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The Library Welcomes Patrick Rashleigh as the Data Visualization Coordinator
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It was officially announced today that Patrick Rashleigh has been hired as the Library’s Data Visualization Coordinator. Prior to coming to Brown, Patrick had a very successful career at Wheaton College as the Faculty Technology Liaison for the Humanities. His work consisted of interactions with faculty, integrating technology with teaching and research, and organizing subsequent outreach events to disseminate results to the campus community. Before Wheaton, Patrick spent a significant amount of time living in Canada. In fact, he grew up in Vancouver and attended the University of British Columbia. He went on to get his MA in Ethnomusicology from York University in Toronto. From there he worked for the Attorney General of Ontario as the Senior Media Coordinator. -
Jonathan Russell and the War of 1812: The Inside Scoop on America’s First War
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The papers of American diplomat Jonathan Russell provide an intimate look inside the grievances that caused the War of 1812 and its ultimate resolution in December 1814.Major causes of the war stemmed from Great Britain’s fight with France which had been raging since 1803. Eager to bolster its own resources and reduce supplies for France, Great Britain impressed American seamen into service with the British Navy and blockaded the American coast to prevent provisions from reaching France. Those actions, among others, did not sit well with the Americans and President James Madison declared war on Great Britain in June 1812.
Jonathan Russell was a witness to all of the intrigue. His diplomatic career began when President James Madison appointed him chargé d’affaires in Paris in 1810. The next year he was given the same position in London and from 1814 to 1818 he was United States minister to Sweden and Norway. Russell was also one of the negotiators of the Treaty of Ghent which ended the War of 1812.
The papers of Jonathan Russell include correspondence with all the prominent politicians, diplomats, and businessmen of the day. They also include letters from seamen, who were impressed by the British, seeking his assistance to return home again. Of particular note are the “Records of U.S. Commissioners to Negotiate with Great Britain at Ghent” which provide a detailed account of the negotiations with Great Britain to end the war.
To learn more about the Jonathan Russell papers, see the finding aid available on the Rhode Island Archives and Manuscripts Online website.
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FOCUS ON SPECIAL COLLECTIONS: Geoffrey Hill and His Books Gallery Talk on September 25th at noon
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At noon on Sept. 25, Prof. Ken Haynes will give a gallery talk on his exhibit Geoffrey Hill and His Books. The exhibit is in honor of poet and former colleague Geoffrey Hill on the occasion of his 80th birthday. The talk will take place in the North Gallery of the John Hay Library.
The exhibit includes materials from the Library’s General and Special Collections as well as books from the private collection of Haynes (including works that formerly belonged to Hill). The exhibit is organized around fifteen published books of poetry, from For the Unfallen (1959) to Odi Barbare (2012). A few works have been chosen to accompany each of these books, to illustrate the different kinds of publications that have influenced Hill’s writing (children’s books, fantasy tales, poetry, art books, historical scholarship) and the different ways they have influenced it (in visual layout, in dramatizing the physical act of reading, in allusion and quotation, and in other ways).