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Penn’s pioneering mathematicians
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.

Erica K. Brockmeier

A new way of thinking about motion, movement, and the concept of time
Jumping a hurdle; saddle; clearing, landing and recovering Plate 637, with key words “Jumping a hurdle; saddle; clearing, landing and recovering,” model is bay horse Daisy. (Image: University of Pennsylvania Archives)

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.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Exhibition showcases the brilliance of Black women writers
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.

Dee Patel

Archive of pioneering author and artist comes to Penn Libraries
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.
Side Gigs for Good, part three
Two people sitting on an L-shaped couch amidst four pillows. The one on the right is holding a clipboard.

Altagracia Felix (right) is a financial coordinator for the Annenberg School for Communication, but she also has a side gig as a money coach. Her aim is to help “disrupt the cycle of poverty and struggle,” she says. (Image: Courtesy of Altagracia Felix)

Side Gigs for Good, part three

The final 2019 installment in our series highlighting impactful work Penn faculty and staff do.

Katherine Unger Baillie, Michele W. Berger

‘May the force be with you’ and other fan fiction favorites
An array of plastic Star Wars figurines

‘May the force be with you’ and other fan fiction favorites

Researchers have created a unique digital humanities tool to analyze the most popular phrases and character connections in fan fiction based on blockbuster film series, starting with “Star Wars,” “Lord of the Rings,” and “Harry Potter.”
UPenn library acquires the papers of Ashley Bryan, a pioneering African American poet and artist known for children’s books
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.

Gifts to Penn Libraries enrich Judaic scholarship and digital humanities
Historic ticket with words Academy of Music Hebrew Charity Ball Thursday February 6th, 1873 Ladies' Invitation printed on front.

Ticket for the annual Hebrew Charity Bal at the American Academy of Music in Philadelphia, Feb. 6, 1873. (Image: Arnold and Deanne Kaplan Collection of Early American Judaica

Gifts to Penn Libraries enrich Judaic scholarship and digital humanities

The gift includes collections of more than 11,000 items, totaling $12 million and covering four centuries of American Jewish history, and the world’s first endowed position in Judaica digital humanities.

Penn Today Staff

Libraries launch Diversity in the Stacks initiative
A stack of books with titles including Mothership Connection, New Suns, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaurs, The Fifth Season, The Night Masquerade, The Summer Prince

Libraries launch Diversity in the Stacks initiative

The Libraries has launched a new initiative to enhance collections that represent and reflect the University’s diverse population, and to highlight those works in a series of blog posts, starting with Afrofuturism.