Brown University Library News

By Jing Yi Hon
02/15/08
Alums who miss the familiar smell of dusty old books from the Rockefeller Library have cause for celebration – University library cards are now available to alums at a one-time cost of $15.
The service came into effect on Jan. 1 and will offer borrowing privileges free of charge to alums, according to the library’s Web site. Due to copyright issues, electronic books and journals will be restricted to in-library access only.
In the past, access to borrowing privileges had been available only to alums who paid the $75 annual membership fee and to non-alums who paid $400 annually.
This new adjustment in fees doesn’t affect fees for the general public.
“We thought it’d be nice if we could offer it as a sort of a promotion, or PR, for alums to connect with the University,” said Florence Doksansky, associate University librarian.
Doksansky hopes that the release of these new library cards will increase alumni awareness of the different programs offered by the library, including the “Friends of the Library” program, which organizes different talks and events regularly for members.
Only 33 alums have applied for the alumni library cards thus far. But Doksansky is optimistic about the service’s popularity – The library has sent letters to only about 100 alums since the program was launched, she said.
And she has reason to feel confident. “I know that there are interesting events happening in the library and in (the) John Hay (Library),” said Ari Savitzky ’06, a former Herald opinions editor and Providence resident.
“It seems like a great deal,” he said. “I haven’t been to get the card, but I’m going to make a point to do it.”

The Susan P. and Richard A. Friedman Study Center has been awarded “Top Design 2007 in Education” by Contract Magazine. Calling it “the vibrant heart of campus,” the magazine lauded Friedman’s mixture of spaces for study and socializing and eclectic design. Panelists heaped praise on the work by New York-based Architecture Research Office commenting on the “innovative use of materials. Bright, energized, environment. They did a lot with a little budget. Integration of graphics and ideas brought a fresh new perspective.”

“The Friedman Center is a bold and innovative addition to Brown’s campus,” said Harriette Hemmasi, Joukowsky Family University Librarian. “I am grateful to the panelists at Contract for recognizing and rewarding the hard work that went into its creative design and for selecting the Friedman Center to receive this honor. While I am happy that the Friedman Center has been heralded for its vibrant color scheme and seamless blend of spaces for study and hanging out, I am most pleased that it is such a tremendous hit with the toughest jury of all – our students. The packed computer clusters, crowded café area, and throngs of students studying independently or in groups are a familiar sight on any night of the week. To have an award is further proof that Friedman plays an important part in the experience of all Brown students.”

This is the second major design award for the Friedman Study Center, which received gold medals in “Commercial Interior Design” and “Commercial Construction/Renovation” in November’s issue of Rhode Island Monthly Magazine. The 24-hour study center is a locus of social and scholarly life on campus, receiving nearly a quarter of a million visits in the past semester alone.

A national publication from Nielsen Business Publications, USA, Contract Magazine covers the commercial design industry. To read the full text of the article, please visit: http://www.contractconnected.com/0108/index.php?section=2&article=7&page=0

The Brown University Library and the Department of Italian Studies are pleased to announce that the launch of Garibaldi and the Risorgimento, a web-based archive for the study of one the protagonists of Italian reunification and 19th century Europe. The centerpiece of this one-of-a-kind resource is a digitized version of the Garibaldi Panorama, one of the finest surviving examples of panoramic art. The archive can be accessed at http://dl.lib.brown.edu/garibaldi/.

Completed in 1860 and donated to Brown by the late Dr. James Walter Smith in 2005, the Garibaldi Panorama measures 4 ½ feet high and 273 feet long and is one of the longest paintings in the world. The Garibaldi Panorama isa “moving” panorama, meaning that audiences watched as illustrations of Garibaldi’s life were cranked out before them, including such seminal moments as his involvement in the Italian Risorgimento, escape to South America, failed defense of the Roman Republic in 1849, and triumphal expedition to Sicily, in 1860. In order to replicate this experience, Brown Library staff pieced together individual digital images of the painting into a seamless whole. Users can zoom in and out on specific scenes, listen to a voiceover narration based on the manuscript, in both Italian and English, and read explanatory notes about events depicted in the panorama. Accompanying the panorama is a collection of some 400 prints from illustrated newspapers that chronicle the movement for Italian Unification. The original manuscript narration has also been digitized. Enhancements to the site are ongoing.

“The panorama is a unique artifact, both as a historical source on Garibaldi and his times, and a fascinating specimen from the pre-history of cinema,” said Massimo Riva, Professor of Italian Studies. “An international team of scholars is currently working with the Brown Library to create a multidisciplinary resource, centered on the panorama and other visual materials, which will include historical essays, annotations and bibliographical references. Eventually, the site will be a tremendously valuable tool for scholars and students.”

“Garibaldi and the Italian Risorgimento is an invaluable resource for students of history, media, and popular culture,” said Harriette Hemmasi, Joukowsky Family University Librarian. “This is a testament to the ways that digital technologies have revolutionized how rare and archival materials can be accessed, utilized, and integrated into research and teaching. I am so pleased to be able to share this superb example of panoramic art with virtual visitors from around the world. My hopes are that it will encourage students and scholars to engage with the history of this time in a more dynamic manner and will inspire new lines of inquiry and research.”

The Library’s Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection, the Department of Italian Studies and Vincent Buonanno, Class of ’66, contributed to the project’s funding. Original manuscript material is drawn from the private collection of Dr. David Kertzer.