Libraries | Penn Today

Woman pages through book. Many other books lie propped open on the table in front of her

The Divine Comedy’s ‘universal message’

Seven centuries years after Dante Alighieri's death on Sept. 14, 1321, his “Divine Comedy,” a poem in which an autobiographical protagonist journeys through hell, purgatory, and paradise, is still widely influential.

Two centuries old, a handwritten record of medical education

Penn Libraries is part of a multi-institution-funded project to digitize materials from early medical education. More than 1,000 Penn dissertations are now online, with the earliest dating from 1807.

woman standing in doorway of art exhibition with paintings on the walls

New Arthur Ross Gallery exhibition focuses on introspection and contemplation

The Arthur Ross Gallery’s new exhibition features 17th-century Dutch genre paintings paired with rare books from the Penn Libraries collection. On display until July 25, “An Inner World” focuses on contemplation.

Cartoon drawing of an adult reading a book to two children in a library.

Building an illustrated children’s book collection with the community

The “Mirrors Collection,” curated by Penn students, is a list of illustrated children’s books chosen and reviewed especially for Philadelphia School District libraries and their diverse student populations.

Arthur Tress with camera and one of his subjects

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.

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.

Ancil George leans on The Button sculpture in daylight in front of Van Pelt Library.

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.

John Mark Ockerbloom (left) and Rachelle R. Nelson

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.

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.

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