Stevenson Library News

What do banned books mean to you? Why are these stories important? This Valentine’s Day, join us for a read-out and discussion in celebration of the first-ever Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Bravery in Literature. And be sure to get your tickets to the awards ceremony at the Fisher Center on Feb. 17th! Show some love for frequently banned and challenged authors this February, and defend the right to read!

Please join us on Friday, February 2  from 1-3 pm for an opening reception celebrating our new exhibit featuring artists Zhen Guo and Jiannan Wu, curated by Qi Zhang.

This exhibit will be on display in the library vitrines on the first and second floors through March 30.

We’re pleased to announce the launch of our new subscription to Africa Commons!

It is comprised of four comprehensive modules:

History and Culture is an index, search engine, and preservation tool for more than 500,000 openly available books, magazines, and other primary sources.

Black South African Magazines the first and only digital collection of magazines created for Black audiences in Africa from 1937-1973.

Southern African Films and Documentaries, hundreds of African documentaries, oral histories, and other films for study and learning.

The Hilary Ng’weno Archive, an exclusive collection of full-run magazines, newspapers, and films from the legendary Kenyan journalist.

Learn more about this project from Coherent Digital’s expert advisory board member, Dr. Buhle Mbambo-Thata; as well as the challenges of digitization Africa: Africa Commons Charleston Presentation 2021. The Ng’weno Archive is the latest addition to the platform, learn more about The Legacy of Hilary Ng’weno: A Daughter’s Tribute to the Legendary Kenyan Journalist

Along with the amazing content found in Africa Commons, the database offers many useful features, such as the ability to create lists and embed them into Brightspace or Google Classroom. Lists can be private, public, or for a limited audience.

If you would like to schedule an overview of Africa Commons, please email [email protected].

Stevenson Library is proud to partner with the Eleanor Roosevelt Center and the Fisher Center for the inaugural awards ceremony for the first-ever Eleanor Roosevelt Bravery in Literature awards. The Bravery in Literature awards are given to authors whose works focus on racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and gender equity.

In addition to attending the awards ceremony on February 17 the Fisher Center, you can help us celebrate these courageous authors by checking out our display on the first floor, reading work by these and other frequently challenged authors, and attending our Banned Books Read-Out on February 14 from 5-6 pm.

Bard Reading Initiative – Call for Student-Organized Reading Groups

As we begin spring semester, the Bard Reading Initiative and the Dean of the College would like to announce a call for student-organized reading groups and circles.

Reading groups do not need to be linked to a particular course, curriculum, or program. On the contrary, we hope that students take advantage of this opportunity to read books for entertainment or edification beyond the formal structure of classes. Books could be fiction, non-fiction, theory, philosophy, poetry, science writing, or anything students choose. We want to encourage sustained reading as an enjoyable method for understanding ourselves, our world, and our place in it, and emphasize the importance of reading as a group practice for building communities of thought and activity.

The Bard Reading Initiative will provide support for approved groups by purchasing inexpensive copies of the selected book for all group members as well as refreshments for group meetings ($100 total). Groups should commit to meeting regularly at least four times throughout the semester.  Receipts should be submitted to Ben Chinsena in Ludlow 208.

Interested students should submit a brief proposal describing the book and the rationale for choosing it along with a note or email of support signed by a Bard College faculty or staff member. In addition, please submit a list of at least 3 students committed to joining the reading group.  Proposals should be emailed to [email protected] with the subject line “BRI reading groups.”  We will host an end-of-year reception to share thoughts about the whole experience!

Deadline for Proposals February 9, 2024

Gordon the therapy dog is back and ready to play! Stop by the first floor of Stevenson Library this Tuesday, January 23 between 5:30-6:30 for puzzles, board games, and snuggles with Gordon!

Need help with research and writing for your Citizen Science class? Visit the library’s customized portal for help with all things Citizen Science related: https://libguides.bard.edu/citizenscience.

Welcome to Citizen Science! This Thursday, January 11, join the CCE and the Deans from DOSA for a fun night of activism-themed trivia! Prizes, snacks, and knowledge — what could be better? Happens on the first floor of the library from 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Please explore these new resources we’re trying out, and share your feedback with Melanie Mambo ([email protected]).  Trials will run for approximately 30 days.

Africa Commons
Comprised of four comprehensive modules:

• History and Culture is an index, search engine, and preservation tool for more than 500,000 openly available books, magazines, and other primary sources.
• Black South African Magazines the first and only digital collection of magazines created for Black audiences in Africa from 1937-1973.
• Southern African Films and Documentaries, hundreds of African documentaries, oral histories, and other films for study and learning.
• The Hilary Ng’weno Archive, an exclusive collection of full-run magazines, newspapers, and films from the legendary Kenyan journalist.

From AM Digital Primary Sources:

Confidential Print: Middle East, 1839-1969  From the Egyptian reforms of Muhammad Ali Pasha, the Middle East Conference of 1921, the Mandates of Palestine and Mesopotamia and the Suez Crisis in 1956, to the partition of Palestine, post- Suez Western foreign policy and the Arab-Israeli conflict these government documents inform the volatile situation in the region today.

China: Trade, Politics & Culture    With documents encompassing events from the earliest English embassy to the birth and early years of the People’s Republic, this resource collects sources from nine archives to give an incredible insight into the changes in China during this period.

Global Commodities    This resource focuses on the following fifteen significant commodities whose stories are often intertwined: chocolate, coffee, cotton, fur, oil, opium, porcelain, silver and gold, spices, sugar, tea, timber, tobacco, wheat, and wine and spirits.

Popular Culture in Britain and America, 1950-1975   Rock and Roll, Counterculture, Peace and Protest.