Ask A Librarian

Humanities Center and WVRHC to host author Valerie Nieman March 7

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
February 21st, 2023
Valerie Nieman
Valerie Nieman

The West Virginia University Humanities Center and the West Virginia and Regional History Center will present an evening with author and WVU alumna Valerie Nieman March 7 from 7:30-9 p.m. in the Downtown Library’s Milano Room.

Nieman will return to campus to read from her latest novel, “In the Lonely Backwater,” recipient of the Sir Walter Raleigh Award, North Carolina’s top prize for fiction, and other of her works of prose and poetry.

“Valerie Nieman is a dynamic figure in the vibrant literary history and landscape of West Virginia,” Humanities Center Director Renee Nicholson said. “It’s really an honor to be part of the celebration of her archive.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Downtown Library to host “Sustainable Fashion” presentation March 1

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
February 14th, 2023
Model wearing dress

The WVU Libraries’ Arts in the Libraries committee will host a program with Colleen Moretz, curator of the “Sustainable Fashion Design Exploration: Transformation to Zero-Waste” exhibit,  and her students at 4 p.m. March 1 in Room 1020 of the Downtown Library.

The exhibit includes Moretz’s work alongside zero-waste designs by students in her fashion design management course. Moretz, associate professor of Fashion, Dress & Merchandising in the Davis College, won the 2022 Art in the Libraries Faculty Exhibit Award.

Read the rest of this entry »

“Amplifying Appalachia” Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon set for March

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
February 9th, 2023
Amplifying Appalachia logo

WVU Libraries’ third annual “Amplifying Appalachia” Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon will take place throughout the entire month of March.

Instead of one organized gathering for volunteers to revise content on Wikipedia posts, participants are encouraged to set their own schedules to edit pages over the 31-day span. To cap off the month-long initiative, the Downtown Library will host an in-person editing event on Thursday, March 30, from 1-5 p.m.

Read the rest of this entry »

Libraries accepting submissions for Graduate Student Exhibit Award

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
February 8th, 2023

The West Virginia University Libraries’ Art in the Libraries committee is seeking submissions for the 2023 Graduate Student Exhibit Award.

As part of its mission, the Art in the Libraries Committee wants to highlight the art and scholarship of WVU graduate students. The Committee invites current graduate students to submit ideas for consideration for an exhibit to visually showcase their scholarship in new and experimental ways.

These can present a visual evolution of their work, visualize their research and influences, or answer a research question. Proposals should be based on their academic or creative research and lend themselves to visual interpretation with Library consultation.

“The goals of these awards are to provide a multidisciplinary platform for deeper learning, foster intellectual discourse and discussion and demonstrate the breadth of WVU’s creative and innovative activity,” Libraries Exhibit Coordinator Sally Brown said.

Read the rest of this entry »

Evansdale Library displaying unique hammer collection

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
January 30th, 2023
A collection of hammers

As part of West Virginia University Libraries’ Art in the Libraries series of exhibits of personal collections, Frankie Tack, Clinical Associate Professor in Counseling and Well-Being, shares a selection of the most common tool in the world, the hammer, in a display at Evansdale Library.

Tack’s collection of over 100 hammers ranges from a pre-colonial Native American hammer stone to hammers used by jewelers, cobblers, coopers, clockmakers, blacksmiths, masons, shipwrights, farriers, and even cigar smokers and, of course, an array of standard claw hammers from the 19th century to present.

The collection began when Tack came into possession of her father-in-law’s tools after his death. He was a farmer and a loom fixer in textiles when we still had those plants in the U.S. The collection, she soon found, also included his father’s tools.

Read the rest of this entry »

Libraries to host “Indigenous Appalachia” artist panel

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
January 12th, 2023
Collage of exhibit artists

In conjunction with its “Indigenous Appalachia” exhibit, WVU Libraries welcomes everyone to attend a virtual panel with five artists featured in the exhibit Friday, Jan. 27, at noon.

“Indigenous Appalachia,” currently on display in the Downtown Library, is designed to increase awareness of the contributions of Indigenous Appalachians to the region’s shared history and present while also recognizing continuing injustices faced by Indigenous people.

The panel will include Nadema Agard (Cherokee/Powhatan), painting; Connor Alexander (Cherokee) game design; Erin Lee Antonak (Oneida), sculpture/drawing; April Branham (Monacan), painting/photography; and Ethan Brown (Pamunkey) gourd design/painting. The event will be moderated by Sally Brown, WVU Libraries exhibits coordinator and the exhibit’s lead curator.

To register, visit wvu.libcal.com/event/9680079.

Read the rest of this entry »

WVU Libraries celebrates “The Nightmare Before Christmas” with two exhibits

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
December 13th, 2022
Student poses near exhibit

Get into the holiday spirit by exploring WVU Libraries’ two exhibits focused on “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

Tim Burton’s cult classic film, originally premiered in 1993, has grown in popularity with its whimsical style and tribute to Halloween and Christmas. The movie also has a special connection to all Mountaineers through WVU alumnus Chris Sarandon, known for his role as the speaking voice of Jack Skellington.

WVU Libraries graduate assistant Makenzie Hudson has curated two exhibits dedicated to Sarandon and the many film artifacts he donated to the West Virginia and Regional History Center.

Read the rest of this entry »

“Sustainable Fashion” exhibit on display in Downtown Library

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
December 8th, 2022
Person modeling dress

“Sustainable Fashion Design Exploration: Transformation to Zero-Waste,” an exhibit curated by Colleen Moretz, associate professor of Fashion, Dress & Merchandising in the Davis College, and the 2022 winner of the Art in the Libraries Faculty Exhibit Award, is on display in the Downtown Library, Room 1020.

The exhibit includes Moretz’s work alongside zero-waste designs by students in her Fashion Design Management 350 course.

“Sustainability has been at the center of my scholarship across the apparel and textile disciplines,” Moretz said. “Focusing my creative design scholarship on sustainability generates awareness of sustainable issues within the apparel industry to hopefully encourage change in fashion practices. This concentration on sustainability has been an evolution of investigating sustainable design processes through the exploration of transformation, aesthetics, zero waste, and up-cycling.”

The Arts in the Libraries Committee will host a program with Moretz and her students on March 1, 2023, at 4 p.m. in Room 1020. The exhibit will remain on display through May 2023.

WVU Libraries issues submission call for “Hacking the Library” exhibit

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
December 2nd, 2022
Hacking the Library graphic

The WVU Libraries’ Art in the Libraries committee wants to know your library hacks. They have issued a call for submission for an exhibit titled “Hacking the Library,” which will display at the Downtown Library throughout the 2023-2024 academic year.

“The hacker ethos in the positive sense is about the ability to deconstruct and reconstruct information systems. We invite you to highlight the intersecting values that shape our libraries through your own lens reflecting on how you library,” WVU Libraries Exhibits Coordinator Sally Brown said.

Read the rest of this entry »

WVU Humanities Center to host launch event for “Indigenous Appalachia” exhibit

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
November 3rd, 2022
Indigenous Appalachia banner
Banner designed by Maryam Marne Zafar.

The West Virginia University Humanities Center will host a program Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. to launch the “Indigenous Appalachia” exhibit currently on display in the WVU Libraries’ Downtown Library.

“Indigenous Appalachia” is an exhibit designed to increase awareness of the contributions of Indigenous Appalachians to the region’s shared history and present while also recognizing continuing injustices faced by Indigenous people.

“The Humanities Center is excited and humbled to sponsor this event,” Humanities Center Director Renée Nicholson said. “It brings together the Art in the Libraries program, the Native American Studies program, and a tremendous group of artist and scholars, two of which will visit our campus for the opening.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Downtown Library hosting “Indigenous Appalachia” exhibit

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
October 26th, 2022
Abstract painting
Abstract painting by John Gritts. It is currently on display in the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution.

West Virginia University’s Downtown Library is hosting “Indigenous Appalachia,” an exhibit designed to increase awareness of the contributions of Indigenous Appalachians to the region’s shared history and present while also recognizing continuing injustices faced by Indigenous people.

“Most Americans do not know about Indigenous culture, from history to today, but they are a large part of America’s fabric. Invisibility is a modern form of bias,” WVU Libraries Exhibits Coordinator Sally Brown said. “With this exhibit, we hope to both acknowledge the contradictions in the Indigenous histories of our areas and in our collections, and highlight Indigenous stories, perspectives and successes, all curated in collaboration with Indigenous advisement.”

Read the rest of this entry »

“Women, Work, and Activism in the Coal Mines” virtual event set for Nov. 2

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
October 21st, 2022

The West Virginia & Regional History Center (WVRHC) extends an open invitation to a virtual presentation titled Women, Work, and Activism in the Coal Mines: Stories from the Women Miners Oral History Project on Wednesday, November 2, at 7 p.m.

Dr. Jessie Wilkerson, an associate professor in WVU’s Department of History, and graduate student Emily Walter will discuss the oral history project and what they have learned talking to women miners from the region.

The Women Miners Oral History Project aims to collect and preserve the life histories of women in the Appalachian region who entered the mines as protected workers in the late 1970s after decades of exclusion.

Register for the Zoom event here.

Read the rest of this entry »

Humanities Center to host Korean American Author Matthew Salesses

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
October 21st, 2022
Matthew Salesses

The WVU Humanities Center is pleased to present “An Evening with Matthew Salesses” on Thursday, November 3, at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Salesses will read from his work and discuss contemporary Asian American literature, his innovative approaches to writing workshops and other topics. This reading and discussion is a Campus Read tie-in event.

To pre-register for this Zoom event, go to wvu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xy5ysQ3LSkCVY5FPQivQCQ

“We are excited to continue the conversation about Asian American writing with this event,” WVU Humanities Center Director Renée Nicholson said. “Our Campus Read, “Interior Chinatown,” brought up some important issues around the Asian American experience. By bringing in Matthew Salesses, we not only further that discussion, but we also have the opportunity to see how writing spaces can be re-imagined to reduce bias.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Humanities Center to host “From WV to NY: Hip Hop Geography”

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
October 12th, 2022
Graphic for Hip Hop event

The West Virginia University Humanities Center will host “From WV to NY: Hip Hop Geography,” a panel discussion around hip-hop, Black culture and place, Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the Mountainlair’s Blue Ballroom.

Amy M. Alvarez, an assistant professor of English, will moderate the discussion between West Virginia natives Steven Dunn, a novelist, and Deep Jackson, a hip-hop artist. Alvarez is a New York native, poet and self-described hip-hop head.

Also, as part of the program, Dunn will read from his new book “Travel with Nas” and Jackson will perform.

Register here to attend via Zoom.

Read the rest of this entry »

Libraries hosting “Collage Art: A panel discussion around collage as an art and therapy” on Friday

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
October 11th, 2022
Collage

WVU Libraries will host “Collage Art: A panel discussion around collage as an art and therapy” Friday at noon. Preregistration is required for this Zoom event.

The panel presentation is in conjunction with artist Corrine Lightweaver’s collage display currently up in Health Sciences Library through December.

Presenters will be Annie McFarland, WVU assistant professor and Art Therapy Program coordinator, and Linda Rosefsky, art historian. Libraries Exhibits Coordinator Sally Brown will moderate.

Lightweaver is the EveryLibrary 2021 Artist-in-Residence. Her exquisite collage-work is about the “delicate balance between people and nature as part of the story of public, private and school libraries.” The exhibition of collages, weaving animal imagery with people, domestic objects and architecture, debuted at Hastings Library in Pasadena, California in 2021.

Read the rest of this entry »

“West Virginia’s Poetic Heart” celebrates poets Maggie Anderson and Marc Harshman

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
September 30th, 2022

West Virginia University Libraries, the West Virginia and Regional History Center and the West Virginia University Humanities Center continue the “West Virginia’s Poetic Heart” celebration on October 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the Downtown Libraries’ Milano Reading Room.

Attend in person or register to watch the Zoom event here.

At 6:30 p.m., the WVRHC will be open to showcase its latest exhibit, which documents selected West Virginia poets with materials from the Center’s book and archival collections.

The “West Virginia’s Poetic Heart” program brings together West Virginia Poet Laureate Marc Harshman and the poetry of noted Appalachian poet Maggie Anderson.

Read the rest of this entry »

Campus Read “Interior Chinatown” inspiring action across campus

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
September 20th, 2022
Students in Taiwan
Ching-Hsuan Wu (center) discusses “Interior Chinatown” with her students in a tea shop in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

This year’s West Virginia University Campus Read, “Interior Chinatown” by Charles Yu, is inspiring students, faculty and staff to ponder race, stereotypes and, possibly, even the confines of achieving the American Dream through versatile coursework, events and social media.

“In choosing a book like ‘Interior Chinatown,’ we not only bring a book of outstanding literary merit to our campus, but one that challenges us to think deeply about aspects of race in America, of the roles we play, and of our sense of home, among many others,” WVU Humanities Center Director Renée Nicholson, who oversees the Campus Read, said. “It balances the weight of these themes with a compelling protagonist and satirical humor.”

Read the rest of this entry »

“Book it!” panel to explore careers in publishing industry

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
September 9th, 2022

Curious about a career in the publishing industry? The West Virginia University Humanities Center and the WVU Career Services Center are co-hosting an online panel titled “Book It: Careers in Publishing and Book Promotion” on September 19 from 4-5 p.m.

Register for the Zoom event here:

wvu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUodu2orT8sEtXDGR1Ne_46rG9yuMFbKarX

Students who are interested in book-related careers can learn more about job opportunities post-graduation, including how to prepare academically, personally and professionally to pursue these career paths.

Read the rest of this entry »

WVU Libraries to mark West Virginia Day on June 21 with “West Virginia’s Poetic Heart”

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
June 14th, 2022
West Virginia Day postcard

West Virginia University Libraries and the West Virginia and Regional History Center will help you find the words to celebrate the Mountain State’s 159th birthday with “West Virginia’s Poetic Heart” on June 21 at 1 p.m. in the Downtown Libraries’ Milano Reading Room. The date of this event has changed because of a University holiday.

The West Virginia Day program brings together West Virginia Poet Laureate Marc Harshman and the poetry of noted Appalachian poet Maggie Anderson.

“We are thrilled for Marc to headline our first in-person West Virginia Day program since 2019,” WVRHC Interim Director Lori Hostuttler said. “Although Maggie isn’t able to participate in the program, she will be present through Marc reading her works. Listening is poetry is always moving and inspiring, and will help us celebrate the experiences and relationships we as West Virginians value most.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Libraries unveil inaugural Inclusive Portrait

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
May 11th, 2022
Portrait of Victorine Louistall Monroe
Dean of Libraries Karen Diaz and artist Anna Allen pose with Allen’s portrait of Victorine Louistall Monroe.

Victorine Louistall Monroe made history twice at West Virginia University. She received her master’s in education from WVU in 1945, making her the first known Black female to be awarded a graduate degree from the University. Then, Monroe made history again in 1966 when WVU hired her to teach Library Science, making her the University’s first Black faculty member.

In April, WVU Libraries unveiled a portrait of Monroe (1912-2006), Professor Emerita of Library Science, the first painting to be commissioned as part of the Inclusive Portrait Project, in the Downtown Library’s Robinson Reading Room.

“We are excited to celebrate Victorine Louistall Monroe with this portrait,” Libraries Dean Karen Diaz said. “A true Mountaineer, Victorine broke several barriers throughout her life and set a shining example for future generations to emulate.”

Read the rest of this entry »