October 2009 Archives

October 1, 2009

October 1: Whiffenpoof and Whim n Rhythm Concert

The Whiffenpoofs of 2010 and Whim'n Rhythm will kick-off the Yale Whiffenpoof's Centennial Reunion with a short concert this evening (October 1) in the Sterling Memorial Library nave from 5:15 to 5:45 p.m. All are welcome to attend.

Many will have also noticed the engaging exhibitions in Sterling highlighting Whiffenpoof history and discography. They were curated by Barry McMurtrey '88, a Whiff alum and a member of the Access Services Department. Barry was assisted by colleagues from Historical Sound Recordings, Manuscripts and Archives, and the Preservation Department.

Posted by Yale University Library on October 1, 2009 9:49 AM

October 9, 2009

New online exhibition: Samuel Johnson

In celebration of the three-hundredth anniversary of his birth in 1709, this new exhibition at the Beinecke Library examines the life of Samuel Johnson—author, critic, and above all conversationalist—as it was written after his death.

Visit the exhibition between October 9 through mid December 2009 at the Beinecke Library or view the online exhibition.

Drawing on James Boswell’s correspondence and the manuscript of his “Life of Johnson,” as well as newspapers, prints, and works written and annotated by Hester Thrale Piozzi and others, the exhibition explores the tensions of memory and identity found in the competing lives of one of England’s first literary celebrities.

Learn more about the Boswell Collection at the Beinecke Library.

See the Beinecke Library's Calendar of Events for more information.

Posted by Rebekah Irwin on October 9, 2009 9:03 AM

Yale Family Weekend

Yale Family Weekend is here. Events are taking place across campus, including at the Library. Click here for the full schedule.

Posted by Yale University Library on October 9, 2009 10:01 AM

October 14, 2009

Today: Twitter Session

October 14, 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Bass Library L01 (Lower Level)

Created in 2006 as a way for friends and colleagues to stayed informed about daily activities, Twitter has now grown into a service that is being used in any number of ways including citizen journalism, customer service, library and information services, and educational purposes. This session will offer a practical and theoretical examination of the current and possible roles of Twitter in higher education. Joe Murphy, Coordinator of Instruction and Technology in the Science Libraries, will provide suggestions on how to enhance teaching with Twitter within and beyond the classroom. He will also discuss best practices and policies for teaching including practical management and instruction considerations. Eric Gordon, Professor of Visual & Media Studies at Emerson College will address the idea of "choreographing attention" in the classroom. He will speak about the adoption of computers and devices in the classroom to enhance the physical situation to make for a more "robust" learning environment. Professor Gordon's preliminary research on this topic can be found at: http://www.digitalhumanities.org/dhq/vol/3/2/000049.html.

Posted by Yale University Library on October 14, 2009 11:10 AM

October 15, 2009

Otherwise Engaged: Intellectuals, Politics, Education

Visit the online exhibition here: http://media4.its.yale.edu/students/sam/MSSA/

According to the late Edward Shils, professor of sociology at the University of Chicago, intellectuals are those members of society “with an unusual sensitivity to the sacred, an uncommon reflectiveness about the nature of the universe and the rules which govern their society.” In this position, intellectuals occupy a position apart from society, working as scholars, writers, philosophers, and social critics. Given their role studying and criticizing society, intellectuals need to balance the need to maintain a critical distance from politics with their desire to influence political life. Some intellectuals attempt to have an impact on society through their writings. Others work as educators in institutions of higher education. Others choose to enter public service. In addition to the value that intellectual engagement might offer to the political world, the decision to enter politics encourages intellectuals to consider their responsibility to society, scholarship, and the intellectual class itself.

The students who curated this exhibit chose topics that reveal the tensions that confront intellectuals in their engagement with society. Students used the holdings of the Department of Manuscripts and Archives at the Yale University Library to illustrate the forms of engagement that intellectuals have attempted, as well as the responses to such engagement from both the intellectual and political worlds. The richness of the collection allowed students to explore a wide array of topics relating to political expertise, higher education, and the role of science and philosophy in society.In each case, the students reveal what lies at the intersection of intellectual life and political action—conflict, risk, and the potential for creative flourishing.

This exhibit is the final project for “The Intellectual in Politics,” a political science and humanities seminar taught by Justin Zaremby. In the course, students discussed authors ranging from Plato and Martin Heidegger to Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walter Lippmann in an attempt to understand the relationship between intellectual life and political life. Students attempted to define the needs and goals of the intellectual class, whether intellectuals serve as advisors, teachers, or social critics.

This project was made possible through the generosity and enthusiasm of the Yale University Library. In particular, thanks are due to Diane Kaplan, Carolyn Caizzi, Rebecca Hatcher, Rebekah Irwin, Geoffrey Little, and Barbara Rockenbach. John Stuart Gordon of the Yale University Art Gallery introduced students to the idea of curating. Pam Patterson provided technical support to make this project possible.

Posted by Yale University Library on October 15, 2009 1:37 PM

October 20, 2009

November 3: OHAM at 40

Oral History of American Music at 40
Vivian Perlis and Libby Van Cleve
Tuesday, November 3, 4:00 p.m. (Rescheduled from Oct. 29)
Sterling Memorial Library Lecture Hall, 128 Wall St
Free and open to the public

Oral History of American Music (OHAM) at Yale is the only ongoing project in the field of music dedicated to the collection and preservation of oral and video memoirs in the voices of musicians. It is a special kind of history, one that captures sights and sounds and recreates the spontaneity of a moment in time. The sound of a voice is an immediate link to the past--gestures, speech patterns, laughter--these are vivid reminders of the unique qualities of a personality, and they reflect the atmosphere of his or her time and place in history. Artists in the OHAM collections include Virgil Thomson, Eubie Blake, Aaron Copland, Ned Rorem, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich.

Founded in 1969, OHAM is celebrating its 40th anniversary. This lecture by Founder and Director Vivian Perlis and Associate Director Libby Van Cleve will include a history of the project as well as recordings from the collection. Other anniversary events include a concert in Sprague Hall on April 6, and a special concert in Carnegie Hall on April 8, part of the 'Yale in New York' series.

Vivian Perlis is a historian of American music, specializing in twentieth century composers. She is widely known for her publications, lectures, recordings ,and film productions. On the faculty of the Yale School of Music, Perlis is founding-director of Oral History of American Music. With Libby Van Cleve, she is the author of the award-winning volume Composers' Voices from Ives to Ellington, published in 2005 by Yale University Press.

Libby Van Cleve is Associate Director of Oral History of American Music. In addition to her work at OHAM, Van Cleve is recognized as one of the foremost interpreters of contemporary music for the oboe. She is an adjunct faculty member at Wesleyan University and Connecticut College.

Posted by Yale University Library on October 20, 2009 10:14 AM

October 28, 2009

Lewis Walpole Library Fellowships and Travel Grants

Applications Invited for Lewis Walpole Library Fellowships and Travel Grants for Eighteenth-Century Studies

The Lewis Walpole Library, a department of Yale University Library, invites applications to its 2010 - 2011 fellowship program. Located in Farmington, Connecticut, the Library offers short-term residential fellowships and travel grants to support research in the Library’s rich collections of eighteenth century—mainly British—materials, including important holdings of prints, drawings, manuscripts, rare books, and paintings, as well as a growing collection of sources for the study of New England Native Americans. Scholars undertaking postdoctoral or equivalent research, and doctoral candidates at work on a dissertation, are encouraged to apply. Recipients are expected to be in residence at the Library, to be free of other significant professional obligations during their stay, and to focus their research on the Lewis Walpole Library’s collections. Fellows also have access to additional resources at Yale, including those in the Sterling Memorial Library, the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, and the Yale Center for British Art. Lewis Walpole Library fellowships, usually for one month, include the cost of travel to and from Farmington, accommodation in an eighteenth-century house on the Library's campus, and a living allowance stipend (now $2,000). The Library's travel grants typically cover transportation costs for research trips of shorter duration and also include accommodation on site.

To apply for a fellowship or travel grant, candidates should send a curriculum vitae, including educational background, professional experience and publications, and a brief outline of the research proposal (not to exceed three pages) to:

Margaret K. Powell
W.S. Lewis Librarian and Executive Director
The Lewis Walpole Library
P.O. Box 1408
Farmington, CT 06034
USA

Fax: 860-677-6369

While application materials may initially be submitted electronically to walpole@yale.edu, a hard copy is required for the application to be considered complete.

Two confidential letters of recommendation are also required by the application deadline. Letters of recommendation should specifically address the merits of the candidate's project and application for the Lewis Walpole Library fellowship. General letters of recommendation or dossier letters are not appropriate.

The application deadline is January 18, 2010. Awards will be announced in March and are expected to be taken up between July 2010 and June 2011.

Additional information about the Library, its collections, facilities, and programs, may be found at http://www.library.yale.edu/walpole.

Posted by Yale University Library on October 28, 2009 9:37 AM