Libraries | Penn Today

Members of a dance troupe linking arms in a line during a performance

Performing arts diversity in the (virtual) stacks

Diversity in the Stacks aims to build library collections that represent and reflect the University’s diverse population, and extends to the field of digital performing arts.

Fifteen people on videoconference on computer screen

Penn Libraries expands digital collections, online platforms, and expert support

To support the Penn community while working remotely, the Penn Libraries purchased 35,000 e-books, negotiated access to other digital collections, increased video streaming access, and tripled the number of librarians available to answer questions.

Professor standing with hands on her hips in the library with a chandelier in the background

Understanding the Americas through material texts

Penn and Princeton partner to create a now-virtual symposium to explore 38 objects, including books, journals, maps, musical scores, visual art, wampum, textiles, stone tablets, and various kinds of handwork.

Random collection of different words and word-forms on magnetic tiles

A virtual celebration for National Poetry Month 2020

For National Poetry Month, the Academy of American Poets has shared a list of 30 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month at Home or Online to encourage a collective recognition of the ways in which poetry enhances the world.

The rise of the D.I.Y. Haggadah

Arthur Kiron of the Libraries spoke about the popularity of the Haggadah, a Jewish prayer book for Passover. “It has such a powerful hold on the imagination because it tells a story of freedom through slavery,” he said. The Libraries’ Judaica collection is host to a collection of 1,800 volumes of the books.

Five events to watch for in March

On the calendar for March: an orchestral performance at Penn Museum, the annual Silfen Forum, and a conversation about Philadelphia as a science capital.

side by side portraits of Dudley Weldon Woodard and William Waldron Schieffelin Claytor

Penn’s pioneering mathematicians

Two of the first African Americans to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics, Dudley Weldon Woodard and William Waldron Schieffelin Claytor worked on fundamental problems in the field of topology and supported graduate-level math education for minority students.

Jumping a hurdle; saddle; clearing, landing and recovering

A new way of thinking about motion, movement, and the concept of time

Eadweard Muybridge’s “Animal Locomotion” was the first scientific study to use photography. Now, more than 130 years later, Muybridge’s work is seen as both an innovation in photography and the science of movement, alongside his personal legacy as someone with an eccentric 19th century style and a dark past.

Two grad students and library curator looking at Joanna Banks Exhibit

Exhibition showcases the brilliance of Black women writers

A major exhibition and symposium organized by two Penn graduate students highlighting African American women literature is open in the Penn Libraries’ Kamin Gallery.

Ashley Bryan gestures with his hands open at a library at an elementary school reading his books to children seated on the ground.

Archive of pioneering author and artist comes to Penn Libraries

The collection of Ashley Bryan’s work includes thousands of pieces of art, correspondence, photos, manuscripts, and books. A small exhibition of his collection is now on display at the Libraries, and a major symposium and exhibition are expected in 2022.

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