Libraries Events

Kerlan Collection's 60th Anniversary

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:05:00 -0600

What: Kerlan Collection's 60th Anniversary
When: Thursday, November 12, 2009 - Thursday, December 31, 2009
Where: Elmer L. Andersen Library Exhibit Gallery
Free and open to the public.

Opening Reception
Sunday, November 15, 2009, 2:00 p.m.
120 Elmer L. Andersen Library

Featuring writer, literary historian, and children's literature critic Leonard S. Marcus

RSVP for reception by November 6 at stangret@umn.edu or 612-624-9339.

Sixty years ago, Dr. Irvin Kerlan donated his collection of children's books to the University of Minnesota. Dr. Kerlan chose what was best and representative of each current year and, when he could afford it, bought children's classics and past Newbery winners. Soon he began pursuing the background material that went into making the books, writing letters to authors and illustrators, and they replied by forwarding their original manuscripts, artwork, and selected correspondence with editors and children. From the halls of a Washington, D.C., brownstone to the caverns of the University, the Kerlan Collection now contains over 110,000 children's books, as well as original manuscripts, artwork, galleys, and color proofs for more than 18,000 titles.

Join us as we commemorate sixty years as one of the world's greatest children's literature research collections.

The Friends of the University of Minnesota Libraries present Lewis H. Lapham

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:16:29 -0600

What: Mixed Media, an evening with Lewis H. Lapham
When: Thursday, December 3, 2009, 7:30 pm
Where: Elmer L. Andersen Library
Free and open to the public.

Reservations requested by November 25 at 612-624-9339 or stangret@umn.edu.

The New York Times has likened him to H.L. Mencken; Vanity Fair has suggested a strong resemblance to Mark Twain, and best-selling author Tom Wolfe compared him to Montaigne.

Lewis Lapham is Editor Emeritus of Harper's Magazine and the Founding Editor of Lapham's Quarterly, a journal of the history of ideas. The author of thirteen books, among them Theater of War and Money and Class in America, Mr. Lapham is the host of Bloomberg Radio's weekly program, "The World in Time."

On December 3rd, Lapham's speech "Mixed Media" will account for the tribulations of the printed word in the wilderness of cyberspace. Dessert reception and book signing follows, with books available for sale courtesy of the University of Minnesota Bookstores.

First Fridays: Virtue & Vice in the Stacks - Liberality and Greed

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:00:30 -0600

What: First Fridays: Virtue & Vice in the Stacks
When: Friday, December 4, 2009 • noon - 1 p.m.
Where: 120 Elmer L. Andersen Library
Free and open to the public.

Greed
"Please sir, I want some more!" So said Oliver Twist, Dickens' famous orphan. The master of the orphanage considered Oliver to be greedy; to Oliver, more gruel was a necessity. Greed--its definition, interpretation, and impact--is the focus of this First Fridays presentation. Join us as we take you from piracy to slavery, from exploration to conquest, from debate to debate about greed.

Liberality
Tzedakah is a Hebrew term meaning "righteous giving." American Jewish communities have an imperative to be generous in pursuit of the common good. The presentation will outline the legacy of a century and a half of local liberality.

Thrift
In a related topic, the Kautz Family YMCA Archives will present on thrift. In 1916 the YMCA began a concerted effort with various partners to promote thrift. The thrift movement sought to inform Americans of the virtues of being fiscally prudent through a variety of formats including articles, cartoons, exhibits, public lectures and mass advertisement.

Nothing Unattempted: The Voyages of Captain James Cook

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:47:52 -0600

What: Exhibit: Nothing Unattempted: The Voyages of Captain James Cook
When: Through December 31
Where: T.R. Anderson Gallery
Free and open to the public.

Noted British navigator and explorer James Cook was a man of many "firsts." He was the first British commander to circumnavigate the globe in a single vessel, the first known European to visit the Hawaiian Islands, the first European to land on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. He forever influenced naval life by actively preventing scurvy among his seamen, and his astronomical observations contributed significantly to modern knowledge of the solar system. Explore the fascinating career of the man who left "nothing unattempted."

First Fridays: Virtue & Vice in the Stacks - Abstinence & Gluttony

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:51:02 -0600

What: First Fridays: Virtue & Vice in the Stacks
When: Friday, November 6, 2009 • noon - 1 p.m.
Where: 120 Elmer L. Andersen Library
Free and open to the public.

Abstinence & Gluttony
Food, drugs, bathing, drink, and sex have been integral in the interpretation of disease and the recommendations for cures for centuries. What may be moderate and good in one century is gluttony in another. This presentation will look at various interpretations represented in the Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology & Medicine.

Gluttony
Information storage capacity, processing power, bandwidth - the computer industry continuously produces more powerful products, but it never seems to be enough. The Charles Babbage Institute will examine society's appetite for computers capable of doing more and doing it faster.

African American Studies & American Indian Studies - Celebrating 40 Years

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:54:20 -0600

What: Celebrating 40 Years
African American Studies & American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota
When: Through December 5, 2009
Where: Elmer L. Andersen Library Atrium Gallery
Free and open to the public.

Opening Reception
Tuesday, October 27, 2009, 4:00-6:00 p.m.
120 Andersen Library

4:30 p.m. program featuring remarks by:

Nancy "Rusty" Barceló
Vice President & Vice Provost, Office for Equity & Diversity

Carolyn (Carrie) Schommer
Retired Dakota Instructor, Department of American Indian Studies

John S. Wright
Morse-Amoco Distinguished Teaching Professor, Departments of African American & African Studies and English

In 1969 the University of Minnesota established the African American and American Indian Studies Departments, the second and first such departments respectively to be founded in the United States. To celebrate the anniversary of this historic event, the University Libraries, with the African American Studies Department and the American Indian Studies Department, have put together a display of archival materials commemorating 40 years of history.

Muslim Spain: Conquest, Expulsion, Legacy, 711-2009

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:00:50 -0600

What: Exhibit: Muslim Spain: Conquest, Expulsion, Legacy, 711-2009
When: Through Friday, October 30, 2009
Where: Elmer L. Andersen Library Exhibit Gallery
Free and open to the public.

The conquest of the Iberian peninsula by Arab Muslims altered the cultural trajectory of Spain and separated from its European neighbors for more than 700 years. Yet, when their Catholic majesties Ferdinand and Isabella completed the Christian reconquest of the peninsula in 1492, the story of the Muslims in Spain had several chapters still to be written. This exhibition acknowledges 2009 as the 400th anniversary of the expulsion of the Moriscos (Muslim converts to Catholicism) from all Spanish lands and celebrates the enduring cultural legacy of al-Andalus.

NOMMO African American Authors Series

Thu, 21 May 2009 08:58:00 -0600

What: Authors Series: Sixth Annual NOMMO African American Authors Series
Sponsored by the Givens Foundation for African American Literature and the Friends of the University of Minnesota Libraries
Where: Coffman Memorial Union Theater
When: All events begin at 7:00 p.m. Dates detailed below.
Tickets available through Northrop Ticket Office: Each event: $15 • Series pass: $25
Complimentary tickets available for U of M students and members of the Friends of the University of Minnesota Libraries (limit two)

Order tickets:

By phone: Call the Northorp Ticket Office at 612-624-2345 and purchase your tickets using a major credit card

In person: Northrop Ticket Office is open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and is located at 105 Northrop Auditorium, 84 Church Street S.E., Mpls, 55455

On the web: www.tickets.umn.edu
Complimentary tickets must be obtained by phone or in person at Northrop Ticket Office.

In this series, host and moderator Alexs Pate, University of Minnesota professor and author of Amistad, takes you on a journey into the consciousness of two luminary writers. These dynamic events feature the authors reading from their work and engaging in spirited dialogue with Pate about the state of the art of African American literature.

November 11, 2009: Ishmael Reed
Ishmael Reed is the author of 25 books, including New and Collected Poems, 1964-2006, which was listed as one of the four best books of poetry in 2006 by The New York Times Book Review, and Conjure, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. He is also a publisher, television producer, radio and television commentator, teacher, and editor of numerous anthologies and magazines. He is the founder of the Before Columbus Foundation, which annually presents the American Book Awards; the Oakland chapter of PEN; and There City Cinema, an organization that furthers the distribution and discussion of films from throughout the world. For over 30 years, Reed taught creative writing courses in the English Department at the University of California, Berkeley, before retiring in January 2005.

April 28, 2010: Quincy Troupe
Quincy Troupe is the author of 17 books, including American Book Award winners Snake-Back Solos and Miles: The Autobiography. In 1991, he received the prestigious Peabody Award for "The Miles Davis Radio Project," broadcast in seven parts on National Public Radio. Troupe co-authored the best seller The Pursuit of Happyness with Chris Gardner, which chronicled Gardner's journey from homelessness to success on Wall Street. The book became the basis of an award-winning movie of the same name, starring Will Smith. Troupe is professor emeritus of creative writing and American and Caribbean literature at the University of California, San Diego, and the founding editorial director for Code Magazine. He is currently editor of Black Renaissance Noire, published by the Institute of African American Affairs at New York University.

This series is co-sponsored by the University of Minnesota Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center.