News and announcements
✈️🎧 Emory University’s Rose Library is hosting an exhibit (seen above) at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. “Beyond the 50: Continuing Hip Hop’s Legacy” is a two-year exhibit honoring Atlanta’s EarWax Records and its role in hip hop history. The exhibit features a replica storefront, posters, stickers, studio equipment, and other archival materials from Emory and EarWax founder Darryl “Jasz” Smith. According to the post, Emory Libraries and the Atlanta airport may work together again on future exhibitions. Love this!
💰📚 In its 5 years, the e-textbook program at Illinois State University’s Milner Library has saved its students more than $10 million. By providing free, accessible e-books for course use, the program reduces students’ financial burden and improves learning outcomes and equity. Faculty praised its impact, calling it “a godsend.” This sentence in particular caught my attention: “We found that an investment of $10,000-$14,000 a semester yields a total potential student savings of around $200,000 to $260,000.” Now that’s ROI.
😆✍️ The Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries at Vanderbilt University now house the Roy Blount Jr. Papers, a collection of correspondence, writings, and research from the acclaimed humorist and 1963 Vanderbilt graduate. The archive offers insight into Blount’s career as an author, journalist, and cultural commentator (and frequent panelist on “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me!”). These materials will provide a unique resource for exploring American humor, language, and identity from someone who has been around to write about some of the most notable moments in recent history.
🛠️💡 Binghamton University Library has a new MakerLab, equipped with 3D printers and scanners, laser cutters, vinyl cutters, and VR tech. The lab supports academic projects across disciplines from art to engineering. MakerLab Coordinator Chungmin Park aims to expand partnerships and foster creativity, helping students turn ideas into tangible designs. Open since August, the lab encourages innovation through technology-driven coursework and student-led projects.
🪕💿 Indiana University Bloomington’s Archives of Traditional Music team honored folk music legend and IU alumnus Joe Hickerson with an exhibition and a lively folk sing-along celebrating his life and work. The Joseph C. Hickerson collection houses treasures like Camp Woodland and Catskill Folk Festival recordings, some featuring Pete Seeger and Hickerson’s own “Drive Dull Care Away,” alongside stories of his role in shaping “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” into a peace anthem. The exhibit remains on view at Cook Music Library through fall.
Notable mentions
- The University of Florida Libraries reviewed some of its best fall semester events, including a makerspace night (seen above), open house, and daytime concert.
- Touro University Libraries created a fake news LibGuide.
- Falvey Library at Villanova explores printable toys sourced from magazines like The Chicago Ledger.
- Many libraries support a food pantry for students, but Mercer University Libraries supports one for pets, too!
- Speaking of pets, UC Davis Library has an art collection dedicated to dogs.
- The University of Arkansas Libraries are inviting students, faculty, and staff to attend virtual reality drop-in sessions.
- If you find a hidden horse in the stacks of Southern Methodist University Libraries, you’ve stumbled upon a scavenger hunt.
- For those one-of-a-kind materials in special collections, UW Libraries has created an “out of scope” exhibit.
- NC State University Libraries received a grant to support a game development contest (plus another grant to develop data training for grad students).
- Stony Brook University Libraries has launched an AI steering committee (this follows their creation of a “Director of Artificial Intelligence” position)
On social
The University of Oklahoma Libraries is sending nothing but good vibes in this Instagram post. This type of affirmative post would be easy for any university library to create; just substitute your own high quality photography!
Instagram has fed me this post by William & Mary Libraries more than once and I stop to look at it every time. The use of b-roll video with the color filter and minimal movement is absolutely gorgeous. To say nothing of all the fun events for finals week.
Now THIS is how you promote a database. Courtesy of Tulane Libraries.
Cook or be cooked. The always-on-trend UVU Library continues to deliver relatable content. Well, relatable to students in any case!
Need a sentimental, hand-made gift just in time for the holidays? The folks at ASU Libraries have you covered. The close-up, step-by-step video style showcases how easy and accessible the library’s makerspace is.