Quick Takes on Events & News – January 2017

CERRUCHA, Mapping Skin Deep (Mexican, 6 years, Leon) 2014

Living in the Shadows: Underground Immigrant Communities

For the spring semester, the Mary H. Dana Women Artists Series Galleries at Douglass Library will feature a group exhibit titled Living in the Shadows: Underground Immigrant Communities from January 17 through April 7.  The exhibit is a multidisciplinary creative inquiry into irregular migration and hidden and undocumented immigrant communities. Public events slated for the coming months include a reception and artists’ discussion at Douglass Library on March 1 at 5 p.m. as well as three screenings of the film Don’t Tell Anyone (No le Digas a Nadie): at the Paul Robeson Galleries, Rutgers–Newark on March 22 at 4 p.m.; at the Ludwig Global Village Living Learning Center, Rutgers–New Brunswick on March 30 at 7 p.m.; and at the New Brunswick Free Public Library on April 25 at 6 p.m.

2017 Jazz Archives Fellowship

Applications are open for the 2017 Jazz Archives Fellowship. The program offers three fellows a two-week residency at the Institute of Jazz Studies (IJS) that provides practical training in archival organization and processing. Major components include a general orientation, a visit to several New York metropolitan area music archives, discussions and learning opportunities about archival and digital collection management issues, and meetings with Rutgers faculty, staff, and administrators about diversity and how it can be served by a specialized archive like the IJS.

New Brunswick Music Scene Archive Anniversary Exhibit

An exhibit of materials commemorating the one-year anniversary of the New Brunswick Music Scene Archive is on display now through February at Alexander Library. Reflecting the history of the city’s independent music since the 1980s, the display features a wide variety of objects—from records and tapes to zines, flyers, and other ephemera—that were donated from the personal collections of those involved in the scene over the years. Highlights include issues of Jersey Beat and New Brunswick Underground, flyers for shows held at the Court Tavern and the Melody Bar, and recordings from local acts such as The Blasés and The Weeping Cysts.

Watching the Teen Detectives

Nancy Drew books on display at Robeson Library.

No mystery is too big or too small for the crack team of literary teen detectives on display through January 20, 2017 at Paul Robeson Library. Featuring many investigative ingénues from the infamous Stratemeyer Syndicate publishing group, the exhibit Watching the Teen Detectives highlights the detective work of Nancy Drew, the Dana Girls, Beverly Gray, Cherry Ames, Judy Bolton, Connie Blair, Penny Parker and Trixie Belden. Adding to the intrigue, boy detectives Biff Brewster, Ken Holt, Tom Quest, Rick Brant, and the Three Investigators are equally capable of collecting clues and catching criminals.

#CareerTuesdays

The Libraries have partnered with University Career Services to offer support for students who are seeking employment either while at school or after graduation. Over the next few months, look for #CareerTuesday tips each week on our social media. We will be featuring resources and services such as the Vault Career Guides, our career collections and LibGuides, and Career Services’ drop-in resume critiques at Kilmer Library.

Luke Cage Gets the Libguide Treatment

Krista White, digital humanities librarian and head of media services at Dana Library, has created a timely libguide for African American culture, books, and music related to the television show Luke Cage. Luke Cage was the first black superhero to get his own comic book series, first appearing in the early 1970s, and the television show joins a raft of other Marvel-based television series on Netflix. Since debuting this fall, the show has, according to media sources, taken on deeper relevance, serving as a symbol of pride and resistance to police brutality for the black community.

#SpecialCollectionsSunday

This 1936 Count Basie telegram was featured on #SpecialCollectionsSunday for the IJS.

Over the course of the last semester, you may have noticed a new regular feature on our social media channels: #SpecialCollectionsSunday. The idea behind this feature is simple: to shine the spotlight on a different special collection each month by posting pictures from it every Sunday throughout the month.  So far, we’ve highlighted four different themes: in October, we featured the New Brunswick Music Scene Archive; in November, the Institute of Jazz Studies; in December, the realia collection at Paul Robeson Library; and in January, the special collections in the history of medicine at George F. Smith Library. The response so far has been positive and, beyond the many likes and shares, we’ve even received a few inquiries from folks wishing to learn more about the materials we’ve featured.

This is a great way to call attention to some of our unique holdings and, as it only requires a handful of scans or snapshots, participation is easy. Please contact Matt Badessa with ideas for future themes or if you would like to have your collection featured.

Matt Badessa