Duke University Libraries Magazine

Grand Central Station: Inside Duke’s Library Service Center

Aaron Welborn — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:13:59 +0000

Ten years since it opened, the Libraries’ high-density repository is bigger and busier than ever. A look behind the scenes puts the work of running a modern-day research library in perspective.

Welcome to Marvin Tillman’s world, where the forecast is always 50 degrees with 30 percent humidity. Those are ideal conditions for preserving books and [...]

Giving Back by Giving Books

Aaron Welborn — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:07:05 +0000

When John Hoy T’67 was a student at Duke, the library wasn’t a place you could simply browse around. The stacks were closed to undergraduates, and librarians weren’t always trained to be as warm and friendly as they are today.

Nevertheless, the Florida circuit court judge has fond memories of the countless hours he spent studying [...]

A Lifelong Love of Words, Poetry, and Libraries

Aaron Welborn — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:58:38 +0000

On November 6, 2011, the Duke University Libraries lost a longtime friend and cherished colleague. Myrna Ruth Kanner Jackson, 76, worked in fundraising for many years at Duke and served as the Libraries’ Director of Development from 1991 to 1999. During that time, she helped usher in a period of tremendous organizational growth and [...]

Foreign Exchange: Program Strengthens Ties Between Duke and Chilean Libraries

Aaron Welborn — Fri, 04 May 2012 20:47:07 +0000

It has been two years since a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake devastated central Chile. According to official sources, it was the sixth largest quake ever recorded. Over 500 people lost their lives, and nearly one in ten Chileans lost their homes.

The financial aftershocks were also severe. The United Nations estimates that the earthquake cost Chile’s economy [...]

What Does Your Doctor Know?

Aaron Welborn — Fri, 04 May 2012 20:45:32 +0000

A new exhibit explores physician education from ancient Greece to Duke Medicine

Throughout history, certain people have taken responsibility for healing the sick, the wounded, and the suffering. Medical knowledge that was once passed down verbally gradually became more codified in writing and professionalized through apprenticeships and university education. Over the course of centuries, the [...]

Strap on Your Utility Belt: Library Party Brings Out Duke’s Heroes and Villains

Aaron Welborn — Fri, 04 May 2012 19:45:51 +0000

The Library Party is one of the largest, most anticipated, and most unusual events at Duke. The entire campus is invited. Once again, the Libraries teamed up with the Duke Marketing Club to organize this year’s event, which took place on February 24 and drew over 3,000 students, faculty, staff, and alumni to Perkins [...]

Crown Jewel: Presenting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Aaron Welborn — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:16:13 +0000

In the heart of campus is a building that contains 20 centuries worth of history and culture, from ancient papyri to the records of modern advertising agencies. Its holdings number more than 350,000 printed volumes and 20 million items in manuscript and archival collections. Now Duke’s Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library has a [...]

About David M. Rubenstein

Michael — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:02:51 +0000

David M. Rubenstein is co-founder and managing director of The Carlyle Group, a global alternative asset manager. He co-founded the firm in 1987. Since then, Carlyle has grown into a firm managing more than $150 billion from 36 offices around the world.

Rubenstein is a 1970 magna cum laude graduate of Duke, where he was [...]

Timeline of the Perkins Project

Aaron Welborn — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:15:23 +0000

2000
Provost Peter Lange establishes the Perkins Library Renovation Committee, charging it with thinking creatively about the nature of library services and facilities and with making recommendations regarding the design and function of Perkins Library.

2000–2002
Working with the Boston architectural firm Shepley Bulfinch, the committee obtains input from all segments of the [...]

Rememberer-in-Chief: Say Hello to the New University Archivist

Aaron Welborn — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:15:12 +0000

Ever want to see the original blueprints for Duke Chapel? Or watch a film of the legendary 1938 football team (the “Iron Dukes”) defeat the University of North Carolina 14-0? Or imagine how snazzy you would look wearing James B. Duke’s top-coat? Valerie Gillispie can show you the genuine article.

Gillispie is Duke’s new University [...]