Category: News

Collective Yearning: Black Women Artists from the Zimmerli Art Museum

“The Sunflower Quilting Bee at Arles,” 1996, Color lithograph, Image and Sheet: 22 9/16 × 30 1/16 inches, Collection of Judith K. Brodsky. Gift of the @brodskycenteratpafa. ©2022 Faith Ringgold / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy ACA Galleries, NY.

Collective Yearning: Black Women Artists from the Zimmerli Art Museum is on view through December 14, 2022, at Douglass Library and the Zimmerli Art Museum.

Featuring prints, photographs, and multimedia artworks, this exhibition is the first time the university has conducted a comprehensive and methodical review of its holdings of art by Black women artists. Many of the artists have ties to New Jersey, New York City, and Philadelphia, ranging from canonical figures such as Rutgers faculty and artists Emma Amos and Kara Walker to emerging artists Nona Faustine, Atisha Fordyce, and Daonne Huff. The exhibition is curated by Dr. Amber Wiley, Assistant Professor, Art History, Rutgers University, and her students Jasmine Daria Cannon, Kyle b. co., Helen Gao, Grace Lynne Haynes, Emily Hu, Grace Kim, Desiree Morales, Michael Randall, and Audrey Roclore.

Artists: Emma Amos, Chakaia Booker, Barbara Bullock, Elizabeth Catlett, Nona Faustine, Atisha Fordyce, Nefertiti Goodman, Daonne Huff, Margo Humphrey, Stefanie Jackson, Carmen Cartiness Johnson, Nadine DeLawrence Maine, Nell Painter, Howardena Pindell, Faith Ringgold, Betye Saar, Lorna Simpson, Shinique Smith, Renée Stout, Sharon E. Sutton (FAIA), Mickalene Thomas, Kara Walker, Bisa Washington, and Carrie Mae Weems

Main Exhibition

Mary H. Dana Women Artists Series Galleries, Douglass Library
8 Chapel Drive, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; weekends by appointment only. Hours are subject to the university libraries operating schedule.
Admission: Free and open to the public*

*Student tour guides, trained under the direction of student curator Kyle b. co. as part of the Douglass Faculty Fellows Program, will take place in the Douglass Library (Mary H. Dana Women Artists Series Galleries) through December 9 during the following times: Monday–Thursday, 4:00–6:00 p.m., and Friday, 4:30-6:00 p.m. No reservation is required for a tour, but if you would like to schedule a tour outside of the scheduled times, please email kco@mgsa.rutgers.edu to inquire. Availability of tour guides is limited outside of the set tour times.

Satellite Exhibition

Focus Gallery, Zimmerli Art Museum
71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.; Wednesday and Friday, 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; Thursday, 11:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.; closed Monday and Tuesday.
Admission: Free and open to the public
Website: zimmerli.rutgers.edu

A series of special events with guest speakers, panel discussions, and roundtables will be held on November 9. For more details and to view the schedule, please visit zimmerli.rutgers.edu.

This exhibition is sponsored by the Center for Women in the Arts and Humanities and the Zimmerli Art Museum. Funding was provided by Douglass Residential College, the Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice, and an anonymous donation. Co-sponsored by the Institute for Women’s Leadership. The Mary H. Dana Women Artists Series is a program of CWAH in partnership with Rutgers University Libraries.

September 10, 2022
Consuella Askew’s First Letter to the Libraries

I am honored and excited to be appointed Rutgers’ 15th University Librarian. One of the most gratifying aspects of this role is the opportunity to witness your skills and talents in action at the Libraries. Your loyalty to RUL is admirable, and your determination to work with grace and dignity and in the university’s best interests is inspiring.

This letter for The Agenda comes at a time of evolution and opportunity. We continue our initiatives designed to address your concerns about RUL’s organizational clarity, culture, and communication. The RUL Affirmation group has worked diligently to define our aspirations and reframe our mission statement. They are incorporating your input from their recent town halls into final statements that will provide a common framework from which we can springboard. We are close to formally establishing the Staff Advisory Committee (SAC), which will serve as a counterpart to the Faculty Planning Committee. Thanks to the stellar work of the SAC Planning Task Force, bylaws have been drafted and are undergoing final revisions. Once that is completed, the task force will focus on stewarding the adoption of the bylaws and conducting the committee’s initial elections process. The goal is to have the SAC up and running by year’s end. We are also reviewing the Libraries’ organizational structure and how our core services are best delivered. We want to ensure we offer comprehensive student and research support across the university’s broad footprint in the most efficient and responsive manner possible.

We aspire to be the intellectual and creative center of the Rutgers community and recognized as essential to the university’s academic mission. It is a noble and obtainable goal. The future holds great promise if we continue to work smart, act with intent, listen to our colleagues and constituents, and pivot to meet the needs of today’s dynamic academic environment.

Since my arrival at RUL, I have been impressed by your ability to imagine and implement creative solutions, often in the midst of change. While things continually evolve, I know your willingness and desire to collaborate and meet challenges with intelligence and good humor will serve us well. I look forward to us working together for the benefit of the faculty, students, and staff of Rutgers University and the broader New Jersey community.

September 9, 2022
Health Sciences Libraries Publish Inaugural Issue of “Impact”
Rutgers Health Sciences Libraries (HSL) is pleased to announce the inaugural issue of Impact, its new monthly e-newsletter. Please visit go.rutgers.edu/xn910gjj to read the latest HSL news, events, and features:
- Save Time: Make an Appointment!
- Medical Education Review Blog Celebrates 10th Birthday with 300th Post
- Quick Access to PubMed and UpToDate
The next issue will reveal exciting news about EMBASE. Subscribe today to get Impact delivered to your inbox!
September 8, 2022
Celebration of Scholarship 2022
Celebration of Scholarship at New Brunswick Libraries highlights and celebrates the accomplishments of Rutgers University–New Brunswick authors and creators. At this event, 2020–2022 published books, book chapters, journal articles, recordings, and more will be displayed in physical and virtual spaces at the library. With this celebration, we salute scholarly accomplishments across the wide range of disciplines at Rutgers–New Brunswick.

The 2022 Celebration of Scholarship will take place at the Douglass Library on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Submit your scholarship
- Register to attend the event
For more information, please visit the Celebration of Scholarship site.

The co-sponsors who have made this celebration possible are the Margery Somers Foster Center, Rutgers Global, and Rutgers University Press.

Share your scholarship and celebrate with us!
September 2, 2022
James “Jim” Robinson Retires after 36 Years

By Elena Schneider and Luke Sangiamo

James “Jim” Robinson retired from Rutgers University on September 1, 2022. Jim has been an essential member of Rutgers University Libraries for over 36 years, so he will be greatly missed. We have all benefited from his dedicated service, detailed knowledge, and wonderful sense of humor.

Jim in his familiar black attire, July 2022 (photo by Dennis Mark/Rutgers University Libraries).

Jim began his career at Rutgers in 1986, briefly working at the physical plant warehouse and quickly transitioning to the libraries a few months later. Having family already working at the libraries (Jim’s mother worked in the processing department for Technical Services), pursuing a career at Rutgers was a natural step. He quickly considered his coworkers to be more like family than just other employees, and he developed a deep passion for the labor movement and student political organization. Pursuing a degree while working at the university, Jim developed an interest in Architectural Historic Preservation. Beginning at Rutgers, Jim later attended Bucks County Community College, which operated one of the top Historic Preservation programs, obtaining his degree in 1999.

His career at Rutgers brought him to join Special Collections & University Archives for six years, applying his interest in Historic Preservation to managing the logistics of our most unique collections. He later joined the New Brunswick Libraries’ Shipping and Receiving Department—serving in an indispensable role for years to come. At Shipping, Jim developed close relationships with many of our faculty and staff across all library locations while serving as a core member on the front line of maintaining our day-to-day operations. After the Return to Rutgers plan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jim was one of the first employees to return to our buildings five days per week, visiting each building daily and providing a pivotal service enabling the strength of our recovery. Both remotely and after returning, he contributed to our digital newsletter each week—his weekly song playlist was an early step in reconnecting our community to each other.

An example of Jim’s eclectic song playlists, which colleagues enjoyed during the pandemic.

Outside of work, Jim has a strong passion for music, being classically trained in multiple instruments for over 35 years and having produced and promoted a music series for over two decades. In retirement, Jim plans to utilize his experience to continue being a tour manager for musicians around the globe, working with various artists through the hundreds of relationships he has built through the years. He plans to devote more of his time to his love of music and supporting those in the industry, both new and experienced artists alike.

Jim also plans on volunteering at The Raptor Trust, an organization that provides care for injured birds of prey and education to the public. Being passionate about the outdoors and wildlife, he also plans to spend time at The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, one of his favorite locations for bird watching and to quietly enjoy his love for reading and books. If he discovers more “free time” after embracing his wide variety of interests, he has discussed working part-time at a bookstore or a public library.

Jim in the NBL delivery van, his “second office.”

We thank Jim for everything he brought to Rutgers and shared with our community. We will miss Jim’s dedication, historical knowledge, humor, and excellent music recommendations. We wish him the best in his future endeavors and are excited to see the next steps he takes on his journey.

September 1, 2022
Scholars Collaborate on Unique Book Project at RUL

From August 11–13, a group of scholars met in New Brunswick to work on a new book. Tentatively titled, In Search of True Ways: Rutgers and Japan during the Early Meiji Period, this book is being edited by Haruko Wakabayashi of Rutgers’ Department of Asian Languages and Cultures and Fernanda Perrone of Rutgers University Libraries Special Collections and University Archives (SC/UA). This project is unusual in that it combines scholarship written in English with that written in Japanese, giving a broad perspective and bringing to light much new information.

August 15, 2022
Judy Cohn Retires after Distinguished Four-Decade Career

Judy Cohn, Assistant Vice President for University Libraries and Associate University Librarian at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) Libraries, retired on September 1, 2022. Her retirement serves as the final milestone of an illustrious 40+ year career that began at the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Rutgers Medical School, Raritan Valley Hospital, and culminated at Rutgers University Libraries (RUL).

Judy Cohn at Alexander Library, August 2022 (photo by Dennis Mark/Rutgers University Libraries).

Judy received her BA (1975) and MLS (1976) from Rutgers University. She started her career as an Assistant Librarian at the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (CMDNJ) Rutgers Medical School, Raritan Valley Hospital in Greenbook, NJ, where she oversaw its collection development and management of its audiovisual collection, along with some public services responsibilities. Her career trajectory aligned with the growth of what is now RBHS, as she moved from positions held at CMDNJ Greenbrook to the University Medical Center in Stratford, NJ, before settling in Newark. During this period, Judy also nurtured and guided aspiring health sciences librarians as an adjunct faculty member with the Rutgers University School of Communication and Library Studies. Within a few years of arriving in Newark to serve as the Director of the George F. Smith Library of the Health Sciences, she began her ascent up the leadership ladder at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). She was promoted to Assistant University Librarian and Director for UMDNJ–Smith Library, then Acting University Librarian for UMDNJ. Before the merger, she was the Associate Vice President for Scholarly Information/University Librarian for UMDNJ for 11 years. In 2013, Judy became a part of the Rutgers University Libraries team as the result of the merger of Rutgers University and UMDNJ.

Her contributions to the Libraries, the University, and the library profession are substantial. Below are just a few examples:

Judy stewarded the UMDNJ Libraries throughout the UMDNJ/Rutgers University merger and the subsequent integration with the Rutgers University Libraries. In the aftermath of the integration and before the dust settled, she emerged as an invaluable member of the RUL Leadership Team, marshaling a talented and illustrious group of committed RBHS librarians and staff who fully immersed themselves in the RUL organization. In 2018, she organized the highly successful Scholarly Research Symposia for the RBHS faculty. Throughout the years, Judy had been called upon on multiple occasions to serve as Cabinet liaison to a Libraries working group, task force, or committee, including the Discovery Work Group, the Research and Scholarly Environment Working Group, and most recently, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

Judy was a major contributor to the execution of the Resetting the Rutgers University Libraries plan in her role as the Assistant Vice President for University Libraries. She readily took on additional tasks to help the organization move forward, demonstrating her commitment to the success of RUL. Judy was a critical part of planning and implementing the team-building sessions for the RUL Leadership Team led by a group from the University’s Center for Organizational Leadership. Likewise, she was an instrumental partner as we collaborated with the re:work consultants, who led a group of our RUL colleagues through a strategic process resulting in drafts of new mission and aspirational statements. The consultants also conducted an organizational structure review of our Libraries. These are but some examples demonstrating Judy’s exceptional competence and effectiveness as a leader.

Judy’s expertise in Medical and Health Sciences librarianship was recognized by her colleagues at RBHS, where she served on the New Jersey Medical School Clinical Curriculum and Pre-Clinical Curriculum Committees. She boasts an extensive and illustrious history of professional service at the regional and national levels. Judy has led preeminent organizations in her field, serving as President of the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries, President of the Health Sciences Library Association of New Jersey (HSLANJ), and Chair of the VALE Executive Committee (VALEnj). While these leadership roles are indicative of her reputation and the esteem in which she is held in the profession, she has also been recognized by her peers for her contributions to the field with numerous awards, including the Health Sciences Librarian of the Year award from HSLANJ and the Distinguished Service Award from the UMDNJ School of Health-Related Professions.

Retirement Party

On August 26, 2022, the Libraries hosted a retirement party for Judy at Calandra’s il Vecchio Cafe in Caldwell, New Jersey. More than 30 colleagues, family members, and friends attended to celebrate her remarkable career. Special guest speakers, including Judy’s husband (Lee), sister (Sara), and daughter (Jesse), regaled the audience with humorous stories and tales of Judy’s impressive accomplishments. Colleagues also took the opportunity to express their happiness and gratitude for Judy’s leadership and friendship.

Judy enjoyed her “Still the Boss” ornament.

Happy retirement, Judy!

Judy with family, friends, and colleagues.

Judy talks with guests at her retirement party.

Vice President for University Libraries and University Librarian Conseulla Askew (left) presents Judy with a Proclamation of Gratitude for her 40+ years of service.

Judy with members of the Rutgers University Libraries Leadership Team (from left: Dee Magnoni, Associate University Librarian at Rutgers–New Brunswick Libraries, VPUL/UL Conseulla Askew, Judy, Interim Associate University Librarian at Rutgers–Newark Rhonda Marker, and Director of Communications Dennis Mark).

August 8, 2022
John Brennan Promoted to Senior Executive Assistant to the Vice President for University Libraries and University Librarian

John Brennan was promoted to Senior Executive Assistant to the Vice President for University Libraries and University Librarian (VPUL/UL), effective August 6, 2022. John had ably served in this role in an interim capacity for seven months and will continue to be an asset to the Office of the VPUL/UL and the Rutgers University Libraries administration.

John has been with the Libraries since 2005 as a Senior Administrative Assistant for Technical and Automated Services (TAS), where he managed an assortment of diverse functions that included budget monitoring and reporting, facilities management, project management, and oversight for work-study students. In his new role, John will provide diversified and confidential support to VPUL/UL Consuella Askew and her office in a wide range of library-wide strategic areas. Among his new responsibilities, he will be the primary point of administrative contact for the VPUL/UL and the University Libraries for internal and external constituencies, manage my schedule, and will provide oversight and management for the administrative suite of the University Libraries.

August 5, 2022
Nita Mukherjee Retires after Nearly 40 Years of Service

After almost 40 years of dedicated service to the New Brunswick Libraries, Nita Mukherjee retired on August 1, 2022.

Over the last 30+ years, Nita worked at multiple locations across Rutgers University, Rutgers University Libraries (RUL), and New Brunswick Libraries (NBL). She started her career at Rutgers in 1982, working in the Data Control Department in the Administrative Services Building (ASB) on the Busch campus. In the mid-1980s, she joined the Circulation Department of the Douglass Library to start her career with RUL/NBL. During her time with RUL/NBL, Nita contributed greatly to the work at Copy Cataloging in the Library Technical Services Building (TSB), the Libraries Annex Access Services, Alexander Library Access Services, and Douglass Library Access Services. Finally, in 2008, she began her time managing the Chang Science Library on the Cook campus.

Nita is retiring as Branch Coordinator for the Stephen and Lucy Chang Science Library, a site she managed for the past 14 years. She made the Chang Library a warm and inviting location for students, faculty, and staff. She worked with countless undergraduate students over the years, both in her role as the site’s Student Coordinator and as the first contact at the circulation desk onsite. Nita thrived when helping students and faculty, bringing a mix of compassion, professionalism, and dedication to her work to these interactions.

Nita and her husband of 46 years, Arun, plan to continue living in the area. She looks forward to spending time with her family, her two daughters with careers in law and medicine, and her five grandchildren. She will devote more time to traveling, volunteering, and two of her long-standing passions: gardening and reading.

August 1, 2022
OAT Program Update
Rutgers University Libraries is pleased to announce the latest OAT Authoring Awards recipients:
- Vanessa LoBue (Newark)
- Ines Rauschenbach (New Brunswick)
- Sherry Cirignano (New Brunswick)
Awards are $3,500 each and will be funded, respectively, by RUL–Newark, and RUL-New Brunswick.

As of July 2022, Rutgers University Libraries have issued 183 Open and Affordable Textbooks (OAT) Awards to Rutgers faculty, saving students approximately $6.25 million. Additionally, in 2021 and 2022 the Libraries provided Authoring Awards for the creation and development of a completely new Open Educational Resource (OER) textbook. For more information, please visit libraries.rutgers.edu/teaching-support/open-and-affordable-textbooks-program.
July 31, 2022