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@library.edu the newsletter of the Swarthmore College Library

Fall 2008 Vol. 11, no. 1

Exhibit features children’s art promoting peace

by Anne Yoder Ever since opening a box of children’s art for a patron over ten years ago and finding what seemed like a treasure trove of beautiful and interesting images, the archivist of the Swarthmore College Peace Collection has wished for a way to display them. This dream finally came true in the creation of an exhibit in McCabe Library lobby during the summer that continues on a smaller scale this fall on the second floor of McCabe. An online version of the exhibit is available at http://www.swarthmore.edu/library/peace/ChildrensArt/ smallworld/index.html. SCPC Archivist Anne Yoder and Mellon Library Fellow Daisy Larios chose which works of art to feature from approximately 1500 items.

The library exhibit “It’s A Small World: Children Promoting Peace Through Art,” sponsored by the SCPC and McCabe Library, includes paintings and drawings created by school children from various countries in 1964-1965 (circa) for Art for World Friendship. The AWF was directed by Maude Muller, of Media, between 1946-1968, and was the first organization to exchange children’s art on an international level, with nearly 90 nations and nearly every state in the U.S. participating. The purpose was to tap into children’s desire for international understanding and their natural ability to be ambassadors of global goodwill. The artwork highlights something of the children’s personal continued on page 4

By 12-year old from the Soviet Union

My year as a Mellon Library Fellow

by Daisy Larios My year as a Mellon Library Fellow has been a wonderful one. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience out of college. Sure, adjusting to the cold blustery winds of the average January day in southeastern Pennsylvania was a challenge for this native Californian. Despite the challenges implicated in being a transplant, I knew the year ahead of me would be full of learning and growth, personally and professionally. In fact, I ended up learning so much more than I ever anticipated.

The increasing relevance of technology in the field of librarianship has proven to be an exciting component of my job here. There were so many learning opportunities at my disposal: workshops provided by the ITS Department to learn more about programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Ingeniux, and Final Cut Express; various sessions and conferences I was able to attend through the generosity of the Mellon Library Recruitment Program, such as the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia; and the day-to-day work that required the implementation or thoughtful consideration of everything that I had learned and been exposed to. In short, one of my favorite things about working in libraries is that it is a continuous learning process and is ideal for those of us continued on page 4

How do faculty perceive student library reseach habits?

by Pam Harris To address the Middle States Commission on Higher Education accreditation emphasis on information literacy, the library’s recently completed self-study focused on student research habits and faculty expectations.

Faced with broad directives and skills that are difficult to assess, librarians visited each academic department to learn directly from the faculty what expectations they hold for student library research at varying points in their four years at Swarthmore. Over the past year, they met with 13 departments and talked to 70 faculty members.

These meetings with faculty showed a consensus among most departments that students should be able to demonstrate information literacy at some point in their academic career, but how do faculty think students are getting these skills? These comments represent some of the underlying perceptions about information literacy instruction that we came across: “They all seem magically to learn.”

“I assume students pick it up along the way.”

“Students are getting the other stuff elsewhere, we hope.”

Overall the climate for integrating library research into the curriculum has been positive, if somewhat uneven across the disciplines, due to a range of information requirements and the cultures of the different departments. Faculty reported varying opinions about the content they wanted librarians to address in class instruction. Some were satisfied with sessions that focused on how to use specific tools, particularly disciplinary databases.

Others felt there was a greater need for librarians to address broader research strategies and concepts – “the bigger picture” that would enable students to develop their own heuristics no matter what the subject area. One faculty member noted that too often students receive three or four generic library presentations

Noteworthy donation from alumnus

in their first year, so he worked with one of the librarians to do what he called “targeted” instruction that would be more typical of upper level courses.

Faculty also expressed deep concern over students’ ethical use of information and the need for the library or for library and faculty together to address plagiarism and general sloppiness in properly citing works. They also noted that the librarians were flexible, open, and willing to meet the needs of the faculty.

Many of the faculty concerns were echoed by the students, in particular the unevenness of the opportunities for instruction (some students receive the same introductory presentation multiple times in the first year; others receive nothing); the need for both broad conceptual instruction, as well as instruction in more advanced search techniques, and uncertainty about how or when it is best to deliver instruction.

Setting directions for the future, the Reference Department has the objective of systematically introducing information literacy skills to our students through a series of benchmarks; Freshman Orientation; First Year Seminars (FYS); course-related instruction; and thesis instruction.

Library completes self-study In preparation for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education’s reaccredidation process, the Library completed an extensive self-study. The document examines the key achievements, future challenges, and current functions of the library, while focusing on collections, information literacy, facilities, technology, budget, and staffing. The making of the self-study was a library-wide collaborative effort coordinated by Peggy Seiden, College Librarian. The full document is available by contacting the Librarian’s office.

by Amy McColl The Library recently received a very generous donation of books from alumnus Dr. William H. Matchett, Class of 1949.

These books had originally belonged to his mother-in-law, Elizabeth Cox Wright, who taught English literature at Swarthmore for 32 years and retired in 1964.

Some highlights of the collection include a 1542 edition of William Thynne’s edition of Chaucer’s works, Wordsworth’s Lyrical Ballads, 2nd ed. (1800), a first edition of William Hazlitt’s Table-Talk (1821), a 1678 edition of Ovid’s Metamorphosis, as well as many first editions of important works from authors such as Virginia Woolf, D.H. Lawrence, Ernest Hemingway, and a signed edition of Auden’s Collected Poetry.

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@library.edu Fall 2008

@library.edu Editors: Pam Harris, Terry Heinrichs, Annette Newman Thank you to all who contributed to this issue.

Email: libnews@swarthmore.edu Swarthmore College Library 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore PA 19081

Technology improvements enhance services

by Spencer Lamm and Kate Carter Over the summer, we worked on a number of projects to streamline discovery and access for our users, including a new content delivery method which we hope will enhance our students’ learning experience.

Last spring, we debuted search bookmarklets which allow you to do keyword and title searches in Tripod from anywhere else on the web. Since then, we’ve developed two similar bookmarklets: one to run author searches in Tripod and another to search for title and author in Amazon from Tripod (or other sites). Based on conversations with students, we believe this will help our users move more efficiently between Tripod and the other web-based discovery tools they rely on. To try out the bookmarklets for yourself, visit our Tools and Gadgets page on the Subject Portal (http://trilogy.brynmawr.edu/guides/ Tips/644/).

In conjunction with ITS and Mike Jones of the Language Resource Center, we’ve also been working to deliver streaming video course reserves to the College community. Students enrolled in select courses this fall will be able to access high quality versions of films required for their coursework through Blackboard wherever and whenever is most convenient for them. We’re certain that this service will make reserve film screenings a more enjoyable experience for our students and faculty.

photo by Annette Newman

Additionally, in conjunction with Friends Historical Library, we’re embarking upon a project to digitize their collection of films related to college life, alumni events, and graduations, which are regularly requested by alumni for events. By archiving these films and providing web-based access to them, we’re hopeful that we can provide an easy way for the Swarthmore community to explore a piece of its history.

These projects, along with the development of the Underhill Library Dance Video Archive and other endeavors on the horizon, are just the tip of the iceberg as we continue to explore ways in which the library can further incorporate advances in technology into our services.

Research your relatives on Ancestry.com

by Anne Garrison

photo by Annette Newman

Lockers available in McCabe Sixty lockers were installed in McCabe Library this summer.

They are located on the lower, second, and third levels of the building. The circulation desk controls access to the lockers and has keys available for checkout. The 20 lower level lockers will be reserved for thesis students requiring long-term storage, and the rest will be available on a daily basis. The convenient availability of lockers in the library should make it easier for students to secure their belongings.

The Library now subscribes to Ancestry.com, the largest genealogy resource available on the web. This research tool gives scholars and genealogists access to an enormous extensive array of unique genealogy tools which will be useful for both family and historical research.

Over 4,600 individual databases are included in this library.

Specialized collections include: U.S. Federal Census Collection, with original images from 1790-1930, U.K. and Ireland Census Collection, 1861-1901, the Birth, Marriage, and Death Records Collection, a Military Records Collection including World War I civilian draft registrations, and an Immigration Collection.

There are many other collections which should prove invaluable to both beginning genealogists and history students doing primary research. The collections are updated continually, with indexes and original images added frequently.

The database itself is easy to navigate via the drop-down menus, and the downloadable ancestral chart, which enables you to easily compile a complete and correct family chart, is a nice feature. You can access Ancestry.com via Tripod or the library’s Subject Portal. @library.edu Fall 2008

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Exhibit features children’s art promoting peace continued from page 1 lives, or something about their country, that they thought would be of interest to a child elsewhere in the world.

Traveling exhibits of this artwork were shown all over the U.S., and in such countries as the Soviet Union and the Netherlands, and drew large crowds.

The exhibit also features posters that were made by older students for the 1939 contest held by the National Circulating Library of Students’ Peace Posters. The National Circulating Library, founded and managed by Quaker Nancy Babb of Philadelphia, By 17-year-old Carolyn Jones from elicited artwork St. Petersburg, Florida, USA that portrayed a longing for peace even as the United States was gearing up for entry into World War II. These were judged by experts in their field; the winning entries were offered prizes; and the posters were displayed in exhibits at the New Century Club in Philadelphia. To view all the posters, see http://www.swarthmore.edu/library/peace/ Exhibits/ChildrensArt/ChildrensArtFull.htm.

Children’s continuing hope for peace, and their role in causing it to take root, can be seen “Man Behind Plow" by unknown child from Pakistan in artwork created in more recent decades: these include a cloth panel made for a demonstration in August 1985 in which thousands of “ribbons” with peace messages were tied together and held by people who encircled the Pentagon.

Peace cranes were made by children at the Freeman Cultural Arts Center in Chester in July as a modern expression of this hope.

By 6th(?) grader Iwako Ishikawa from Yanaguchiken, Japan

Besides the large amount of artwork mentioned above, the SCPC holds the archival records of Art for World Friendship, which includes photographs, as well as a limited amount about Nancy Babb and the National Circulating Library.

Visitors are welcome to view this material and the artwork during the SCPC’s regular hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.).

"Run from Danger" by unknown child from Ghana

My year as a Mellon Library Fellow continued from page 1 with an innate curiosity and short attention span, those of us who don’t think learning should end when you graduate and earn a degree. Besides, seeing the fruit of your knowledge and labor displayed on an internet browser or manifested on a postcard you personally designed leaves a feeling of satisfaction unlike any other.

Besides the tangible rewards of graphic design and building webpages, there is the satisfaction of seeing books you’ve purchased magically appear on the New Books Shelf. I find the number of nuances involved in collection development, which can aptly be described as “going shopping for books with someone else’s money,” to be fascinating and enjoyable. I also participated in bibliographic instruction and helped conduct Rare Book Room workshops, which allowed me to work on my teaching and public speaking skills.

And then there was the mental, physical, and creative nature 4

@library.edu Fall 2008

of installing exhibits. I assisted with exhibits throughout the year, a learning experience that culminated in curating an exhibit of my own with Anne Yoder of the Swarthmore College Peace Collection. This was accompanied by an online exhibit, which offered another opportunity for me to learn a new tool and flex my digital muscles.

I worked on many more projects throughout the year, and they have all made my time as a Fellow at Swarthmore College Library an extremely instructive and eye-opening one. I arrived as a wide-eyed college graduate, and am now leaving on a path towards earning my MLS and becoming a librarian. I owe this to my Mellon Library Fellowship at Swarthmore College and to all of the wonderful staff that made my stay here a pleasant, enlightening, and memorable one.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant involves six academic libraries (Oberlin, Occidental, Swarthmore, Atlanta University Center, St. Augustine’s College, and Johnson C. Smith University) that aims to address recruiting and diversity issues at the undergraduate level.

Library adds more artist books to collection

by Anne Garrison

Fossil Dirigibles

By Michael Kuch, Double Elephant Press, 2006 Limited edition of 40 books This dramatic and moving book by Michael Kuch of Double Elephant Press “explores the inner landscape of memory, thought & dream.” One of 40 copies, the book is comprised of eight chapters, each headed by a poem and etching. The etchings are what make this book so remarkable; each was created by squashing found objects such as animal skeletons, bugs, flora and fauna, into the plate. The images mix melancholy, morbidity, and a sort of transcendent hope and sentiment. The binding is also quite striking, as each page is suspended from lengths of twine attached to a copper-ribbed spine at the top of the book. Kuch, who studied at Hampshire College with the legendary Leonard Baskin and worked as his assistant at Gehenna Press, began Double Elephant Press in 1994.

Nelson & Emma: Aphrodite & Ares Contemplate Admiral Nelson & Lady Hamilton

By Charles Hobson, Pacific Editions, 2007 Limited edition of 35 books This lovely and whimsical book is the double love story of Admiral Nelson and Lady Hamilton and Ares and Aphrodite. Their ill-fated love stories, one historical, one mythological, draw an elegant parallel to the connections between love and war. The book is built around five signatures called “intermezzos” attached to a concertina spine. Each intermezzo has a unique abstract acrylic painting linking the story, and Hobson’s use of transparent film and cut-outs emphasize the interconnections and ironies of the parallel stories. The concluding pop-up of a rigging and close-up of Aphrodite is a special treat. This is an elegant and engaging work. Charles Hobson is a wellknown California printmaker and book artist, and his works are in the collections of the National Gallery in Washington, the Getty Center, Los Angeles, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, among many others.

Angelique and the Pearl Necklace

By Donald Glaister, Foolsgold Studio, 2007 Limited edition of 60 books Donald Glaister is an internationally known book artist and binder. He began his career in California and has had studios in New England, Cleveland, and currently, Vashon, Washington.

His latest book, Angelique and the Pearl Necklace, is a stunning homage to the art of sailing. The book itself is evocative of elegant wooden sail boats; wood, brass, cork, thread, and other materials that are actually found in boats make up this graceful book. The two-part poem enhances and complements the physicality of the book by evoking the spiritual and material nature of sailing. This book, with a binding of quarter leather with painted cloth and wood veneer sides, is in an edition of 60, of which the Swarthmore copy is number 3.

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Library welcomes new social sciences librarian Melanie Maksin ’04, formerly a librarian and technology consultant at Kenyon College, is happy to return to Swarthmore as the new social sciences librarian. She will provide collection development, instruction, and reference services to support the departments of history, economics, political science, sociology and anthropology, and several interdisciplinary programs. She received the master of science in library and information science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2006.

In addition to writing, she enjoys viewing many of the DVDs in the library’s collection.

Staff news: Comings and goings Kenya Flash is the new late night supervisor in the access and lending department at McCabe Library, replacing Dorothy Valencia, who has become the weekend supervisor. Kenya received a B.A. in government and law from Lafayette College and is finishing a master’s degree in political science at East Stroudsburg University. Previously, she worked as a resident hall coordinator at Cabrini College.

Daisy Larios, Occidental College ’07, is working as career services and information services library assistant at Drexel University, after serving as the Mellon library fellow here for the past year. She will manage the special collection of careerrelated materials and plans on enrolling in Drexel’s graduate program for a library degree.

Amanda Watson, reference and instruction intern at Swarthmore for the past two years, recently completed the master of science in library and information science at Drexel University and accepted the position of reference and instruction librarian/ special projects coordinator at Connecticut College,

photo by Annette Newman

Mellon Library summer interns

by Daisy Larios

Presentations given by staff Five Swarthmore College librarians presented at the Trico Library Symposium, July 18, at Haverford College: Kate Carter (Tripod usage and Tripod Next Gen Catalog); Pam Harris (First year information literacy and learning assessment); Spencer Lamm (Streaming video); Peggy Seiden (Swarthmore’s student/faculty library focus groups); and Barb Weir (Use of the digital collections). Donna Fournier, music and dance librarian, served on the planning committee for the symposium.

Susan Dreher, visual resources digitization coordinator, gave a presentation in July on “Collaboration between Visual Resource Collections at Liberal Arts Colleges for the Support of Teaching” at the Mid-Atlantic Digital Library Conference held at Bucknell University. Nicole Finzer from Bryn Mawr College and Julie Coy from Haverford College were co-presenters.

Pam Harris, Terry Heinrichs, and Annette Newman, @library.edu editors, gave a presentation on “Newsletters to Note: Tips for Communicating on Your Campus” at the Tri-State College Library Cooperative spring program, May 2, at Rosemont College.

New Mellon Library fellow Audrey Harmon-Smith ‘08 is this year’s Andrew W. Mellon Foundation library fellow. A biology major and linguistics minor, she was one of the 2007 Mellon Interns this past spring.

During her year as a library fellow, Audrey will explore librarianship as a possible career through working at the reference desk, assisting in library workshops, and selecting resources for the collection.

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@library.edu Fall 2008

The Mellon Library recruitment program is designed to introduce students to librarianship in hopes of attracting younger, more diverse people to the field. Swarthmore College is one of six colleges in the country who receive a grant from the Mellon Foundation that allows us to offer an undergraduate internship program, a post-baccalaureate one-year fellowship, and scholarships for former interns who are in library school. This summer, four Swarthmore students received Mellon Library internships.

Audrey Harmon-Smith ’08, an intern this past spring, worked with the Senior Archivist at the University of Pennsylvania’s museum archives, cataloging the field records and general correspondence from the archaeologist Erich Schmidt’s excavation of Rayy, Iran, an ancient city near Tehran.

Lauren Smith ’08, also a spring intern, worked at the University of Pennsylvania’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library. She reviewed books from the Henry Charles Lea Library and searched them for inscriptions, annotations, or any other interesting tidbits that will eventually be incorporated into the UPenn library catalog.

Hannah Christensen ’09 worked at the Athenaeum in Philadelphia and with local Swarthmore book artist Tricia Treacy. She worked on a small run of posters with Tricia, and her projects at the Athenaeum included data entry and helping to set up exhibits.

Ashley Davies ’10 worked for the Reference Department at McCabe Library. She remodeled the second and third floor bulletin boards and assisted with the installation of the summer exhibit, “Children Promoting Peace Through Art.” Ashley and Audrey attended the Mellon Library Institute this summer in Atlanta, Georgia, where they learned about library leadership with other Fellows and interns.

Applications for the spring 2009 Mellon Library Internship will be available later this fall.

Exhibits in McCabe Library Bill Scott: Drypoints, Echings, and Aquatints August 20 - October 6 This exhibit runs concurrently with the List Gallery’s show, Bill Scott: Paintings: 2003—2008 Bill Scott is a Philadelphia artist who creates color-based abstract paintings and prints. Scott sometimes teasingly refers to himself as a "nearsighted realist" because his abstract works are full of references to the real world, with rectangles and squares suggesting buildings and windows and jagged lines echoing the tree branches Artist’s Lecture at LPAC Cinema, September 11, 4:30 pm.

Bush Leaguers: Cartoonists Take On the White House October 10 - November 28 This exhibit features a collection of 98 political cartoons about George W. Bush and his advisors. Over 80 cartoonists from newspapers across the country, including several Pulitzer Prize winners, have contributed their work depicting George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, and more.

Opening reception with Tony Auth, Rob Rogers and Signe Wilkinson in the Scheuer Room, October 22, 4:30 pm.

December 2008 Wildcard Exhibit McCabe’s main exhibition space is un-scheduled this year for December. During the fall semester we will be calling for exhibit proposals from student groups, classes, and individuals. It is our goal to give students the opportunity to curate exhibitions in the library, giving them the chance to share their skills, interests, and abilities with the larger community.

Looking Forward We are looking forward to increased student involvement in library programming and events. In addition to adding a slot in the main exhibit calendar for student directed work, we are planning on hiring a student to work as an assistant curator. The assistant curator will work with the library staff on all library exhibits, help serve as a liaison to the student community, and take responsibility for independent projects.

We also anticipate mounting several of our exhibits online. We’re excited about the chance to showcase the exhibits we mount, and are looking forward to being able to display works that might otherwise not make it into our regular calendar.

As always, we look forward to input from the Swarthmore College community and welcome faculty collaboration for end of term projects that might be realized in our space.

Please contact Bronwen Densmore, Reference & Instruction Intern at bdensmo1@swarthmore.edu or extension 8543.

- by Bronwen Densmore

Newton winner takes national prize

Students, do you collect books?

Avid reader of underground literature, Jake Brunkard ‘08 started collecting books published by John Martin’s Black Sparrow Press in high school. His collection can be directly linked to an appreciation of Charles Bukowski, 20th century counterculture author who represents people and places traditionally marginalized in the mainstream canon. Brunkard received first place for the 2008 A. Edward Newton Award for the best student book collection at Swarthmore. He was then eligible for Fine Books & Collections Magazine Collegiate Book Collecting Championship; the top three winners receive cash prizes, a trip to the Antiquarian Book Fair in Seattle, and a donation to their library made in their name. Congratulations Jake for winning third place!

The A. Edward Newton Student Book Collection Competition awards $500, $250, and $150 cash prizes annually for the three best student book collections at Swarthmore. Each collection is judged according to its unifying theme (an author, an illustrator, a genre, etc.) Winners will be invited to exhibit their collections in McCabe Library and to be eligible for the Grolier Club Book Collection Competition.

Write an annotated bibliography of your book collection (no fewer than 25 titles, no textbooks). Attach a one-page commentary describing the theme of your collection and how, when, where, and why the books were acquired. Examples are available at: http://www.swarthmore.edu/x9417.xml.

Submit entries by December 1 to Pamela Harris (pharris1). @library.edu Fall 2008

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Library workshops - Fall 2008 Know Your Library: The New, Improved Tripod - Wednesday, September 24, 12:30 - 1:15 pm Tripod is growing up and becoming a sophisticated world citizen. Bookmarklets, scopes, and limits are some of the new order functionality that will bring power and ease to your research.

Instructor: Donna Fournier, Music & Dance Librarian.

The NEWS as we know it - Monday, October 13, 12:30 - 1:15 pm Explore the news media through library subscriptions. In this workshop, you’ll discover our subscription news sources and use RSS to follow the headlines.

Instructors: Pamela Harris, Outreach and Instruction Librarian with Melanie Maksin, Social Sciences Librarian Find More Like This: Secrets of Quality Research - Thursday, October 23, 1:00 - 1:45 pm Learn the secrets to expedite the research process. Recommended for anybody with a lot of homework and little time.

Instructor: Bronwen Densmore, Reference and Instruction Librarian with Melanie Maksin, Social Sciences Librarian EndNote: Save and Cite Sources - Wednesday, November 5, 12:30 - 1:30 pm Learn how to manage your citations in an online version of EndNote. The workshop will cover the basic functions of the web-based program.

Instructor: Meg Spencer, Science Librarian ZOTERO: The Next Generation Research Tool - Tuesday, November 11, 1:00 - 2:00 pm Zotero is a free citation management tool that integrates into the Mozilla Firefox web browser. If you’re looking for an alternative to EndNote, come to this workshop and learn about some of Zotero’s most useful features.

Instructor: Anne Garrison, Humanities Librarian

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