Libraries

John Pollack uses a document camera to scan a pop-up book from the Kislak Center onto a laptop on a table he is seated at.

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.

From Penn Libraries ・

Inside a reading room in the Fisher Fine Arts Library

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.

From Penn Libraries ・

Two all-white birds on gray pavement, with blurred leaves in the foreground.

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.

Michele W. Berger ・

Sand-colored historical city

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.

Kristina García ・



Media Contact


Louisa Shepard

Louisa Shepard News Officer
lshepard@upenn.edu

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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