Category Archives: Just for Fun

East Campus Libraries, Just for Fun, Lilly Library, Uncategorized

Meet Lilly’s Class of 2015 part III

Lilly Library’s “Final Four” – Our Class of 2015 – Part III

Lilly Library is fortunate to have  a “strong senior line-up”,  and Victor is an experienced point man on our team.  Along with Natalie, Steven and Kenai, Victor is a member of our class of 2015.  All of our seniors  have worked at Lilly Library since they arrived as wide-eyed First-Year students on East Campus “way back” in August of 2011! Get to know our seniors in these profiles, and you’ll appreciate them as much we do.

Victor Chen:

Victor book delivery
Victor getting things in order for delivery on East Campus

 

● Hometown: Boulder, Colorado
● Academics: Double major in Economics and French Studies, minor in Environmental Science and Policy
● Activities on campus: Outing Club
● Favorite campus eatery/food: Panda Express
● Favorite off-campus eatery/food: Vin Rouge
● Hobbies, Dream vacations: Playing piano in a duo with my roommate on guitar. Cooking for a dinner party. Renting a car and taking a wine tour of southern France in May.

Q: Why have you worked at Lilly Library for all 4 years?
A: Working at Lilly Library is a very pleasant experience. I have interesting chats with patrons and friends who stop by the desk. The building itself is lovely, with its marble pillars in front and a spacious lobby. I have learned about art by flipping through books that I shelve or check in. Fantastic creations lie between the pages. When I moved to West Campus, the added travel time effectively decreased my hourly wage, but I didn’t mind too much. I live off campus now, and I enjoy biking to my work shifts when the weather is nice.

Q: What is your favorite part about working at Lilly? What is your least favorite part?

Victor chillin' at the Lilly desk
Victor in charge and  chillin’ at the Lilly desk, with Librarians Kelley and Andrea as back-up

A: My favorite part is hanging out behind the desk. The University Campus has changed a lot during my four years but Lilly remains a place fixed in a different time, with its rich aroma of dusty books. I like the Thomas reading room, which has the air of an aristocrat’s drawing room, decorated with beautiful Chinese art. My least favorite part is working during especially busy periods when stress is high.

Q: What is your favorite duty at Lilly? What is your least favorite?
A: My favorite work duty is chillin’ at the desk. That includes sorting trucks, sensitizing full top shelves, and shelving books on the ledge, of course. My least favorite work duty is fixing the printers for patrons. … or maybe delivering books on cold days.

Q: What is one memory from Lilly that you will never forget?
A: Steven and I were keeping a weeknight watch, when we were informed that a thief was in the Reference Room. Apparently this man was responsible for trying to sell several valuable library books on eBay. Staff had called in a security guard and two police officers were about to walk in the room and apprehend the man. In this tense moment, a blur of motion appeared on the periphery. A man appeared on the other side of the library, running past the front desk. Dave yelled, “That’s him!” and the security guard ran after him. It was clear that the security guard could not catch the agile thief, who disappeared into the night. Steven and I found it a strange and exciting event.

Q: What does a typical weekend shift look like for you? What  shift do you like most – and why?
A: I work three shifts: one during a weeknight, one during a weekday, and a Saturday night shift. My favorite is Saturday night, which has been a comforting constant during my entire undergraduate career. It makes me feel productive on Saturdays and it has been a little spot of tranquility I look forward to. Steven and I have shared most of these shifts together in our four years, on night watch, guarding the tomes of mysteries against forces that seek to destroy reason.

Q: What is your impression of Lilly’s film collection? Any recommendations?
A: The Lilly film collection is excellent. I especially enjoy titles from the Criterion Collection. My personal recommendations are La Notte (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1961), In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-Wai, 2000), The Great Beauty (Paolo Sorrentino, 2013), Jules and Jim (Francois Truffaut, 1961), and Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990).

Q: What are your plans for after graduation?
A: No plans, yet.

Q: What will you miss most about Lilly when you graduate?
A: The atmosphere of calm and the friendliness of the staff.

Q: How will your time at Lilly help you in the future?
A: I’ve learned how to better help customers (patrons).

Q: What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done in Lilly? Any advice to other students working at Lilly?
A: Lilly is a crazy place, and I’ve helped maintain the strange character of this space. My only suggestion is that all Lilly student workers should help create the history of the Library.

Graduation in May means Lilly Library will say farewell to  Victor and our other seniors, treasured members of our Lilly “family”. We appreciate his good work and dedication to Lilly and wish him the best!

East Campus Libraries, Feature Articles, Just for Fun, Uncategorized

What is a vital Lilly Library Resource?

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Meet Lilly’s Class of 2015 – part IV

If you’ve been in Lilly Library  over the past four years, chances are you’ve seen our four seniors: Natalie,  Steven, Victor and Kenai.  All of our seniors  have worked at Lilly Library since they arrived as wide-eyed First-Year students on East Campus way back in August of 2011. Get to know our seniors in these profiles, and you’ll appreciate them as much we do.

Lilly Student Assistant Senior Kenai McFadden
Lilly Student Assistant Senior Kenai McFadden

Note: this article was published in the 2014 fall semester.  With Commencement 2015 in May,  reacquaint yourselves with Kenai, one of our treasured Lilly Library Class of 2015.

Lilly is at the heart of East Campus, the First-Year Campus for Duke undergraduates.  To serve our  community, Lilly Library remains open for 129 hours  each week! Our student assistants are an essential element in maintaining a high level of service, and we want to introduce you to one of our “Class of 2015” – seniors who have worked in Lilly Library throughout their four years at Duke.

Meet Kenai McFadden:
Hometown: Orangeburg, South Carolina
Family: I have 3 siblings – one older brother, a younger brother, and a little sister
Academics: Pre-med, majoring in Chemistry with a minor in Psychology
Activities on campus: Vice President of the Class of 2015; ​FAC Board Member; President of The Inferno; ​Line Monitor
Favorite off-campus activity: Dancing at Cuban Revolution
Favorite on-campus activity: Cheering for Duke Athletics
Favorite on-campus eatery: Pitchfork Provisions
Favorite off-campus eatery: Sushi Love

Kenai at work
Top: Kenai, with his “assistant” Steven offering support Bottom: Kenai helping a student

Somehow, while the list above gives us basic information about Kenai, we believe there is so much more to reveal. Kenai is lively and engaging, so we asked another Lilly student assistant,  Kelly Tomins  (Lilly Class of 2016 ) to delve further and ask questions from one student to another.  Their interview offers a perspective beyond the facts – enjoy!

What Is your spirit animal? Explain.
I would have to go with a toy poodle. Toy poodles are not shy, have insane amounts of energy, are one of the smartest breeds of dog, and are agreeable with everyone. If only I could also be so easy to love…

If you could be any famous internet cat, which would you be?
NO

What are your plans for after graduation?
I’m a pre-medical student taking a gap year. I would love to continue volunteering as I apply to medical school, 

If you could have a sleepover in any of the 12 branches of the Duke Library system, which would you choose?
Definitely Ford or the Law Library because I’ve never visited them and it’d be fun to explore them at night.

What’s the strangest book you’ve come across in Lilly?
Lilly is the art library at Duke, so I’ve come across various dirty comic collections, abstract art styles, and books on ridiculous theories. It’s hard to choose just one. You’d be surprised at how many crazy books are in the stacks.

What is your favorite work duty at Lilly?
Book deliveries. It’s nice to deliver books for faculty to the various academic departments on East, especially when it’s nice outside. I can put in my music on, enjoy the weather, and get a great workout carrying books.

How will your time at Lilly help you in your future pursuits?
Customer service is very relevant to pretty much any field in which you’re working with people. We’ve had some tough patrons come through Lilly, and I feel equipped to handle all sorts of people after working closing shifts and during finals week. I also became pretty good at suggesting DVDs for patrons to watch.

What will you miss most about Lilly when you graduate?
I’ll miss working with my boss, Yunyi Wang, and my coworkers behind the desk. Some of my best friends at Duke I’ve met through Lilly, and I love Yunyi! She’s like my campus mom. 😀

What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done in Lilly?
One time I took about 2 floors worth of books and shifted them one shelf – from one floor to the next. Crazy exciting stuff. It took the entire summer.

Have you ever locked anyone in the library when you work the closing shift? If not, were there any close calls?
I’ve had two or three close calls for sure, and one time I apparently locked someone in, but I don’t believe it. People get locked in pretty often though, so I don’t feel bad even if I did.

Thanks to Kenai, and to Kelly, for mentoring our newer student assistants and for keeping Lilly Library such an inviting and lively hub on East Campus!

East Campus Libraries, Just for Fun, Lilly Library, Uncategorized

Meet Lilly’s Class of 2015 part II

Lilly Library’s “Final Four” – Our Class of 2015 – Part II

Lilly Library is fortunate to have  a “strong senior line-up”,  and Steven is an experienced point man on our team.  Along with Natalie, Victor and Kenai, Steven is a member of our class of 2015.  All of our seniors  have worked at Lilly Library since they arrived as wide-eyed First-Year students on East Campus “way back” in August of 2011! Get to know our seniors in these profiles, and you’ll appreciate them as much we do.

Steven Davidson:

Steven at desk
Lilly Library Senior Steven Davidson at our desk

• Hometown—Roslyn Heights, New York
• Academics—Double Major in Political Science, with a concentration in International Relations, and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, with a concentration in Arabic
• Activities on campus—Member of Duke Students for Justice in Palestine, Alpha Epsilon Pi.
• Favorite campus eatery/food—It’s gotta be The Loop. Not only is the food there top notch (my favorite little secret on the menu—the mac n cheese bites), but there’s no other place with a person like Javon heading the counter. I will always think of walking into The Loop to see Javon smiling, always greeting you with a “Sup, bossman!” He’s the most popular guy on campus for a good reason.
• Favorite off-campus eatery/food—So difficult to say with all the fantastic places Durham has for food. I honestly can’t choose one. Some of my favorite spots, though: Cookout, Chubby’s, Bull City Burger, Monuts was a recent one that is fantastic… the city certainly doesn’t lack for satisfying my every taste urge!
• Hobbies, Dream vacations—In my spare time, I love to play an Afro-Peruvian drum called the cajon. I love listening to music in general, along with reading and writing. I hope to travel the rest of my life. I want to see every corner of the globe and experience as many different things as possible. I want to pursue writing to the fullest. I wish to pursue immersive journalism and look at human rights and the human element in approaching some of the most dehumanized conflicts or situations in the world. I dream of just always be traveling around, a nomad moving through the cities and places of the world. My ultimate dream is to write novels and stories for a living.

Q: Why have you worked at Lilly Library for all 4 years?
A: I have absolutely enjoyed my time working at Lilly. It truly feels like home to me at this point. All the people I met, the wonderful time I had with the staff. All the librarians are so friendly and kind; they have breathed warmth to me. Everyone is like a family at Lilly, while other places run more like a machine. I like the atmosphere, and the crazy people… I always knew it was where I’d enjoy my job the most. What’s nicest about working at Lilly is how egalitarian it truly feels to be a part of the staff. For example, and I mean this as the greatest compliment in the world, I didn’t even realize until this year that Kelley is the head of Lilly Library. She is such a fantastic leader and treats everyone so kindly that I didn’t even know she was “above” anyone from a position status. She (and everyone else really) fosters an incredible work environment.

Steven with librarians
Library Games Photo Booth Fall 2014: Danette, Steven & Kelley

Q: What is your favorite part about working at Lilly? Least favorite?

A: My favorite part has to be the characters you meet. There are some interesting patrons and people who work at Lilly. The Lilly staff is composed of some of the kindest, coolest, intelligent, and interesting people. Whether it’s having librarians play their guitar outside on the Lilly steps, discussing esoteric books and films, or listening to the craziness of people like Danette, it’s been an absolute blast.
My least favorite part about working at Lilly has to be when someone comes in with a year’s supply of books to check in. There’s always one week in mid-April just after everyone’s finished their dissertations, so they all come in like an avalanche!

Q: What is your favorite duty at Lilly? Least favorite?
A: I actually like delivering books at this point. It’s always nice to put on my headphones, groove to some music, and get paid to unknowingly memorize the entire faculty for all the departments on East Campus. It’s good to get some fresh air and switch things up a bit.  Least favorite work duty—anything that I have to do that is meticulous. So shelf-reading is probably up there, as I certainly hate the world a little bit on those occasions when you reach a section and ALL the books are COMPLETELY out of order.

Q: What is one memory from Lilly that you will never forget?
A: Tough one. Maybe it has to be when I was going upstairs through the stacks to shelve some books. I noticed a guy just doing some work on a desk. As I was going back down, I noticed the same guy, still doing work—only he had taken off all of his clothes except his underwear! The next minute, some of his friends came by, just casually talking to him as he was nearly naked. Totally epitomizes the weird and bizarre things you encounter at Lilly.

Q: What does a typical weekend shift look like for you? Which shift do you like most, and why?
A: It has to be the Saturday night shift I share with my fellow senior and partner in crime, Victor. We’ve had the shift together forever. It feels a little great to have the library to ourselves. We’ve definitely shared a shenanigan or two in our time together, and the evening shift is so slow it’s just great to kick it back with Victor and discuss topics like music, film, politics, philosophy, etc. We’ve had some great times, and to have Kenai come in afterwards makes us seniors feel like Saturday night is our night.

Q: What is the funniest thing that happened to you recently?
A: In terms of Lilly, while I still always share laughs with the librarians and my fellow workers, I’m not having as many comedic moments without Danette around this semester. Anything that woman says is hilarious. I had way too many funny moments with her!

Q: What is your impression of Lilly film collection? Any recommendations?
A: It’s pretty cool when a patron comes in, asks about what movies we have, and I can say, “We have essentially any movie you can imagine.” Because it is true—I think there have been maybe two or three times in my four years at Duke when we didn’t have a movie a patron wanted. I’ve picked up some movie knowledge along the way just from seeing some of the films people check out. Of course, the expertise of all the librarians certainly helps a bit in that department.
If there’d be one suggestion I have, however—all the anime DVDs have to be brought back upstairs from the locked media! I’ve never understood how some of the most highly acclaimed anime films have been relegated downstairs to the locked media.

Q: What are your plans for after graduation?
A: I have applied for a grant to pursue a journalism project this summer in Palestine and Israel. I hope to gather as many accounts in the region as I can and interweave the stories to create a narrative in what I envision to end as a book. Afterwards, I’m currently thinking to get a certificate to teach English overseas. I hope to pursue immersive journalism abroad, with the plan over the next few years to be in the Middle East. I’m currently considering, after my project in Palestine and Israel, to move to Cairo.

Q: What will you miss most about Lilly?
A: Again, it has to be the people. Everyone has always made me feel so comfortable, so welcomed, and I have learned so much from the wonderful librarians and have experienced so much with them as well as with my fellow seniors.

Q: How will your time at Lilly help you in your future pursuits?
A: It has helped me learn how to be adaptable and work with all types of people. Patrons come in many shapes and sizes, and it is always necessary to be able to keep a smile on and make sure that everyone is satisfied. While most patrons are fantastic, there’s always the occasional person who walks in that is a little bit more difficult, and it has been important for me to learn to always work with a patron—no matter how much of a hard time they give you.

Q: What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done in Lilly? Any advice to other students working at Lilly?
A: Well, I wouldn’t say I’d suggest any of the crazy things I’ve done at Lilly to other student workers. But one story I’ll share was when I unknowingly stayed inside Lilly after it closed. I was in the staff lounge working all night on a paper for class, and I didn’t even realize that it was after 4 AM, and I found myself locked inside Lilly by myself! Needless to say, a man from the custodial staff was a little surprised to find me in the lounge all by myself at 5 AM. I hadn’t even known that there were sensors all over the library, and I am still so thankful that I didn’t set them off so that police came. What an ordeal that would have been

Q: Anything else?
A: After being able to help one of the freshman workers the other day to get the electronic stacks downstairs working (tip* : all you have to do when they’re not working is to bang your feet on the metal bars coming out from the floor and slide in and out of the stacks—it will eventually start working again), I realized that I am way too good at this job now, and either it is time for me to graduate, or for Yunyi to employ me full-time.

Graduation in May means Lilly Library will say farewell to  Steven and our other seniors, treasured members of our Lilly “family”. We appreciate his good work and dedication to Lilly and wish him the best!

*However, we can’t say we endorse his tip about “fixing” our compact shelving!

East Campus Libraries, Feature Articles, Feature Articles, Just for Fun, Life in the library, Lilly Library, Uncategorized

Meet Lilly’s Class of 2015

Lilly Library’s “Final Four” – Our Class of 2015

If you’ve been in Lilly Library  over the past four years, chances are you’ve seen our four seniors: Natalie,  Steven, Victor and Kenai.  All of our seniors  have worked at Lilly Library since they arrived as wide-eyed First-Year students on East Campus way back in August of 2011. Get to know our seniors in these profiles, and you’ll appreciate them as much we do.

Natalie Hall:

Natalie at desk
Lilly Library’s Senior Natalie at the main desk
  • Hometown: Lansdale, PA (right outside of Philadelphia)
  • Academics: Public Policy Major
  • Activities on campus: Duke Chorale, and President of The Girls’ Club (a mentoring program serving middle school girls in Durham)
  • Favorite campus eatery/food: The Divinity School Cafe
  • Favorite off-campus eatery/food: Dame’s Chicken and Waffles
  • Hobbies or dream vacations: Hobbies are reading graphic novels, finding new music, watching YouTube videos; dream vacations in Istanbul, Hong Kong, and Prague

Q:  Why have you worked at Lilly Library for all 4 years?
A: ​I’ve chosen to work at Lilly for 4 years because of its atmosphere.  The patrons and staff at Lilly create a space where you can relax, be friendly, and open.  Although traveling from West can be a drag sometimes (especially with less buses on weekends), it’s always worth it!  Talking with staff, being with other Lilly student workers, and patrons is always a pleasure.

Q: What is your favorite part about working at Lilly? Least favorite?
A: I think my favorite part of working at Lilly is how friendly everyone is.  Rain or shine, busy or slow day, patrons and staff here are respectful and patient.  I don’t think there’s anything about Lilly that I particularly dislike!

Q: What is your favorite work duty at Lilly? Least favorite duty?

Yunyi and natalie
Lilly’s Head of Access Services Yunyi with Natalie

A: My favorite duty is probably processing books–it’s a time where I can recharge.  My least favorite would have to be shelf-reading…sorry, Yunyi!

Q: What is one memory from Lilly that you will never forget?
A: I studied Chinese to fulfill my language requirement, so practicing speaking Chinese with Yunyi is something I’ll remember always.  Out of nowhere, Yunyi hurls questions at me in Chinese, and I often find  myself scrambling to respond!  Even so, I really appreciate her help–it definitely made me more comfortable in the classroom.

Q: What does a typical weekend shift look like for you? What  shift do you like most?
A: The typical weekend shift is pretty laid back.  I’ll first go to the Regulator Bookstore on 9th street to pick up the New York Times for Lilly.  Then I’ll come back to the library and work at the desk for most of the time.  I enjoy weekday shifts the most, because I feel like they are just busy enough where I don’t feel too overwhelmed.

Q: What is the funniest thing that happened to you recently?
A: At Lilly, the funniest thing that has happened to me recently is  getting to know our weekend security guard Patricia (she usually is at the desk on Saturdays).  Our conversations always make me laugh–last weekend she was helping me online shop for a graduation dress, and it was a lot of fun.

Q: What is your impression of Lilly’s film collection?  Any recommendations?
A: My overall impression of Lilly’s film collection is that it is very eclectic!  If I were to suggest a film, I would say you should check out the documentary 20 Feet from Stardom.

Q: What are your plans for after graduation?
A:  After graduation I plan on either participating in Teach for America, or working more policy/research orientated job in Washington, DC.

Q: What will you miss most about Lilly?
A: The staff, and just the feel of being there.

Q: How will your time at Lilly help you in your future pursuits?
A: My time at Lilly will help my with my multitasking skills, organization, and learning how to help people with any questions they have in a timely manner

Q: What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done in Lilly?
A: Nothing too crazy…but if you are feeling tired and need a nap, don’t rule out the staff room couch (of course, never during your shift!)

Graduation in May means Lilly Library will say farewell to  Natalie and our other seniors, treasured members of our Lilly “family”. We appreciate her good work and dedication to Lilly and wish her the best!

Announcement, Events, Just for Fun, Life in the library, Tips for students

EdgeFest: Draw on the Walls! April 2

EdgeFest Banner Image

Date: Thursday, April 2
5:00 – 8:00 p.m.: Food, Music, Art + More!
All Day: Writeable walls open for artstigating (markers provided)!
Location: The Edge, First Floor of Bostock Library
More Info: Search “EdgeFest Duke” on Facebook

Collaborators: #artstigators, Duke Spoon University, The Duke Bite, and Duke University Libraries

Free! Open to the entire Duke community!

Don’t miss delicious food from Durham’s hot spots, including Juju, Monuts, Pie Pushers, NOSH, Mad Hatter, Pompieri Pizza, Toast & Cupcake Bar!

Stop by for mocktails, music and live entertainment from Poetry Fox, Inside Joke, #BusStopGuy, and DUI!

What’s EdgeFest?
We provide the dry-erase markers. You provide the artstigatin’!

Starting at 9 a.m., the walls of The Edge are your canvas. By the end of the day, the walls will be covered with doodles, pictures, murals, and interactive displays by student groups, individuals, and fellow artstigators.

The creative fun starts at 9:00 a.m. and continues with a reception starting at 5:00 p.m.

Don’t miss EdgeFest on Thursday—the artstigatin’ will be wiped clean on Friday!

What If I’m No “Picasso”?
Everyone is an Artstigator! We have awesome projectors onsite that you can use to project and trace anything you can put on your laptop. Need some inspiration? We’ll have some amazing art books on hand from Lilly Library’s collection to get your creative juices flowing!

EdgeFest Blog Image
Look for these posters around campus. And come to EdgeFest, April 2!

 

Announcement, Events, Just for Fun, Student Exhibits

2015 Andrew T. Nadell Book Collectors Contest Winners Announced

Anne Steptoe Display

The Duke University Libraries are pleased to announce the winners of our 2015 Andrew T. Nadell Book Collectors Contest!

Since 1947, the Friends of the Duke University Libraries have presented the contest in alternate years to promote reading for enjoyment and the development of students’ personal libraries.  The contest is open to all undergraduate and graduate/professional students who are regularly enrolled at Duke University.  The winners for the 2015 contest are:

Undergraduate Division:

  • First prize: Claudia Dantoin, “A British Homecoming: Growing Up Alongside Austen, Dickens, and Dahl”
  • Second prize: Katie Fernelius, “Women’s Fiction of the Past One Hundred Years: Re-Reading the World in My Own Image”

Graduate Division:

  • First prize (tie): Anne Steptoe, “Look Homeward: A Girl’s Journey Homeward through 20th Century Southern Literature”  (pictured above)
  • First prize (tie): Andrew Patty, “Masculinity, Race, and Southern University: An Exploration of the Role of Fraternities in College Life” (pictured below)
  • Second prize: Yuqian Shi, “Across the Great Wall, I Can Reach Every Corner of the World”
Patty_Display
Andrew Patty and judge Ruth Ross with his prize-winning collection

 

Events, Just for Fun, Student Exhibits

2015 Andrew T. Nadell Book Collectors Contest

Join us for the 2015 Andrew T. Nadell Book Collectors Contest!

Date: Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Time: 1:30-2:30 PM
Location: Room 217, Perkins Library

Since 1947, the Friends of the Duke University Libraries have presented the Book Collectors Contest in alternating years to promote the development of students’ personal libraries.

Join us for a showing at which student competitors will have selections from their collections on display.  Students will be on hand to answer questions about their individual collections.  The showing is free and open to the public.

Duke researchers, Events, Just for Fun

Save the Date! Beer and Banjos, Feb. 10

beer and banjos 1 600x360
Learn about the history of the banjo, see historical and contemporary instrument designs, and enjoy the music!

Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Where: Fullsteam Brewery, 726 Rigsbee Avenue, Durham, NC 27701

Join the Duke University Libraries at Fullsteam Brewery in downtown Durham for a toe-tapping discussion about the history of the banjo with Laurent Dubois, Marcello Lotti Professor of Romance Studies and History at Duke University.

Professor Dubois is currently writing a book about the banjo for Harvard University Press. He is the author of Haiti: The Aftershocks of History (2012), Soccer Empire: The World Cup and the Future of France (2010), and a frequent contributor to such magazines as the New Republic, Sports Illustrated, and the New Yorker. He will discuss the African roots and Caribbean and North American plantation origins of this versatile instrument and how it has evolved into a multifaceted cultural symbol.

beer and banjos 2 600x360
“Beer and Banjos” will take place at Fullsteam Brewery in downtown Durham on Feb. 10.

Plus live banjo picking!

Professor Dubois will be joined by musicians Zeke Graves, David Garner, and Jay Hammond, who will demonstrate various banjo playing styles and showcase historical and contemporary instrument designs from their own collections.

This event is part of the Engaging Faculty Series, sponsored by the Friends of the Duke University Libraries. Beer and other refreshments will be available for sale by Fullsteam, and complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be provided by the Libraries.

Free and open to the public.

For more information, contact:
Aaron Welborn
Director of Communications, Duke University Libraries
919-660-5816
aaron.welborn@duke.edu

Just for Fun, Life in the library

Meet the Staff: Collection Strategy and Development

The Collection Strategy and Development department coordinates the strategic development and management of the collections at Duke University Libraries. Staff and subject specialists work closely with faculty to devise collection strategies that support instruction and research. Say hello!

 

Jeff pic for blogName: Jeff Kosokoff

Years at Duke:0.67

What I do in the library: As Head of Collection Strategy and Development, the elevator speech says that I provide leadership and vision for the development of the Duke University Libraries collections to ensure that the scope and caliber of the resources to which the Libraries provide access are appropriate to support the mission of Duke University. I help manage our collections budgets, convene our Collections Coordinators Group, work with DUL librarians, and folks in the professional schools and other libraries to get things done with collections in ways that provide great service, help create the right scholarly communication ecosystem, and build on our existing strengths while developing in new directions for the future.

I went to high school: At the Metropolitan Learning Center in Portland, Oregon. MLC is the oldest K-12 public alternative school in the country. We didn’t have desks lined up in rows; we called our teachers by their first names and were largely in classes with other kids of all ages. I honestly can’t remember having any homework until 7th grade.

The most interesting place I traveled to: This is a tough one, as I love to travel. In a way, coming to Durham fits in here. Having said that, last year was a great one, since I spent 2 weeks each in Berlin and Morocco.

My longest road trip in the fastest car: When I was in grad school at Indiana University, I used to drive home to Oregon. My 1985 Tercel and I once completed the approx. 2,200 miles in 38 hours. Not bad considering I stopped a couple of times to nap.

   

Dee pic for blogName: Dee McCullough

Years at Duke: 27 yrs, 4 months at DUL (31 yrs, 3 months at Duke)

What I do in the library: I am your general theme park worker; the rides are: collections budget, approval plans, purchase suggestions, SAP, electronic bookplates, data gathering/analysis, DULSA, web editing, GOBI, lost items replacement and currently New & Noteworthy book selection… ALL ABOARD!

I went to high school: As a Wildcat, at Garinger High in Charlotte, NC, the city’s oldest continuous high school: started as Charlotte High in 1909, then became Central High in 1923 and Garinger in 1959. Also one of the largest (63 acres; student population averaging 2,000), it was highlighted in a 1962 National Geographic issue as Charlotte’s showplace high school. My highlights there were in the footlights as Drama Club booster/president, Snips-n-Cuts yearbook copy editor, and JROTC drill team marcher and military ball queen (and sweating in 95-degree heat during a 2-hour battalion review!)

The most interesting place I traveled to: Definitely Cairo, Egypt… My junior year at Duke was transformed into a 10-month stay at the American University, allowing me to meet some of the friendliest people on the planet while also encountering people and ideas from all over the planet. I walked throughout the city, visiting many sacred and secular sites, and was especially delighted by Khan el-Khalili bazaar which is famous for its diverse commercial activities, souvenirs, antiques and jewelry. Khan el-Khalili’s original purpose was as the burial site for the Fatimid caliphs. Favorite, cheapest, and most nourishing food while in Cairo on a student budget: Kushari, a garlic-spiced mixture of rice/lentils/chickpeas/macaroni topped with tomato vinegar sauce.

My longest road trip in the fastest car: Well, it was the fastest car to me at the time: 1986 Toyota MR2, scooting up to New York City from Durham for a bagel run, and we saved a giant petulant snapping turtle who was stubbornly refusing to leave the middle of I-95!

 

Candice pic for blog

Name: Candice Brown

Years at Duke: 7

What I do in the library: During my time at Duke, I’ve worked on a variety of    projects. I’ve worked in the basement of Rubenstein with thousands of dusty newspapers and at Smith Warehouse translating Ottoman Turkish with the use of a cheat sheet. I’ve recently joined Collection Development as the Gifts Assistant coordinating gift-in-kind intake and processing.

I went to high school: At Cooperstown High School in upstate New York. It’s a quaint little town with literary history, a beautiful lake, and a major baseball problem – our biggest claim to fame.

The most interesting place I traveled to: Zaanse Schans in the Netherlands.  Windmills, pewter, giant pancakes, and lots of cheese. Can’t go wrong.

My longest road trip in the fastest car: Rochester, New York, to Orlando, Florida, in a Honda Civic. It wasn’t very fast.

 

Judy pic for blogName: Judy Bailey

Years at Duke:  Decades (guess how many!)

What I do in the library:Whatever I’m asked to do

I went to high school: A long time ago

The most interesting place I traveled to: Many places in Israel

My longest road trip in the fastest car: They don’t intersect: fastest car was a ‘69 Vette, but my longest road trip was from Pontiac, Michigan, to Key West, Florida.

 

 

Events, Just for Fun, Rubenstein Library

Rubenstein Library Test Kitchen Tasting Event, Dec. 3

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Something’s cooking in the Rubenstein Library Test Kitchen! Come experience the flavors of history on December 3 and take home a zine of our favorite recipes!

In case you still have room after Thanksgiving, here’s something to whet your appetite this week.

WHAT: Rubenstein Library Test Kitchen Tasting Event
WHEN: Wednesday, December 3
TIME: 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: Perkins Library Room 217

Perhaps you’ve been following along with the Rubenstein Library Test Kitchen blog posts lately. Every Friday in October and November, the Devil’s Tale blog has featured a recipe from our archival collections that a library staff member has found, prepared, and tasted. They have been a regular feature on our library website, featured on DukeToday, and covered by WUNC Public Radio.

To cap off this culinary experiment, the Test Kitchen crew will be hosting a “tasting event” where you can satisfy your hunger for history and sample all of the recipes we’ve prepared to date. Try dishes from the 18th to 20th centuries, learn about ingredients they don’t make any more (like “sack” and “oleo”), and take home a zine of our favorite recipes for your next dinner party.

Here’s what’s on the menu:

This event is free and open to all. Utensils not needed, but curiosity and hunger are recommended.

Announcement, Events, Just for Fun, Tips for students

Fall Library Study Break, Dec. 9

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Cookie Time: December 9!

Finals are beginning to loom on the horizon. But don’t despair! Along with finals comes the Library Study Break! The Friends of Duke University Libraries and members of the Campus Club will be baking up a storm of homemade treats to sustain Duke’s student population through yet another round of studying.

Take a break from the books on Tuesday, December 9, at 8 p.m. and come by Perkins 217 to enjoy homemade baked goods of all kinds! Your textbooks will still be there when you come back.

The Friends of the Duke University Libraries Study Break is presented in partnership with the Duke Campus Club and the School of Medicine, and is sponsored by Pepsi, Saladelia Café, and Costco.

 

Announcement, Events, Just for Fun, Tips for students

Puppies in Perkins Study Break: Dec. 10

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Can you handle the cuteness?

It’s almost that time of year again! Finals are just around the corner and—more importantly—so are the puppies!

Once again, Duke University Libraries and Duke PAWS will be bringing puppies back to the library to supply our stressed-out students will all the fur-therapy and snuggly cuddling they can handle during final exams.

Puppies in Perkins will return on Wednesday, December 1o, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. (that’s a three-hour marathon of ear-licking, tail-wagging cuteness) in Perkins Library Room 217.

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Pompey Ducklegs and his entourage, many dog-years ago.

This year we are teaming up with the Duke University Archives to do something new in celebration of one of Duke’s own furry friends: Pompey Ducklegs. Pompey Ducklegs was the pint-sized pal of Samuel Fox Mordecai, the first dean of the Trinity Law School, and a fixture around Duke’s campus for many years. Pompey went wherever Mordecai went, and he became something of a mascot for the Law School. This year marks the 101st birthday of the delightfully named dachshund, and we thought everyone should celebrate. So stop by Perkins 217 on December 10, enjoy some cake in memory of Pompey Ducklegs, and unwind from the stress of finals with the help of some wet noses and wagging tails!

Tired of hitting the books? Looks like somebody needs a puppy break!
Tired of hitting the books? Looks like somebody needs a puppy break!
One final gratuitous puppy pic, for your viewing pleasure.
One final gratuitous puppy pic, for your viewing pleasure.

 

Announcement, Duke researchers, Events, Just for Fun, Lilly Library, Music Library, Rubenstein Library, Tips for students

Enter Our Student Book Collectors Contest

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The deadline to enter our student book collectors contest is February 10, 2015.

The Friends of the Duke University Libraries are proud to present the 2015 Andrew T. Nadell Book Collectors Contest. Since 1947, the Friends have presented the contest in alternate years to promote reading for enjoyment and the development of students’ personal libraries.

The contest includes an undergraduate and a graduate division. Cash prizes for each division are as follows:

First Prize
Undergraduate: $1,000
Graduate: $1,000

Second Prize
Undergraduate: $500
Graduate: $500

Winners of the contest will also be eligible to enter the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest, where they will compete for a $2,500 prize and an invitation to the awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., at the Library of Congress.

Students do not have to be “book collectors” to enter the contest. Collections may be in any area of interest, and they do not have to be academic in nature. A collection should reflect a clearly defined unifying theme and will be judged by the extent to which its books and materials represent that field of interest. Entries may incorporate books and manuscripts, ephemera, maps, prints and drawings, and autograph material as long as they are relevant to the collection’s focus. The books do not need to be rare and monetary value will not be considered during judging.

Students who are interested in entering can visit the Book Collectors Contest homepage for more information and read about winning entries from past years. Students may also contact Megan Crain at megan.crain@duke.edu with any questions.

Entries must be received by February 10, 2015.

Announcement, Collections, Collections Highlight, East Campus Libraries, Events, Just for Fun, Lilly Library, Uncategorized

Krazy Food and Kooky Books: Rubenstein Artist’s Materials at Lilly

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Steve Roden and Dan Goodsell. Krazy Kids’ Food: Vintage Food Graphics. Los Angeles: Taschen, 2003.

Steve Roden,  sound artist, painter, writer, and collector is in residence at Duke Rubenstein Library this month. Throughout the month he’s giving talks, performances and demonstrations at various Duke and Durham venues.  Whether you get a chance to hear Roden’s talks and pieces, his publications are well supported at Duke’s Lilly (art) and Music libraries.

Most engaging, perhaps, is his 2003 collection of retro advertisements for children’s products, Krazy Kids’ Food.  A retrospective of his work, Steve Roden in Between : a 20 Year Survey, is in the Lilly Library.  More aurally inclined?  Check out (literally!) Roden’s sound recording, Splitting Bits, Closing Loops, a CD at the Music Library.  Somewhere in between?  We recommend his edited book, Site of Sound : of Architecture and the Ear, exploring the relationship between sound, language, orality and hearing with writings on Vito Acconci, Steve McCaffery, Achim Wollscheid, GX Jupitter Larsen, and Marina Abramovic.

And don’t forget the Crazy Foam!

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Events, Just for Fun

The Library Presents Duke Moms and Dads: Emmitt and Pat Smith, Oct. 25

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Emmitt and Pat Smith will speak in the von der Heyden Pavilion on October 25 as part of Duke Family Weekend.

Date: Saturday, October 25
When: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Where: von der Heyden Pavilion, Perkins Library, West Campus (map)

As part of Duke Family Weekend, the Duke University Libraries are pleased to present our annual event, “The Library Presents Duke Moms and Dads.” The event showcases the parent or parents of a first-year Duke student, allowing them an opportunity to share their wisdom and experiences as both a professional and a parent. We are excited to announce that this year’s speakers will be Emmitt and Pat Smith.

Emmitt and Pat Smith are the parents of five children, including Jasmin, a first-year student at Duke. No stranger to football fans, Emmitt is one of the greatest running backs in NFL history. During a long career with the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals, he won three Super Bowls and became the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. After retiring from the game, he won over TV audiences when he was voted the winner of ABC’s 2006 season of Dancing with the Stars. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. Pat Smith is the founder/CEO of Treasure You, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting women in financial, emotional, or spiritual need. A former Miss Virginia and first runner-up of the 1994 Miss USA Pageant, she enjoyed a successful career as a TV host and actress, with appearances on Extra, Access Hollywood, Beverly Hills 90210, Sunset Beach, and the Wayans Brothers Show. She is the president of Pat & Emmitt Smith Charities and founder/owner of Pat Smith Enterprises. Emmitt and Pat will talk about their careers, juggling work and home life, the joys of philanthropy, and being a Duke parent.

This event is part of Duke Family Weekend and open to everyone. For more activities on campus that weekend, check out the Duke Family Weekend website.

Announcement, Duke researchers, Events, Just for Fun

Save the Date: Henry Petroski Book Discussion, Nov. 5

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Henry Petroski will discuss his most recent book, The House with Sixteen Handmade Doors, on November 5.

Date: Wednesday, November 5
When: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (Refreshments served at 5:00 p.m, program begins at 5:30)
Where: Franklin Humanities Institute Garage, Smith Warehouse Bay 4, (map)

Join the Duke University Libraries on November 5 for a book discussion with Henry Petroski, acclaimed author and Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor of Civil Engineering and Professor of History at Duke. Professor Petroski is the author seventeen popular books on engineering and design, including the classics To Engineer is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design (1985), The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance (1990), The Book on the Bookshelf (1999), and To Forgive Design: Understanding Failure (2012). Professor Petroski will discuss his most recent work, The House with Sixteen Handmade Doors: A Tale of Architectural Choice and Craftsmanship (2014). The book is an “architectural whodunit” that unlocks the secrets of Petroski’s handmade summer cottage in Maine. The author found himself fascinated by the origins of his 1950s home and set out to discover all the mysteries it contains–from dimly lit closets to a secret passageway. Readers follow along as Petroski slowly reveals the art and craftsmanship that went into the home’s construction, without ever removing a single nail.

Professor Petroski’s lecture is part of the Engaging Faculty Series, sponsored by the Friends of the Duke University Libraries. Books will be for sale at the event, and light refreshments will be served starting at 5:00 p.m. This program is free and open to the public.

PARKING INFORMATION: The gravel lot across from Smith Warehouse on Buchanan Blvd. offers free parking after 5 p.m. If you have a Duke parking pass, the central gated area is accessible by card-swipe after 5 p.m. For more details on parking at Smith Warehouse, visit the Franklin Humanities Institute website.

Read More:

 

Announcement, East Campus Libraries, Events, Just for Fun, Lilly Library, Music Library, Uncategorized

The Incredibles on the Quad!

The Incredibles on the East Campus Quad

 Save the Day!

incredibles

As part of the Class of 2018 First-Year Library Experience the East Campus Libraries – Lilly and Music – will screen the Disney Pixar movie, The Incredibles, under the stars. Dash over to East Campus, bring a blanket (no capes!) and meet Incredible Librarians in action.

What: The Incredibles Film Showing
When: Thursday, September 25th at 8pm
Where: Outside on the East Campus Quad
Rain venue: Nelson Music Room, East Duke Building

Brought to you by…
your INCREDIBLE East Campus Libraries
& Devils After Dark

Free and open to the public

Announcement, East Campus Libraries, Events, Just for Fun, Librarians, Life in the library, Lilly Library, Music Library, Tips for students, Uncategorized

Duke 2018 and the Incredible First-Year Library Experience

How do you “library”? Let the Libraries Save the day!

First-Year Library Orientation
First-Year Library Orientation

Each August, First-Year students arrive on East Campus and begin a Welcome Week filled with numerous events, workshops and programs designed to ease their transition to undergraduate life. The libraries on East Campus support the new students with programs for the First-Year Library Experience.

On East Campus, after students settle in and begin classes, the Lilly Library and Duke Music Library offer several ways for the newest “Dukies” to learn and benefit from the incredible resources of the Duke Libraries. Lilly and Music sponsor Library Orientation events such as scavenger hunts, film showings, and prize drawings to familiarize them with library services and collections. Past years have seen students “Keep Calm and Library On”, play The Library Games, and the Class of 2018 will discover the “Super Powers” of the Incredible Duke Libraries!

Fall Semester 2014:
Meet the Incredible Libraries – Open House and Scavenger Hunt for Duke 2018
When: Tuesday, August 26th at 7pm
Where: Lilly Library

Movie on the Quad: The Incredibles
When: Thursday, September 25th at 8pm
Where: East Campus Quad between Lilly and the Union

In addition to Orientation, the East Campus libraries — Lilly and Music — invite first-year students to engage with the Duke University Libraries in these ways:

Of course, there is another great way to learn about the libraries – work as a student assistant!

Here’s to a great year filled with academic success!

 

Duke researchers, Humanities, Instruction, Just for Fun, Librarians, Noteworthy Resources

Badges to Buttons: Students Write About “Images That Shock”

Guest post by Professor Ann Marie Rasmussen and students in her Spring 2014 Writing 101 course, “Images that Shock: Obscenity from the Middle Ages to the Present,” which was co-taught with Heidi Madden, Librarian for Western European and Medieval/Renaissance Studies. Writing 101 courses are offered during a student’s first year at Duke and are designed to offer students a foundation for and  introduction to university-level writing. See more at the Thompson Writing Program’s Writing 101 website, or see a list of all Spring 2014 Writing 101 courses and course descriptions.

As part of their research into the meaning and historical significance of late medieval badges, students in Professor Rasmussen's Writing 101 course turned medieval badges into buttons.
As part of their research into the historical significance of late medieval badges, students in Professor Rasmussen’s Writing 101 course made their badges live again as buttons.

When I teach Writing 101, I focus not on content, but on process. The goal is to give first-year students what my co-teacher, Heidi Madden, and I like to call a tool chest of skills in academic communication, broadly understood, that will help them make the most of studying at Duke. The skills we emphasize include writing skills such as revision; giving and accepting rigorous yet fair feedback; and communicating clearly and effectively for different audiences, media, and formats. We also emphasize turning students into effective, knowledgeable, and critical researchers by teaching them  how to master the complex modern research engine that goes by the name of a research library.

Still, to learn process you have to apply it. For their final paper, students write a research paper in an area of my scholarly expertise, late medieval badges. These are small objects found in Great Britain and northwestern Europe, usually about the size of a quarter and featuring a vivid image. They were made to be worn, usually sewn or pinned to clothing, but sometimes suspended as a pendant. Made of lead-tin alloy, badges were cheap to make and to buy. Some 15,000 survive; millions were probably made in the three hundred years they were in circulation. Although they are little known today, badges were once ubiquitous, ordinary artifacts. What makes badges rewarding for student research are their images, which draw on and disseminate iconographies that, however shocking, mysterious, or inscrutable they now seem to us, were once widely and immediately understood. A badge image presents itself to a modern viewer as a puzzle that repays diligent, focused, expert research by delivering new findings and a deeper understanding of the past.

What a great topic for Writing 101! For their final paper, each student selects and researches a single badge and its image. As a way of getting to know their badge better, we asked students to carefully draw it. Then, we used the library’s button-maker to affix each drawing to an aluminum, pinned back. Viola! The medieval badges live again in a modern form, as buttons. Students were also asked to write a blog post about their badge, which they have identified using categories and data from an important, web-based reference and  research tool for badges, the Kunera database housed at  the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands. This assignment allowed them to practice making academic research accessible and compelling to non-specialists. We, teachers and students, hope that the buttons and blogs pique your interest in medieval badges and in Writing 101 at Duke.

 

A Selection of Student Research on Medieval Badges


Tiffany Chen: What a week this has been! To be honest, when first faced with the task of researching the badge—well, actually, mine is an ampulla—I was sure it would not be so difficult. But when I realized that the ampulla for my paper is… undocumented in a conspicuous way… I found out how challenging researching the unknown can really be.

 

I have felt like a detective lately, sleuthing for clues and trying to piece them together in a way that not only makes sense, but also is likely to be correct. Luckily, I have found clues pointing me in promising directions. For instance, the location of my ampulla was listed as Jerusalem, but I had to look at the ampulla itself and its depiction to discover that it represented Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is held by tradition to be the location where Christ was resurrected.

I am on a good path towards uncovering more clues. So far, I have delved into the ampulla’s rich history, circa 1149-1199 (around the time of the Third Crusade to the Muslim world). I have researched its image and as well ampullae in general to better understand how they were used. But I have yet to uncover information on the ampulla’s inscription of capital letters, HMPO, and on other key features. More to come in the future! Until then, this detective needs to pick up her magnifying glass and see what else she can find.

Kay Hasegawa: Yes, that badge is showing exactly what you think it is, a woman standing next to a penis with little arms and legs, wearing a crown, and carrying a pilgrim staff and a shoulder bag. Very, very eccentric, and not exactly the first thing we would imagine when we think about medieval accessories in Western Europe! But the image embodies a very common desire for the agriculture-intensive peasants of the day, the wish for fertility of the land and of the mother. All hail the medieval phallic figure!

 

Alyse Whitaker: Do me a favor. Imagine a world in which it is acceptable for you and your peers to wear clothing or badges adorned with explicit images of female and male genitalia… In our world, it would be unusual to walk down the street and see a man wearing a shirt with a phallus on it because exposing genitals is not tolerated or legal in American culture. Thinking back to the Middle Ages, which supposedly is a time when people were more modest, it was shocking to discover that this assumption was not accurate. Here is a badge that caught my eye. It shows a phallus on a spit, something used to roast chicken over a fire, with a vulva functioning like a  “grease trap” to catch the drippings. There are so many impressions that could be taken from this image. My first impression was that the artist was trying to express the efficiency of the men when it came to fertility,. Or perhaps the image was supposed to shock and ward off evil spirits? Badges such as this one may have been worn for many different purposes.

 

Special thanks to Elena Feinstein and Aaron Welborn for bringing the button-maker to the library, and to Mark Zupan for photographing the buttons.

 

Announcement, East Campus Libraries, Just for Fun, Lilly Library, Student Exhibits, Uncategorized

And the winners are …

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Work hard, play hard, and take pictures!

Duke: 175 Years of Blue Devilish Images Student Photography Contest 

Photo Contest 1st Prize Winners

We are pleased to announce the winners of this spring’s Student Photography Contest sponsored by Lilly Library and the Duke University Archives.  Congratulations and many thanks to all the student contestants; we are pleased and overwhelmed by all the great photos.  If you can’t make it into Lilly Library to view the winning photos on display, all the entries may be viewed on the Duke Libraries Photo Contest Flickr page.

Students reinterpreted iconic photos from four categories presented by University Archives, and the independent panel of judges selected the following winners:

  • Academics:  First Prize – Donovan Loh, Field Trip to Lake Waccamaw
    Runner-Up- Susannah Roberson, A Glimpse to the Past
  • Athletics: First Prize-Misty Sha, Jumping the Sunset
    Runner-Up- Erica Martin, A Star on the Rise
  • Campus Scenes: First Prize – Misty Sha, Man in the Snow
    Runner-Up- Shameka Rolla, Capturing the Moment
  • Social Life: First Prize – Catherine Sun, Jarvis Smoothie Night
    Runner-Up- Jennifer Margono, Round Table Antics

All the students who contributed their contemporary perspective of past Duke scenes illustrate that campus life and student life remain constant over the years. We hope you’ll enjoy them as much as we do.

Currently on exhibit at Lilly Library:
The winning photos are on display in Lilly’s lobby through May, and will be installed in Lilly Room 05 during summer 2014. 

 

Announcement, Just for Fun, Tips for students

Take an Exam Break with Puppies at Perkins!

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It’s time to leave those textbooks behind and come cuddle a puppy!

The end of the semester is at hand, and only one obstacle looms between Duke students and a summer of freedom: Finals Week. The echo of textbooks being opened resounds across campus, accompanied, as always, by the plaintive sighs of undergraduates. However, amid the bleakness of finals, the Libraries are partnering with DukePAWS to bring you a moment of snuggly, furry relief—Puppies at Perkins!

On Tuesday, April 29, come to Perkins Library Room 217 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and trade in your final exams stress for some puppy love. Two shifts of certified therapy dogs along with their owners will be taking over Room 217 (click for floor plan) for three hours for some much needed fur-therapy.

Be sure to drop by for a few minutes (or the full three hours, depending on how much snuggling you require) and unwind from the stress of finals with the help of some wet noses and wagging tails! You can join the Facebook event here.

Also on Tuesday, make sure you stop by Perkins Library at 8:00 p.m. for the Friends of the Duke University Libraries’ Study Break! The event is held in partnership with the Duke Campus Club and the Duke Annual Fund and is sponsored by Pepsi. After a long day of hitting the books, enjoy a smorgasbord of cookies, treats, and other home-baked goodies.

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Another gratuitous puppy picture. You’re welcome.

Announcement, Just for Fun, Tips for students

Friends of Library Study Break, April 29!

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Time for a study break!

The season of long, sleepless study nights is fast approaching. Soon untold cups of coffee and cans of energy drinks will be guzzled (perhaps together) all in the name of finals. When you are ready for a break from all that studying (whether you’ve been at it for five minutes or five hours), the Libraries have got you covered!

The annual Friends of Duke Library Study Break is coming up and Duke students will be a able to enjoy a veritable feast of baked goods. On April 29 at 8:00 p.m., pack up your books and head over to Perkins for a well-deserved break! There will be plenty of free food and drinks to help get you through the evening.

This event will be held in partnership with Duke Campus Club and the Duke Annual Fund and will be sponsored by Pepsi.

Announcement, Events, Just for Fun, Lilly Library, Music Library, Tips for students

End-of-the-Year Book Drive, Apr. 28

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If your dorm room looks like this, be sure to drop off your extra books at the upcoming Friends of the Durham Library book drive! (Unless they are library books. We’ll be needing those back.)

UPDATE! We have added Lilly Library as a book drop-off location. You can now drop off your used books at Perkins Library on West Campus or Lilly Library on East Campus on April 28, 1:00-4:00 p.m.

It’s the ides of April, and that means LDOC (Last Day of Classes) is almost here. Pretty soon the whole Duke student body will be packing, shipping, and storing a year’s worth of stuff.

Among all those items are bound to be a number of books, purchased and read (or not read) for this year’s classes. Before you try to cram them all into the last pocket of your suitcase, consider donating them to the Friends of the Durham Library Book Drive.

Members of the Friends of the Durham Library will be stationed outside of Perkins and Lilly Libraries (weather permitting) on Monday, April 28, 1:00-4:00 p.m. They will be collecting books, CDs, and DVDs to benefit their book sales, the funds of which support Durham County Library programming.  The Friends of the Durham Library hold book sales twice yearly and, to date, have raised over one million dollars to support public libraries around Durham.

Students, faculty, and staff can simply drop off their unwanted books, CDs, and DVDs and, in doing so, support a great cause. So mark your calendar for April 28, and bring us your books!

Announcement, Just for Fun, Tips for students

Cookies + Puppies = Spring Study Break!

As we head into the last few weeks of the spring semester, LDOC is on many a Duke student’s mind. Yet in between now and all that summer fun stands the dreaded slog of Finals Week. Though we can’t take your finals for you, the Duke Libraries will be doing our best to nurse you through the long days of studying with an aptly timed study break!

The Friends of the Duke University Libraries’ Study Break will be Tuesday, April 29, at 8:00 p.m. in Perkins Library. The event will be held in partnership with Duke Campus Club and the Duke Annual Fund and will be sponsored by Pepsi. After a long day of hitting the books, be sure to stop by Perkins Library and enjoy a smorgasbord of cookies, treats, and other home-baked goodies.

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Is your finals week missing a puppy? Come to Puppies in Perkins on April 29!

NEW THIS YEAR! The Libraries will also be partnering with DukePAWS to bring you Puppies in Perkins! Several therapy dogs will be in Perkins Room 217 waiting to dispense and receive hugs, cuddles, and lots of puppy love. The event will take place the afternoon of April 29th (more details to come).

Trade in your calculator and textbooks for some furry snuggles! Your stressed-out brain will thank you for it.

Duke researchers, Just for Fun, Librarians, Life in the library

Good Questions: April Fools!

The questions we get in Perkins Research Services range from the fatuous to the far-fetched to the fascinating. This is one of a series on our most interesting research questions, and how we go about answering them. (Some details have been changed to protect our users’ privacy.) 

Anonymous IM makes it so easy to prank librarians that over the years we have finely tuned both our crap-detectors and our sense of humor. This month, for your entertainment, we bring you some of the silliest and least research-oriented questions we’ve gotten. We make no assertions about the users’ intentions.

look it upThe quick and frivolous

  • can I freeze rock buns?
  • my computer just got wiped
  • how old are you?
  • can u give me some help with my crush …. pllllllllllllllllllllzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz  :_(
  • PERKINS PERKINS COME IN PERKINS. STOP. THIS IS DUKE DIVINITY LIBRARY. STOP. WE ARE BUNKERED IN WITH MASSIVE SNOW. STOP.

Uh-oh
Sometimes our users do us a service by reporting problems in and around the libraries.

To whom it may concern: I wanted to inform you that on the second floor bridge, there is a HUGE ANT problem…I do not know why they are there, but I thought you may want to know!

[Did you know that our experts tell us the ants are seeking moisture, not your lunch? We are aware of the problem and doing our best to battle them on all fronts. To report a sighting, please fill out our building maintenance request form.]

FYI I think your current listing for: 20th century ghosts by Joe Hill is incorrect. It is currently: “There are many things that can go wrong with your car, but it’s knowing what to do that can make the difference between a small repair, a major bill, or worse.”

[We have reported this mismatched book summary to the vendor who provides them.]

Punked
We pride ourselves on providing answers or good referrals for all questions that come our way, however arcane. But we have not yet reached consensus on the answer to this ubiquitous question:

“What does the fox say?”

Post by Catherine Shreve, Librarian for Public Policy & Political Science

East Campus Libraries, Just for Fun, Monday Music Spotlight, Music Library

Monday Music Library Spotlight

This semester, the Duke Music Library will highlight a member of our fabulous student staff each week! You’ll probably see some familiar faces – and maybe learn something new about them that you never expected!

SNYDERABBY

 

This week, we feature North Carolina native Abby Snyder, who is in her sophomore year at Duke and pursuing a double major in International Comparative Studies and Economics with a Finance Concentration. She’s been with us in the Music Library for just under one year, but even as one of our newer student staff members, she’s quickly learned the ropes and become a great asset – always ready to assist patrons, with a smile!

 

Read more about Abby below:

Q: Where are you from?
A.S.: Pinehurst, North Carolina

Q: Why do you like working in the music library?
A.S.: The Music Library is a hidden gem at Duke! It’s a great environment. It’s cozy, quiet, and I love that I am now starting to recognize some of our regulars. It also helps that I work with awesome people! [no, we didn’t bribe her to say that!]

Q: Do you play any musical instrument(s)?
A.S.: I used to play the violin. I started when I was 3! I have always wanted to learn how to play the harp, as well.

Q: Favorite movie?
A.S.: 10 Things I Hate About You [find it at Lilly!]

Q: Favorite genre of music?
A.S.: I like a little bit of everything. Alternative seems to be my favorite at the present!

Q: Who is on your iPod right now?
A.S.: Lana Del Ray, The Killers, Beyoncé, and John Mayer! [Yes, we do even have Beyoncé in our CD collection!]

Q: If you had to pick one favorite musical artist?
A.S.: John Mayer

Q: What are you currently listening to?
A.S.: The Harry Potter soundtrack…don’t laugh, but it’s great study music and helps me focus when I’m writing papers!

Q: What are you currently reading (for pleasure)?
A.S: I’m re-reading Pride and Prejudice- one of my favorite books! [find it at Duke]

Q: What’s something we’d be surprised to know about you?
A.S.: I was an entrepreneur! I used to sell earrings and bracelets I made in local stores when I was 10!

Many thanks to Abby for taking time out of her busy schedule to tell us a little about herself. And stay tuned for the next Monday Music Library Spotlight!

Duke researchers, Just for Fun, Librarians, Life in the library, Noteworthy Resources, Tips and Tricks

Good Questions: Is It the Shoes?

The questions we get in Perkins Research Services range from the fatuous to the far-fetched to the fascinating. This is the second of a series on our most interesting research questions, and how we go about answering them. (Some details have been changed to protect our users’ privacy.)

Sometimes the questions we get are terse yet timely, like this one: “Articles about engineering and manufacturing of basketball shoes.” This has obvious and immediate import in the month running up to March Madness, so Perkins librarian Brittany, ever on her toes, got right to work on it one Sunday evening.

the sneaker book Did you know there’s a “Sneaker Book?”

In fact, there are at least two, the newer one subtitled “50 years of sport shoe design” and available to Duke users upon request from the library at NC State. (The Triangle Research Libraries are team players, even during basketball season.) Brittany started by recommending these books for “Steve” to get some background before delving into the technical questions.

The full-court press followed, with more specific questions that were not answered in the books:

  • How is a basketball shoe made? What science goes into the design?
  • How do factories make basketball shoes? What machines are used? What is the process in detail?

For these answers Brittany turned to our databases, first constructing a search strategy in ProQuest: ‘athletic shoe’ in Subject AND (manufacture OR design) in Subject

She also recommended the Engineering Village database, which turned up a promising article, “A structural mechanics model for sports shoes: the heel strike” from the Sports Engineering journal. Who knew there was such a specifically targeted journal? Not this Social Sciences generalist.

We aim for both the slam dunk and the buzzer-beater when we answer research questions—zeroing in on exactly the information you need, and just in time. Brittany turned in a good performance in this round.

Moving forward, I wonder if March Madness led to this other question we received about the same time: “I want to find articles about how would drunk people walk. Like would they stumble to their dominant side?” Our answer, in part, is to be careful around those bonfires, folks. LET’S GO, DUKE!

Post by Catherine Shreve, Librarian for Public Policy & Political Science

East Campus Libraries, Just for Fun, Monday Music Spotlight, Music Library

Monday Music Library Spotlight

This semester, the Duke Music Library will highlight a member of our fabulous student staff each week! You’ll probably see some familiar faces – and maybe learn something new about them that you never expected!

Monday Music Library Spotlight
Music Library student staff member Ashley Mooney, pictured with her dog, Misty, on a recent snow day

This week, we feature senior Ashley Mooney, who has been working with us in the Music Library since her freshman year. She’s been a wonderful asset to the library over the past 4 years, and we’ll be very sad to see her go when she graduates in May! But we’re also very excited to follow her further adventures as she embarks on life after Duke.

 

Read more about Ashley below:

Q: Where are you from, originally?
A.M.: Portland, Oregon

Q: What do you like about working in the Music Library?
A.M.: Since most of my academics are focused on the sciences, I love interacting with people who love and understand the arts.

Q: What would you say is the best feature of the Duke Music Library?
A.M.: It’s not as crowded as the other libraries on campus, and it has a less stressful environment.

Q: Do you have a favorite composer?
A.M.: Erik Satie [find recordings of his works in our collection here at Duke]

Q: Favorite musicians or groups?
A.M.: Damien Rice, Fleetwood Mac, The xx

Q: Favorite genre of music?
A.M.: Folk

Q: What are you currently listening to? What’s on your iPod?
A.M.: I’m currently listening to didgeridoo music, since I might be moving to Australia within the coming year!

Q: Do you play an instrument yourself?
A.M.: Well, I’m in a djembe class right now … but I wouldn’t really say that I can play it, or any other instrument!

Q: What are you currently reading, for pleasure – if you have the time, that is!
A.M.:  I’m reading The Fatal Shore, by Robert Hughes

Q: And finally, what is something that others might be surprised to know about you?
A.M.: I’ve been vegetarian since I was 9 years old, and my favorite animal is an albatross.

 

Many thanks to Ashley for taking time out of her busy final semester at Duke to tell us a little about herself. And stay tuned for the next Monday Music Library Spotlight!

Collections Highlight, Events, Exhibits, Just for Fun, Rubenstein Library

Cabaret Couture

la_revue_003
Composite photograph of cabaret star Josephine Baker and the cast of “Plantation Days,” a 1923 musical revue by African American jazz pianist James P. Johnson. Parisian cabarets featured comedians, clowns, acrobats, and a variety of other entertainments. But singers and dancers always attracted the largest crowds.

As you might have heard, the Duke Library Party has been resurrected after a one-year hiatus, thanks to the help of the Duke Marketing Club. The date: February 21, 2014. The theme: “Life Is a Cabaret.” Party-goers will be invited to enjoy a rollicking nightlife scene right out of late 19th- and early 20th-century Paris, in what was only hours earlier just another room in Perkins Library. Of course, one must always be fashionably attired when attending such soirées, so we have put together a gallery of cabaret fashions to inspire your inner Parisian of the Belle Époque.

But first, a note on the phenomenon of the cabaret itself. Cabarets took Parisian culture by storm. Until 1867, song lyrics and theatrical performances were carefully censored and regulated in France. By the 1880s, these restrictions had relaxed, and a freer, more risqué form of entertainment began to flourish in the bohemian, working-class neighborhood of Montmartre. Legendary cabarets like the Moulin Rouge, the Chat Noir, and the Mirliton were filled with comedians, clowns, acrobats, and—most importantly—singers and dancers. The songs were bold and bawdy, the dancing suggestive, and audiences adored it.

The historical, artistic, and cultural impact of cabaret life will be the subject of an upcoming library exhibit—Cheap Thrills: The Highs and Lows of Cabaret Culture in Paris, 1880-1939—which will go on display in the Perkins Library Gallery on February 19 and run through May. The exhibit will highlight the Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library’s extensive collection of cabaret-related materials, including biographies, guidebooks, periodicals, and musical scores.

Now back to the fashion show.

 gil_blas_005

One of the more ladylike ensembles, this particular dress worn by cabaret star and modern dance pioneer Loie Fuller would have you floating through the crowd this February.

gil_blas_001

For a more scandalous look, this illustration from Gil Blas is classic cabaret, right down to the black stockings and abundant use of tassels. (Don’t forget the fan!) Gentlemen: note the top hats, high collars, and ubiquitous mustaches.

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Prepare to dance the night away, just like this lovely lady in a flouncy, frilled frock.

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Though we can’t recommend this particular ensemble (the Library Party is a respectable event, and banana leaves are hard to come by in February anyway), Josephine Baker’s iconic “banana girdle” outfit is one of the most famous examples of cabaret style.

So there are a few ideas to inspire you, with more to come. Start assembling your bejeweled, ruffled, bohemian, mustachioed wardrobe and get ready to party in the City of Light!

(With the exception of the composite photo at top, all images are taken from two French publications of the time: Gil Blas, a Parisian literary periodical, and Le Mirliton, a weekly newsletter published by the famous cabaret of the same name. All come from the collections of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.)

 

Announcement, Events, Exhibits, Just for Fun, Lilly Library, Music Library, Rubenstein Library

Save the Date! “Life Is a Cabaret” Library Party: Feb. 21

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Library Party Logo for web

The Library Party is a unique Duke tradition. For one night only, Perkins and Bostock Libraries throw open their doors for a night of music, food, and un-shushed entertainment. The event is free and open to the entire Duke community.

After a year on hiatus as we prepared for the Rubenstein Library renovation, the Library Party is back! Once again, the Libraries are partnering with the Duke Marketing Club to organize this year’s event. The theme—“Life is a Cabaret”—is inspired by an upcoming exhibit on 19th- and early-20th-century Parisian cabarets that will be on display in the Perkins Gallery February–May, with a companion exhibit at the Nasher Museum’s Academic Focus Gallery.

Life Is a Cabaret will feature live music, costumes, decorations, food and beverages, and plenty of joie de vivre!

When: Friday, February 21
Time: 9 PM to Midnight
Where: Perkins Library
Admission: Free
Dress: Cocktail Attire, or Your Best Cabaret Costume

Students: Never been to a Library Party? Check out these images, videos, and recaps from our Heroes and Villains Library Party in 2012 and the Mad Men and Mad Women Library Party in 2011.

Many thanks to the Office of the President, Office of the Provost, Duke Student Government/SOFC, George Grody, and the Markets and Management Studies Department for sponsoring this event.

Stay tuned for more updates!

 

Illustration of cabaret girls by Albert Guillaume from Gil Blas, a Parisian literary periodical published 1879-1914.
Illustration of cabaret girls by Albert Guillaume from Gil Blas, a Parisian literary periodical published 1879-1914.

About the Exhibit

Cheap Thrills: The Highs and Lows of Cabaret Culture in Paris, 1880-1939

On display in the Perkins Library Gallery, February 18 – May 12

This upcoming exhibit offers a whirlwind tour of Montmartre’s famed late-19th-century musical revues—the Chat Noir, Folies Bergère, and Moulin Rouge—which boasted such chanteuses as Yvette Guilbert and Josephine Baker. Cheap Thrills highlights the Libraries’ extensive collection of cabaret-related materials, including biographies, guidebooks, periodicals, and musical scores. The exhibit will be sonified, with recreated performances of the cabarets’ raucous ballads and rallying performances, all arranged and recorded by the Duke New Music Ensemble.

Companion Exhibit:
Night in the City of Light: Paris’s Cabarets, 1881-1914

On display in the Nasher Museum of Art’s Academic Focus Gallery, February 15 – June 29

Related Performances and Screenings

Saturday, March 22 (2-4:45 pm): Film Screenings and Discussion: “French Cabaret from Stage to Screen,” Nasher Museum of Art

Sunday, April 6 (5 pm): Duke New Music Ensemble [dnme] presents “Melodies and Cacophonies from Paris’s Cabarets,” Fullsteam Brewery, Durham

Sunday, April 13 (8 pm): Duke New Music Ensemble [dnme] Spring Concert with selections of cabaret melodies to coincide with the exhibitions “Night in the City of Light: Paris’s Cabarets, 1881-1914” and “Cheap Thrills: The Highs and Lows of Cabaret Culture in Paris, 1881-1939,” Baldwin Auditorium, Duke East Campus

Just for Fun

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

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booktree
Happy Finals Week! Enjoy our National Union Catalog Christmas tree in Perkins Library, and help us decorate it!

… how steadfast are your branches!

In this case, the tree in the entry of Perkins Library isn’t an evergreen, but made of the green cloth-bound National Union Catalog of Pre-1956 Imprints. The NUC, as it’s affectionately known in library circles, is a set of 754 volumes of catalog records for works printed before 1956 held in American and Canadian libraries. Consider it the über library catalog of library catalogs. This has since been superseded by the online resource WorldCat, although it should be noted that a large percentage of books listed in the NUC are not yet included in WorldCat.

Many libraries have preceded Duke in creating a Christmas tree out of the NUC. We took the opportunity to do so this holiday season as this particular set is about to be relocated in preparation for materials moving onto the first floor of Perkins from other parts of the library. Given that it’s finals week, the Libraries also wanted to provide some stress relief and delight for students who are filling up our spaces studying for exams. An ornament-making origami station has been set up at the entrance of Perkins Library for those who wish to decorate the tree.

Guest post by Jean Ferguson, Head of Research and Instructional Services

Events, Just for Fun

Fall 2013 Study Break

Date: Tuesday, December 10

Time: 8:00 PM

Location: Perkins Lobby

The Friends are firing up their ovens for the end-of-semester break! The Perkins Lobby will be filled with homemade treats, coffee and cookies from Saladelia, bottled water from Pepsi, and even some stress-relieving button making! Take a break from that all-nighter and stop by for a snack!

Study Break-W13

The Fall 2013 Perkins Study Break is brought to you by the Friends of the Duke University Libraries, Campus Club, Saladelia, and Pepsi. 

Duke researchers, Events, Just for Fun, Life in the library

Postcard from Our National Book Collecting Contest Winner

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Guest post by Ashley Young, Ph.D. candidate in history at Duke.

Earlier this year, Ashley Young took first prize in the graduate category of the Andrew T. Nadell Book Collectors Contest, sponsored by the Friends of the Duke University Libraries. In August, we were delighted to find out that she also took second prize in the National Collegiate Book Collectors Contest. This is Ashley’s account of her trip to Washington, D.C., for the awards ceremony on October 18, hosted by the Library of Congress. Visit Ashley’s website to find out more about her research and interest in Southern foodways.

 

The Great Hall of the Library of Congress. Photos courtesy of Ashley Young.
The Great Hall of the Library of Congress. Photos courtesy of Ashley Young.

This past Thursday morning, I headed to the City Archives Division of the New Orleans Public Library as the sun’s first rays skimmed over the Mississippi, knowing that I wanted to get in a full day of research before venturing to Washington, D.C., for the National Collegiate Book Collectors Contest awards ceremony. As I pored over documents at the archive, I couldn’t help but daydream about my impending trip to the Library of Congress (LOC), where my fellow awardees and I were likely to take a tour of the special collections as part of the NCBCC event. Our families were also invited to partake in all of the celebrations, and my parents were planning to drive down from Pittsburgh for the weekend. I was looking forward to hearing Mark Dimunation, chief of the Rare Book and Special Collections Division of the LOC, speak about some of the library’s most precious and unique documents. I was also eager to see the complete replica of Thomas Jefferson’s personal library and the celebrated architecture of the LOC’s Great Hall with its marble columns, jewel-toned stained glass ceiling, and brilliantly painted ceiling panels. Although undeniably enthusiastic, I had no inclination as to how memorable and inspiring this trip would be for my parents and me.

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The main reading room at the Folger Shakespeare Library.

The partial government shutdown necessitated some changes in the traditional proceedings of the NCBCC awards ceremony. Instead of heading to the LOC for the special collections tour as originally planned, we visited the Folger Shakespeare Library on Capitol Hill. The library, which was originally built by the Folger family in the 1930s, is known for possessing the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare materials. Additionally, it houses a rich and deeply fascinating collection of early modern books, manuscripts, and artwork. One of my favorite aspects of the Folger is its main reading room, which is modeled after an Elizabethan-era great hall. The ornate wood, rustic chandeliers, and vaulted ceilings create an environment that undoubtedly inspires the privileged scholars who research there on a regular basis.

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Exploring some highlights from the Folger’s rare book and manuscript collections.

After the guided tour of the library, an extremely kind and animated archivist shared a few highlights of the rare book and manuscripts collection with us. These materials were awe-inspiring, ranging from 16th-century cooking manuscripts to an original printing (c. 1623) of the First Folio of Shakespeare’s works. Other treasures included a law signed by Queen Elizabeth I and an encyclopedia of herbs accompanied by the original wood block that was used to print the image of the plant on the displayed page. We could not help but fall into animated conversations about the practices of book printing and binding in the early modern era. Before we knew it, our time with these amazing materials was up and we were being ushered out of the Folger to go to the NCBCC award ceremony.

The ceremony was a wonderful celebration of the three student collections that were awarded prizes for their creativity and deep scholarly approach. John Cole, the director of the LOC, personally introduced each of our collections and presented us with our award. Then Mark Dimunation interviewed each of us at the podium, asking thought-provoking questions as to why we originally became interested in the focus of our particular collections, how these collections are changing the way scholars understand our nation’s history, and what materials we are eager to include in our collections in the future. I was grateful to have an opportunity to voice my passion for historical cookbooks and the ways in which these sources are so much more than just repositories of recipes. Rather, their pages contain significant historical themes such as American transatlantic ties to Europe; racial tensions in the Jim Crow era; women’s roles in the postbellum South; and New Orleans’ transatlantic cultural exchange with Europe, West Africa, and the Caribbean.

Being interviewed by Mark Dimunation at the awards ceremony.
Being interviewed by Mark Dimunation at the awards ceremony.

After the official ceremony, there was a two-hour cocktail reception—a wonderful opportunity to meet passionate bibliophiles whose collections are as interesting and eccentric as my own. For example, one collector has amassed thousands of copies of Alice in Wonderland in dozens of languages. He even wrote a satirical cookbook based on the fantastical world of Wonderland, and is going to share a copy with me. (That is a cookbook I never expected to have in my collection!) By the time the event had come to a close, I felt as though I had found a new community with which to share my research and collecting interests—one that will inevitably enrich the ties I have already established with my tight-knit scholarly community at Duke.

Now I am settled back into my life in New Orleans with another day of satisfying research under my belt. My evening routine has changed slightly after my weekend in D.C.—instead of drinking my customary cup of tea out of a nondescript mug, I am happily slurping from one I purchased as a keepsake this past weekend. Its words replicate those that grace the Great Hall of the LOC: “Knowledge Comes, but Wisdom Lingers.” As I prepare for another day in the archives, I enjoy the small reminder that my pursuit of a Ph.D. reflects my ultimate dream of being a life-long academic. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to continue to cultivate my historic cookbook collection in the coming years and hopefully turn some of that accumulated knowledge into lingering wisdom.

Feeling certified and celebrated at the Library of Congress.
At the Library of Congress with fellow book collector Thomas Jefferson.

Announcement, Digital Scholarship, Instruction, Just for Fun, Technology

Kick off the fall “Fantasy” season… with art!

fc_title2This fall the source code for Fantasy Collecting, a pedagogical and research tool inspired by Fantasy Football and developed at Duke University, became publicly available on GitHub.

You may think you “know good art when you see it,” but this online art game will test your mettle as a tastemaker. Art fans, hackers, educators, and economists everywhere can now use Fantasy Collecting to both become the proud owners of masterpieces and attempt to mint new ones.

For those new to the notion of “fantasy art collecting” (which likely includes most of us), the Fantasy Collecting game is a classroom teaching and research tool that uses the pulse-pounding, high adrenaline activity of a virtual art market to teach art history and economics. Students try their hands at strategically increasing their collections’ value by promoting, acquiring, and trading works of art while performing micro-scholarship in the process.

Game co-designers Katherine Jentleson (Ph.D. Candidate in the Art, Art History, and Visual Studies department and member of the Duke Art, Law and Markets Initiative) and William Shaw (Duke University Libraries’ Digital Humanities Technology Consultant with the Humanities Writ Large initiative) developed and tested the game with art history and economics classes before preparing the code for public release under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. Thanks to a collaboration with Duke’s Nasher Museum of Art, students were able to play first with works from the world-renowned contemporary art collection of Duke alumni Jason Rubell and later with the 1,000+ permanent collection works that the Nasher has digitized as part of its eMuseum.

Built as a teaching tool with many potential applications, the game can now be used by others as a supplement to classroom and book learning, as a basis for research studies on topics like art preferences and auction behavior, or even just for casual play. The flexibility of the code allows new users to populate the game with images relevant to his or her teaching or research goals, determine the length of desired rounds of the game, and customize game events that incentivize players to meet challenges like writing “vision statements” about their collections. Documentation and explanatory videos provided along with the code offer instruction on how the game and game play work, and specifically how it was used for art history instruction.

The three videos below explain the concept and purpose behind the Fantasy Collecting game, the rules of game play (including video captures), as well as educational outcomes and student engagement.

Background: http://youtu.be/MQsHH7fnS4c

Game Play: http://youtu.be/i8QG2bexQKM

Outcomes: http://youtu.be/aSNtbcCF3zg

Just for Fun, Services, Technology, Web Redesign

A Brief Excursion in the Wayback Machine

Here in the Duke University Libraries, we’re excited about unveiling our redesigned website next Monday, October 14. If you haven’t already tried out the prototype, you can give it test-drive on our development server.

But before we launch the new site, we thought it would be fun to take a little trip in the Wayback Machine and reminisce about just how far we’ve come. This isn’t our first redesign rodeo, after all.

So join us as we surf back in Internet Time and explore…

 

Our Library Website Through the Years
(with real archived links!)

 

1997
J. K. Rowling publishes first Harry Potter book, Titanic hits theaters, Hong Kong becomes part of China again, Princess Diana dies—and our website wins a “Best of the Web” award!

Click on the image to go straight back to 1997!
Click on the image to go straight back to 1997!

 

 

2001
Gladiator wins Best Picture, Ravens win Super Bowl, Duke Men’s Basketball wins NCAA Championship, 9/11 attacks, Enron files for bankruptcy—and we get Wifi in the library!

Click on the image to back to 2001!
Click on the image to go straight back to 2001!

 

 

2004
Facebook launches, Ronald Reagan dies, Lance Armstrong wins sixth Tour de France, Red Sox win World Series, Richard Brodhead becomes president of Duke—and we launch a redesigned library website!

Click on the image to go straight back to 2004!
Click on the image to go straight back to 2004!

 

 

2008
Large Hadron Collider begins operations, U.S. Stock Market plunges, Coach K leads U.S. men’s basketball to gold in Beijing Olympics, Barack Obama elected President—and we released the first mobile version of our website!

Click on the image to go straight back to 2008!
Click on the image to go straight back to 2008!

 

Stay tuned for the next chapter in our online history, going live October 14!

Announcement, Events, Just for Fun, Life in the library, Tips and Tricks

Imagine Life without Email: Paul Jones, Sept. 25

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noemail
Thirty years ago, Paul Jones began advocating for people to use email. Now he’s on a quest to convince us to get rid of it.

Date: Wednesday, September 25
Time: 10:00 a.m. – noon (talk begins at 10:30)
Location: Perkins Library, Room 217 (Click for map)
Contact: Leila Ledbetter, leila.ledbetter@duke.edu, or  Hollie White, hollie.white@law.duke.edu
Registration Encouraged but not Required: Register online

There are things better than email. Paul Jones, who left email behind over two years ago, will explain. Nearly thirty years ago, Jones began working on and encouraging people to use the unified messaging systems that led up to what we now know as email. That was then, and this is now. Email has become a zombie that doesn’t realize it’s dead and falling apart, a vampire that sucks your life’s blood away slowly each night before bed and each morning as you wake. You’ve probably noticed this yourself. In an attempt to atone for his part for inflicting email on UNC, he has been exploring alternatives to email with a shotgun and a wooden stake (and Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.) as his tools. This talk will touch on the sad beginnings of email, offer some atonement for Jones’ part in the mess, but mostly will discuss trends and alternatives needed to achieve the Logic and Destiny of #noemail.

Sponsored by the Professional Affairs Committee of the Duke University Librarians Assembly.

Refreshments provided. This event is free and open to the public.

 

Photo by Dan Sears
Paul Jones. Photo by Dan Sears

About Paul Jones: Paul Jones is Clinical Professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Clinical Professor in the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Jones blogs about research on, opinions of, and work for better communications strategies and services at ibiblio.org, where he also serves at Director. He has published poetry in cookbooks, in travel anthologies, in a collection about passion (What Matters?), in a collection about love (…and love…), and in The Best American Erotic Poems (from Scribner). He has a personal copy of the world’s oldest Web page.

Events, Just for Fun, Lilly Library

Free Film Screening: The Great Gatsby, Sept. 12

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great_gatsby

Date: Thursday, September 12
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Duke East Campus Quad (Rain Venue: Nelson Music Room, East Duke Building)
Contact Information: Lilly Library Circulation Desk,  919-660-5995, lilly-requests@duke.edu

Bring a blanket and enjoy a free outdoor screening of director Baz Luhrmann’s blockbuster adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, and Tobey Maguire. The film will be shown this Thursday on Duke’s East Campus Quad.

Sponsored by Duke’s East Campus Libraries and Devils After Dark. Free and open to the public.

For more information about library orientation activities for Duke’s Class of 2017, including the #LibraryGames and your chance to win a Kindle Fire HD, see our library orientation website.

Be there, old sport!

 

Announcement, Events, Just for Fun

Congratulations to Our National Book Collecting Contest Winner!

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Ashley Young (right) won second place in the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest for her collection on 19th-century Creole cuisine and culture.
Ashley Young (right) won second place in the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest for her collection on 19th-century Creole cuisine and culture. She is pictured here earlier this year at the Andrew T. Nadell Book Collecting Contest at Duke, where she won first place in the graduate category.

 

Congratulations to Ashley Young, Duke Ph.D. candidate in history, who just won second place in the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest!

In recognition of her bibliophilic brio, she will receive a $1,000 cash prize (presumably to spend on more books!) and a trip to Washington, D.C., to represent Duke at a special awards ceremony on October 18 at the Library of Congress. As her home institution, the Duke University Libraries also receive $500!

The National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest is the “Super Bowl” of book collecting competitions, bringing together the winners of more than three dozen local competitions at colleges and universities across the United States, including Duke. It is sponsored by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA), the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies (FABS), the Center for the Book, and the Rare Books and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress.

Earlier this year, Ashley took first place in the graduate category of the Andrew T. Nadell Book Collectors Contest, sponsored by the Friends of the Duke University Libraries, for her collection of historic cookbooks and literary sources that chronicle the history of Creole cuisine. That earned her a $750 cash prize and the eligibility to compete on the national level.

In her collection essay, Ashley says that her cookbook collection was inspired by an internship at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans, which introduced her to nineteenth-century Creole culture. The books are also tied to her dissertation research on Southern foodways in the early years of American statehood.

“The creation of American culture is best understood not as a purely national phenomenon, but one that is intimately connected to the local and global dynamics at play in Southern port cities—dynamics that food vendors and urban residents interacted with and shaped on a daily basis,” she writes.

She acquired many of the works in her collection through creative searches online and by combing the shelves of Kitchen Witch Cookbooks in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Some of her historical cookbooks are even on display at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum or are housed in their library collection. “I have a strong belief that these cookbooks should be shared with the broader public so that individuals have the opportunity to hold in their hands historic cookbooks that shaped the lives and foodways of generations of Americans,” Ashley says.

Duke has been well represented in the National Collegiate Book Collecting Competition. In 2011, our last graduate-level winner, Mitch Fraas (also a Ph.D. candidate in history), took first place for his collection on Anglo-American legal printing from 1702 to the present.

Here’s a video we made of our own book collecting contest participants earlier this year. Look for Ashley around the 1:46 mark.

 

http://youtu.be/UmymE8vfXzc

 

About the Book Collecting Contest at Duke

Since 1947, the Friends of the Duke University Libraries have organized a book collecting contest in alternate years to promote reading for enjoyment and the development of students’ personal libraries. The 2013 contest was named for Dr. Andrew T. Nadell M’74, an avid collector in the areas of Gothic Revival, Doctors of Medicine, and Learned Professions and Occupations. The contest includes an undergraduate and a graduate division. Cash prizes are offered in each division. Collections are judged on the extent to which books and materials represent a well-defined field of interest. The next contest will be held in 2015. See the contest website for more information.

Announcement, Events, Just for Fun

Spring Study Break

Date: Tuesday, April 30

Time: 8:00 PM

Location: Perkins Lobby

The Friends are firing up their ovens for our end-of-semester study break.  Tomorrow night the Perkins Lobby will be filled with treats of all kinds to give students a little boost during finals week.  Be sure to stop by for a snack and a quick hello from the Friends–it won’t last long!

Have a cookie on the Friends!
Have a cookie on the Friends!

The Spring 2013 Study Break is brought to you by the Friends of the Duke University Libraries, in partnership with the Campus Club, Student Health Nutrition Services, the Annual Fund, Pepsi, and Saladelia Cafe. 

Announcement, Events, Just for Fun, Life in the library, Renovation News, Rubenstein Library

Student Workers Leave Their Mark on the Library

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Graduating library student workers and their supervisors gather outside the Gothic Reading Room.
Graduating library student workers and their supervisors gather outside the Gothic Reading Room.

Every year, about 50 library student workers graduate from Duke. Many of them have worked for the Libraries their entire four years at Duke, and have made indispensable contributions to our mission. So this past Monday, April 22, University Librarian Deborah Jakubs thanked them by hosting a reception in their honor outside the Gothic Reading Room on the second floor of Rubenstein Library.

The Duke University Libraries employ more than 200 student workers. (That’s nearly as many people as our full-time staff!) Alumni who return for Reunion and Homecoming Weekends often tell us they worked in the Libraries as undergraduates and remember the experience fondly. Many even show their gratitude by contributing to the Libraries Annual Fund. As a token of her appreciation for their contributions to the Libraries’ success, Jakubs gave each student at the reception a lapel pin and writing pen, both featuring the Reading Blue Devil (the official Duke University Libraries mascot), and a complimentary one-year membership in the Friends of the Duke University Libraries. As Friends of the Libraries, they’ll receive our magazine twice a year, so they can keep up with our activities and achievements and the Rubenstein Library renovation project.

The students were invited to write on the wall outside the Gothic Reading Room and bid farewell to the Libraries.
The students were invited to write on the wall outside the Gothic Reading Room and bid farewell to the Libraries.

Because the Rubenstein Library will soon undergo a complete renovation, students were encouraged to write farewell messages on the wall outside the Gothic Reading Room. Many of them bid farewell to their department. Some wrote notes of appreciation for their supervisors. Throughout the end of the academic year, all interested students are welcome to contribute to this homage to their time at Duke by adding a comment on the wall outside the Gothic Reading Room. If the Libraries have left a mark on you during your time here at Duke, let us know by leaving your mark on the library!

Announcement, Collections, Duke researchers, Just for Fun, Rubenstein Library, Tips for students

Student Writing Prizes: Win $1,000!

Student Writing Prizes
Enter your research paper and you could win $1,000 cash!

The Lowell Aptman Prizes and Chester P. Middlesworth Awards were established by Duke University Libraries to reward excellence in research and writing. If you’re a Duke student, consider submitting a paper for one of these prizes—you could win $1,000!

The Aptman Prizes recognize undergraduates’ excellence in research, including their analysis, evaluation and synthesis of sources, and encourages students to make use of the general library collections and services at Duke University. Prizes are awarded in three categories (first- and second-year students, third-and fourth-year students, and fourth-year students working on an honors thesis), and each one comes with a cash award of $1,000. Funding for the awards has been generously provided by Eileen and Lowell (T’89) Aptman.

The Middlesworth Awards recognize excellence of research, analysis, and writing by Duke University students in the use of primary sources and rare materials held by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Prizes are awarded in two categories (undergraduates and graduate students), and each one comes with a cash prize of $1,000. Funding for the awards has been generously provided by Chester P. Middlesworth (A.B., 1949) of Statesville, North Carolina.

The deadline for both awards is May 15, 2013. 

All winners will be recognized at a reception held the Friday afternoon of Duke Family Weekend (October 25, 2013), where they will receive certificates and $1,000.

For more information, including complete guidelines, application instructions, and selection criteria, visit our library research awards website.

 

Questions?

For questions about the Aptman Prizes, contact:
Ernest Zitser
919-660-5847
ernest.zitser@duke.edu

For questions about the Middlesworth Awards, contact:
David Pavelich
919-660-5825
david.pavelich@duke.edu

Announcement, Events, Just for Fun

Congratulations to Our Book Collectors Contest Winners!

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Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people—people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book.

– E.B. White

We just had to share this video with some of our fellow bibliophiles out there.

On February 21, 2013, Duke undergraduate and graduate students gathered in Perkins Library to show off their personal book collections for the Andrew T. Nadell Book Collectors Contest.

Since 1947, the Friends of the Duke University Libraries have organized the contest in alternate years to promote reading for enjoyment and the development of students’ personal libraries. Eighteen students participated in this year’s contest—a record turnout! Here’s what they had to say about the books they love best. Enjoy!

 

http://youtu.be/UmymE8vfXzc

 

Congratulations to the winners of the 2013 Andrew T. Nadell Book Collectors Contest!

Undergraduate 1st Prize
Kenny Gould

Undergraduate 2nd Prize
Laurel Burk

Graduate 1st Prize
Ashley Young

Graduate 2nd Prize (tie)
Adrienne Krone
Beth Sanchez

Announcement, Events, Just for Fun

Battle of the Books

Students will be showing off their personal book collections on Thursday, February 21 from 1:30-3:00 pm during the 2013 Andrew T. Nadell Book Collectors Contest.  This contest, which has been hosted by the Friends of the Duke University Libraries every other year since 1947, allows Duke undergraduate and graduate students to display their personal libraries.  Students are competing for cash prizes in the undergraduate and graduate divisions, as well as the opportunity to compete in the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest.  In 2011 Duke graduate student Mitch Fraas took home first prize, a trip to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. and $2,500.

Students, faculty, staff, and visitors are invited to view the collections and speak with students about their collections during the contest.  Students will have materials from their collections on display in the Perkins Lobby throughout the contest.

Announcement, Events, Humanities, Just for Fun

Road Trip with the Friends!

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On Friday, April 26, the Friends of the Duke University Libraries will be hitting the road to Wilmington, North Carolina, to learn more about the race riot of 1898.  In honor of the 115th anniversary of this historic event, we will tour the 1898 exhibit at the Cape Fear Museum with LaRae Umfleet, historian and author of the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot Commission Report.  We will also visit the Bellamy Mansion and 1898 Memorial, followed by a tour of key sites and a discussion with Barbara Wright, author of the novel Crow, a fictional account of Wilmington in 1898.  The evening will be open for sightseeing and dinner in Wilmington before the return to Durham.

For more information or to sign up for the trip. please contact Megan Lawson at 919-660-5856 or megan.lawson@duke.edu.  The trip is open to everyone.  The cost of the trip is $75, which includes transportation, lunch, and admission to the sites.  The registration deadline is March 26, 2013.

Wilmington_Flier

Announcement, Just for Fun

Enter to Win!

Students, there is still time to enter the 2013 Andrew T. Nadell Book Collectors Contest! The deadline for submissions is February 11.

The contest is open to all undergraduate, graduate, and professional students who are regularly enrolled at Duke.  Collections may be in any area of interest, and they do not have to be academic in nature.

The contest includes an undergraduate and a graduate division. Cash prizes for each division are as follows:

                                                           First Prize                                 Second Prize
Undergraduate                                                    $500                                             $250

Graduate                                                                 $750                                             $500

Students who are interested in entering may visit the Book Collectors contest homepage for more information on the contest.

Cataloging, Just for Fun, Technology

Why Catalogers Seldom Blog

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The stereotype of catalogers is that we sit quietly behind the scenes, not interacting with users. A walk by our cubicles supports this view. However, we know that the records we work on are a kind of direct communication with users, who can use the library without speaking to a person, but have a hard time avoiding the catalog. Even someone who picks up a book from the New and Noteworthy shelves in Perkins Library and uses a self-check-out machine has used classification and the circulation module of the catalog. Other users access electronic resources through the catalog without even setting foot in the building.

Card Catalog in the Rubenstein Library.
Card Catalog in the Rubenstein Library.

Catalogers embrace other forms of electronic communication as well. We know the proverb about all work and no play, and what looks like work may actually be an exchange of a joke with the coworker in the next cubicle via email or Facebook. Our policies and procedures are documented online, and we participate in electronic forums with catalogers in other libraries. So why has a suggestion by our department head that we blog gone largely unheeded? I wrote one post, and it was fun. I got some compliments on it. However, it was not nearly as rewarding as the creation of a cataloging record. A record for an obscure pamphlet may never be directly used, but it will stand for decades, maybe centuries, as the signpost to that pamphlet. A blog post is a bit of flotsam thrown into a sea of unstructured data.

Post contributed by Amy Turner, Original Cataloger in the Cataloging and Metadata Services Dept.

Collections Highlight, Exhibits, Foreign languages, Just for Fun

New Exhibit: Comics and Propaganda: France 1939-1944

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French Comics and Propaganda Exhibit

The new student exhibit in Bostock Library explores the juvenile press in France from 1939 to 1945. The exhibit was designed and curated by students in Professor Clare Tufts’s Fall 2012 course, Comics and Culture: Images of Modern France in the Making (French 414/Visual and Media Studies 312).

When Paris was liberated in the summer of 1944, a beautifully illustrated, 29-page hardback comic book appeared on the market seemingly overnight. This publication, La bête est morte! (The Beast is Dead!), presented a pictorial account of war among animals who symbolized all of the major players of World War II. Hitler was portrayed as the big bad wolf, Mussolini as a hyena, and the Japanese as yellow monkeys. Meanwhile, the occupied French were glowingly depicted as docile rabbits and industrious squirrels beset by barbarian hordes from other countries. Their savior, a great white stork wearing a Lorraine cross, clearly symbolized Charles De Gaulle and the Resistance. The story does not touch on the subject of French collaboration.

During this time, comics provided French children and adolescents a regular diet of fact, fiction, and outright propaganda about the Germans, the Vichy regime, the Allies, and eventually the Resistance. The exhibit highlights a selection of representative publications, focusing on the messages they conveyed to their youthful audience. As an art form and means of mass communication, the comic book medium was used to form a post-war generation of young adults primed to accept and support the prevailing political ideology.

In particular, the student exhibit traces the history of the following publications:

  • Three weeklies available in France on the eve of the war: Le Journal de Mickey, Jumbo, and Coeurs vaillants/Ames vaillantes (Stout-Hearted/Brave-Souled), which migrated south to unoccupied France and underwent significant changes in content and format.
  • The comic Le Téméraire (The Audacious), which started publication in Paris during the Occupation; and the weekly Vaillant (Valiant), born with the Liberation and filled with realistic images of fighting and resistance.
  • The exhibit also includes presentations on the Nazi Propaganda comic Vica and the comic book La Bête est morte! Annotations written by students are available in English and French.

The exhibit is located in the International and Area Studies exhibit cases on the 2nd floor of Bostock Library, across from the International and Area Studies Offices. (Map and directions available here.) It will be on display until March 15.

More information about the exhibit can be found on our library guide for French and Francophone Studies.  

Post contributed by Professor Clare Tufts and Heidi Madden, Librarian for Western European Studies

Events, Just for Fun

A Night of 1,000 Cookies

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Date: Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Time: 8:00 PM
Location: Perkins Lobby

The weather is growing colder and the Libraries are filled with students busy with work. To the Friends of the Libraries, this can only mean one thing: it’s time for a study break! Once a semester during finals the Friends unleash “A Night of 1,000 Cookies” for students who are ready for a break from studying and in need of a baked treat and a hot drink.  The Friends will fill the Perkins Lobby with homemade goodies, hot coffee, and bottled water to show our support for Duke’s great students.  Be sure to stop by to grab a snack and say hello–before it’s all gone!

The Reading Blue Devil says, “It’s time for a study break!”

The Perkins Study Break is sponsored by: the Friends of the Duke University Libraries, Saladelia, Pepsi, Campus Club, and Student Health Nutrition Services.

Announcement, Events, Just for Fun, Lilly Library

Watch Election Returns and Get Day-After Analysis at Lilly Library

We have two great programs lined up for the election, both featuring expert commentary and analysis by Duke faculty experts.

November 6: Election Returns and Results

Returns, Reflections and Refreshments! We’ll be broadcasting the election returns live while Duke professors of political science and public policy help you understand the developments. Plus, you can sample some of President Obama’s and Governor Romney’s favorite snacks!

Date: Tuesday, November 6
Time: 8:00 p.m. – Until
Location: Lilly Library, Room 103 (map)
Contact: Dave Munden, dave.munden@duke.edu, 919-660 9465

Jerry Hough
James B. Duke Professor of Political Science
Professor Hough teaches courses on the U.S. Presidency. A well-known figure in comparative politics and especially the Soviet Union, his recent research centers on the American state and democracy. This semester, Professor Hough is teaching “The American Presidency.” His most recent book is Changing Party Coalitions:  The Strange Red-Blue State Alignment.
Appearing 8-9 pm

 

John Aldrich
Pfizer-Pratt University Professor of Political Science
Professor Aldrich specializes in American political behavior, and his current research focuses upon campaigns and elections. This semester, he is teaching “From Voting to Protests,” and his most recent book is Why Parties? A Second Look.
Appearing 9-10 pm

 

 

Nick Carnes
Assistant Professor of Public Policy
Faculty Affiliate, DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy, Duke Population Research Institute
Professor Carnes specializes in economic and social inequality in American Politics. This semester, he is teaching “The Politics of the Policy Process.” His most recent article accepted for publication is “Does the Numerical Underrepresentation of the Working Class in Congress Matter?”
Appearing 10pm-Midnight

 

November 7: Beyond the Election: The Day After

Duke faculty experts evaluate the election results. Light refreshments served.

Date: Wednesday, November 7
Time: Refreshments 3:30 p.m., Program 4:00-5:00
Location: Lilly Library, Thomas Room (map)
Contact: Dave Munden, dave.munden@duke.edu, 919-660 9465

Peter Feaver
Professor of Political Science
Professor Feaver specializes in international relations, security studies, and civil-military relations. He served on the National Security Council staff in the White Houses of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. He’s currently Director of the Triangle Institute for Security Studies (TISS) and also directs the Duke Program in American Grand Strategy (AGS). He co-authored Paying the Human Costs of War and Armed Servants: Agency, Oversight, and Civil-Military Relations. This semester he is teaching “American Grand Strategy.”

Bruce Jentleson
Professor of Political Science and Public Policy
Professor Jentleson specializes in U.S. foreign policy, global governance, and conflict prevention and peacekeeping. He has served as senior advisor to the U.S. State Department and as foreign policy advisor to several senate political campaigns. He currently serves as a member of the Responsibility to Protect Working Group co-chaired by Madeleine Albright and Rich Williamson, and as co-director of Amidst the Revolutions: U.S. Strategy in a Changing Middle East, a project of the Center for a New American Security. He is the author of numerous books and articles, including the upcoming fifth edition of American Foreign Policy: The Dynamics of Choice in the 21st Century (2013), The End of Arrogance: America in the Global Competition of Ideas, and Global Governance in a Copernican World. This semester, he is teaching “Politics of U.S. Foreign Policy.”

UPDATE: This discussion will also be webcast live on Ustream. If you are unable to join us in person, please tune in online and tweet your comments with the hashtag #dukelive.

Both events are part of a series—Election 2012: Debates, Results, and Beyond—focusing on the presidential debates and election. All events are free, open to the public, and held at Lilly Library on Duke’s East Campus.

Lilly Library gratefully acknowledges the support of the Sanford School of Public Policy and East Campus Residence Life.

For more information, visit Lilly Library’s Election 2012 website.

Announcement, Just for Fun, Life in the library, Technology

We Have a Winner!

Our fellow Americans…

Earlier this fall, we got into the election spirit and decided to host a little competition.

We invited Duke students to “be our Super PAC” and make a mock election video explaining why Duke University Libraries get their vote. We received a number of creative submissions. Eligible video entries were posted to this blog and the Libraries’ Facebook page, where we invited people to vote for their favorite. It was the very embodiment of the democratic process.

Now we are pleased to announce the winning video, produced and directed by Duke undergrads Jordan Thomas (’15) and Reem Alfahad (’15). For their creativity and filmmaking skills, Jordan and Reem won two student wristbands to the Duke vs. UNC men’s basketball game in Cameron Indoor Stadium, February 13, 2013.

Jordan’s and Reem’s video demonstrates not only their great imagination, terrific sense of humor, and talent, but also their superb appreciation for what we try to provide our students, faculty, and library users here at Duke. They also did a great job of making it look, feel, and sound like an actual campaign ad!

But don’t take our word for it. Watch the video, hit that like button, and remember to go vote!

http://youtu.be/3qBnSQ6jaXY

Announcement, Events, Just for Fun, Uncategorized

Ring the Victory Bell in the Library!

The Victory Bell will be publicly displayed in Perkins Library on Friday, November 2, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Visitors will be invited to ring the bell themselves. Photo courtesy of Duke Athletics.

UPDATE: President Richard H. Brodhead and Coach David Cutcliffe will be on hand to ring the bell in Perkins Library on Friday at 1:15 p.m.

Duke’s dramatic victory on October 20 over the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill brought more than football bragging rights to the Blue Devils this year. It also brought the Victory Bell back home.

The Victory Bell is given to the winner of the annual Duke-UNC football game. The tradition goes back to 1948, when the idea was conceived by Duke head cheerleader Loring Jones, Jr., and UNC head cheerleader Norm Speer as a way to foster more friendly relations between the two campuses. (For more on the history of the Victory Bell, read this blog post by the Duke University Archives.)

This is the first time the bell has been in Duke’s possession since 2003. Now is your chance to see it up-close, give it a ring, and support Duke’s football team as they prepare to face Clemson this Saturday at 7 p.m. in Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium.

The Victory Bell will be on public display in the entrance lobby of Perkins Library this Friday, November 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Historical photographs and Duke football memorabilia from the Duke University Archives will also be displayed and University Archives staff will be on hand to answer questions.

Once an hour, on the hour, visitors will be able to ring the Victory Bell themselves. You can also ring it outside of the library when the bell first arrives at 10 a.m. and when it is leaving at 2 p.m.

So stop by the library this Friday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and join us as we celebrate another historic Duke victory!

Check out the video below to see the Victory Bell in action as Duke football players and fans react to the dramatic Oct. 20 win over UNC.

Events, Just for Fun, Rubenstein Library

Strategic Scrapbooking: October 29

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Date: Monday, October 29, 2012
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Location: Rare Book Room, Rubenstein Library, Duke West Campus (Map)
Contact: Aaron Welborn, aaron.welborn@duke.edu, 919-660-5816

Men and women 150 years ago grappled with information overload by making scrapbooks — the ancestors of Google and blogging. From Mark Twain to Susan B. Anthony, abolitionists to Confederates, African American janitors to farmwomen, people cut out and pasted down their reading.

Ellen Gruber Garvey, author of Writing with Scissors: American Scrapbooks from the Civil War to the Harlem Renaissance (Oxford, 2012) opens a new window into the feelings and thoughts of ordinary and extraordinary Americans. Her groundbreaking book reveals a previously unexplored layer of American popular culture. “Scrapbooks are a democratic archive,” says Garvey. “They tell us what the 99 percent of the past read and cared about.”

Garvey is Professor of English at New Jersey City University. Her talk is titled “Strategic Scrapbooks: Nineteenth-Century Activists Remake the Newspaper for African American History and Women’s Rights.” The talk will also include a display of historical scrapbooks from the Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, which Garvey consulted in the writing of her book.

Free and open to the public. A reception with refreshments will follow the program.

Copies of the book will be available for sale.

Announcement, Events, Just for Fun

Video Contest Submissions: Vote for Your Favorite!

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The submissions are in! Last month, we challenged Duke students to “be our Super PAC” and make a short mock election video for the Duke University Libraries.

We want to thank everyone who participated. We received some great entries, each of which makes a compelling case for choosing the Duke University Libraries as your source for knowledge, inspiration, and fun.

Now it’s time to watch the democratic process in action.

Take a look at the three video entries below (each one is less than 90 seconds), and let us know which one is your favorite. You can vote here on our blog, or on our Facebook page by “liking” your favorite video.

Popular voting begins today (October 8) and ends October 22. The Library Administration and Library Advisory Board will tally the winning votes and announce the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place later this month.

What do our candidates stand to win? Here’s a look at the fabulous prizes…

1st Place: Two (2) student wristbands to the Duke vs. UNC men’s basketball game, February 13, 2013, at Cameron Indoor Stadium
2nd Place: $200 gift certificate to Sushi Love restaurant
3rd Place: $150 gift certificate to Cuban Revolution restaurant

So watch the videos, and help us pick a winner!

Video 1: Submitted by DeAnne Georges (Undergrad, Class of 2013)

Video 2: Submitted by Jordan Thomas (Undergrad, Class of 2015) and Reem Alfahad (Undergrad, Class of 2015)

Video 3: Submitted by Yi Zhu (Undergrad, Class of 2013)

http://vimeo.com/50867572

Announcement, Events, Just for Fun, Lilly Library

Watch the Presidential Debates at Lilly Library

Framing the Debate: Professors Mac McCorkle and Don Taylor

Date: Wednesday, October 3
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Location: Lilly Library, Room 103 (map)
Contact: Dave Munden, dave.munden@duke.edu, 919-660 9465

 

Mac McCorkle
Associate Professor of the Practice of Public Policy and Director of Graduate Studies, Master of Public Policy Program

 

 

 

Don Taylor
Associate Professor of Public Policy, Sanford School; and Associate Professor of Community and Family Medicine and Nursing, Duke Medical Center

 

 

Are you planning to watch the presidential debates? So are we! And we’re recruiting Duke’s own resident experts to help you understand the issues and deconstruct the sound-bites.

Mac McCorkle and Don Taylor of Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy will present “Framing the Debate,” a preview of the first Obama-Romney debate on domestic policy. Their talk begins at 8:00 p.m. in Lilly Library Room 103, followed by the live broadcast of the debate beginning at 9:00 p.m. Bring your friends, or meet some new ones!

The event is the first in a series—Election 2012: Debates, Results, and Beyond—focusing on the upcoming presidential debates and election. All events are free, open to the public, and held at Lilly Library on Duke’s East Campus.

For more information, visit Lilly Library’s Election 2012 website.

And if you just can’t get enough election fever, enter our “Vote for the Library” Video Contest. You could win two tickets to the Duke/UNC men’s basketball game! Deadline: October 5.

Announcement, Events, Just for Fun

“Vote for the Library” Video Contest

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It’s election season, and there are a lot of hearts and minds to win out there. We want yours.

We’re asking Duke University students to make a short “election” video for the Duke University Libraries.

Is Perkins your ideal of hope and change? Does Lilly have the cure for the knowledge economy? Should librarians rule the world?

Be our Super PAC. Help us make the case for the Duke University Libraries with a mock political campaign ad. Need inspiration? Check out some of the latest commercials by both political parties.

The rules are simple. You must be a registered Duke student. Your video must be 90 seconds or less. It should look, feel, and sound like an actual political commercial. And it should make a compelling case for choosing the Duke University Libraries as your source for knowledge, inspiration, and fun. 

Parody, irreverence, swelling music, patriotism, fear mongering, and nostalgia are encouraged.

The Duke University Libraries will select the best videos and post them on our Facebook page, where you can vote for your favorite. The top three winners will be announced November 2, 2012.

 

Big prizes!

Skip K-Ville and go straight to the game!

GRAND PRIZE: Two (2) student wristbands to the Duke vs. UNC men’s basketball game, February 13, 2013, at Cameron Indoor Stadium

2nd Place: $200 gift certificate to Sushi Love restaurant
3rd Place: $150 gift certificate to Cuban Revolution restaurant

 

Never made a video?

No problem! You can check out video cameras from the Link in Perkins Library. And the Multimedia Project Studio has everything you need to edit and produce your own videos. The Multimedia Project Studio has two locations, one in Lilly Library and the newly opened West Campus location in the lower level of Bostock Library, near the Link.

The new Multimedia Project Studio location in Bostock Library

 

Contest rules

  • You must be a registered undergraduate or graduate student at Duke with a valid DukeCard in your name.
  • Videos will be judged according to the following criteria: creativity, persuasiveness, production qualities, and humor.
  • Your entry must obey all laws, including all applicable copyright and privacy laws. This also applies to any music samples used in your video.
  • You agree to let the Duke University Libraries place your entry on its website and use your video in its promotional and educational efforts.
  • If filming in a library, be courteous and respectful of people studying.
  • Your video should be no longer than 90 seconds, including credits. Videos longer than 90 seconds may be disqualified or returned for editing.
  • You are responsible for any tax implications if you win a gift card.
  • Students may work individually or in groups. Winning videos will receive only one prize. If you work in a group, you split the prize.
  • Entries must be submitted by midnight on Friday, October 5, 2012, to be eligible. No extensions. Anything submitted after this date will not be considered.
  • The Duke University Libraries reserves the right to reject or return for editing any video that doesn’t comply with these guidelines or violates the Duke University student code of conduct.

 

How to submit your video

You may submit your video one of two ways:

Online submissions
1. Upload your video to YouTube or Vimeo
2. Send an email to Aaron Welborn, Director of Communications, at aaron.welborn@duke.edu, including:

  • A link to your video
  • Your name and contact information (email and phone)
  • Your expected graduation date (indicate whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student)

3. We will send you a confirmation email that we received your video within 24 hours.

In-Person Submissions 
1. Save your video to a CD, DVD, or flash drive
2. Put it in an envelope addressed to: Vote for the Library Video Contest. Inside the envelope, please include:

  • Your name and contact information (email and phone)
  • Your expected graduation date (indicate whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student)

3. Deliver your entry to the Libraries Administration Office, Perkins Library Room 112, by 5:00 PM on October 5, 2012. (Note that in-person submissions must be dropped off earlier than online submissions.)

 

Contest Timeline

  • Deadline for Submitting Videos:  Midnight, Friday, October 5, 2012 (5:00 PM for in-person submissions)
  • Videos Posted on Libraries’ Facebook Page, Popular Voting Begins:  October 8
  • Library Administration and Library Advisory Board choose top three videos:  October 22
  • Winners Announced:  November 2

 

Questions?

For more information, contact:
Aaron Welborn
Director of Communications
Duke University Libraries
aaron.welborn@duke.edu
919-660-5816

Collections Highlight, Just for Fun, Rubenstein Library, Technology

An Interlude from the Golden Age of Radio

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If you’re a fan of the NPR show “The Story” with Dick Gordon, be sure to tune in to today’s episode (“Sixteen Inches of Radio”) featuring Duke’s own Randy Riddle. Riddle is an Academic Technology Consultant in the Center for Instructional Technology. But in his spare time, he collects old radio transcription discs, a recording format dating from the 1930s. Not many of these original discs survive, since many were discarded over the years and some were made of experimental types of plastics that degrade over time.

On “The Story,” Riddle talks with guest host Sean Cole about his interest in old-time syndicated radio programs from the 1930s and 1940s—from popular shows like “Suspense” (which stayed on the air for 20 years) to less well-known gems like “The American Family Robinson,” a thinly-veiled propaganda series produced in the 1930s by the National Industrial Council (a front for the powerful National Association of Manufacturers). That show follows the life and times of Luke Robinson, a small-town newspaper editor, and his wacky family. The plot lines are typically pedestrian, but they are  frequently interlaced with diatribes against Franklin Roosevelt’s “socialist” New Deal policies and praise for lower taxes and less regulation for business and industry (sound familiar?).

Riddle has generously donated many of his original transcription discs to the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Duke, where they are part of the Randy Riddle Collection of Race Records and Radio Programs. However, if you just want a taste of Riddle’s remarkable collection, you can hear selections of “Suspense,” “The American Family Robinson,” and many more old-time radio programs on his personal blog, where he writes about radio history and posts digitized versions of the transcriptions in all their original, scratchy glory.

Label from "The American Family Robinson" Episode 42
Transcription disc label for “The American Family Robinson,” from Riddle’s collection. The show was sponsored by the National Industrial Council as part of their mid-1930s propaganda efforts to combat FDR’s New Deal economic policies.