Think you know all about Penn’s libraries? Think again.
Modern Libraries for Modern Times
Spring/Summer 2022
There’s the Marian Anderson collection. Dental curiosities. Television news footage starting in the ’60s. A collection of banned books. Not to mention LGBTQ comics and graphic novels. An impressive collection of Bollywood films. And volumes on shoeing horses.
Penn’s libraries are among the most vibrant and vital spaces on campus. They are where physical and digital resources converge, where new methods and technologies for understanding and utilizing data are put into practice, and where people come together to share knowledge and learn from each other.
The Penn Libraries’ facilities are as unique as the collections within them. Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center frames the “Split Button” sculpture in the heart of campus. The ornate interior of the Fisher Fine Arts Library is one of Philadelphia’s most stunning spaces. The Albrecht Music Library is home to tens of thousands of sound recordings. And the Education Commons in Weiss Pavilion offers 3D printing and access to a makerspace.
Aili Waller, C’24, talks about what the special collections mean to her.
Providing such vast and varied resources requires abundant vision and expertise—which Constantia Constantinou, the H. Carton Rogers III Vice Provost and Director of the Penn Libraries, has in spades. “The Penn Libraries proactively addresses essential information challenges and opportunities in our ever-changing world. In building deep and distinctive collections, preserving knowledge, and increasing equity in information access, we have the ability to inspire, to offer hope, and to change people’s lives.”
When many people envision university libraries, the image they conjure up is one of endless shelves of dusty books and students studying in silence. But that picture is severely outdated. There are still plenty of quiet places for students to study, but there are also spots for them to learn data science, conduct virtual dissections, and turn their ideas into reality using digital fabrication tools. The next time you’re on campus, stop in to see the future unfold.
See the Anatomage Table in action in this 2-minute video.
The Many Facets of Penn’s Library System
Fisher Fine Arts Library
The Fisher Fine Arts Library is a striking architectural landmark and a beloved student study spot. It also houses the Materials Library, which holds thousands of samples of traditional construction materials, as well as novel samples to spur innovation and creativity, such as Vanta Black, electronic paint, and seaweed insulation. Fisher Fine Arts Library is also home to the Common Press, a letterpress and book arts studio with presses dating from the 1850s to the 1960s.
Biotech Commons
Thanks to The Power of Penn Campaign, the Libraries was able to reimagine the traditional biomedical library and create a cutting-edge space for research and innovation. The Biotech Commons houses a Digital Fabrication Lab with 3D printing services, a Design-Thinking Room for collaboration, and a Mixed Reality Lab where students and faculty can work on virtual and augmented reality projects. In addition, the Commons has an Anatomage Table, which allows users to perform virtual dissections outside of a clinical lab environment.
Curator for Civic Engagement
Samantha Hill recently joined the Penn Libraries as Curator for Civic Engagement. She is developing partnerships with local communities to help preserve and protect their cultural heritage.
Global Collections
The Penn Libraries is home to numerous collections that highlight voices too often at the periphery of academic research. Its Indo-Caribbean collection illustrates the distinct culture of the region through popular commercial publications and niche items such as souvenir magazines and family histories, while the Africana studies and African American studies collections help document the experiences and histories of the African diaspora across centuries.
Research Data and Digital Scholarship Program
The modern world is driven by data. The challenge is how to make sense of the explosion of information. This new program at the Penn Libraries teaches members of the community about digital tools and methods, helps researchers make their data more accessible, and fosters informed and ethical data communities at Penn.
Pictured above: Nicky Agate, Snyder-Granader Assistant University Librarian for Research Data and Digital Scholarship.
Philanthropy at Work in the Libraries
The Penn Libraries’ impressive collections have grown in recent years in large part through generous donations of priceless materials, including the works of renowned photographer Arthur Tress, the collection of author and artist Ashley Bryan, rare photographic glass plates by Edward S. Curtis, and collections of Americana and early American Judaica, among many others.
The Biotech Commons was reimagined for present and future needs through the support of donors to The Power of Penn Campaign.
In the coming years, the Libraries’ philanthropic priorities include support to expand their collections in key topic areas; building endowment to support expert librarian and curator positions; and funding to support significant renovations to the Center for Global Collections on the 5th floor of Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center.
ABOVE: (top-left) Holly Mengel, Penn Libraries’ Head of Archives and Manuscripts Processing, teaches students how to work with primary sources in the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts; (top-right) Original paintings and drawings from the Ashley Bryan Collection; (bottom-left) The Judith and William Bollinger Digital Fabrication Lab is an environment for collaboration and learning that includes a resource center for poster printing and 3D printing; (bottom-right) Wood press blocks at the Common Press in Fisher Fine Arts Library.
