Friends of the UNCG Libraries

The following post was prepared by Dr. Chris Hodgkins of the English Department: Dr. Robert Whalen When Robert Whalen of Northern Michigan University began to explore how he might apply emerging digital technology to the English poetry of Metaphysical master George Herbert (1593-1633), he thought with youthful optimism that such a project might take, oh, a year or two. After all, the complete printed works of Herbert fit into only one volume. How long could it take to transcribe, encode, and annotate the lyric poems of The Temple (1633)? Thirteen years later, he knows. The Digital Temple , more than a decade in the making, is now available from University of Virginia Press/Rotunda, America’s leading academic digital publisher, where it keeps company with the digital papers of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and is being hailed by advance reviewers as the state of the art in digital editions. http://digitaltemple.rotunda.upress.virginia.edu/ Dr. Christopher Hodgkins...

The following post was prepared by Jim Schlosser, Chair of the Programming Committee of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries. John Shelton Reed John Shelton Reed, an acclaimed humorist on southern culture who once compared the modern South to a pair of comfortable tattered jeans, will be the speaker at the annual meeting of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries. The dinner gathering will be April 29 at Cone Ballroom in the Elliott University Center. The William Rand Kenan, Jr. professor emeritus of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Reed has written widely and spoken often, seriously and wittingly, about the ways of the South.   The novelist Lee Smith summed up Reed as "hysterically funny and the most astute observer of the South that we have." The humorist Roy Blount Jr. included Reed as the only sociologist in Blount's "Book of Southern Humor." Reed's latest book, published last November, “Dixie Bohemia: A French Quar...

The following post was prepared by Dr. William K. Finley, Special Collections Librarian. The Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections & University Archives in Jackson Library is currently mounting a visiting exhibit of vibrant illustrations from late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century French books.   “French History Illustrated: The Action Images of Job” represents the breathtakingly colorful book and magazine images of Jacques Onfroy de Breville (1858-1931), who was known by the pseudonym of “Job.”   Included in the exhibit are numerous illustrations from French books and magazines, as well as toys (soldiers and farmyard scenes), commemorative plates and other artifacts designed by Job.   While Job’s illustrations were basically drawn for children, his images (especially those done in pochoir) will fascinate adults and children alike. The exhibit will be open for viewing between February 4 and March 14 during Special Collections’ opening hours of ...

This posting was prepared by Kathy Crowe, Associate Dean for Public Services. The University Libraries conducted the LibQual+™ survey in fall 2012 to determine student, faculty and staff perceptions about the UNCG Libraries (Jackson and the Harold Schiffman Music Library).   LibQual+ is a standardized measure develop by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) in 2000.   It measures what service is desired by clients and the service they perceive they are receiving.   LibQual+ ™ also asks what is the minimum level of service with which they would be satisfied.   The survey includes core questions on three dimensions: ·          Affect of Service (services) ·          Information Control (collections and resources) ·          Library as Place (library buildings) Additional questions ask about general satisfaction with the Librar...

What do your snapshots say about the way you look at the world? Andi Gustavson wants to know.   The recipient of the University Libraries’ Research Travel Grant this year, Gustavson has an unusual dissertation topic for her work in American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, one with a somewhat unconventional methodology. Her dissertation, “What Comes Home: Vernacular Photography and the Cold War, 1945-1991,” explores how American nurses, servicemen and servicewomen, and diplomats used their cameras to construct their own worldviews, posing and positioning themselves within an emerging new global order. Because these personal photographs depict the ordinariness of life lived amidst violence, she believes that they are key to understanding how Americans became accustomed to a culture of endless war. Andi Gustavson in Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives Research Room Gustavson says her work bridges a gap in the scholarly research o...

This posting is made with appreciation for the work done compiling the list by Shawn Delgado on behalf of the Center for Creative Writing in the Arts at UNCG. UNCG-Sponsored Literary Events: MFA Thesis Reading: Fausto Barrionuevo and Brendan McKennedy —Friday, February 1 st , 7:00 PM St. Mary’s House, 930 Walker Ave., Greensboro Free and open to the public      Two writers from the distinguished UNCG MFA program will be reading their work to celebrate their efforts towards completion of an MFA thesis. This reading is sponsored by the MFA Writing Program at UNCG and the Greensboro Review . Buddy Wakefield Slam Poet Performance —Thursday, February 7 th , 7:00PM Jarrell Lecture Hall, Jackson Library, UNCG General Admission $10, Student Tickets $6, UNCG Student Tickets $5      Buddy Wakefield brings his unique and inspired spoken word magic to Greensboro, NC at UNCG's Jarrell Hall. This event is hosted by the Center for Creative Writing i...

Wednesday, February 13 — UNCG alum Wiley Cash, author of A Land More Kind Than Home . Hodges Reading Room, Jackson Library, 7 p.m. FREE UNCG grad Wiley Cash (M.A. ‘01) burst onto the book world last year with a literary thriller set in his native Appalachia that met with considerable critical success and landed its young author on the New York Times Best Seller list during its first week   of release, then rejoined the list as positive reviews came in and readers learned more about it.   It eventually was named a 2012 New York Times Notable Book.   Author of A Land More Kind Than Home , Cash will appear for a talk and book signing at UNCG on February 13, courtesy of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries.   The paperback version of the book is being released today, January 22. An early reviewer in a publication called Fine Print asked two questions that seem to frame the book: " What would you do if you saw something you weren't supposed to see and got caught i...