On Thursday, November 10th, 2016, Tara Maharjan, Processing Archivist, Janki Patel, Undergraduate, Art History & Art Library reference assistant, and Megan Lotts, Art Librarian, hosted a pop-up button making space in the lobby of Alexander Library. At this event patrons had the opportunity to create and make their own button, take a pre-made button of an image from Rutgers University Libraries Special Collections and University Archives, and view a vintage button collection, discovered in a basement, in Edison, NJ.
The inspiration for purchasing a button maker came from the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) annual conference in 2013, when Char Booth, current Associate Dean, Library at California State University San Marcos, spoke about libraries building good will within their communities and noted that the button maker they purchased was worth its weight in gold.
Button making can be a low-cost pop up making space that addresses the idea of object, from concept to consumption. In the case of a button, a wearable item is the outcome. Creating a button can strengthen ones’ creative thinking and problem solving skills. Furthermore, it also addresses finding and using images and understanding copyright laws.
Throughout the event many positive comments were made by Rutgers students, faculty, staff, alum, and non-affiliate patrons. Multiple reference questions were asked, and a few patrons inquired about other making opportunities available at the Rutgers University Libraries. Also during the event, the hosts connected with a new student, who was uncertain about navigating the Rutgers systems, and we could share with her information about the libraries, the campuses in general, and what to do in the local area. Lastly, following the event a student reached out from a Rutgers Learning Living Communities (LLC), to ask for 23 Paul Robeson buttons. The LLC is currently researching Robeson, and they all wanted this image from the RUL collections to wear proudly.
New Brunswick Chancellor Edwards gifted each faculty and staff member of the Libraries with a small commemorative bell and provided us with funds toward an event to recognize the efforts of our colleagues throughout the anniversary year. So, we planned a picnic!
Thanks to his generosity and additional funds from the central administration of the Libraries, we were able to rent the log cabin and picnic area of Rutgers Gardens for the afternoon. Our colleagues donated their time for set up and break down of the event; supplied lawn games for us to enjoy; and led short nature walks through the gardens. And of course, the ice breaker BINGO gave us all opportunities to meet our colleagues and a chance to win a wonderful prize package of Libraries’ swag. It was truly a group effort and we owe a big thank you to everyone who helped to plan and make this day incredibly special. We had well over 150 of our colleagues in attendance and every unit was well-represented. Thank you especially to our colleagues in Camden and Newark for making the trip.
We were also honored to have Chancellor Edwards in attendance and to give a few words of thanks to the Libraries. He is a big fan of what we do and that was evident in his short remarks.
I hope you enjoy this slideshow of photos from the picnic.
Save the date for Open Textbook Network Workshop – November 18, 2016
Rutgers University Libraries are excited to host a two-hour workshop for faculty which will be led by the Open Textbook Network, which is a national alliance of higher education institutions committed to improving access, affordability, and academic success through the use of open textbooks. The workshop will take place in New Brunswick, but teleconferencing will be available to other locations. Faculty who attend this workshop will learn more about the pedagogical benefits of open textbooks, as well as discover open textbooks in their field. They will also have the opportunity to review an existing open textbook and receive a stipend ($200).
Counterfeit Caesars at the Zimmerli
Tim Corliss teamed up with classics professor Corey Brennan on a new display of counterfeit coins from the Ernst Badian Collection of Roman Republican Coins. Counterfeit Caesars: The Criminal Genius of Coin Forger Carl Wilhelm Becker (1772–1830) is on display at the Zimmerli Art Museum through February 6, 2017.
Buttonmaking event at Alexander Library
On Thursday, November 10th, Alexander Library will host a buttonmaking event for students and the Rutgers community from 3 to 4 p.m. Using our new buttonmakers, they can create a button and take it home. Students can bring an image or color one on-site. Paper & coloring utensils will be available to create customized designs at the event. Pre-made buttons will also be available for taking home. This event is co-sponsored by the Learning & Engagement Team, the Art Library, and Special Collections and University Archives.
Cambridge Structural Database and RUL Data Management Services
Co-sponsored by the CCDC and Rutgers University Libraries in New Brunswick, this workshop will present information about the Cambridge Structural Database, as well as data management best practices and data management services available through the Libraries. The second half of the presentation will be a hands-on demonstration of the uses of the CSD. Please register for one or both parts of the workshop.
The Legacy of Robert Moevs concert
Jonathan Sauceda has teamed up with the Mason Gross School of the Arts to plan a celebratory concert of the modernist composer who taught at Rutgers University from 1964 to 1991. The Legacy of Robert Moevs is a free event taking place Sunday, November 13, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. at Richard H. Shindell Choral Hall, inside Mortensen Hall on the Douglass Campus. It will feature the music of Moevs, as well as composer and sound artist Judith Shatin and Steven Kemper.
Mary H. Dana Women Artists Series Galleries Welcomes “Laura Anderson Barbata: Collaborations beyond Borders”
This fall, the Mary H. Dana Women Artists Series Galleries in the Mabel Smith Douglass Library will welcome the 2016-17 Estelle Lebowitz Endowed Visiting Artist Exhibition, Laura Anderson Barbata: Collaborations Beyond Borders. The exhibit contains selected highlights of textile, sculptural, 2-dimensional, and video works from the traveling exhibition Transcommunality.
The Mathematical Sciences and Physics Library included separate prizes for their student workers and library users.
This Halloween season the Mathematical Sciences and Physics Library asked and answered an important question: how many mathematics, engineering, or pharmacy students does it take to figure out how many peanut and peanut butter M&M’s are in a jar?
From October 17 to October 31 the library held a candy guessing contest for both their student employees and library users–6 lucky winners in total were declared on November 1.
According to L. Melanie Miller, the students have used many different methods and tools to put forward their best guess.
“What is most fascinating, is watching how a number of students have used ruler’s, calculators and several different calculations to figure out how many pieces of candy there are in the jars,” said Miller.
She also notes that a number of the student workers collaborated to help each other figure it out. Miller describes the scene, saying, “they measured the width, length and circumference of the Jars and even went so far as to include the size and shape of the candy into their calculation.”
An example of one student’s candy counting equation taking into account the diameter and height of the jar measured in candy.
Needless to say, this has been a fun activity for both users and staff. From funny discussions about the choice of candy — what was it about peanut M&Ms? Why not choose plain ones? To last ditch efforts to coerce or persuade the librarians to reveal the correct number of M&M’s, the users and students workers who participated made this a great program.
Dana Library was the centerpiece for modernist buildings erected on the Rutgers University-Newark which are highlighted in an exhibit opening and tours at the library on October 15. Dana Library Archive.
In 1959 Rutgers president Dr. Mason Gross fired a blunt shot across the bow in the pages of the New York Times in his quest to pass a $75 million bond issue. His plea was as much about expansion of the facilities as adding depth to the university’s core mission of education, culture, and social mobility for the burgeoning Baby Boom generation.
Gross referred to New Jersey as educationally “impoverished” and culturally “almost bankrupt” in advocating Rutgers’ power to make a difference. The funding package passed and its impact on the Newark campus with construction of seven new buildings over the course of the 1960s was profound.
Part of that legacy—the Newark campus’s inventory of significant modernist architecture and spatial concept—is the subject of an exhibit opening October 15 at the John Cotton Dana Library, Making a Place: Rutgers University-Newark as a Microcosm of 1960s America. Programming will also feature hour-long campus tours led by Newark-based architects, preservationists, and historians; in addition to tours of the world-renowned Institute of Jazz Studies, located on the fourth floor of the library. For additional details, see: http://docomomo-us.org/architecture_urbanism_rutgers_university_newark
Cultural historian Dr. Eva Giloi, an associate professor of history at Rutgers University-Newark who is organizing the festivities, said Newark figured prominently in Gross’s plans.
“Buildings here were designed and situated on the campus as part of a coherent vision of modernist mid-century architecture, with Dana Library the center of student life and community involvement,” said Giloi. “It was a humanistic concept in the way it used open space.”
October 15, 2016 has been designated a DOCOMOMO US Tour Day. Dana Library Archive.
The project’s supporters go way beyond the Rutgers community. The campus will enter the registry of DOCOMOMO, the world’s leading modernist preservation organization located in Barcelona, Spain.
Giloi describes the exhibit as a “multisensory exhibit about the campus history and architecture in Dana Library,” using original architectural blueprints, photographs, yearbooks, and other artifacts bearing on the campus and student life during socially tumultuous times.
Dr. Askew, director of Dana Library, said of Giloi’s research, “The campus plan from 50 years ago all started with a library building. Therefore, it is befitting that Dana Library, in addition to being a stop along the tour, also has a central role in this event.”
The exhibit and programs are sponsored by the Dana Library, the Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University-Newark Department of History, The Clement A. Price Institute, and DOCOMOMO, which has designated the events as an official U.S. Tour Day.
Activities this month will be amplified when the fiftieth anniversary of Dana Library gets underway next year.
The Rutgers University Libraries Faculty and Staff Appreciation Picnic will be held on Friday, October 21 from noon–4 p.m. at the Log Cabin and Pavilion in Rutgers Gardens (140 Log Cabin Road, North Brunswick). There will be food, music, games, and other surprises.
Please let us know if you plan to attend by filling out the form below. We can’t wait to see you there!
Group led by pianist James Austin, Jr. at first Jazz Jam, 8/18/16, credit Ed Berger.
Saxophonists Leo Johnson and Anthony Nelson at opening NC 350 performance, 8/12/16, credit Ed Berger.
The decor at Clement’s Place includes items from the personal collection of Dr. Clement Price, credit Ed Berger.
The Institute of Jazz Studies is partnering with NJPAC and the Newark 350 Celebration Committee to bring two series of jazz performances to Clement’s Place, a new venue located in the iconic 15 Washington Street building, located next to the Newark Museum. Clement’s Place, which looks like a classic jazz club, honors the memory of the late Dr. Clement Price, a beloved professor of history at Rutgers–Newark and official historian of the city of Newark.
The NC350 Series
The NC350 series, which is free and open to the public, takes place the second Friday of each month. To date, performers have included groups led by Newark legends saxophonist Leo Johnson and vocalist Carrie Jackson.
The NJPAC “Jazz Jam” Series
The NJPAC “Jazz Jam” series, coordinated by pianist James Austin, Jr., features a mix of younger and more seasoned performers in the time-honored, informal jam session tradition.
Among his wide-ranging interests, Dr. Price was a serious student of jazz and a longtime supporter of the Institute of Jazz Studies. Jazz-related art and artifacts from Dr. Price’s personal collection adorn the walls of Clement’s Place.
IJS excutive director Wayne Winborne, oversees the programming and management of the space, which mixes top jazz musicians from the Newark area with world renowned artists. Spoken, salsa, classical, and other related musical performances will be presented in the space, as well as a series of curated listening sessions, hosted by IJS staff members.
Upcoming Events
10/7, 5:30-7 p.m.
IJS Curated Listening Session: Early Louis Armstrong
10/8, 4-6 p.m.
IJS Occasional Film Series: Stepping Up: Stories of Jazz & Caregiving (screening at the Newark Museum)
10/14, 6-8 p.m.
NC350 Series: Bobby Sanabria Quartet
10/15, (time TBD)
Joe Louis: Am Opera by Count Basie (in the Great Hall, 15 Washington Street)
10/20, 7-9:30 p.m.
NJPAC Jazz Jam with James Austin
10/21, 7-9 p.m.
IJS Concert Series: Randy Sandke Quartet
10/27, 5:30-8 p.m.
Salsa Night (free lessons begin at 5:30; music at 6:30)
11/1, 7-9:30 p.m.
NJPAC Jazz Jam with James Austin
11/4, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
IJS Curated Listening Session: After Bitches Brew: the 1970s
11/11, 6-8 p.m.
NC350 Series: Return to the Source Reunion
11/17, 7-9:30 p.m.
NJPAC Jazz Jam with James Austin
12/1, 5:30-8 p.m.
Salsa Night (free lessons begin at 5:30; music at 6:30)
Save the date for State of the Libraries – December 7, 2016
Many more details will follow, but please save the date of December 7 for the 2016 State of the Libraries. The program will begin with poster presentations at 10:30 a.m., lunch will be served around noon, and presentations by Krisellen Maloney and others at 1 p.m. The event will take place at the Busch Campus Center, so hopefully this schedule will allow many of our colleagues from Camden and Newark to avoid the brunt of rush hour traffic.
Judy Cohn to be a mentor in the 2016-2017 NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program
Congratulations to Judy Cohn who has been selected as a mentor in the 2016-2017 NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program, sponsored by the National Library of Medicine and the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries. The Program prepares emerging leaders for director positions in academic health sciences libraries through a year-long mentoring relationship with a director of another library and a curriculum focused on developing leadership knowledge critical to enhancing the value of libraries in their institutions.
In this highly competitive program, Judy will be one of ten fellows and mentors from academic health sciences libraries across the U.S. who will begin their work together in November. Since the program began in 2002, 42% of all fellow graduates have assumed director positions.
President Barchi mentions Libraries’ capital construction projects in Report to the University Senate
Excerpt: “University Libraries: The University has also launched an in-depth master plan for the university libraries. Libraries have changed their mission; we are looking to align them with what students want and need today, including better computing resources, collaborative areas, and other amenities. Individual projects have been identified and designs are under way for a new OIT computer center at Alexander Library in New Brunswick and a Professional Development and Scholarship Center in Dana Library in Newark.”
“The centipede party,” 40 inches by 42 inches, oil painting by BFA student Audrey Meehan. This will be on view at the Mason Gross Galleries.
Art Library participating in The Co-Cureate Show
Undergraduate and graduate visual arts students are teaming up to conceptualize and install a collection of eight student exhibits at three locations across the New Brunswick campus: the Mason Gross Galleries, Rutgers Art Library, and Douglass Student Center. The co-cureate shows (the title is a mash-up of what the initiative has prompted teams to engage in: conceive, curate and create exhibits) are set to run from Thursday, September 29 through Monday, October 17, 2016. The shows will feature student performances, paintings, photographs, sculptures, media, and prints. Admission is free.
The Art Library will host In Search of Punchline is curated by Johanna Boyce, Audrey Meehan, and Ed Weisgerber and features the work of Johanna Boyce, Erin Keane, Audrey Meehan, Carlyn Perlow, Delfina Picchio, and Ed Weisgerber.
New Brunswick Music Scene Symposium Planned for October 27, 2016
Save the date. Special Collections and University Archives will hold the next New Brunswick Music Scene Archive symposium on October 27, 6 p.m. in the Teleconference Lecture Hall at Alexander Library. Stay tuned for more information, including the participants. In the meantime, here’s a look back at the 2015 symposium, featuring a who’s who of New Jersey music (http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/news/symposium-local-notables-inaugurate-new-brunswick-music-scene-archive).
Credit: Laura Anderson Barbata.
Mary H. Dana Women Artists Series Galleries Welcomes “Laura Anderson Barbata: Collaborations beyond Borders”
This fall, the Mary H. Dana Women Artists Series Galleries in the Mabel Smith Douglass Library will welcome the 2016-17 Estelle Lebowitz Endowed Visiting Artist Exhibition, Laura Anderson Barbata: Collaborations Beyond Borders. The exhibit contains selected highlights of textile, sculptural, 2-dimensional, and video works from the traveling exhibition Transcommunality.
The New Brunswick Libraries hosted several events to welcome students to the new semester, as part of the campus-wide Welcome Days activities, which are organized by New Student Orientation and Family Programs (a division of Student Affairs).
This year, staff and librarians at the Mathematical Sciences and Physics Library in Hill Center challenged students with a giant tumbling tower, while the Library of Science and Medicine offered free snacks and science puzzles. At the Alexander Library, students enjoyed cookies and the chance to spin a wheel for prizes after successfully answering library trivia. Kilmer Library offered carts of granola bars and other treats popcorn was handed out at the steps of the Art Library on College Avenue, and the Douglass Library offered students a much-appreciated coffee/cookie break.
All of these activities were made possible through the annual Senior Class gift, which is offered in appreciation to the library for hosting the wildly popular ClubAlex dance. The Undergraduate Experience Team sends a HUGE thank you to all of the staff and librarians who made these events possible and helped to create a warm welcoming atmosphere at the libraries.
We take pleasure in announcing the 22nd annual New Jersey Book Arts Symposium. “From Here to . . . There: Concept and Technique in Artists’ Books,” will be held on November 4th, 2016, at the Alexander Library.
The full day program might be described as a carnivalesque, multi-media extravaganza for everyone curious about the field of artists’ books, including students, scholars, artists, librarians, writers, musicians, administrators, procrastinators, cowboys and farmers, fanboys and fangirls, private citizens, as well as the general public.
The program for “From Here to . . . There” is the most ambitious we–by which I mean the New Jersey Book Arts Committee–have ever planned in New Brunswick, consisting of brief illustrated presentations by nine accomplished artists, two morning workshops open to all attendees, an artists’ book registry organized by one of two artists-in-residence, two lunchtime readings by artist/writers, a book arts jam for everyone to show off, sell, barter, or donate their own book fabrications, an open mic for cultural announcements about ongoing or upcoming events (exhibitions, workshops, classes, projects, solo and collaborative performances) broadly pertinent to the field of book arts and artists’ books in New Jersey and environs, and a pop-up exhibit featuring examples of work by all participating artists. And there’s food!
All are welcome – students are free; discounted registration for staff and faculty.
On Thursday, November 10th, 2016, Tara Maharjan, Processing Archivist, Janki Patel, Undergraduate, Art History & Art Library reference assistant, and Megan Lotts, Art Librarian, hosted a pop-up button making space in the lobby of Alexander Library. At this event patrons had the opportunity to create and make their own button, take a pre-made button of an image from Rutgers University Libraries Special Collections and University Archives, and view a vintage button collection, discovered in a basement, in Edison, NJ.
Button making can be a low-cost pop up making space that addresses the idea of object, from concept to consumption. In the case of a button, a wearable item is the outcome. Creating a button can strengthen ones’ creative thinking and problem solving skills. Furthermore, it also addresses finding and using images and understanding copyright laws.
