Harvard College Library News

Water Cooler Changes Save Energy at HCL

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:35:14 GMT

They may seem an unlikely place to go searching for environmental and economic benefits, but the replacement earlier this year of 25 bottled-water coolers in Widener, Lamont and Pusey libraries with eight filtered-water dispensers has resulted in both. While the new coolers haven’t reduced HCL’s water consumption – library staff members still drink as much water as ever – the reduced number of coolers has translated into a significant drop in power consumption, as well as dramatic savings in bottled water.

Digital Social Sciences Fair Highlights Online Resources

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:39:47 GMT

Even experienced researchers can be daunted by the multitude of digital resources available through the Harvard libraries, where holdings include thousands of e-journals, online databases, mapping tools and image collections. To help faculty and researchers remain up-to-date on the digital tools at their disposal, nearly a dozen staff from Harvard College Library (HCL) and other Harvard libraries recently offered consultations and tutorials as part of the Digital Social Sciences Fair at the Center for Government and International Studies.

Letters to “Bright Star” on Exhibit at Houghton

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:53:52 GMT

It is unlikely that many students, faculty members or researchers visit Houghton Library, Harvard’s primary repository for rare books and manuscripts in search of material relating to contemporary films. A new exhibition at the library, however, is sure to be of interest to fans of the film “Bright Star,” the big screen version of the love affair between then-unknown poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne.

Curator’s Tour Highlights Johnson Collection

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:02:25 GMT

One of the world’s most important collections of 18th century literature, the Donald and Mary Hyde Collection of Dr. Samuel Johnson and Early Modern Books and Manuscripts is comprised of thousands of letters, manuscripts, first editions, portraits and even includes Johnson’s silver teapot. More than a dozen Harvard College Library staff members recently got the chance to examine some of those treasures as part of a curator’s tour through Houghton Library’s exhibition devoted to Johnson.

HCL Staff Team Up to Go Green

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:26:05 GMT

Long before there was an established University sustainability program, Harvard College Library had made increasing sustainable practices around the library a priority. To continue that commitment, HCL Operations last month convened the HCL Green Team to assist the unit in identifying ways in which the libraries can contribute to the University’s sustainability goals.

Collaborative Learning Space Opens in Lamont

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:28:27 GMT

Every aspect of the soon-to-be-opened Collaborative Learning Space - from the technology to the movable tables, chairs and white boards – is designed to foster collaboration. Located in Room B-30 in Lamont, the space brings a new level of flexibility to library instruction and includes features unavailable in other HCL classrooms.

HCL Launches Students Substitute Pool

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:52:12 GMT

If Harvard College Library patrons never become aware of the library’s new Student Employees Substitute Pool, the new program is working the way it was designed. Launched earlier this year, the substitute pool was created to fill Circulations Desk openings left when students call in sick or can’t work for other reasons.

Religious Identity at Heart of Judaica Student Publication

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:14:04 GMT

What is it, exactly, that determines religious identity? If you say you’re Jewish, but still attend church on Sundays and profess a belief in Jesus Christ – are you still Jewish, or are you Christian? Is religious identity an either/or proposition, or a more fluid construct? These questions, and others, are among those raised by “Blurred Binarism: Jewish Identity in the Case of the Falash Mura,” the senior thesis of Mishy Harman, ’08.

Freshman Parents, Librarians Meet at Lamont

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:20:04 GMT

Parents of Harvard freshmen gathered in the Lamont Forum Room on Friday, October 23, for the Harvard College Library's Freshman Parents' Reception. Annually, the Friends of the Harvard College Library sponsor a reception to welcome and introduce parents to the library as part of the campus-wide Freshman Parents' Weekend.

HCL Hosts New England Chapter of the Music Library Association

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:10:03 GMT

Dozens of music librarians from throughout New England gathered last week at Harvard College Library to discuss issues relating to music librarianship as part of the semi-annual meeting of the New England Chapter of the Music Library Association (NEMLA).

2009-10 Visiting Committee Prize for Undergraduate Book Collecting Announced

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:27:40 GMT

Entries are now being sought for the 2009 - 2010 Visiting Committee Prize for Undergraduate Book Collecting. Interested undergraduates must state, in writing, that they intend to enter on or before 5pm on Friday, November 20, 2009. For more information, consult the Visiting Committee Prize for Undergraduate Book Collecting rules.

The Philip and Frances Hofer Lecture: "Cutting Remarks: The Preparation of Woodcuts, 1400-1600”

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:01:26 GMT

Richard S. Field, Curator Emeritus of Prints, Drawings and Photographs, Yale University Art Gallery, will present a lecture, entitled "Cutting Remarks: The Preparation of Woodcuts, 1400-1600” on December 13, 2009 at 5:30 p.m. in the Edison and Newman Room of Houghton Library.

The "history" of the physical craft of cutting woodblocks for the printing of woodcuts has remained almost unstudied. This talk will rely on detailed slides of a number of anonymous fifteenth-century blocks in order to sketch the early development of the cutter's technique. The ultimate achievements of Dürer, Altdorfer, Cranach, Burgkmair, Bruegel will round out a picture that remained mostly unchanged until ca.1800. At the conclusion, the audience will be asked to consider its opinions about a series of blocks that most scholars regard as forgeries, two examples of which are at Harvard.

On Exhibit at Cabot Science Library: Weather Control: Pluviculture, Cloud Seeding and Climate Engineering

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:29:49 GMT

Some people are unwilling to heed the adage “you can’t change the weather.” This exhibition recounts the history of attempts to control the weather, from native rituals through nineteenth century “rainmaking,” Cold War weather-modification research and contemporary investigations into climate engineering.

Online exhibition: A Monument More Durable Than Brass: The Donald and Mary Hyde Collection of Dr. Samuel Johnson

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:39:41 GMT

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) is widely known for his Dictionary (1755), but was a writer of the first order in a dazzling variety of genres: poetry, drama, literary criticism, biography, and the essay. The Donald and Mary Hyde Collection of Dr. Samuel Johnson contains copies of virtually all of Johnson’s published works, more than half of his surviving letters, authorial manuscripts, works of art, and personal artifacts. It likewise documents the life and work of many of Johnson’s friends, particularly James Boswell and Hester Thrale Piozzi, and indeed the whole of the period now known as the Age of Johnson.

Exhibition Celebrates Roosevelt's Pigskin Library

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:23:26 GMT

After leaving the presidency in 1909, Theodore Roosevelt began preparing for a long-promised safari to British East Africa. Along with the usual tents, provisions and hunting gear, Roosevelt also traveled with a sixty-pound aluminum case, which carried more than 80 of his favorite books. Dubbed the Pigskin Library after their pigskin bindings, the famous literary collection this year celebrates its 100th anniversary with an exhibition opening September 1 in the Theodore Roosevelt Gallery of Pusey Library.

On exhibit at the Map Collection: Gleams of a Remoter World: Mapping the European Alps

Thu, 24 Jun 2009 20:06:16 GMT

This exhibit explores how European cartographers over the centuries have responded to the challenge of mapping the Alps. It examines a variety of cartographic genres, including maps celebrating military conquest, panoramic views for tourists, guides for hikers and skiers, national surveys, and transportation maps.

On exhibit at Tozzer Library: Masked Festivals of Canton Bo (Ivory Coast), West Africa

Wed, 27 May 2009 20:27:29 GMT

The festivals of Canton Bo centered on the g'la, or the spirit forms, of ancient ancestors who appeared in post-harvest festivals wearing carved masks and full body coverings of straw, animal hide, textiles and paint. Through rare drawings and photographs, along with masks from the Peabody Museum collections, Masked Festivals explores the different kinds of spirit forms and their performances.