January 2021 Archives

January 31, 2021

University Librarian Barbara Rockenbach scans books

A sprinkler line froze and burst in the upper level of Bass Library Friday evening, causing extensive water damage throughout the building. The two-story library underneath Cross Campus is closed for cleaning and repairs until further notice.

Sterling Library was not affected by the leak. Bass Library collection materials may be requested for pickup at other library locations or for delivery to home addresses or campus residences.

Over the weekend, facilities contractors pumped water out of the building and activated air movers and dehumidifiers to dry out the space. A full assessment of damage to furniture and fittings is pending.

The impact on the library’s collection was minimal, said Preservation Services Librarian Tara Kennedy, who was onsite Friday evening as part of Yale Library’s Collection Emergency Response.  Kennedy and Barbara Rockenbach, the Stephen F. Gates ’68 University Librarian, identified about 530 damp and soggy volumes, out of a collection of more than 65,000 titles. The affected materials have been shipped to offsite experts for drying and further evaluation. No rare or difficult-to-replace materials were affected. 

Image: On Jan. 30, after a broken sprinkler line flooded parts of Bass Library, Preservation Librarian Tara Kennedy (at left) and University Librarian Barbara Rockenbach sorted and scanned damaged books before shipping them offsite for drying and further evaluation. (photo by Mike Bell.

Post on January 31, 2021 - 6:29pm |

January 31, 2021

Queen Caroline cartoon image

Two hundred years ago when the newly crowned King George IV charged his long-estranged wife with adultery, the resulting trial was the most notorious scandal of the day. With satirical graphics from the collection of the Lewis Walpole Library and trial accounts from the Lillian Goldman Law Library, the exhibit shows how print media  covered the trial and shaped public perceptions. The exhibit provides a new lens for studying 19th century gender roles, class divisions, publishing, political satire, and British politics. View Trial by Media.

Post on January 31, 2021 - 8:30pm |

January 18, 2021

Honorary Degree recipients at Yale, 1959, including Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King

All Yale libraries are closed on Monday, Jan. 18, in commemoration of Martin Luther King Day. Please visit the library's online exhibit, The Kings at Yale, which draws on materials from Manuscripts and Archives to document visits to Yale by Dr. King and Coretta Scott King. 

Post on January 18, 2021 - 11:04am |

January 15, 2021

Kline Biology tower

Marx Science and Social Science Library closed early today (Friday, Jan. 15) due an HVAC malfunction. It is expected to reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 19, following the scheduled closing Monday for Martin Luther King Day. Please check hours on the Marx Library web page before coming in. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Post on January 15, 2021 - 2:03pm |

January 14, 2021

Join us online for a free Indie Lens Pop-Up screening and discussion of 9to5: The Story of a Movement, a new documentary by Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar.

When Dolly Parton sang "9 to 5," she was doing more than just shining a light on the fate of American working women. Parton was singing the true story of a movement that started with 9to5, a group of Boston secretaries in the early 1970s. Their goals were simple—better pay, more advancement opportunities, and an end to sexual harassment—but their unconventional approach attracted the press and shamed their bosses into change. Featuring interviews with 9to5's founders, as well as actor and activits Jane Fonda, 9to5: The Story of a Movement is the story of the fight that inspired a hit song and changed the American workplace.

Register Here

What is Indie Lens Pop-Up?
Featuring upcoming documentaries from the Peabody Award-winning PBS series Independent LensIndie Lens Pop-Up brings people together for film screenings and community-driven conversations. Indie Lens Pop-Up is presented in Connecticut by the Yale Film Archive, CPTV, and PBS's Independent Lens.

Post on January 14, 2021 - 5:27am |

January 11, 2021

Dr. King in regalia with President Bewster

In response to COVID-19, Sterling Library’s annual exhibition commemorating visits to Yale by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1959 and 1964) and Coretta Scott King (1969) has been recreated as an online exhibit, open to all. View “The Kings at Yale” online.

The civil rights leader was invited to Yale in 1959 by an undergraduate lecture committee and spoke on “The Future of Integration.” He returned to Yale in 1964 to receive an honorary degree, just two days after being released on bail from the St. Augustine, Fla., jail. He had been arrested for ordering food in a whites-only motel. The online exhibit documents the award ceremony and reactions—both positive and negative—from across the country.

Coretta Scott King was named the first Frances Blanshard Fellow at Yale in 1969. While on campus she met with women graduate students and spoke to a standing room only crowd in Woolsey Hall on the importance of campus unrest in addressing social injustices.

The historical materials in the exhibit are drawn from Yale Library’s Manuscripts and Archives department. They include reproductions of records from the Office of the President, Kingman Brewster (RU 11); Office of Public Affairs and Communications, Yale Events and Activities Photographs (RU 690); Buildings and Grounds Photographs (RU 703), the Helen Hadley Hall Fellowship Program (RU 9), and Yale News.

In past years, the “Kings at Yale” exhibit was presented on banners in the Sterling nave; it has been moved to an online format because access to Sterling Library is restricted under current COVID-19 guidelines and the nave is currently being used for the library’s contactless pickup service.

Post on January 11, 2021 - 10:58am |

January 15, 2021

The Yale Film Study Center has been renamed the Yale Film Archive. The new name is intended to better reflect the archive's critical support for teaching and research as well as its leadership in fostering a vibrant film culture at Yale through collection, preservation, and public access. It also highlights the group's work within the archival community developing and implementing standards for the care of film at Yale.

Film Archive staff will continue to provide all the same services and resources for students and faculty as under the old name.

The renaming coincides with the Film Archive's move from the Whitney Humanities Center to newly-renovated space in Sterling Library.

Post on January 6, 2021 - 7:28am |