example is the librarian in the Harry Potter books, Irma Pince. The name tells you exactly how she’ll be, namely a shriveled-up nasty old lady. In 18 years of working in libraries, I’ve run into only one librarian who actually fit the stereotype, and dozens upon dozens who didn’t. Librarian in a movie: Parker Posey in the movie “Party Girl.” Working in a library: I love being around books, and I’ve found that people who work in libraries are a great group to work with. I also enjoy the Swarthmore students, who are smart, hard-working, and from varied backgrounds and cultures. Background: I worked in the high school library as a student and swore I’d never work in a library as an adult, thus, here I am! I started out working at a podiatric school library (I cataloged shoes!), then worked at Penn law library while I got my library degree, and eventually came to Swarthmore in 1998. Tammy Rabideau Digital Services librarian Stereotype: All jokes about the Dewey Decimal System need to stop. Librarian in a movie: Hardly original but I’ll choose the librarian-in-training Parker Posey in “Party Girl.” Working in a library: By working in an environment in which I am paid to identify, use and/or facilitate the use of information sources, I am constantly learning and helping others to do the same. Background: I never wanted to work in a library. I have a BS in social work and went into library work intending to do outreach to the community from a public library setting. I have not quite made it totally there yet but perhaps one day I will. I have worked for the libraries of Skidmore College and the University of Michigan and have been with the Swarthmore College Library since the fall of 1999. I have been working in libraries for nearly 10 years and the choice of career has brought me extraordinary opportunities to develop, learn, create, problem-solve (too much!), educate, and contribute. As a colleague once said: librarians are social workers for the intellect. Yeah. To be able to play a role in the advancing of the collective human intellect. That’s cool.
Donny Smith
Meg Spencer
Donny Smith Circulation If I could wear my hair in a bun, I would. And if I ever needed to take my glasses off during the day, I’d have to wear them on a chain around my neck. As a child I read encyclopedias for fun. Nowadays I like going to movies, gardening, and translating Latin American poetry. Meg Spencer Science librarian Librarian in a movie: Giles from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is my favorite tv librarian. Maybe it’s the British accent and the fact that he is better looking than any librarian I’ve ever met, but he is very cool. I’m thinking his martial arts talents might come in handy when dealing with some difficult patrons, since I don’t think we have many vampires in Cornell Library (of course I don’t work at night, so how would I know??). Working in a library: Getting paid to be organized. Background: I started volunteering in the public library at the age of 5 or 6 when the children’s librarian at Helen Kate Furness Library in Wallingford caught me straightening the books on the shelves. I’ve been working in libraries in some capacity ever since... Mary Ann Wood Circulation Librarian in a movie: Not being a card carrying, ‘true’ librarian, the only librarian I can think of is Marian the Librarian from “The Music Man.” I do love Nigel (I think?) from the Buffy Show. Love the dark twist to it all! Working in a library and backgound: I love working in a library. Even though my background is in teaching, (I taught French on the high school level for many years) there came a time when I didn’t want to have to toil day AND night to prepare for the real work the next day. I worked full time at Borders book store for 6 years as my first non-teaching job after returning to work after raising my kids. I found that I loved being around books and information, but didn’t relish the retail end of it. When the job at Circulation was offered to me at Swarthmore, I found that it was the perfect blending of my two worlds. I could be around students but didn’t have to teach them AND I could be around books. I’ve also learned and have more tools at my disposal than at the bookstore to help find information for students and outside patrons.
Vol. 5, no. 2 Spring 2003
what’s what’snew new Swarthmore business is our baker
“The Daily Grind,” McCabe’s coffee bar, now offers pastries made by locallyowned “Occasionally Yours.” The chocolate crumb bars are a real hit, and the muffins have been rated far superior to any others on campus. (“If you eat one, you know the difference.” – A.N.) The coffee bar is open weekday afternoons and evenings and all day on Saturdays and Sundays. Special websites featured
History Books Online, Census Scope, Today in History, Earth Calendar, and Big Cartoon Database are some of the web sites that have been featured on the library homepage. Look in the top right corner of the home page for the links. Libraries receive Mellon grant
The tri-college libraries have been awarded a $450,000 Mellon grant to develop a more integrated collection, evaluate the use of material, and have a more collaborative collection development system. This should result in freeing up funds to create a more meaningful collection. Reference books featured
“The Encyclopedia of Beer” was one of the reference books featured at McCabe’s reference desk last fall. Others have been: “Guinness Book of World Records,” “The Vampire,” and “The Dictionary of Literary Symbols.”
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Library prepares for Patriot Act inquiries The USA Patriot Act recently celebrated its one year anniversary and not only are many of us unfamiliar with it, but some are still completely unaware of its existence. Congress passed this legislation in response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01. Its name is an acronym for: Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. It is not an easy piece of legislation to read or understand. It amends more than 15 different statutes, updates wiretap and surveillance laws, and gives law enforcement greater authority to conduct searches of property. Under this law, a FISA court (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) can issue orders for seizure of any personal records with more ease and with a broader scope than in the past. As a result it directly affects libraries and library users vis a vis protection of the confidentiality of library records. Swarthmore Library Director Peggy Seiden established a Task Force whose charge was to update the library’s confidentiality policy with relation to all library records as well as develop a training initiative for library staff. To date, the task force has drafted not only updated versions of confidentiality policies for library patrons, but also has reinforced this support in the Student Handbook and is in the process of finalizing a procedure for complying with judicial process (warrants and/or subpoenas). In addition, a tri-college initiative has begun on the subject of patron record retention and database maintenance. Although these are topics that have long sat on the “back burner,” their priority has moved up in light of recent events. Libraries and librarians have always been staunch advocates for intellectual freedom, freedom of expression, and the right to privacy, and the Swarthmore College Libraries will continue to support this philosophy. Although all libraries are legally bound to comply with judicial process, Swarthmore will continue to adhere to the policies stated in the ALA Policy Manual as well as the Pennsylvania Statute Relating to Library Circulation Records. For more information: ALA Policy Manual: http://www.ala.org/alaorg/policymanual/libserve.html USA Patriot Act: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS17579 Pennsylvania Statute: http://www.ala.org/alaorg/oifpennsylvaniaprivacy.pdf
- L. Hunt
Grant funds student opportunities in national libraries Attracting new talent to Library and Information Science has become a priority for the American Library Association, which is currently facing shortages due to the ‘graying’ of the profession. At this time, recruitment to the library and information science field is critical, especially the recruitment of historically underrepresented groups. In response to this call for recruitment and diversity, Swarthmore College and five other academic libraries (Wellesley College, Mount Holyoke College, Occidental College, Atlanta University Center, and Oberlin College) have received a two-year grant to establish a program for recruiting students into the library profession by offering
undergraduate fellowships and graduate internships. The project combines mentoring by library staff with professional work experience in the college library. Students would have an opportunity to work in a variety of areas from being exhibit curators to interning in specialized libraries. This project is made possible by a grant from the Mellon Foundation, who is also planning to offer scholarships to graduate school for those intending to pursue a masters degree in library and information science. More information about opportunities for undergraduates to participate in this unique program will be - P. Harris available in fall 2003.
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
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staff notes Margaret Brink has joined the Cornell Library staff as serials and access specialist, replacing Kerry Walton who now works at West Chester University library. Margaret’s new duties include check-in, claiming, and binding of the science journals, and lending of Cornell’s materials through ILL, Palci, and the tricollege system. She previously worked in the interlibrary loan office in McCabe and in the Peace Collection. Macy Chadwick is assisting Amy Morrison with cataloging artists’ books in the Treasure Room and with curating a show of bookworks by Julie Chen of Flying Fish Press (on display in the library Jan 19-Feb 28). Macy is in the Book Arts/Printmaking graduate program at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. After graduating in May, she hopes to teach book arts at the college level and to continue printing her own artists’ books under her press name, In Cahoots Press. Justin Clarke joined the library as a Technical Services specialist in November, replacing Andy Miller who is pursuing a full-time teaching career. Justin’s responsibilities include standing order check-in, binding, mail sorting, and managing data for the link server project. Justin most recently worked as a bibliographic assistant in the collection development office of Paley Library at Temple University. He graduated from Oberlin College in 2001 with a degree in German. Delroy Griffiths, formerly environmental services technician at McCabe Library, recently began working as Crew Leader of environmental services. In his new position, Delroy assists his supervisor, Al Miser, with eight buildings on campus and also takes care of the Benjamin West building. Melinda Kleppinger is the new interlibrary loan and technical services assistant in McCabe Library. Her duties include ILL, acquisitions, and cataloging. A 1993 graduate of Lebanon Valley College with a BS in Hotel/Restaurant Management, she has worked for a hotel, Dechert Law Firm in Philadelphia, and Widener University School of Law. Ann Elise McLaughlin is the McCabe Library late night supervisor, a new position. From 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays, she oversees students, activities at the circulation desk and in the library, and provides back-up for the branch libraries. Formerly an administrative assistant in Alumni and Gift Records, she received a degree in Fine Arts from the Tyler School of Art. She is a ceramicist and a new mother.
Family honors deceased McCabe staff member The family of Ben Criscuolo, who died in May, 2002, continued his tradition of bringing Halloween treats for the students using McCabe Library. For many years, Ben had brought big bags of candy at Halloween and enjoyed the students’ reactions. Ben’s wife said that he loved giving the treats to the students. Since his family felt it was important to them to do this in Ben’s place this past fall, they arrived at the library with three trays of cookies and candy and a fruit basket, all of which was quickly consumed. Knowing that these were from Ben’s family was very touching to many students. Thank you to the Criscuolo family! - T. Heinrichs
FHL active in One book - One Philadelphia project Through three events it is offering, Friends Historical Library will be part of the first “One Book – One Philadelphia” project, which encourages city-wide reading of a selected book. This year’s book is The Price of a Child by Lorene Cary, which is based on the escape of Jane Johnson from slavery in the 1850s and her life in Philadelphia. The story evokes powerful issues which still grip our society. Exhibit: Feb.1-28, original images and documents concerning individuals and organizations in the book, such as William Still, Passmore Williamson, Lucretia Mott, the Institute for Colored Youth, and the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society. Talk: Feb. 19, 7:30 pm, Chris Densmore, FHL curator, discusses the library’s holdings that relate to the book. Tour: Feb. 15, 1:30 pm, 45-minute walking tour will feature commentary on the early founders and faculty of Swarthmore College who were involved in the Underground Railroad and the anti-slavery movement.
Vol. 5, no.2
Spring 2003
Websites help explain copyright issues The issue of copyright is an important consideration for print reserves, electronic reserves (ERes and Blackboard), and other instructional use. ERes coordinator and Blackboard support provider Donny Smith, McCabe Library, recommends these resources to assist you in understanding this complex topic: © primer. (2002). University of Maryland University College. World Wide Web: http://www.umuc.edu/ odell/cip/cprimer/. (An interactive lesson on copyright, with quizzes.) Checklist for fair use. (2002). Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Copyright Management Center. World Wide Web: http:// www.copyright.iupui.edu/ checklist.htm. (A concrete treatment of the complexities of fair use.) Fair-use guidelines for electronic reserves systems. (1996). University of Texas System, Office of General Counsel. World Wide Web: http:// www.utsystem.edu/ogc/ intellectualproperty/rsrvguid.htm. (Reprint of text developed by CONFU: The Conference on Fair Use, but not officially adopted.) Gasaway, L. (2001). When works pass into the public domain. World Wide Web: http://www.unc.edu/~unclng/ Hilton, J. (2001, Nov./Dec.). Copyright assumptions and challenges. Educause review, 36 (6), pp. 48-55. World Wide Web: http:// www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ erm0163.pdf. (Corrects some common public-d.htm. myths about copyright and argues for the defense of fair use.) Subject matter and scope of copyright. 17 U.S.C. §§ 101-122. Includes the statutory language of the four factors for fair use. Available through the U.S. Copyright Office, World Wide Web: http://www.loc.gov/ copyright/title17/; or through the Legal Information Institute, World Wide Web: http://www4.law.cornell.edu/usccode/ 17/. (Argues for the defense of fair use.)
Associates of the Swarthmore College Libraries Volume 5, Number 2
Spring 2003
Julie Chen Integrating Form and Content in Artist’s Books Book artist Julie Chen will speak about her work on February 3 at 4:15 pm in McCabe Library. The slide lecture entitled Behind the Scenes at Flying Fish Press will take place in the coffee bar, followed by a gallery walk of the Flying Fish Press books on display in the lobby. Chen harmoniously integrates design, texts and innovative bindings to create artists’ books with strong sculptural presences. With a rich variety of colors, lush materials and playful structures, her books invite viewer participation. Cynthia Imperatore, book critic, proclaims, “To enter Julie Chen’s bookworks is to enter a territory, to discover a landscape of thought, experience, and imagination, to listen to words almost whispered that nevertheless proclaim their unmistakable presence like the persistent, persuasive voice of a hidden stream.” Julie Chen’s background includes undergraduate studies in printmaking at University of California, Berkeley, and graduate studies in book arts at Mills College in Oakland. Chen currently teaches bookbinding and printmaking at Mills College in addition to running Flying Fish Press. Since 1988, she has published 25 limited edition artists’ books of her own design or in collaboration with other artists under the Flying Fish Press imprint in Berkeley. According to her artist’s statement, “Flying Fish Press books transcend traditional definitions of both books and art. They weave the narrative qualities of text and image into the palpability of a physical structure; they are art works that read as books, and books with the impact of sculpture.” Chen’s bookworks go beyond what we think of as books in the traditional codex form. Many of her structures include pop-up elements or accordion formats which stretch out for display. Other binding methods include tunnel books, flag books, multi-layered carousel books, and most recently “Evidence of Compression,” a book object made from many layers of book board. In addition to her innovative bindings, Chen employs the resonant and personal voice of her text to further entice the reader to discover her content, often universal messages of human experience. Chen’s words are most perfectly housed in an artist’s book of her making. Her technique of combining the form of the book and the text into a fully integrated bookwork conveys her message from many different levels. Chen herself says, “No one part is extractable from the whole—that’s the essence of an artist’s book.” The exhibition will continue through February 28. - M. Chadwick
Reading by Irish dramatist Marina Carr Marina Carr is considered the leading Irish female playwright of her generation. She grew up near Tullamore in County Offaly in the Irish Midlands and graduated from University College Dublin in 1987. Her plays to date include Low in the Dark (1989, Project Arts Center, Dublin); The Deer’s Surrender (1990, Andrews Lane Theatre, Dublin); This Love Thing (Project Arts Centre and Royal Court, London); Ullaloo (1991, Abbey Theatre); The Mai (1994, Abbey Theatre; Dublin Theatre Festival Best New Play Award, 1994); Portia Coughlan (1996, Abbey Theatre and Royal Court; Susan Smith Blackburn Award, 1997); By the Bog of Cats (1998, Abbey Theatre; Irish Times/ESB Award for Best New Play, 1998); On Raftery’s Hill (2000, Druid Theatre Company, Galway and Royal Court, London); and Ariel (2002, Abbey Cheatre). Carr’s plays are published by Faber and Faber and Gallery Press, Ireland. Carr has been Writer-in-Association at the Abbey Theatre and Writer-in-Residence at Trinity College and currently receives a literature bursary as a member of Aosdána, an affiliation of creative artists who have gained a reputation for achievement and distinction. This spring Reprinted with permission of the publisher semester she is teaching playwriting and modern Irish literature at Villanova University as the Charles A. Heimbold Chair of Irish Studies. A production of her play, By the Bog of Cat, will be performed at Villanova Theatre in February under the direction of Harriet Power. Post-modern playwright Marina Carr was one of twelve “Irish writers working today who will be read and valued in 100 year’s time” chosen by a panel of critics, editors, teachers, a librarian, an actor and a former government minister to be interviewed by RTÉ’s Mike Murphy. In her interview Carr acknowledged her indebtedness to her father, Hugh Carr, Donegal playwright and novelist, to her mother, unpublished poet from the West of Ireland, and to the Irish Midlands where she spent her formative years and has set many of her plays. Carr thinks of the Midlands landscape as another character in her plays. She says, “If you get it right it’ll continued on the other side
Marina Carr
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resonate and enrich the overall piece. It’s very difficult to get the balance right. Portia Coughlan is set by the river, The Mai is set by the lake, By the Bog of Cats is set in the bog. But then plays have to be set somewhere.” The language in these plays is also specific to the Midlands. Carr says, “It’s a very rich language. It’s a language of metaphor and a lot of story-telling. People think you’re straining for effect sometimes when you’re just reporting what you’ve heard. The best lines I’ve written are things I’ve heard and I’ve just written them down.” Carr’s Midlands plays have strong female characters that not only determine the action but also are unable to avoid self-destruction by that same action. Her plays are dark and powerful. There is violence in these plays emanating from a decaying rural society, from abusive personal relationships, and from the Cover of “On Raftery’s Hill” by Marina Carr, Drawing by Sean McSweeney relentlessness of Greek mythology. Carr was asked at the close of her interview Reprinted with permission of the publisher on RTÉ: “What do you wish people who read or watch your work in the year 2100 to receive from it?” Her reply: “I’d like them to say, ‘That woman could write.’ ” On Thursday, March 20 at 6:30 pm in the Scheuer Room, Kohlberg Hall, Marina Carr will introduce her plays and read selections from them. There will be an opportunity to meet the playwright at a reception nearby following the reading. The event is cosponsored by The Associates of the Swarthmore College Libraries and the Swarthmore College Theater and English Departments. This annual event is part of a series of Irish literary artists honoring Michael J. Durkan, former College Librarian. FOOTNOTE: Reading the Future: Irish Writers in Conversation with Mike Murphy. Edited by Cliodhna Ni Anluain. Dublin: Lilliput Press, 2000.
Exhibit your passion for books What titles can be found displayed on the shelves of your dorm room? If the books lining your shelves, here or at home, represent your own collecting passion, then consider applying for the A. Edward Newton Student Library Prize. Annually $500, $250, and $150 are awarded for the best undergraduate book collections at Swarthmore College. To enter the competition, submit an annotated bibliography containing no fewer than 25 but no more than 50 titles, as well as a one-page essay about your book collecting efforts, the influence of your mentors, the acquisition of the books, and the future direction of the collection. Books must be owned and have been collected by the student. Each collection will be judged by its unifying theme; for example, an author, a subject, or a group of authors. The essay and the bibliography are the most important parts of the application. The judges are looking for students who want to build on their collections as well as exhibit a passion for collecting. Winners will be invited to display their collection in McCabe Library. The subjects of winning collections have varied widely in the past, ranging from fairy tales and children’s illustrators to science fiction and ornithology. Last year’s winner, Jonah Volk ’03, is a Graphic Novels and Comic Books collector. Previous award winning examples are available upon request. The deadline is March 21. Any questions and entries should be directed to Pam Harris, McCabe Library, or pharris1@swarthmore.edu.
Associates of the Libraries - Annual Membership Registration - 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