Brandeis Library News

Fibre Fridays, 3-5pm on Fridays

If you’re working on a sewing/fibres/textiles project and want some advice, this new service is for you! Take advantage of working in a collaborative space with an in-room expert who is ready to answer questions. No appointments are necessary. Drop by to ask questions, receive advice and feedback, or just work on your own!

Check the library calendar for upcoming dates.

The Robert D. Farber University Archives and Special Collections is pleased to announce the availability of two collections related to WWII and Nazi Germany:

The Doris Edwards collection was recently processed by Caroline Littlewood and is now open to researchers. This collection of personal and family records of Doris Edwards (née Dorle Amalie Sara Lissa, b. 1929) was organized to document her family's life in Germany, their escape from Nazi Germany and eventual reunion in the United States, and their postwar life in the United States, including Doris' genealogy research and trip to Germany in the early 2000s.

The finding aid for the Jewish Resistance collection was recently updated to include an inventory and more detailed collection description. The collection consists of pamphlets, publications, journals, periodicals, and artifacts, all related to activism and resistance surrounding WWII.

Please contact Chloe Gerson, Reference and Instruction Archivist, to learn more about these and other collections. 
 

In celebration of I Am Global Week, November 16, 2024 - November 23, 2024, Brandeis Library is highlighting our resources with content from all over the world.

The Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections  houses Brandeis University's unique and rare primary sources, including materials from countries around the world, such as:

• Yakov Borisovich Kantorovich papers:  The collection comprises the personal diaries and correspondence of Yakov Borisovich Kantorovich written during the siege of Leningrad (1941-1943). All documents are in Russian.
• Rare Non-western book collection: The collection consists of rare books from all over the world, including two illustrated Qurʼan from the 19th century, and a piece of papyrus from 120 AD.
• French Revolution pamphlets: This collection contains 94 publications, mostly of the French Revolutionary period. Among the numerous prominent authors included in this collection are Thomas Paine, Jacques Necker, Mirabeau, and Louis XVI.
• Spanish Civil War Periodical Collection: The Spanish Civil War periodical collection contains newsletters, newspapers, bulletins, and magazines documenting the Spanish Civil War. Over 300 titles are represented.  Publications originate in Spain, various European and American nations including the United States, and they detail the politics, economics, and military and social effects and policies of the Spanish Civil War on Spain and the international community.  Materials are in Spanish, English, French, German, Yiddish, Catalan, Galician, Basque, Czech, Russian and Dutch. Some titles contain more than one language.  For more information, please see our Collection Essay.

The Library’s Databases A-Z list includes databases with news and scholarly content from all over the world. Recently added resources include:

• Soviet-Era Ukrainian Newspapers A collection of five newspapers, including national newspapers from three cities, covering the early Soviet era of Ukraine’s history. Includes newspapers in both Ukrainian and Russian.
• Local and Independent Ukrainian Newspapers Includes local newspapers from over 340 cities and towns—including publications from each of Ukraine’s 27 regions. This collection traces the history of Ukraine during its early period of independence (1990s and early 2000s), and the events leading up to the Orange Revolution (2004–2005). 
• Struggles for Freedom: Southern Africa - The liberation of Southern Africa and the dismantling of the Apartheid regime was one of the major political developments of the 20th century, with far-reaching consequences for people throughout Africa and around the globe. This collection focuses on the complex and varied liberation struggles in the region, with an emphasis on Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. It brings together materials from various archives and libraries throughout the world documenting colonial rule, dispersion of exiles, international intervention, and the worldwide networks that supported successive generations of resistance within the region.
• People's Daily - Renmin Ribao (1946-Present) - This database provides searchable, downloadable access to the entire run of the official Chinese-language newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party from 1946 to present.
• World Heritage Sites: Africa - Links visual, contextual, and spatial documentation of African heritage sites. Includes materials relevant to African studies, anthropology, archaeology, architecture, art history, Diaspora studies, folklore and literature, geography, and history, as well as geomatics, advanced visual and spatial technologies, historic preservation, and urban planning. The collection is also a tool for experts and professionals engaged in the conservation and management of cultural heritage sites.

The Library Recreational Reading Collection, located on Goldfarb Level 1 across from the Information & Borrowing Desk, houses popular books and picture books in languages most commonly spoken by our students. You can browse this Recreational Reading Collection online and help us grow the collection by emailing suggested titles to libacq@brandeis.edu.

Archivist Caroline Littlewood recently processed additions to the Lemberg Center for the Study of Violence records in Brandeis Archives and Special Collections. The Lemberg Center studied race-related civil disorder and social unrest in the late 1960s. Their records include original research material and collected resources documenting racial attitudes, inequalities, and violence in American cities. The updated Lemberg Center finding aid is available online, as is an essay about the collection.

Please contact Chloe Gerson, Reference and Instruction Archivist, to learn more about these and other collections. The Archives and Special Collections Reading Room is located on Level 2 of the library and is open Monday-Wednesday from 10am- 4pm, with the exception of staff holidays.

The MakerLab team will hold Open MakerLab Hours on Mondays 2:30-4:30pm, Wednesdays 1-3pm, and Thursdays 2:30-4:30pm during the Fall 2024 semester. During these hours there will be someone in the MakerLab to help you with your project ideas! Stop by the MakerLab on the Farber Mezzanine Level, and look for someone in a green apron to assist. 

Feel free to come by at other times; there is often, but not always, someone in the Lab. 

Check out the MakerLab calendar, and view a list of our upcoming workshops. 

Questions? Email us at MakerLab@brandeis.edu.

We’re excited to mark a decade of innovation, creativity, and community at the Brandeis MakerLab! Come celebrate with us on Thursday, September 26th, from 4:00 to 6:00 PM on the Farber Library Mezzanine, just outside the MakerLab.

Enjoy a fun afternoon filled with hands-on activities, inspiring projects, and a chance to connect with fellow makers and creators. There will be refreshments, special demonstrations, and a look back at our journey over the past ten years.

Don't miss out on this milestone event—let’s make it a celebration to remember!

Date: Thursday, September 26th

Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Location: Farber Library Mezzanine, Brandeis University

See you there!

This summer, Brandeis Design and Innovation (BDI) was delighted to host a series of engaging 3D scanning and 3d printing workshops in partnership with the Genesis Program, Upward Bound, and Camp Harbor View. These programs brought together a diverse group of students, including Jewish pre-college participants from Genesis, and first-generation and students of color from Upward Bound and Camp Harbor View.

Over the course of the workshops, students were introduced to the world of 3D scanning and printing. They had the opportunity to scan 3D models of themselves and then remix these models using TinkerCAD. Their final designs were brought to life through 3D printing, giving students a tangible reminder of their innovative work.

This hands-on experience not only taught them about the technical aspects of 3D scanning and printing but also encouraged them to think creatively and critically about design and how technology can inform design choices. We are proud to have provided a platform where these talented innovators could explore cutting-edge technology and realize the possibilities it offers. Be sure to check out the impressive 3D prints created by our talented participants!

Brandeis Library is excited to share the results of Project Information Literacy's (PIL) study, How Information Worlds Shape our Response to Climate Change, for which Brandeis Library served as a liaison. As part of this study, Brandeis students were invited to participate in a survey which included a cross-section of U.S. residents, as well as college students enrolled at 10 institutions in different parts of the country. The study examines the ways people living in the US encounter, engage with, and respond to news and information about climate change; how these interactions shape their perceptions of the worldwide climate emergency; and how these attitudes impact their willingness to take action, no matter how small it seems. Read more.

Winners pictured, clockwise beginning with upper left: Dahlia Ramirez, Noa Emi, Danielle Wallner, Hannah Laffer, Yair Berzofsky, Adah Anderson, Gustavo Nascimento, and Irina Znamirowski. 

The Brandeis Library's Research Excellence Prize recognizes students who apply sophisticated information literacy skills to the selection, evaluation, and synthesis of sources for a research project. The 2024 winners were selected from a pool of outstanding student submissions in nine categories:

• Community-engaged research: Adah Anderson, Examining Reentry in Massachusetts: Perspectives from System-Impacted People and Those Working in Reentry
  “This project has taught me that sometimes when conducting research, you need to adapt and change your approach to the process. For me, this often took the form of finding new ways to speak to incarcerated people, a population I deemed to be integral to my work but also unfortunately, very controlled and hidden from the public. Throughout this research, I adapted to conversing with many from this community online and was happy to speak to a few over the phone, despite my initial aim being to meet with each person individually and in person. More than anything, this project showed me that sometimes the processes in place that limit your ability to conduct research are results in and of themselves, as my work demonstrated that Massachusetts DOC regulations for corresponding with those inside prison are made to seclude this population from those on the outside. Overall, the library resources helped me immensely throughout this research project and others I have completed in the past.”   -Adah Anderson
   
• Research completed for an undergraduate senior thesis: Irina Znamirowski, Beyond the Character: An Examination of Dissimulation and Metatheatre in Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, and Hamlet
  “This was a philosophical-literary thesis, but Irina also used as primary source the Brandeis First Folio which helped her make a central argument about interaction between characters on the interestingly relevant basis of line layouts — e.g. whether lines seemed to be shared between two speakers or whether one speaker was completely done before the second speaker began.” -William Flesch, Professor of English
   
• Student research related to racism and anti-racism: Noa Emi, Exilic Intimacy: Scenes of Erotic Performance and the Metaphysics of Rape
  “noa's essay constitutes an extended and important discussion of incest and rape in two Caribbean novels. noa marshals sometimes quite difficult theoretical arguments to connect abuse in the present to past and ongoing implications of violent colonial patriarchy for constructions of masculinity and femininity for the descendants of African enslavement and South Asian indentureship: these are questions that persist into the present. noa both sifts through and constructs a convincing theoretical argument, and applies it carefully to well-selected portions of both novels.” -Faith Smith, Marta F. Kauffman Chair in African and African American Studies and Professor of English
   
• Climate change-related research: Hannah Laffer, Quantifying Climate Shifts Across Chilean Landscapes from the Andes to the Pacific and Atacama to Patagonia
  "Hannah put a huge amount of effort into her senior thesis about climate change in Chile over the past 4 decades. In particular, I was impressed with how she managed to wrangle a ton of climatic data from across the country, including temperature, precipitation, wind and sea surface temperature. Getting some of this data even required her to request it from the Chilean Navy! She then essentially taught herself how to code in R." -Sally Warner, Associate Professor of Climate Science
   
• Research completed in a University Writing Seminar (UWS): Dahlia Ramirez, How To Make Death Fun: Tyler Feder’s Genius In Dancing At The Pity Party
  "Dahlia's UWS paper represents research and writing at the highest level. Dahlia explores color theory and the psychology of grief through her original analysis of Dancing at the Pity Party, a powerful but understudied graphic memoir. Dahlia challenges conventional attitudes around ‘teenage’ and ‘adult’ literature, and persuasively argues that bright colors, simplistic compositions, and humor are appropriate elements for comics about 'serious' topics." -Rafael Abrahams, University Writing Seminar Instructor and PhD Student in History
   
• Research completed by an undergraduate student outside of UWS: Gustavo Nascimento, Gardens - A Vessel For Self-Fashioning
  "Undertaking this project has transformed my approach to research in several ways. I have developed a deeper appreciation for the role of library resources and services in supporting academic inquiry and scholarship. I have also learned to navigate complex information landscapes more effectively, utilizing advanced search techniques and evaluation criteria to locate and assess sources. Moreover, I have understood the value of free brainstorming and the use of a canvas that allows you to analyze your sources and personal ideas as if you were seeing them in a third-person view. Ultimately, I gained confidence in my ability to tackle research challenges and overcome obstacles in order to get a message across and, hopefully,inspire those who are reading it." -Gustavo Nascimento
   
• Research completed by a graduate student: Danielle Wallner, The Silent Women of the Future: A Comparative Case Study of Female Representation and Futurism in Early Science Fiction Films
  "She uncovered major silent film sources, some of which are shockingly provocative both for Russia and Italy. Her work is deep, digitally grounded, and highly original." - Alice A. Kelikian, Associate Professor of History
   
• Research that makes use of materials in the Brandeis University Archives & Special Collections: Abigail Roberts, Brandeis' First Folio: Ownership, Observation, and Opportunities
  "This was a wonderful use of Brandeis's resources--a senior essay about our First Folio, in which Abby took full advantage of the archive and its opportunities for her to understand something important about Shakespeare's publication history and reception. She studied the Folio and its digital copy very carefully, and brought new attention to this amazing resource." Ramie Targoff, Jehuda Reinharz Professor in the Humanities
   
• Digital research project: Yair Berzofsky, unfinished.wav
  "Yair is a master at digital photography, lighting, set design and music." -Alice A. Kelikian, Associate Professor of History

Congratulations to all of the winners!

Brandeis Library has purchased access to the following resources:

• Archives of Sexuality and Gender: Community and Identity in North America Offers perspectives on society, sexual identity, community building, and gender issues. This archive focuses on North America, with collections from Canada, the United States, and Mexico. It presents social history that casts a spotlight on diversity, equity, and inclusion with materials that cover activism and social justice issues, highlight disabilities in Queer society, offer information around alternative sexualities, document interactions between sexuality and religion, and represent diverse ethnic communities across North America.
• Behind the Scenes of the Civil Rights Movements Primary source materials documenting civil rights activism by the everyday citizens of Black, Latine, Indigenous, and Asian American/Pacific Islander communities. Includes letters, correspondence, demonstration plan outlines, transportation logs and plans, meeting minutes, programs from worship services, and photographs, primarily from the 1950s and 1960s. Brandeis Library is one of the financial supporters of this open access resource.
• East View: Ukrainian Crossroads E-books Collection Captures a historical period when the definition of “Ukraine” shifted constantly and competing ideas about Ukraine, Ukrainians, and their future fueled vibrant debates and violent clashes in the first half of the 20th century. Includes history books, polemical essays, tour guides, economic statistical publications, archival collections, political instruction manuals, memoirs, and works on folk art and daily life. 

Additionally, the Library has added a subscription to ComAbstracts. 

• ComAbstracts With coverage back to 1915, this database contains more than 120,000 abstracts of articles and books published in the primary professional literature of the communication(s) field as well as bibliographic records.

Additionally, the Library has purchased backfiles of the following Wiley journals:

• Annals of Neurology
• Chemical Biology & Drug Design
• European Journal of Neuroscience
• Journal of Experimental Zoology
• Organic Magnetic Resonance (currently known as Magnetic Resonance in Chemistry)
• Psychophysiology

Please reach out to your subject librarian to discuss using these databases in your teaching and research.