Providence, RI [Brown University] – The Brown University Library is excited to announce the launching of the John Hay Library renovation project. Revitalization of this historic landmark will include a refurbishment of the magnificent first floor reading room into an open, welcoming study space for students; the creation of a new state-of-the-art special collections reading room in the area which formerly housed University Archives; improvements to the service and exhibit areas in the Central Hall of the first floor; addition of a student lounge and conference room; handicapped access to the front of the Library and code compliance and fire safety improvements throughout the building.

To accommodate the extensive work involved in the renovation, the John Hay Library will close beginning June 1, 2013, and will remain closed through the duration of the construction project until Fall 2014. During the construction project, there will be no access to the building, and access to Special Collections & Archives materials by faculty, students, and other researchers will be limited.

We will be able to pull a limited amount of Special Collections & Archives materials from the Hay Library stacks prior to the Library’s closing on June 1, 2013. These materials will be shelved elsewhere temporarily for access by classes and researchers during the renovation period. We are asking faculty and others to help us identify Special Collections & Archives materials that will be needed during the period that the Library will be closed. This input must be provided no later than April 5, 2013.

Specifically, faculty who will be teaching a course during Fall 2013 or Spring 2014 that will utilize Hay Library materials must contact the Library at HayRenovation@brown.edu by April 5, 2013.

Also, graduate students or undergraduate honors thesis students planning to do research using Special Collections & Archives materials during this period (June 2013 thru Fall 2014) must contact the Library at HayRenovation@brown.edu by April 5, 2013.

Please note that any Special Collections & Archives materials located at the Library Collections Annex (as denoted in the Josiah catalog record) will continue to be available throughout the renovation period. These materials may be used at the Annex (10 Park Lane, Providence) or requested for use on campus.

A temporary special collections reading area will be established in the Rockefeller Library to consult Special Collections & Archives materials retrieved from the Annex or that have been requested in advance of the Hay Library’s temporary closing. In addition, the Library encourages use of its digitized Signature Collections (selected Special Collections materials which have been digitized for public use) during the renovation period.

The John Hay Library renovation project is scheduled to be completed by the start of the Fall 2014 semester. With the capable guidance of Seldorf Architects, known for their elegant treatment in designing and renovating cultural institutions, the renewal of this space not only will fulfill important scholarly and programmatic needs of the Library and campus. The project’s completion also will serve to honor the John Hay Library’s founding donor, Andrew Carnegie, whose philanthropy was intended to do “real and permanent good,” benefitting Brown both today and tomorrow. We are most grateful to our generous donors for making this wonderful project possible. The results promise to be a space that will better protect and service the Library’s unique Special Collections, and open both the Library and its collections to inspire Brown students today and for generations to come.

We greatly appreciate the cooperation of all Brown faculty and students and other researchers and friends of the Hay during the period that the Library will be closed. We will provide regular updates on the progress of the John Hay Library renovation throughout the project. Additional information will be available at the project web site (coming soon).

Please contact Tom Horrocks, Director of Special Collections and the John Hay Library, for additional information regarding services during the renovation or other questions about the John Hay Library.

Contact: Thomas Horrocks | Thomas_Horrocks@Brown.edu | 401-863-9480

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — This spring, Brown University Library is launching a series of talks by Brown faculty and visiting scholars across the disciplines to celebrate the opening of the Patrick Ma Digital Scholarship Lab at the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library.  All talks for Showcasing the Digital Scholarship Lab: Spring Series, 2013 are free, open to the public, and followed by catered receptions. Space is limited. Seating is first-come, first-serve.

Series speakers will discuss and demonstrate ways in which digital technologies, especially those enabling data visualization and analysis, have impact on their teaching and research and enable new forms of student learning and interaction. Talks are scheduled for Thursday evenings (and one Tuesday evening) starting at 5:30pm.

The series will kick off on March 14. Sheila Bonde, Professor of the History of Art and Architecture and Professor of Archaeology at Brown, will give a lecture titled “Re-presenting the Past,” examining the challenges of representing the past through the lens of archaeological work at the French medieval monasteries of Saint-Jean-des-Vignes in Soissons and Notre Dame d’Ourscamp. Bonde will look at the challenges of incomplete data, of representing time and movement, and of going beyond visual representation.

Massimo Riva, Professor of Italian studies at Brown, Director of the Brown Center in Bologna and Director of the Virtual Humanities Lab at Brown will give the second talk on Thursday, March 21. Riva’s talk, “The Virtual Life of Books and Other Curious Artifacts,” will examine how great books, such as Boccaccio’s Decameron, and curious historical artifacts, like the Garibaldi panorama, help us rethink research and teaching in the digital age. 

Speaker schedule:

Thursday, March 14 – Sheila Bonde, Professor of History of Art and Architecture and Professor of Archaeology at Brown University

Thursday, March 21 – Massimo Riva, Professor of Italian Studies, Director Brown Center in Bologna and Director, Virtual Humanities Lab at Brown University

Thursday, April 4 – Rachel Franklin, Assistant Professor of Population Studies at Brown University

Thursday, April 11 – John Cayley, Professor of Literary Arts at Brown University

Thursday, April 18 – Eben Gay, REVEAL architect.

Thursday, April 25 – Jill Pipher, Professor of Mathematics at Brown University and Director, of ICERM, The Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics

Tuesday, April 30 – Andries Van Dam, Thomas J. Watson, Jr. University Professor of Technology and Education and Professor of Computer Science at Brown University

Thursday, May 2 – Shawn Greenlee, Assistant Professor of Foundation Studies at the Rhode Island School of Design

The Lab, located on the first floor of the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, features a 7′x16′ video wall composed of over 24 million pixels for data visualization and analysis. The wall can be configured to display up to twelve independent video sources simultaneously, making the Lab an effective collaboration space.  The Lab is also outfitted with a wide range of software for scholars across the disciplines, a state-of-the-art audio system, video conferencing capabilities, programmable lighting, and two 50″ touch-screen displays that can be used independently or linked to the video wall for collaborative display and interaction.

For updates on the series visit library.brown.edu/dsl.

The Brown University Library is home to more than 6.8 million print items, plus a multitude of electronic resources and expanding digital archives serving the teaching, research, and learning needs of Brown students and faculty, as well as scholars from around the country and the world.

Contact: Amy Atticks | Amy_Atticks@brown.edu | 401-863-6913

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The John Hay Library has a new exhibition celebrating the artistic innovations of Rite of Spring with a selection of works illuminating the original Paris production. The items displayed are from the Brown University Library’s Bryson Dance Collection.

The exhibit is one of a series of events taking place in Rhode Island this spring to mark the FirstWorks presentation of the Joffrey Ballet’s recreation of the original ballet. The Joffrey’s performance will take place on March 19th at the Providence Performing Arts Center.

Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring was commissioned for the Ballets Russes in Paris and was designed by Russian artists on a Russian theme, in an attempt to inform Paris of Russia’s interpretation of modernism.

Title: A Picture of Avant-Garde Russia: The Rite of Spring and the Ballets Russes in 1913, Selections from the Bryson Dance Collection
Date: Monday, March 4 – May 31, 2013
Location: John Hay Library, Gammell Gallery
Contact: Holly Snyder  |  (401) 863-1515  |  Holly_Snyder@brown.edu

Training sessions in Pivot/Cos will be held on March 11th, April 4th, and April 15th in the Hecker Center of the Rockefeller Library.

Pivot/Cos is a tool that can help researchers fund their work as well as guide them through the rigors of tenure, promotion, or future job prospects. One of the great features of Pivot/Cos is its notification system of potential awards and honors within a particular field of study. Pivot/Cos is interested in connecting the people of institutions with all the opportunities available to them.

Participants in the session will get an overview of the Pivot/Cos tool as well as how it relates to the Brown University community.

The session will include:

• Navigating the basics of how to search the grant database.
• Exploring the advanced features of setting up notifications.
• Establishing a scholarly profile.

This course is intended for researchers in all fields and at all career levels including those staff members who support them in finding funding opportunities.

Contact : Ian Straughn : ian_straughn@brown.edu

Providence, RI [Brown University] – The Brown University Library is excited to announce our line up of Spring 2013 Events and Exhibits. A downloadable PDF of the calendar is available here.

EVENTS:

Screening of Lincoln (2012) and Q&A with Michael Vorenberg
Friday, March 1, 2013 • 5:30pm
Martinos Auditorium, Granoff Center for the Creative Arts
In celebration of Lincoln’s birthday, and the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, Brown University Library, the Office of Public Affairs and University Relations, and the Center for the Study of Slavery & Justice will host a complimentary public screening of DreamWorks’ Lincoln followed by a Q&A with Michael Vorenberg, Associate Professor of History at Brown, and author of Final Freedom: The Civil War, the Abolition of Slavery, and the Thirteenth Amendment. This event is open to the public. Seating is limited and tickets are required. Seats will be held for ticketed attendees until 5:20pm on March 1, at which point remaining seats will be released to patrons at the door on a first-come, first-serve basis. Reserve your tickets today.

Showcasing the Digital Scholarship Lab: Spring Series, 2013 • 5:30pm
March 14: Sheila Bonde | March 21: Massimo Riva | April 4: Rachel Franklin | April 11: John Cayley | April 18: Best of Hackfest 2013 | April 25: Jill Pipher | April 30: Andries van Dam | May 2: Shawn Greenlee
Digital Scholarship Lab, First Floor John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library
Brown University Library is launching a series of talks by Brown faculty and visiting scholars across the disciplines to celebrate the opening of the Patrick Ma Digital Scholarship Lab at the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library. Speakers will discuss and demonstrate ways in which digital technologies, especially those enabling data visualization and analysis, have impact on their teaching and research and enable new forms of student learning and interaction. All talks are free, open to the public, and followed by catered receptions. Space is limited. Seating is first-come, first-serve. For more information on series speakers and talks visit the DSL homepage.

World Wide Film Premiere of Two Who Dared: The Sharps’ War 
Tuesday, April 9 & April 16, 2013 • 7:00pm 
Watson Institute for International Studies 
In commemoration of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Watson Institute for International Studies and Brown University Library are co-sponsoring free public screenings of the documentary Two Who Dared: The Sharps’ War. These screenings are part of a world-wide premiere occurring simultaneously at community churches, synagogues, theaters and school. Two Who Dared: The Sharps’ War, tells the story of a Unitarian minister, Waitstill Sharp and his wife Martha, Pembroke class of 1926, who, just days prior to the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia, left their young children in Wellesley, Massachusetts to help save Jewish children being persecuted in Eastern Europe. Brown University will stream a 30-minute educational version of the film online for 48 hours from April 19 at 5:00pm through April 22 at 8:00am on the Watson Institute website. For more information on screening times and locations, or to host a screening, visit the Two Who Dared website or contact twowhodared@gmail.com.

Mel and Cindy Yoken Cultural Series: Lucette Lagnado 
Monday, April 22, 2013 • 5:30pm 
Lownes Room, John Hay Library 
For this year’s annual Mel and Cindy Yoken Cultural Series talk, come hear Egyptian-born American journalist and memoirist, and reporter for the Wall Street Journal, Lucette Lagnado, speak at the John Hay Library. A reception will follow. This talk is free and open to the public. The Mel and Cindy Yoken Cultural Series is sponsored by Friends of the Library.

EXHIBITS:

The Festive City
Now through July 14, 2013
Buonanno Works on Paper & Tsiaris Photography Galleries, RISD Museum of Art
Come see The Festive City, on view at the RISD Museum of Art, featuring materials from the Brown University Library’s Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection, the RISD Museum, and the collection of Vincent J. Buonanno (Brown ’66). The exhibition features prints and books that record how cities were transformed by the urban festivals of early modern Europe. The Festive City originated in an undergraduate seminar taught at Brown in Spring 2012. It was co-curated by RISD curator Emily Peters and Brown University professor Evelyn Lincoln. Students working with Professor Andries van Dam collaborated with the RISD Museum graphics and computing staff and used Microsoft Surface technology to make pages of the festival books available to viewers.

Persian Paintings from the Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection
Now through May 10, 2013
John Hay Library, Bopp Seminar Room (3rd Floor)
Accompanying the course “What is Islamic Art” with instructor Shiva Balaghi, selections from the Library’s Special Collections, including 10 illuminated gouache miniatures depicting military scenes and leaves from illuminated manuscripts, are on display. Stop by to examine these unique, historical works.

2013: Verdi Year Wagner Year
Now through late-May 2013
Orwig Music Library
The year 2013 is the 200th anniversary of two of the most central nineteenth-century opera composers: Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner. Although they never met and their lives took very different courses, each came to be emblematic of the national music of their home countries: Wagner and Germany, Verdi and Italy. Modern reinterpretations of their operas have stretched the limits of human imagination, and remain critically controversial. In this exhibit, Orwig celebrates its collections relating to both of these composers, highlighting the acquisition of a new Tristan und Isolde facsimile manuscript in December 2012.

Centennial Images: The Balkan Wars, 1912–1913
February 18 – May 10, 2013
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, Foyer
Prints and watercolors of military scenes from the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913 will be on view in the Foyer of the Rock. Make sure to take a firsthand peek at these special materials from the Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection. You can also explore the collections online.

Stamps of the European Microstates: Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, & Vatican City
February 25 – May 18, 2013
John Hay Library, Military Collection Gallery (3rd Floor)
Stop by the galleries on the third floor of the John Hay Library to view a display of European stamps from the Webster Knight and Champlin Stamp Collections. While you’re there, make sure to explore the permanent exhibit of 5,000 miniature military soldiers. The soldiers are set in 96 cases marching from left to right, starting with ancient Egyptians and leading up to Queen Elizabeth II.

A Picture of Avant-Garde Russia: The Rite of Spring and the Ballets Russes in 1913, Selections from the Bryson Dance Collection
Monday, March 4 – May 31, 2013
John Hay Library, Gammell Gallery
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, a work commissioned for the Ballets Russes in Paris. With the music, choreography, sets and costumes all designed by Russian artists on a Russian theme, and the production under the direction of the renowned Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev, the Rite of Spring gave Paris a taste of modernism in a distinctively Russian key. This Spring exhibition celebrates the artistic innovations of the Rite with a selection of works illuminating the original Paris production of 1913, drawn from the Brown University Library’s Bryson Dance Collection. This exhibit is one of a series of events taking place in Rhode Island this spring to mark the FirstWorks presentation of the Joffrey Ballet’s recreation of the original ballet; the Joffrey’s performance will take place on March 19th at the Providence Performing Arts Center. Also included in the series of events is a public discussion at the Providence Athenaeum on March 1st of the political and cultural context from which the Rite of Spring grew.

Contact: Amy Atticks | Amy_Atticks@brown.edu | 401-863-6913

The Festive City
Now through July 14, 2013
Buonanno Works on Paper & Tsiaris Photography Galleries, RISD Museum of Art
Come see The Festive City, on view at the RISD Museum of Art, featuring materials from the Brown University Library’s Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection, the RISD Museum, and the collection of Vincent J. Buonanno (Brown ’66). The exhibition features prints and books that record how cities were transformed by the urban festivals of early modern Europe. The Festive City originated in an undergraduate seminar taught at Brown in Spring 2012. It was co-curated by RISD curator Emily Peters and Brown University professor Evelyn Lincoln. Students working with Professor Andries van Dam collaborated with the RISD Museum graphics and computing staff and used Microsoft Surface technology to make pages of the festival books available to viewers.

Persian Paintings from the Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection
Now through May 10, 2013
John Hay Library, Bopp Seminar Room (3rd Floor)
Accompanying the course “What is Islamic Art” with instructor Shiva Balaghi, selections from the Library’s Special Collections, including 10 illuminated gouache miniatures depicting military scenes and leaves from illuminated manuscripts, are on display. Stop by to examine these unique, historical works.

2013: Verdi Year Wagner Year
Now through late-May 2013
Orwig Music Library
The year 2013 is the 200th anniversary of two of the most central nineteenth-century opera composers: Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner. Although they never met and their lives took very different courses, each came to be emblematic of the national music of their home countries: Wagner and Germany, Verdi and Italy. Modern reinterpretations of their operas have stretched the limits of human imagination, and remain critically controversial. In this exhibit, Orwig celebrates its collections relating to both of these composers, highlighting the acquisition of a new Tristan und Isolde facsimile manuscript in December 2012.

Centennial Images: The Balkan Wars, 1912–1913
February 18 – May 10, 2013
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, Foyer
Prints and watercolors of military scenes from the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913 will be on view in the Foyer of the Rock. Make sure to take a firsthand peek at these special materials from the Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection. You can also explore the collections online.

Stamps of the European Microstates: Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, & Vatican City
February 25 – May 18, 2013
John Hay Library, Military Collection Gallery (3rd Floor)
Stop by the galleries on the third floor of the John Hay Library to view a display of European stamps from the Webster Knight and Champlin Stamp Collections. While you’re there, make sure to explore the permanent exhibit of 5,000 miniature military soldiers. The soldiers are set in 96 cases marching from left to right, starting with ancient Egyptians and leading up to Queen Elizabeth II.

A Picture of Avant-Garde Russia: The Rite of Spring and the Ballets Russes in 1913, Selections from the Bryson Dance Collection
Monday, March 4 – May 31, 2013
John Hay Library, Gammell Gallery
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, a work commissioned for the Ballets Russes in Paris. With the music, choreography, sets and costumes all designed by Russian artists on a Russian theme, and the production under the direction of the renowned Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev, the Rite of Spring gave Paris a taste of modernism in a distinctively Russian key. This Spring exhibition celebrates the artistic innovations of the Rite with a selection of works illuminating the original Paris production of 1913, drawn from the Brown University Library’s Bryson Dance Collection. This exhibit is one of a series of events taking place in Rhode Island this spring to mark the FirstWorks presentation of the Joffrey Ballet’s recreation of the original ballet; the Joffrey’s performance will take place on March 19th at the Providence Performing Arts Center. Also included in the series of events is a public discussion at the Providence Athenaeum on March 1st of the political and cultural context from which the Rite of Spring grew.

Contact: Amy Atticks | Amy_Atticks@brown.edu | 401-863-6913

Yesterday, someone decorated the Rockefeller Library with dozens of sticky notes. Each of these notes had a positive affirmation. The first one I saw simply said, “You are beautiful.”

Notes were found on the rotating doors of the entrance, the railings leading up to the second floor, the lobby food stand, the bathrooms, and the stacks.

Today, most of the sticky notes are gone. A few may linger in the hidden nooks and crannies of the library, but even if you don’t get a chance to spot one in person, remember to stay positive about your abilities as a human.

The library is offering another Art & Architecture training session on Tuesday February 12th at 4:00 p.m. in the Hecker Room of the Rockefeller Library.

For those who missed the earlier session, this is a great opportunity to learn about all the great resources related to art and architecture that are available through the library.

This session will cover the Brown Library’s art indices and databases, including both text and image resources, as well as related non-art materials. Search tips, hard copy formats, and resources on the web will also be discussed.

To reserve a seat, please register at: training.brown.edu.

If you have any questions please contact: Karen Bouchard.

The Rockefeller and Sciences libraries will be open 8:30am to 5:00pm on Friday, February 8. Orwig will be open 8:30am to 11:30am. All other libraries will be closed.

ALL libraries will be closed on Saturday, February, 9.

Weather permitting, libraries will be open regular hours on Sunday, February 10, but with a skeletal crew. However, Orwig Music Library will be open from noon to 5:00pm.