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Louisa Shepard
News Officer
lshepard@upenn.edu
Libraries
Penn Libraries receives gift of works by renowned photographer Arthur Tress
Penn Libraries receives gift of works by renowned photographer Arthur Tress
A gift of works by the renowned American contemporary photographer Arthur Tress to the Penn Libraries will join another recent gift of Tress photography for a combined 2,500 photographic prints, the largest collection of Tress photographic prints in the United States.
Challenging and transforming everyday experiences on Penn’s campus
The Penn and Slavery Project will host a launch event Friday for its new augmented reality app, which unveils the University’s historical ties to slavery.
Penn Libraries prepares for a new semester
Penn Libraries prepares for a new semester
The Libraries’ goals for the spring semester remains the same as before the pandemic—to get materials into the hands of library users, either literally or virtually.
Ancil George’s legacy reaches outside the stacks
Ancil George’s legacy reaches outside the stacks
After retiring in 2019, the long-serving Penn figure continues his work in community outreach in West Philadelphia.
Libraries scour the stacks for copyright free content
Libraries scour the stacks for copyright free content
Known as the Deep Backfile project, a team of Penn Libraries staff has been analyzing an accumulated history of periodicals in the collection to determine which are no longer restricted by copyright, making them available for free and unrestricted use.
Penn Libraries releases its strategic plan through 2025
Penn Libraries releases its strategic plan through 2025
After an 18-month process that entailed gathering and synthesizing information from the Penn community and beyond, the Penn Libraries has released a strategic plan to guide its work through 2025.
Rare sparrows make guest appearance at Penn
Rare sparrows make guest appearance at Penn
Earlier this year, Penn Medicine epidemiologist Doug Wiebe glimpsed two small all-white birds outside Van Pelt Library that turned out to be albino house sparrows. Their coloration is likely the result of a genetic condition in which a bird’s feathers lack pigment.
Mapping the Mughal empire
Mapping the Mughal empire
This summer, professor of South Asia studies Ramya Sreenivasan worked with four undergraduates to get behind the façade of the Mughal military conquest state, using GIS and deep mapping to ascertain how the empire was formed and maintained.
‘Italian history on the table’
‘Italian history on the table’
Eva Del Soldato of the School of Arts & Sciences teaches Italian culture and language through the history of food.
Borrow books again with Penn Libraries’ pickup services
Borrow books again with Penn Libraries’ pickup services
Pickup@Penn allows members of the Penn community to request books and pick them up at Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center.
Media Contact
In the News
Smithsonian Magazine
Explore the newly digitized diaries and letters of Marian Anderson
Andrea Nuñez and April James of the Libraries spoke about the newly digitized Marian Anderson collection housed in Penn’s Libraries. “I hope students gain a newfound respect for the challenging realities of Marian Anderson’s career,” said James. “Like countless other Black artists and writers of her time, she negotiated segregation at home and freedom abroad. Music allowed her to transcend these barriers and help her audiences see the possibility of a more inclusive future.”
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The New York Times
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.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
UPenn library acquires the papers of Ashley Bryan, a pioneering African American poet and artist known for children’s books
Lynne Farrington of the Libraries spoke about the acquisition of the Ashley Brian papers, which trace the author and illustrator’s 60-year publishing history. “He sees art as his salvation, as a way to deal with what’s happening in this country,” said Farrington.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Walt Whitman bicentennial celebration kicks into high gear for his birthday
Lynne Farrington of the Kislak Center spoke about the significance of Walt Whitman to Philadelphia and the Libraries’ exhibition celebrating the poet’s life and accomplishments. “The relationship between Whitman and this region is close and fascinating,” she said. “It’s worthy of further exploration.”
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Penn Libraries and venerable Philadelphia Athenaeum form bookish alliance
The Libraries have entered a partnership with the Athenaeum, Philadelphia’s last remaining subscription library. “Our new library partnership with the Athenaeum of Philadelphia makes easily accessible the Athenaeum’s unmatched collection of historic architectural publications and other documentation for the study of this rich legacy,” said David Brownlee, a School of Arts and Sciences professor and an Athenaeum board member. Jon Shaw and Constantia Constantinou were also quoted.
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Forbes
What the Middle Ages can teach us about Star Wars’ ancient Jedi texts
The Schoenberg Institute was highlighted for its series of weekly videos in which the Libraries’ Dot Porter discusses parallels between fictional texts in the Star Wars universe and medieval manuscripts.
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