The JKM Library Blog

April 2024

The solar eclipse wasn’t the only monumental event to happen on Monday, April 8th! The library once again teamed up with Chatham’s food studies program to bring back our much loved and much missed International Edible Book Festival for its ninth installment. Prior to COVID-19, this internationally recognized event was celebrated by Chatham annually, and we were delighted to finally resume the celebrations after a four-year hiatus. Started in 2000, the International Edible Book Festival celebrates the loves of food and reading. It brings communities together to share creative literature inspired food or beverage items (the ‘edible books’ in question). Contestants sign up to submit an ‘edible book’, and on the day of the event they present their book to judges and attendees. The judges taste and evaluate each entry and award prizes, and the attendees vote on their favorites for the People’s Choice prize. In 2024 we had four teams and individuals enter ‘edible books’ to the festival’s contest, and our amazing team of faculty judges (Heather McNaugher, Marc Nieson, and Barbara Ann McMonigal) did their sworn (voluntary) duty! We also had about 30 to 35 attendees filter through the festival, tasting ‘edible books’ and voting for their favorites for the People’s Choice awards. 
A huge thank you to Director of the Food Studies Program Alice Julier (and the food studies program as a whole) for the financial support, Falk School Program Assistant and Apiary Manager Rebecca Nathan for all of the logistical and creative support, and FSSE graduate student Grayson Skupin for helping brainstorm creative details. This event would not have been possible without you! 
Best Tasting went to Aidan Bobik and Evelyn Fay for Harry the Dirty Dog (“dirt” )
Most Creative Literary Interpretation went to Kate Emory for Madeline (madeleines)
Most Likely to Impress Rachel Carson went to Jocelyn Codner for A Connecticut
Yankee at King Arthur’s Court (half-moon cookies / eclipse cookies)
People’s Choice (popular vote) went to Aidan Bobik and Evelyn Fay for Harry the Dirty Dog (“dirt”) Grand Prize went to Dan and Sean Nolting for Cat’s Cradle (kitty litter cake). Their inventive submission managed to both disgust and delight attendees. Alice Julier and Rebecca Nathan had a wonderful time acquiring fun and creative prizes for our winners. Many of the prizes were bee, honey, or pollinator themed, as Rebecca was also hosting a week of pollinator events up at Chatham’s Eden Hall campus via the Eden Hall Apiary. Many people were lucky enough to get a jar of delicious local honey from the EHA! Prize cart!
Thank you to the entire Chatham community for helping us keep this tradition alive. We hope you all join us for our big 10-year celebration in 2025. We’re cooking up ways to make it absolutely fantastic. Until then, we hope you all enjoy your creative moments in the kitchen and are blessed with many incredible books. 

March 2024

Do you like The Great British Bake Off? How about puns? Do books delight you? If the answer is yes to one or all of these questions, the International Edible Book Festival is for you! We are delighted to announce that the International Edible Book Festival is making its return to Chatham after a four-year hiatus(COVID). This tradition, sponsored by the JKM Library and Chatham’s food studies program, will be back for its 9th installment on Monday, April 8th from 4-6pm on the first floor of the JKM Library We know many of you have never had the pleasure of experiencing the International Edible Book Festival, so this post is here to answer all (or hopefully most) of your questions. Have more? Contact Reference and Outreach Librarian Jocelyn Codner!
What is the International Edible Book Festival? Started in 2000, this celebration of food and reading brings communities together to share creative literature inspired food or beverage items (the ‘edible books’ in question). Contestants sign up to bring an ‘edible book’, and on the day of the event they present their book to judges and attendees. The judges taste and evaluate each entry and award prizes, and the attendees vote on their favorites for the People’s Choice prize. A wonderful time is had by all! What does the event look like? We set up a bunch of tables in the JKM Library’s first floor lobby. Contestants set up their ‘edible books’ for display, and the judges begin their tastings and deliberations. Once the judges have had a chance to taste all entries, the tasting is opened up to all attendees. Attendees enjoy the ‘edible books’ and vote for their favorite (thePeople’s ChoiceAward).After everyone has had a chance to taste, vote, and socialize, we then announce our winners and distribute our prizes! (click the above picture for more)

November 2023

The library supports faculty and students’ academic pursuits during their time at Chatham by providing access to academic databases, journals, and specialized research services. But the library also supports rest and recreation! Ensuring time for adequate relaxation and creativity supports better physical and mental health and allows for individuals to accomplish more in the long term. To this end, the library has always acquired recreational reading and viewing materials. We purchase bestsellers, comic books, cookbooks, buzzy nonfiction, and popular book club picks alongside our academic titles. And while we’ve always maintained a Popular Reading display, this year we’ve put a spin on it. The library’s new Quick & Easy Reading Display has taken the space of the Popular Reading Display after a request from English as a Second Language faculty inspired ideas around how the library presents its collections. We know that the Chatham community is busy, especially students. We also know that learning English is challenging. It’s not an easy language. But reading engaging books written in English at a more attainable level is a great way to extend proficiency in the language. Thus, the Quick & Easy Reading Display was born. Chatham community members can browse a selection of Young Adult, Middle Grade, and less challenging Adult titles written in English, as well as poetry collections, graphic novels, and comic books. The goal is not to patronize students, but to give them something they can quickly enjoy and easily digest. Stop into the JKM Library today to browse this display, which lives on the built-in bookshelves to the right of the main entrance when you walk in (against the windows). Questions about this or any other displays in the library? Contact Reference & Outreach Librarian Jocelyn Codner. 

The Chatham University Archives & Special Collections is pleased to present “Europe `72: The Chatham Choir Tour Scrapbook” in the lobby of the JKM Library. The exhibit features materials documenting the Chatham Choir’s tour of Europe in 1972 with the Hamilton College Choir. Preserved in a scrapbook held by the Chatham Archives, the exhibit materials include a tour itinerary and photographs of choir activities ranging from sleeping in an airplane to performing in a 15th century church and sightseeing. Of particular interest in the exhibit is a selection of audio from the Chatham Choir tour performance in Lucca, Italy on June 12, 1972. Those unable to visit the exhibit at the JKM Library are encouraged to explore the online exhibit, created by a Chatham undergraduate student, which describes the tour in great detail. A recording of the performance in Lucca, Italy, preserved through support from the Council of Independent Colleges, is accessible through the exhibit. 

October 2022

A chill has finally settled over Chatham University beckoning in sweaters and pumpkins. Some people revolve their entire year around this season, some will mourn the end of 70-degree days and green trees. No matter which category you fall into, JKM carries DVDs for all attitudes during the Halloween season. Thinking DVDs might be a little retro to compete with all of the streaming platforms out there? These are guaranteed to always be available, while movies come and go off of Netflix and HBO. Didn’t bring a DVD player because… why would you? We have you covered there too, with DVD players that plug into your laptop and TV that with the JKM’s Movie Collection can be checked out with your Chatham ID. Now on with the horror! (And not-so-horrific) For the Classic Jump Scare Modern Horror Fans The Conjuring (2013)- If you’re a horror fan then I’m sure you’ve ticked this one off of your list a long time ago. This 2013 film is classic secluded house horror, where the living just won’t leave the paranormal alone. If you like this one, you’re in luck because there is a whole universe that follows the characters introduced. Movies like Annabelle and Insidious can be linked back to the plot of The Conjuring. The Theater Major Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)- If you’re a fan of Halloween then there is no point in even suggesting this one. A timeless cult classic, this is the only time I would recommend looking beyond the library and seeing if you can catch a live show somewhere around the city. From the catchy songs to Tim Curry as Frank-N-Furter, there is something about the original movie that will capture you every Halloween. Bite-size Horror The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Episodes (Various seasons)- Let’s face it, sometimes we just don’t have the time or attention span to watch over an hour of gripping horror. And while you might not think of turning to The Simpsons for a scare, Treehouse of Horror has become a Halloween staple in my home. Filled with classic creepy cliché and tons of pop culture references these are sure to get the Halloween vibes going for any level of horror fan. The Anti-Halloween Academic To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)- Maybe you aren’t a fan of ghosts, killers, or witches and prefer to spend your time watching classic films and reading novels. While To Kill a Mockingbird might seem a little random on this list, the costumed climax of the film along with the southern gothic feel is why I would recommend it to someone who isn’t a fan of the typical horror genre. The Horror Expert Get Out (2017)- This movie caused quite a stir when it was released and for good reason. Jordan Peele’s Get Out is horrifying for its cinematography and social commentary on race relations in America. Psychologically, this movie will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time and might have the best twist in a movie that will come in our generation. HTV Mom Vibes Practical Magic (1998)- Dreaming of spending a Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts? Practical Magic will help you achieve that in your living room. A little bit of rom-com, a little bit witchy, and a lot of crazy, it’s required to have a midnight margarita or mocktail to sip on while this plays. These are far from the only options you can find for a Halloween Movie Marathon, so make sure you stop by the JKM to browse the rest of our media collection. Make sure you have a safe and spooky Halloween season, Cougars! 

McKenna DiRienzo is a senior communications student at Chatham. When she’s not working at the library, she likes walking through Schenley, finding the best bagels in Pittsburgh, or catching up on classic horror movies. 

March 2022

We at the JKM Library know how difficult COVID-19 has been on our Chatham community. Many of us have never had the opportunity to meet, when in normal circumstances there would have been plenty of moments for librarians and library staff to meet you, help you personally, and put faces to names. Now that we are mostly back on campus, and some faces are being revealed, we decided to put together a fun “Staff Picks” book display and Spotify playlist to help you get to know us a bit better! Stop into the JKM Library in March to browse our physical book display showing off some of the library staff’s favorite books from our collection, and visit our Spotify account to listen to a playlist of some of our favorite songs. We have a broad range of tastes, and we’re always delighted to talk to you about books, music and more! If you’d like to get in contact with one of the librarians, you can find our emails on our Staff Directory page of our website. All books included in the display are available for you to checkout and read yourself. Perhaps you’ll discover a new personal favorite. Keep reading to learn more about your library staff, our areas of academic expertise (that we’re more than happy to help you in), fun facts and interesting hobbies about each of us, and then the book and song we each picked!

Jill Ausel
Job title: Library Director
Favorite part of job: I really enjoy my job, and the
best part is helping students and making the library a place of learning and fun.
A fun fact: I’m an Ancient Greek History nerd!
My book pick: The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World by Adrienne Mayor
My song pick: “In These Shoes?” by Kristy MacColl

Kate Wenger
Job title: Head of Access Service
Liaison areas: Accounting, Business, Economics, Criminology, Psychology, Social Work
Favorite part of job: Working with students, including our wonderful student workers!
An interesting hobby: I enjoy vegetable gardening,
and I love the snow and am excited to use my new cross-country skis again soon!
My book pick: Think Again by Adam Grant
My song pick: “That Was a Crazy Game of Poker” by O.A.R.

Dana Mastroianni
Job title: Head of Public Services
Liaison areas: Health Sciences, Art & Design, Communication
Favorite part of job: Being a practical help to students. Helping them discover, think and rethink,
and successfully fulfill their information needs. And my fellow librarians are pretty awesome
An interesting skill: My car karaoke skills are on point.
My book pick: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
My song pick: “Where the Streets Have No Name” by U2

Daniel Lincoln Nolting
Job title: Head of Technical Services
Specialty areas: Data and materials management.
Favorite part of job: Stickers! Putting call numbers on books! Never gets old…
An interesting skill: Along with an MFA in painting, while in NYC, I also learned an old Japanese woodcut method.
My book pick: These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore
My song pick: “Keep It Comin’ Love” by KC & The Sunshine Band

Molly Tighe
Job title: Archivist & Public Services Librarian
Academic expertise: Archives, preservation, and museums
Liaison areas: History, Political Science, Policy Studies, Bio, Chem, Math, Physics
Favorite part of job: Sharing and discovering (or helping others discover) Chatham history and how it informs campus activities today.
An interesting hobby: I sew my clothes! While I still
wear a fair bit of ready-to-wear, I try to include a me-made in every outfit.
My book pick: Ramp Hollow: The Ordeal of Appalachia by Steven Stoll
My song pick: “Jolie Holland” by All the Morning Birds

Jocelyn Codner
Job title: Reference & Outreach Librarian
Liaison areas: Food Studies, Sustainability,
Environmental Science, Education, English, Creative Writing/MFA
Favorite part of job: Working one-on-one with students!
An interesting skill: I play Irish flute.
A fun fact: I used to DJ my high school dances.
My book pick: The Diviners by Libba Bray
My song pick: “No Quiero Saber” by Selena

Carina Stopenski
Job title: Access Services Associate
Academic expertise: Gender and cultural studies, media studies, comics
Favorite part of job: Getting to see all the
interesting titles that patrons request!
A fun fact: I love to collect natural curios, like rocks, herbs, crystals, and resins!
My book pick: Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
My song pick: “Calamity Song” by The Decemberists

Jennifer Langilotti
Job title: Technical Services Assistant
Favorite part of job: Learning from more experienced librarians.
A fun fact: Good at Tetris!
My book pick: A Lost Lady by Willa Cather
My song pick: “Dennis Quaid” by Taylor Janzen

Alley Lindner
Job title: Reference Associate
Specialty areas: English Literature with a focus in Queer Theory
Other areas of interest: Juicy pop culture takes!
Favorite part of job: I love working with students–helping with research, talking through book recommendations, etc.
A fun fact: I was named after my grandmother’s three-legged dog.
My book pick: Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson
My song pick: “Motion Sickness” by Phoebe Bridgers

Chelsea Gabrielson
Job title: Reference Associate
Specialty areas: Health Sciences and Children’s Literature
Favorite part of job: I love when I can help students with research!
A fun fact: I once did a 185-mile bicycle ride down the coast of Oregon.
My book pick: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
My song pick: “Dark Red” by Steve Lacy

Amy Melnyk
Job title: Reference Associate
Specialty areas: Social Sciences
Favorite part of job: Definitely helping students!
A fun fact: I have 51 tabs currently open.
My book pick: Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong
My song pick: “Family Affair” by Mary J. Blige

Jackson Adkins
Job title: Access Services Aide
Major: Management Information Systems, Data Science minor
Favorite task at the JKM Library: Getting journals and scanning them from the basement!
A hobby: I have been snowboarding for 12 years.
An interesting skill: I can clap with one hand!
My book pick: Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black
Youth’s Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa by Mark Mathabane
My song pick: “Footsteps in the Dark” by The Isley Brothers

Trai BreenLusen
Job title: Access Services Aide
Major: English, Creative Writing and Studio Arts minors
Area of academic interest: Animation
Favorite task at the JKM Library: Pulling books for EZ Borrow and packing mail.
Something interesting about me: I’m an artist hoping to start my own business.
My book pick: The Hobbit: There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkin
My song pick: “Hey Look Ma, I Made It” by Panic! At The Disco

Riley Hurst Brubaker
Job title: Access Services Aide
Major: Journalism and Film
Favorite task at the JKM Library: Shelving and interacting with staff and fellow students.
An interesting skill: Arranging flower bouquets.
My book pick: A Black Women’s History of the United States by Daina Ramey and Kali Nicole Gross
My song pick: “Highway Unicorn” by The Highwomen

Leyla Fevola
Job title: Access Services Aide
Major: Mathmatics and Secondary Education
Favorite task at the JKM Library: I love helping and creating projects with other staff members!
Something interesting about me: I am a dual citizen, I am a citizen of the USA and Italy!
My book pick: Beautiful Boy by David Sheff
My song pick: “All For Us” by Labrinth and Zendaya

Becca Pennington
Job title: Access Services Aide
Major: Exercise Science
Favorite task at the JKM Library: Stack searches (searching for missing books)
A hobby of mine: I run cross country and track
My book pick: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
My song pick: “Runaway” by Linkin Park

Jolie Phan
Job title: Access Services Aide
Major: Human Biology
Favorite task at the JKM Library: Checking books in and out to patrons
A hobby of mine: I love playing the piano and violin
My book pick: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
My song pick: “Heroes” by David Bowie

Stephanie Spano
Job title: Access Services Aide
Major: Cell and Molecular Biology
Area of Academic Interest: Genetics
Favorite task at the JKM Library: Stack searches
(searching for missing books) or helping patrons at the desk!
A fun fact about me: I’ve been to 25 out of 50 states in the US!
My book pick: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
My song pick: “Oh My God” by Adele

Julia Windsheimer
Job title: Access Services Aide
Major: Interior Architecture, Music minor
Favorite task at the JKM Library: Shelving books
A hobby of mine: I like playing the flute
My book pick: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
My song pick: “Rock and Roll” by The Velvet Underground

Savannah Wood
Job title: Access Services Aide
Major: Psychology
Favorite task at the JKM Library: Doing inventory
An interesting skill of mine: I can twirl batons and was the majorette captain at my high school.
My book pick: Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur My song pick: “Thelma + Louise” by Bastille

December 2021

The JKM Library is honoring the cultures and history of Native Americans through a book display. Native American and Indigenous Peoples’ Heritage Month may have already passed (please take a look at our related resources page), but we should continue to reflect on the past, present, and future of these communities and their relationship to of the United States of America: how Indigenous people were colonized, how they were almost decimated, and how they are still oppressed. We recognize that we occupy the unceded, ancestral land of many Indigenous peoples, including the Delaware, the Shawnee, and the Seneca Nation, who were members of the Haudenosaunee (hoe-dee-no-SHOW-nee) Confederacy. As recently as the 1960s, nearly one-third of the Seneca’s tribal lands were taken by the U.S. government to build the Kinzua Dam northeast of the Pittsburgh (for more on land acknowledgments, see this handout). Located in the first floor, the display offers a curated selection of more than 40 books with an interdisciplinary focus, ranging from literature and history to environmental studies. Part of our goal is to make these resources more visible, which often remain hidden in the stacks. In addition, we wanted to center texts by Indigenous voices. In the case of books by non-Native American authors, we have tried to include works that are inclusive in their approach and do not reproduce problematic stereotypes. For instance, we excluded a critically acclaimed book, S.C. Gwynne’s Empire of the Summer Moon, because of its description of the Comanches as “primitive” and “barbarian.” Such language harks back to the racist discourse of past centuries, but the book was published only ten years ago and was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize. We also did not choose to share most of our Native American art books because they perpetuate the colonialist idea that Indigenous cultures are to be collected by white institutions without any attention to Native American perspectives. It is therefore urgent to share correctives to these narratives, especially from the perspective of institutions like ours, which not only occupy unceded land but also play a role in the formation of collective memory. In addition, the library’s DVD collection does not include any films directed by Native Americans except for Reel Injun, a documentary about the depiction of indigeneity in Hollywood movies, which is part of the display. We hope to be adding more items to our collection that reflect these concerns. We invite everyone to experience the exhibit and check out any books that might interest you. Some books that we would like to highlight because of their importance for Native American history and cultures are: Roxane Dunbar-Ortiz, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States (history) Two-Spirit People: Native American Gender Identity, Sexuality, and Spirituality (gender and sexuality) Natalie Diaz, When My Brother Was an Aztec (poetry) Cherie Dimaline, The Marrow Thieves (fiction) The Book of Elders: the life Stories of Great American Indians (testimony) Terese Marie Mailhot, Heart Berries (memoir) Native Americans and the Environment: Perspectives on the Ecological Indian (environmental studies) David J. Silverman, This Land is their Land: the Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled history of Thanksgiving (history) Sean Sherman, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen (cooking)
~Khalila Chaar-Pérez (she/they) is Reference Associate at the JKM Library and also works at the People’s Media Record, a grassroots video archive in Philly. She’s a proud trans Puerto Rican committed to cultivating transformative justice, antiracism, and a world without capitalism. She is also an avid hiker, a film nerd, and a trekkie. 

September 2021

This fall the JKM Library is teaming up with the Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics to bring you an in-library display in honor of Constitution Day, also know as Citizenship Day. Constitution Day is regularly observed on September 17th to commemorate the day in 1787 that delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution in Philadelphia. It is a day to recognize the history and importance of the Constitution, and to celebrate being a citizen of the United States of America. In addition to the display, the PCWP is hosting a screening of the documentary Surge (2020) on Thursday, September 16th at 11:15am in the Eddy Theater. From the documentary’s website: Surge is a feature documentary about the record number of first-time female candidates who ran, won and upended politics in the historic, barrier-breaking 2018 midterm elections. Surge follows three candidates in Texas, Indiana and Illinois who each running in uphill battles to flip their deep red districts to blue, including Lauren Underwood, the youngest Black woman to ever be elected to Congress. Some items included on the JKM Library’s display are: You Never Forget Your First by Alexis Coe African American Women in the Struggle for the Vote, 1850-1920 by Rosalyn Terborg-Penn The Unwinding An Inner History of the New America by George Packer Iron Jawed Angels (feature film) Selma (feature film) Coming to America: A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life by Roger Daniels Eyes On the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Movement (PBS docuseries) The Oxford Handbook of the U.S. Constitution Women’s Rights in the USA: Policy Debates and Gender Roles by Dorothy E. McBride and Janine A. Parry Representation and the Electoral College by Robert M. Alexander All library items can be checked out by Chatham community members, with the exception of the pocket Constitutions. Those were provided by the PCWP and are free to take and keep. 

September 2021

The Chatham University Archives & Special Collections is pleased to present “Eden Hall Farm: A Visual History from the Chatham Archives” in the lobby of the JKM Library.
A presentation of compelling images accompanied by contextualizing ephemera, the video surveys the founding, the purpose, and the experience of Eden Hall Farm guests before the site was donated to Chatham in 2007. Students, faculty, and staff can expect to see familiar Eden Hall Farm landmarks, like the Lodge, as they were
enjoyed by farm guests in the 1930s through the 1960s. During those years, the farm was a vacation and retreat center for female employees of the H. J. Heinz Company.
Following a brief introduction describing the impetus for founding Eden Hall Farm, the video presents photographs of farm guests alongside textual snippets from a brochure about the farm produced in the 1940s. All materials in the video are part of the Eden Hall Farm Collection, which is housed in the Chatham University Archives
and includes records ranging from guest books and paintings to land deeds and ephemera.

February 2021

We’re back with our second year of the Judge a Book By Its Cover Bracket! No one should be surprised that there are still many more delightfully goofy library book covers in our collection to judge and enjoy. We all know how outdated and silly some book covers can be to us now, and this bracket is all about embracing and enjoying everything these covers have to offer! We have selected 16 of our most ridiculous covers for you to compare and vote for the best/worst. Each book featured in the bracket is from our collection and is available for check-out by Chatham community members. While we are clearly encouraging you to put on your judgment caps for this activity, don’t forget that the old saying is true: never judge a book by its cover…unless your librarians are demanding that you do it in the name of fun. But in all seriousness, some of the best books out there have been saddled with covers that just don’t fit what’s inside. So while we all love a beautiful book cover, don’t let the outdated covers discourage you from picking up what might end up being your next favorite book. Now that the disclaimer is over, let’s get to the judgment. Feel free to download a bracket to fill out for fun prior to the voting. You can access the ballot HERE and on Instagram and Facebook. Make sure to follow us on social media to see which covers advance and how to vote in round two! Keep scrolling for a preview of the round one matchups and to help you fill out your brackets

January 2021

The 1960s is recognized as a pivotal era in American history, when activists in the Civil Rights Movement worked to remove barriers to equality in the voting booth, the workplace, in banking, and more. But, how involved were Chatham students in these efforts? Some might recall that Chatham students joined the marches from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 and organized a campus visit by John Lewis in 1964, but when did they begin to participate in the movement? Using the recently digitized Chatham Student Newspapers Collection from the University Archives, we can explore how a student-initiated exchange program with Hampton University, a historically black college in Virginia, created opportunities for students to better understand racism in American culture and to engage more closely in efforts to dismantle Jim Crow segregation laws in the early 1960s. In March of 1961, the Chatham student newspaper (then called The Arrow) ran a front-page article about a seminar to be held at Hampton University (then known as Hampton Institute) on “African Nations in the World Community,” an event that invited interested students and faculty from other schools to attend[1]. Chatham students Dina Ebel `63, Helen Moed `63, and Janet Greenlee accepted the invitation and, upon their return, remarked that they were impressed by the “generosity shown by the students at Hampton” and “their keen interest in international affairs, even with a problem of their own race.”[2] The three students were highlighted in an article in The Arrow by Stephanie Cooperman `63 as a counterpoint to a sense of general apathy that she felt was affecting the Chatham student population. Cooperman wrote that more opportunities like the seminar at Hampton Institute would help to engage students in the world beyond the campus. She wrote, “Why not allow more of us to learn from actual experience the pain and courage it takes to live as a minority? Why not institute an exchange program, perhaps a week’s duration, with a Southern Negro college?”[3] Ebel, Moed, and Greenlee likewise supported the exchange program idea and wrote, “We had the opportunity and we want others to share our experience. You can’t just talk and write about it; you must live it.”[4]   “[6] By the spring of 1962, an exchange program between Hampton Institute and Chatham College was in place. Those who were unable to travel to Hampton were invited to serve as hostesses for the Hampton Institute guests. This was the first such exchange program at Chatham and a variety of campus events, including dorm parties, a student-faculty tea, and a “folk sing at the Snack Bar” were planned to welcome the visiting students. The Hampton guests were encouraged to attend classes, student governance meetings, and on- and off-campus events of their choice.[5] Phyllis Fox`64, one of the five Chatham students to visit Hampton Institute in 1962, wrote in The Arrow that she hoped the program would “help bridge the wide gap of misunderstanding between beings of the same species.” Using poetry to express her thoughts, Fox wrote: “Every face has known joy and pain; Every face is wet with the same rain; The face is only the mask of life That hides the real human strife. A person is not a face, but a spirit and a mind So what matter if his skin is of a different kind?”[7] Winter of 1963 saw the HamptonChatham exchange program promoted in the student newspaper with an article describing it as an opportunity for “discussions on segregation with students who had led or participated in sit-downs and other integration movements in the South” and for insight into “one of the foremost problems of today, that of racial relations.”[8] After visiting Hampton Institute that year, Carol Sheldon `66 wrote about participating in a protest and learning about segregated lunch counters and employment discrimination. She wrote, “There is a certain unity about a group of fifty Negroes and three whites who walk into downtown discrimination-ridden Hampton on a Sunday afternoon; perhaps we were partners in fear, since many of us had not picketed anything before and were slightly apprehensive.”[9] Articles in the student newspaper about the program document a range of responses, with students expressing interest in extending the exchange for a whole semester and also insinuating that the Hampton visitors were given a less than welcome reception on campus.[10] Philip A. Silk, an Assistant Minister from the First Unitarian Church, submitted a letter to the editor to The Arrow in which he describes the potential for the exchange program to create “intelligent follow-up projects as aiding groups such as the NAACP or the Urban League.” He continues, “But it can also lead to a feeling that you have done your part, having proved your liberalism in this brief event.”[11] At the start of the 1963-1964 year, The Arrow announced plans to host a bi-monthly exchange column with the Hampton Institute newspaper[12] and efforts to help organize an exchange program between Hampton and a nearby men’s school, Washington and Jefferson College.[13] The exchange that occurred in the spring of 1965 seems to be the last. Following the exchange that year, Leslie Tarr `68 reported that there was little discussion of civil rights on Hampton Institute campus because the administration “frowned” on student engagement in civil rights demonstrations.[14] That administrators discouraged student participation in civil rights demonstrations is surprising, especially considering that Hampton Institute President Dr. Moron arranged, in 1957, an on-campus position for civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks after her demonstration sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and she was fired from her job.[15] Tarr also said that Hampton Institute students agree that “It’s the parents who are causing the trouble, and there’s hope for our generation.”[16] Illustration from The Arrow published on 4/9/1965 [18] Though it is unclear from the student newspapers exactly why the exchange program ended, it seems that Chatham students remained interested in discussing racism and civil rights issues with members of the Hampton Institute community. In 1966, the Chatham chapter of the National Student Association organized a week-long Civil Rights Forum with an aim to “broaden the exchange of ideas between Chatham students and students of other campuses.” Panelists included students from Hampton Institute, Howard University, Tuskegee Institute and Central State University as well as speakers from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).[17] By exploring the newly digitized student newspaper collection, a more vivid picture of the early 1960s on Chatham campus emerges. However, lots of questions—like why the exchange program ended and how the participants continued to engage in efforts to dismantle race-based discrimination— remain unanswered. This period in Chatham history evokes enduring questions that are critical to the fight for equality, including questions of authenticity and performativeness that circulate within contemporary anti-racist efforts. Though materials in the Chatham University Archives can’t answer all of these questions, they present an opportunity to examine how activism on campus has—and has not—changed over the years. The Chatham University Archives welcomes questions about using the collections; more information can be found at library.chatham.edu/archives. 
Notes 
1. “Hampton Institute Holds Conference on Africa,” The Arrow (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), March 17, 1961, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/ 
2. Dina Ebel, Helen Moed, and Janet Greenlee, letter to the editor, The Arrow (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), May 12, 1961 on 05/12/1961, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/ 
3. Stephanie Cooperman, “Student Slams Do-Nothings,” The Arrow (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), April 28, 1961, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/ 
4. Ebel, Moed, and Greenlee, letter to the editor, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/ 
5. “Chatham Welcomes Eight from Hampton,” The Arrow (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), April 13, 1962, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/ 
6. Stephanie Cooperman, “Chatham Arts On Integration,” The Arrow (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), February 16, 1962, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/ 
7. Phyllis Fox, “People Are People From Va. To Pa.,” The Arrow (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), April 27, 1962, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/ 
8. “Hampton, Chatham Trade Students for Weekend,” The Arrow (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), February 22, 1963, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/ 
9. Carol Sheldon, “Chathamites at Hampton,” The Arrow (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), April 12, 1963, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/ 
10. “NSA Board Requests Reply From You,” The Arrow (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania),May 10, 1963, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/ 
11. Philip A. Silk, letter to the editor, The Arrow (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), March 9, 1962, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/ 
12. “Arrow States Policy,” The Arrow (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), September 27, 1963, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/ 
13. “Seven to Travel to Hampton, Va.,” The Arrow (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), March 13, 1964, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/ 
14. “Five Students Visit Hampton College On Annual 4-Day Exchange Program,” The Arrow (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), April 9, 1965, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/ 
15. William Harvey , “Hampton University and Mrs. Rosa Parks: A Little Known History Fact.” Hampton University Website. Hampton University. Accessed January 28, 2021. www.hamptonu.edu/news/hm/2013_0 
16. “Five Students Visit Hampton College,” https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/ 
17. “NSA to Sponsor Forum on Rights,” The Arrow (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), February 4, 1966, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/ 
18. “Five Students Visit Hampton College,” https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/ 
 

October 2020

(A)bridging Community: Social Responsibility During Multiple Pandemics October 18, 2020 by library | 0 comments Welcome to (A)bridging Community: Social Responsibility During Multiple Pandemics, a virtual art exhibition curated by Chatham University student Chenoa Baker (’21, Cultural Studies) and hosted by the Jennie King Mellon Library. Starting October 18th , 2020, carefully selected pieces of art and corresponding library resources will be posted to the JKM Library’s Instagram and Facebook feeds over the course of a week. The entire exhibition (including information on the artwork, artists, and library resources) has been gathered together here as well. Curatorial Statement “We live in a moment that exposes our interconnections. They exist as bifurcations: an afterthought for some and constant reminders of inequalities as well as white supremacist capitalist patriarchy for others. At the intersection of two pandemics, we see that the innocent bystander is complicit, the moderate is a danger, and without bridging these connections with compassion, we sever the bridge we stand on and crumble into the water.” Selected Works Kim, Byron. Synecdoche. 1991, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Byron Kim (b.1961) is a contemporary Korean-American artist who explores racial identity through minimalist art. Synecdoche, one of his most famous artworks, is a collection of paint swatches matched to random sitters of different races. Some view this work as a collage of people, their untold stories, and the color of their skin speaking for them. Others may see this as a variety of people who are individuals part of the whole; similarly, the squares, put together, represent the human race. Shimoyama, Devan. February II. 2019. Devan Shimoyama (b. 1989) is a Pittsburgh-based artist and Assistant Professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Shimoyama creates renderings of glittery fantasies and anxieties around navigating Blackness and queerness. He creates images with paint, collage, and glass to communicate his message. February II, dedicated to Trayvon Martin, signifies the innocence of Black children killed by police brutality by representing them with an article of clothing—the hoodie. The hoodie masks their true identity and skews their adolescence because of the lens of white supremacy. White supremacy obscures the child inside into a perception of suspicion. (Follow on Instagram @DevanShimoyama) Ballard, Lavett. Hear My Call. 2020. Lavett Ballard (b.1970) is a collage artist, curator, and art historian. She primarily uses the medium of wooden fences and wood. She reclaims this wood to represent a retelling of Black history. In her work of Breonna Taylor, Hear My Call, she celebrates her life and the collective that shaped who she was. There are motifs of flowers, circles, and a butterfly to represent femininity, softness, and transition of her life. Typically, in Black tradition, death is accompanied by a celebration of life, a time to dwell in grief and deep lamentation and to remember the interconnected network of ancestors that welcomes the deceased person into the fold. (Follow on Facebook at @LavettBallardArt) Benjamin, Gavin. Dressed to Kill no. 1 (Hoodie). 2020, Parlor Gallery, Asbury Park, NJ. Gavin Benjamin (b.1971) is a Guyanese Pittsburgh-based artist that works in paint and a variety of appliqued materials. His most famous series is Heads of State, which depicts portraits of Black royalty in a distinct Neo-Baroque style. In Dressed to Kill, Benjamin layers images onto the subject’s hoodie and face. On the subject are images of protests, George Floyd’s phrase during the time of his death “I can’t breathe,” and Skittles and Arizona drinks that Trayvon Martin and others picked up from a corner store before their deaths. All of these markers on the body and provocative title, stresses that victims of police brutality are dressed in a multilayered story ignored during their murder. (Follow on Instagram @gavinbenjamin) Leff, Rosa. The Real Pandemic. 2020, private collection. Rosa Leff is an artist and educator that is known for her paper cutting prowess. She cuts elaborate cityscapes by hand and by X-Acto knife. The Real Pandemic is an accumulation of already present pathologies—systemic racism, a failing healthcare system, and broken economic infrastructure. Through the pandemic, it shows that we lost some of our main tenants of community. While we revisit this concept, police are central to the narrative of state power that was never created for the community and only disrupts it more by metaphorically tearing down bridges and literally ripping apart families. (Follow on Instagram @rosaleff) Click on the images below to view enlarged versions. Synecdoche February II Hear My Call Dressed to Kill no. 1 (Hoodies) Dressed to Kill no. 2 (Hoodies) Dressed to Kill no. 3 (Hoodies) Dressed to Kill no. 4 (Hoodies) The Real Pandemic Library Resources Art can be described as the culmination of cultural, social, and historical context into statements, stories, and expression of creativity. Knowing that context can dramatically change the reading of a piece, but it is not always necessary to appreciate the work. At the Jennie King Mellon Library, we do believe that discovering and understanding the context behind a piece of information (such as a work of art) is critical to full understanding. We try to communicate that importance through our work as library and information professional. To that end, here is a list of resources that we feel can help aid in building your personal understanding of the context behind these pieces. Library Books If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin | Call Number: 813.54 B2i | ISBN: 0803741693 Killing Rage: Ending Racism by bell hooks | Call Number: 305.800973 H784k 1995 | ISBN: 9780805050271 Privilege: A Reader edited by Michael S. Kimmel and Abby L. Ferber | Call Number: 305.09 P738k | ISBN: 9780813344263 Southern Horrors and Other Writings by Ida B. Wells-Barnett | Call Number: 323.092 W34Sr (and eBook) | ISBN: 9781505259605 Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi | Call Number: 305.800973 K352S | ISBN: 9781568584638 The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois | eBook | ISBN: 9780300195828 They Can’t Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore, and a New Era in America’s Racial Justice Movement by Wesley Lowery | Call Number: 305.896 L687T | ISBN: 9780316312479 What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays by Damon Young | Call Number: 973.0496 Y685W | ISBN: 9780062684301 Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect?: Police Violence and Resistance in the United States by Alicia Garza (Foreword by); Maya Schenwar (Editor); Joe Macaré (Editor); Alana Yu-lan Price (Editor) | eBook | ISBN: 9781608466849 Women, Race & Class by Angela Y. Davis | Call Number: 301.412 D291w | ISBN: 0394713516 Other Library Resources Issues & Controversies Database Issues & Controversies is a wonderful tool for both academic and personal use. Focusing on controversial topics such as systemic racism, Issues & Controversies gathers pro-con articles, primary source material, news publications, various media content, court cases, editorials, etc. to help offer a wellrounded view of difficult topics we see on the news and in life. It is an excellent tool for helping build context and understanding around some of the most hot-button topics of the day. Adam Matthew Collection The Adam Matthew Collection contains multiple relevant collections of primary source materials that touch on America’s history with white supremacy, Civil Rights, enslavement, and race relations. These materials are important when becoming familiar with our own history, especially when looking at the role community plays. Documents, newspapers, images, illustrations from the time, artifacts, and more all ground researchers in the correct historical context. African American Communities: Focusing predominantly on Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and towns and cities in North Carolina this resource presents multiple aspects of the African American community through pamphlets, newspapers and periodicals, correspondence, official records, reports, and in-depth oral histories, revealing the prevalent challenges of racism, discrimination and integration, and a unique African American culture and identity. Race Relations in America: Documenting three pivotal decades in the fight for civil rights, this resource showcases the speeches, reports, surveys, and analyses produced by the Department’s staff and Institute participants, including Charles S. Johnson, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Thurgood Marshall. Slavery, Abolition & Social Justice: This resource is designed as an important portal for slavery and abolition studies, bringing together documents and collections covering an extensive time period, between 1490 and 2007, from libraries and archives across the Atlantic world. Close attention is given to the varieties of slavery, the legacy of slavery, the social justice perspective, and the continued existence of slavery today. Do Not Resist | Streaming on AVON DO NOT RESIST is an urgent and powerful exploration of the rapid militarization of the police in the United States. Starting on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, as the community grapples with the death of Michael Brown, DO NOT RESIST – the directorial debut of DETROPIA cinematographer Craig Atkinson – offers a stunning look at the current state of policing in America and a glimpse into the future. The Hate U Give | Media Shelves | 791.4372 H283t Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Anthony Mackie, Issa Rae, Algee Smith, K.J. Apa, Common. Starr Carter navigates the perilous waters between her poor, black neighborhood and her prestigious, mainly white private school. This all changes when she finds herself in the middle of racial activism after her best friend is shot by police officers, and she’s forced to make a decision. Allow the media to skewer her friend to protect the status quo, or stand up and tell the truth in memory of Khalil? Roots | Media Shelves | 791.4372 R678h An adaptation of Alex Haley’s “Roots”, in which Haley traces his African American family’s history from the mid-18th century to the Reconstruction era. You can find more relevant resources on our Black Lives Matter resource guide. 

February  2020

From the dated to the down-right goofy, we all know that library books can have some of the most outlandish covers ever seen. We know, we know…we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover. And that’s true! Many amazing books have been saddled with less than appealing covers, and we should give them a fighting chance before writing them off, but for right now, for just this purpose, in this moment, we are going to judge the heck out of some book covers! Join us in March and April for our first ever Judge a Book by Its Cover bracket. We have selected 16 of our most ridiculous covers for you to compare and vote for the best/worst. Each book featured in the bracket is from our collection and is available for check-out by Chatham community members. You’ll be able to browse them at the Popular Reading display on the first floor of the JKM Library. We encourage you to pick them up and read their synopses! Because, after all, we can’t judge what’s inside by what’s outside, can we? We welcome you to check them out at any time. Round One will begin on Friday March 6th and last until Tuesday March 17th . Each following round will last about a week, wrapping up on Monday April 6th ! Voting during each round will happen in a number of ways. First, we will have the bracket laid out on our Art Wall on the first floor of the JKM Library. Don’t know where that is? Ask at the Circulation or Reference desks! Each book cover will be posted, and you will be able to vote for you favorite in each matchup by adding a sticker next to the cover you love to hate the most. We will also be posting each matchup to social media and will encourage folks to vote for their favorites in the comments. Votes will be tallied at the end of each round and added to the votes from the Art Wall. Winners will then move on to the next round, and so on and so forth until we have selected our most gloriously bad book cover! If you want to play along, you can download a bracket here or pick one up in the library. The book covers are included with the bracket, and they are added below along with the Round One matchup. If you want to share your filled-out brackets with us, post to social media with #BookCoverBracket. We would love to share your perfect bracket! We hope you enjoy our inaugural Judge a Book by Its Cover bracket and that it inspires you to check out a book you might have discounted before.

February 2020

As we live more and more of our lives on the Internet, it’s important to take personal digital privacy seriously. Hacking techniques can be very sophisticated, and a breech in your privacy can have devastating effects. Learning how to protect your data and your privacy online, as well as how to develop good digital hygiene, is becoming more and more important.
Last semester (fall 2019), we conducted an informal #BeCyberSmart survey of our patrons, asking which level of familiarity they have with personal digital privacy and which actions they take to protect their personal information online.
Patrons were asked to select a sticker color that corresponded with their knowledge level and place those stickers in the columns representing actions they have taken to protect their personal digital privacy. Below are the results of this interactive informal survey.
While most participants have indicated that they know at least a little bit about personal digital privacy and cybersecurity, there is always room for more knowledge! The more you know, the better able you are to protect yourself online. Below we’ve compiled a quick list of resources for you to use when going about a personal digital detox or increasing your personal digital privacy.
1) Use a password manager like Bitwarden or LastPass.
2) Go through the Data Detox Kit: https://datadetoxkit.org/en/home
From the website… “The Data Detox Kit’s clear suggestions and concrete steps help people harness all aspects of their online lives, making more informed choices and changing their digital habits in ways that suit them.”
Follow simple step-by-step guides to cleaning up your digital presence and locking down your digital privacy
Includes tips and tricks for how to maintain your privacy and good digital hygiene
Offers alternatives to popular apps that do not respect your privacy or pose threats to your privacy
Developed by Berlin-based organization called Tactical Tech in partnership with Mozilla
3) Swap out Google for DuckDuckGo: https://duckduckgo.com/
DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine that runs off of the same search index as Bing, which means it isn’t quite as intuitive as Google, but your
information stays safe!
It does NOT track your searches
It has a very useful browser plug-in that will “grade” each website you visit in terms of how well that website will protect your personal digital information:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/duckduckgo-for-firefox/
It blocks ads for you. We still recommend adding additional ad blockers (The Data Detox Kit has great suggestions)
When coupling DuckDuckGo with Firefox, you’re off to a good start in terms of protecting your privacy while using the Internet
4) Feeling really adventurous? Try out Brave Browser: https://brave.com/
From the website… “You deserve a better Internet. So we reimagined what a browser should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get unmatched speed,
security and privacy by blocking trackers. Earn rewards by opting into our privacy-respecting ads and help give publishers back their fair share of Internet revenue.”
Brave goes beyond protecting your privacy. It revolutionizes how companies monetize their online presence and put that power in your hands. Instead of suffering through ads, you get to decide where your money goes. And if you decide you’re ok with ads, you get rewarded for it!
Brave does not collect your data and gives you incredible control over your own Internet experience
5) Visit the Electronic Frontier Foundation and read up on current affairs concerning personal digital privacy online and more: https://www.eff.org/issues/net-neutrality From the website… “The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. We work to ensure that rights and freedoms are enhanced and protected as our use of technology grows.”
They advocate for safe, secure, and equitable access to Internet resources for all Take advantage of their numerous tools and additional resources to protect Internet users’ privacy: https://www.eff.org/pages/tools
Volunteer with the EFF and contribute even more!

February 2020

Archival footage on display in the JKM Library As part of an ongoing, rotating showcase of recently digitized media in the lobby of the JKM Library, the Chatham University Archives & Special Collections is pleased to present “Issues for the 90s: A Conversation with the President.” This film features Dr. Rebecca Stafford, President of Chatham from 1983 until 1990, discussing a proposal for coeducation brought forth to the college community in 1990. The footage was reformatted through support from the Council of Independent Colleges.
Members of the Chatham community and the public are welcome to enjoy the presentation.
The film digs into the questions and concerns alumnae had in the 1990s about the coeducation proposal, enrollment issues, and the future of Chatham College (now University). According to the footage, coeducation was being considered because of concern about enrollment projections and a desire to sustain the institution. Dr. Stafford mentions that growth in adult education at women’s colleges, like the Gateway Program at Chatham, served to increase enrollment numbers overall but did not provide a sustainable model over the long term. Rather, she concluded, Chatham needed to develop a plan to attract more residential students.  Moreover, it is illuminating to learn that coeducation had been considered several times over the course of Chatham’s history. The footage of Dr. Stafford was recorded in February of 1990, a full twenty-five years before Chatham’s undergraduate programs became coed. The Coeducation Debate Collection (click here for the finding aid) includes records of the first formal consideration of coeducation at Chatham in the late 1960s and petitions from faculty, students, and alumnae when the issue was raised in 1990. In the footage on view, Dr. Stafford mentions that Board of Trustees discussed coeducation when changing the school’s name from The Pennsylvania College for Women to Chatham in the 1950s. She notes the trustees were concerned that Chatham must “have a name that doesn’t have `women’ in it."

Board of Trustee Minutes from 1954 discussing coeducation.
The “Issues for the 90s: A Conversation with the President” is on view in the JKM Library lobby for the enjoyment of members of the public and the Chatham
community. Those interested in exploring the history of coeducation at Chatham are encouraged to explore the film and related material in the Chatham University Archives and Special Collections.
By Janelle Moore, Archives Assistant, and Molly Tighe, Archivist & Public Services Librarian

January 2020

It’s the year of Morocco! The global focus of the 2019-2020 academic year here at Chatham has turned its eye to this multifaceted North African country. Morocco is located in an advantageous region of the world for trade and travel, which led to a fascinating blending of cultures, customs, goods, and people. The Year of Morocco first floor book display The region of modern day Morocco was originally inhabited by Berber tribes and were under both Phoenician and then Carthaginian rule, acting as a critical resource in trade activity with the Iberian Peninsula. When Roman rule expanded and then collapsed, control of Morocco went back to the Berbers. Arab populations invaded in AD 684, adding yet another cultural element to the region. Over the centuries, Morocco found itself in a unique position in terms of early globalization. As empires blossomed and crumbled, trade expanded and new religious and scientific thought was shared. Morocco’s physical location placed it in the middle of much of this change and movement. Leadership and rule of the region changed as influence in Europe and the Middle East shifted. By the late 19th century, larger Imperialist powers in Europe were arguing over control of Morocco, and it eventually was taken by France and Spain. Morocco eventually gained its independence in 1956 after seeing much strategic action during WWII. Over the next few decades, shifting boundaries continued as previously colonized regions were returned and new boundaries were drawn all over the world, including Morocco. Political unrest also continued, and the country’s governmental structure has gone through changes as recently as the 1990s. Year of Morocco first floor book display Today, Morocco is an Islamic state (Sunni) with a hereditary constitutional monarchy with a two-chamber legislature. While the King retains veto power, there is a selected Prime Minster who runs the government. Modern Morocco has made strides in social reform, granting women increased rights and freedom, working toward decreasing unemployment, and strengthening their global relationships especially with Europe. To learn more general knowledge about Morocco, visiting our Global Focus display on the first floor of the JKM Library and check out any number of the follow fiction and non-fiction titles. You can also visit Credo Reference and read the entry for ‘Morocco’. Special thank you to Luke Peterson, the Faculty Coordinator for the Global Focus this year, for suggesting some of these amazing titles. 
A History of Modern Morocco by Susan Gilson Miller
Amazir by Tom Gamble
Beyond the Veil by Fatima Mernissi
Globalizing Morocco by David Stenner
Secret Son by Laila Lalami
Travels in Asia and Africa, 1325-1354 by Ibn Batuta
This Blinding Absence of Light by Tahar Ben Jelloun
Up Above the World by Paul Bowles
Women and Property in Morocco by Vanessa Maher
Year of the Elephant by Laylá Abū Zayd
And many many more!
 

April 2019

On April 1st 2019, the Jennie King Mellon Library held its 8th Annual International Edible Book Festival, co-sponsored by Chatham University’s Food Studies Program. The entries were delightfully creative and absolutely delicious. And while every year we are impressed with the Edible Book creations submitted by participants, we were extra blown away this year. The competition was incredibly tough! We saw 12 Edible Book creations and enjoyed record breaking attendance with over 50 folks joining us for some yummy fun!
Family fun at the JKM Library’s 8th Annual International Edible Book Festival
The event was held in the Jennie King Mellon Library lobby. Our planning committee included Reference and Outreach Librarian Jocelyn Codner and food studies graduate student Jordan Mason, with support from Falk School Administrative Assistant Hallie Jensen. Hallie is always a huge help during the logistical planning of this event.
The International Edible Book Festival is an event celebrated in libraries around the world. It began in 2000 by two women who wanted to combine love for literature with love for food and cooking. It is traditionally celebrated on or around April 1st in honor of French gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.
Folks who decide to submit an Edible Book select a favorite book, or perhaps just a book that sparks inspiration, and they craft a food item or beverage that creatively interprets and represents that book! A few ways to accomplish this could be in a clever name (puns encouraged), the way the food item is decorated, the ingredients in the food item, or perhaps by featuring a particular food item that was featured in the book itself. The result is fun, delicious, and literary. Participants bring their Edible Books to the event, and attendees and judges get to taste and judge each entry!
At our Edible Book Festival, we offer five prize categories:
Most Sustainable (ingredients must be clearly marked as being organic, local, sustainable, etc)
Most Creative Literary Interpretation
Best Tasting
Crowd’s Choice
Grand Prize
This year’s official judges included Assistant Professor Marc Nieson and Archivist and Public Services Librarian Molly Tighe, who both have volunteered to judge in previous years, and new judge Assistant Professor Sarah Shotland. They selected the winners of Most Sustainable, Most Creative Literary Interpretation, Best Tasting, and the Grand Prize. The 50+ attendees all voted on Crowd’s Choice. Keep scrolling to see who the big winners were and what kind of amazing Edible Books were submitted this year!

Our Most Sustainable winner was “Call Me by Your Bundo” by Erica Cohen and Sarah Fink. This Edible Book played off of the books Call Me by Your Name by Andre Aciman and A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss, illustrated by E.G. Keller (presented by Last Week Tonight with John Oliver). It was a playfully decorated carrot cake that won for it’s sustainable ingredients and it’s socially sustainable message. 

Our Most Creative Literary Interpretation was “Make Room! Make Room!” by Dan Nolting, which drew its inspiration from the book Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison (later turned into the 1973 science fiction film Soylent Green). Dan created a multimedia experience with his scifi steam-punk Edible Book that included a looping video with sound to accompany his lime coconut jello shots. 

The Best Tasting award went to “Game of Scones” by Kate Emory, obviously inspired by A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) by George R. R. Martin. This Edible Book featured scones with four different delicious flavor profiles to represent four major families in the book series. 

The winner’s of the Crowd’s Choice award was “Jack and the Beanstalk” by Suhui Dong and Yuchun Tung for their stunning crepe cake flavored with matcha, rum, and red bean paste decorated with candy meringues and adorable illustrations and figures. 

And finally, the Grand Prize was awarded to Sarah Birmingham for “Dune”, inspired by the science fiction novel Dune (Dune #1) by Frank Herbert. Sarah’s Edible Book involved handmade pumpkin sherbet (pun intended), handmade cinnamon beignets, and (most impressively) handmade chai gummy worms!
Our 2019 winners!
Click through the gallery to see additional Edible Book entries and more photos from the festivities! We hope this inspires you to join us next spring for our 9th Annual
International Edible Book Festival.
“Alice in Wonderland” cheesecake and berry tarts
“Brew Your Own Polyjuice”
“Ophelia’s Bouquet of Madness”
“Oedipus Rex” cherry poppers
“Treasure Island”
“Tell Tale Tart”
“Goodnight Moon”
“If You Give a Moose a Muffin”
“Call Me by Your Bundo”
“Make Room! Make Room!”
The spread
“Alice in Wonderland”
“Game of Scones”
Preparing for judgement
Molly Tighe judging
Our judges making their rounds
Jocelyn brews a potion
Judges gonna judge
Polyjuice Potion for all!
 

February 2019

Walking around the JKM Library, you may have noticed a curious video running on a loop in the JKM Library near the Popular Books table. Or perhaps, you’ve only heard about the interesting video and are worried about missing out? Fear not! We’re happy to share the clips of the video so that off-campus community members, alums, and the general public can enjoy it as much as students, staff, and patrons who frequent the JKM Library. Ready? Archival Film on View in the JKM Library The video is one of several that the University Archives & Special Collections digitized recently as part of its preservation program. The Archives works with local specialists equipped with film ovens (used to warm decaying film before running it through players) and all sorts of reformatting equipment to create preservation- quality, digital versions of footage on obsolete formats. The Archives is continually working to make more material available and we have plans to preserve more archival films in the coming months. Stay tuned! Part 1 of the film features footage of the 1936 Commencement ceremony, the oldest known footage in the Archives. Running just over two minutes and with no sound, the footage shows graduates filing into the ceremony area between Laughlin and Buhl Halls. At the time, Laughlin was a library and Buhl had yet to be expanded to the size we know today. The film shows the college glee club performing under the direction of Earl B. Collins, audience members watching from the windows in Buhl Hall, and a view of the audience seated above the ceremony area. The program from the 1936 commencement that lists the names of the graduates, the commencement speaker, and other details from the day can be viewed as part of Chatham’s Commencement Programs online collection. Click here for the 1936 Commencement program. The second half of the film, which runs just under one minute, is a bit of a mystery. The footage appears to show Arthur Braun, then President of the Board of Trustees, as well as Dean Mary Marks. However, the rest of the individuals are—as yet—unidentified. Any ideas? Additional audio and video material from the Chatham University Archives is accessible online from the Historical Film Collection (click here) and the Historical Audio Collection (click here). Researchers and those interested in seeing additional material are encouraged to reach out to the Chatham University Archives here. Even more material is available for viewing pleasure on the Archives Facebook (@chathamarchives) and Instagram (@chathamarchives), where we’re posting as part of the 150th anniversary of Chatham’s founding with #150Throwbacks. 

December 6, 2018

Don’t be fooled by our gentle demeanor. Librarians have a bit of a competitive side as well. True, it comes out in strange ways, but it is definitely there. For example, it is not uncommon for groups of librarians to ask one another how many books they currently have checked out from their respective libraries. The winner will usually have a number in the hundreds. We LOVE checking books out of the library, sometimes more than actually reading them.
While we don’t expect you to match our own checkout numbers, we invite you to pile up a fun stack of books to checkout over your upcoming winter break! What could be better than fun, comforting winter reads while you’re resting up for the spring? Well, what if we told you that you could actually win prizes as well? That’s better, right?

2018’s Clear This Display main book display
Welcome to our annual Clear This Display Contest! Each book you check out from our main book display earns you an entry into our raffle. You may enter as many times as you like (read: check out as many books as you like). Simply fill out the slip tucked in the book, fold it up, and put it in the red contest submission box at circulation! We draw two winners in January once we’re all back from break.
The rules for the contest are as follows:
Be a Chatham University student.
When checking an item out, fill out the slip that comes with it and submit your entry at the circulation desk after check-out.
Enter as many times as you want! One entry per item checked out from the table.
Take items home and enjoy 🙂 Be aware of the due dates.

We have two prizes for participating students: a guaranteed individual study room for ALL of Spring 2019 finals week, stocked with your favorite study goodies, OR a $10 gift certificate to Café Rachel. We alert winners via their Chatham email, so it’s important not to skip that line on the slip when submitting an entry for a prize.

So, how many books do you think you can check out before you leave for winter break? We want nothing left on this table by the end of the semester…do your worst.
 

November 2018

This November, the JKM Library launched a crowd sourced digital mapping project called “Whose Land Are You On?” in honor of Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month. We have a couple of goals for this project, which will be ongoing and updated throughout the years. First, we wanted to document where people in the Chatham Community grew up or considered their childhood home so we can see how far we’ve all come from. We then wanted to help the Chatham community educate each other on which indigenous people call/called that land home before being pushed out. We also aim to generate awareness around indigenous culture and the devastating effects of colonialism. Ultimately, we hope to honor those indigenous people and help stop the erasure of their presence from their own land.
So, how does this digital mapping project accomplish all that, and how can you participate?
We are using two digital tools to build our own map: Native Land and Google’s My Maps. Native Land is a project originating out of Canada and run by Victor Temprano as an engaging tool for awareness and advocacy. It is a dynamic project and comes with the caveat that it may contain inaccuracies. Victor acknowledges the maps many flaws in theory and in practice, but its intention is education, and that is how we are using it with this project. My Maps is a great tool from Google that allows us to create our own map with custom data. Anyone can access it and contribute to the map with their data.
To participate, you first look up your home town on the Native Land map. This website will tell you the different Native and indigenous people who lived on that land.
You then will want to go to our My Maps map, look up your home town again, and then drop and edit a pin in that location! We ask that you insert the Native tribal information into your pin so that others visiting the map will be able to see who called that land home before the colonizers. For in-depth instructions and images, please visit our guide at https://library.chatham.edu/whoseland and contribute a pin of your own!
Once you are done adding your pin, you can return to Native Land and take advantage of the informational links they offer on the Native tribes that pop up when you searched your home town. Click on those links and take 10 minutes out of your day to read up on them and their culture. Take that information with you as you head home
for Thanksgiving, and tell your family about the people whose land you are on. Thank them for being the stewards of that land, and talk about what you and your family can do to support them now.
We encourage everyone from any part of the Americas to participate! That includes Canada, Central, and South America. And don’t forget Hawaii! Native Americans are
not just indigenous folks from what we now call the United States. Borders have a habit of tripping us up, but if you are from a part of the world that has been documented by Native Land, please feel free to add it to our map. We will continue to ask the Chatham community to add to and browse this map in years to come. This project has no end date and will continue to be living and dynamic for as long as the tools we picked will allow. Check back in next year or the year after to see how it grows.
 

October 2018

Every year, the JKM Library creates displays of books and resources related to the country selected as the Global Focus country for that academic year. This year, Chatham has selected Ireland! The Year of Ireland display highlights books written by notable Irish authors or written about Ireland’s history, culture, politics, etc. The intention is to make resources available to the Chatham community so you may further educate yourselves on the country of focus selected by the university.
The display can be found on the first floor of the library in the lobby area next to the New Books display. All the materials on the Year of Ireland display are available to be checked out with your Chatham ID card. Wondering if we have a specific book that you don’t see on display? Ask a librarian! We can check our catalog for any materials you’re looking for.
Some items on display include the following. To browse more, click here!
Dublin: The Making of a Capital City by David Dickson
The Gathering by Anne Enright
The Great Hunger: Ireland 1845-1849 by Cecil Woodham Smith
Ireland’s Pirate Queen: The True Story of Grace O’Malley by Anne Chambers
Time and Tide by Edna O’Brien
Women and Politics in Contemporary Ireland: From the Margins to the Mainstream by Yvonne Galligan
Stories by Elizabeth Bowen 
The Princeton History of Modern Ireland edited by Richard Bourke & Ian McBride
At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O’Brien
The Course of Irish History edited by T.W. Moody and F.X. Martin
The Dancers Dancing by Eilís Ní Dhuibhne
Death and Nightingales: A Novel by Eugene McCabe
Ireland in Prehistory by Michael Herity and George Eogan

June 2018

Mental Health Resources
Chatham University Counseling Services
Website: https://www.chatham.edu/campus-life/services/counseling.cfm
Phone: (412) 365-1282
Hours: 9:00am-5:00pm M-F
Location: Woodland Hall, Ground Level
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-8255 (For Veterans press 1)
UPMC re:SOLVE CRISIS NETWORK
333 North Braddock Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
Tel:1-888-796-8226 call any time and speak with a trained counselor
JEWISH FAMILY AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES
5743 Bartlett Street
Pittsburgh PA 15217
Tel: 412-521-3800
Email: info@squirrelhillpsych.org
http://www.squirrelhillpsych.org/
NEW HORIZONS PEER SUPPORT DROP IN CENTER
Provides recovery focused classes, advocates on site, social activities, computer lab, and peer support. Must be a resident of Allegheny County and over the age of 18 with mental health challenges.
616 Lincoln Ave., Bellevue, PA 15202
Tel: 412-766-8060
www.peer-support.org and click on services link
Find even more resources and services for mental health and more at Be Well! Pittsburgh https://bewellpgh.org/
 

April 23, 2018

April is National Poetry Month, and we at the JKM Library have a soft spot in our literary hearts for poetry. This month, student workers Alie Davis and Carina Stopenski worked together to design and curate our Main Book Display. Items selected ranged from classics like Sylvia Plath to Chatham students’ chapbooks and everything in between. While all the poetry collections on display are worth checking out and exploring, Alie Davis has selected three that stand out to her. Read her bite-sized reviews below for poetry collections you can check out today!
Andrea Gibson’s first book, Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns, inspires action in all of its readers. This collection is brimming with brutal tenderness. Gibson covers topics that are relevant to the current political climate. This collection is full of poems about gender, love, violence, and an overwhelming optimism for surviving no matter what.  Lori Jakiela, a local Pittsburgh poet, released her chapbook, Big Fish in 2016. This collection sings with humor, playfulness, and light, but does not shy away from the hard things. Jakiela writes about landscape, motherhood, and giant fish sandwiches. Big Fish is a rich collection to dive into and swim through. Lighthead by Terrance Hayes is his fourth collection to be published. Always blurring the line between story and song, and reality and dream, Hayes engages with how we ground ourselves in the everyday and how we construct experience. Musical and dream-like, Lighthead offers meditations on desires and history. Masterful precision of language and sound moves this collection to a Must-Read for all.

April 2018

In conjunction with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s upcoming performance of Silent Spring, a symphonic tone poem created to honor the 50th anniversary of the publication of the seminal Rachel Carson book, the Chatham University Archives is presenting an exhibit titled Nature & Nurture: The Rachel Carson Legacy in Pittsburgh. On view in Heinz Hall from April 6 through April 22, the exhibition presents highlights from the collections of the University Archives that explore the roots of Rachel Carson’s interest in science and writing and the legacy of celebrating her achievements though music.
Chatham Archives exhibit Nature & Nurture: The Rachel Carson Legacy in Pittsburgh at Heinz Hall
Widely recognized for The Sea Around Us, Silent Spring, and countless articles that brought attention to the detrimental effects of widespread pesticide use, Rachel Carson’s connection to music isn’t frequently discussed. However, music played a major role in Rachel’s upbringing, as her mother taught piano lessons to local children in the family home and many days were spent setting Mother Goose rhymes to music.
Nature & Nurture exhibit essay in Pittsburgh Symphony Concert Program
Rachel remained a classical music fan throughout her lifetime, even writing liner notes for the National Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Claude Debussy’s Le Mer and speaking at an orchestra benefit luncheon. As a student at Chatham (then Pennsylvania Female College), Rachel evoked the sound of piano music in her literary club award winning essay, Broken Lamps. This essay is available online through the University Archives at this link.
Nature & Nurture exhibit from University Archives in Heinz Hall
The exhibition, Nature & Nurture: The Rachel Carson Legacy in Pittsburgh, spans Rachel Carson’s experience as a student and a few of the local, musical events that have honored her work as an environmental pioneer. The display includes photographs, programs, and documents from the 1995 Opus: Earth symphony concert to benefit the Rachel Carson Institute and the World Wildlife Fund.

Opus: Earth Program Cover Of particular note is a score to Silent Spring inscribed “in honor of Rachel Carson to her Alma Mater Chatham University” by the composer, Steven Stucky. The score was presented during an on-campus discussion of his piece and the legacy of Rachel Carson in 2011.
Score for “Silent Spring” inscribed to Chatham by composer Steven Stucky

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is generously offering discount codes for students, staff, faculty, and alums. Contact Student Affairs for more information. You won’t want to miss the special pre-concert lecture by Dr. Patricia DeMarco, former head of the Rachel Carson Institute and our region’s foremost Rachel Carson scholar.

Dr. DeMarco’s lecture will occur on Friday, April 20, 2018.
Can make the event? Check out the finding aid for the Collection on Rachel Carson or contact the Chatham University Archives & Special Collections to learn more about Rachel Carson `29 and her local legacy.

March 2018

Another year, another AMAZING Edible Book Festival! The International Edible Book Festival is a celebration of food and literature, combining both into tasty fun! This year, we had an incredible variety of sweet and savory dishes ranging from cleverly simple to technically impressive. There was also liberal usage of props, much to our delight! It was exciting, to say the least. The event was again co-sponsored by the Food Studies Program and hosted in the Jennie King Mellon Library lobby. Our planning committee included Reference and Outreach Librarian Jocelyn Codner and Food Studies students Lore Pinder and Rachel Waugh. Participants select a favorite book, or perhaps just a book that sparks inspiration, and they craft a food item or beverage that creatively interprets and represents that book!
A few ways to accomplish this could be in a clever name (puns encouraged), the way the food item is decorated, the ingredients in the food item, or perhaps that particular food item was featured in the book. The result is a fun and delicious Edible Book. Participants bring their Books to the event, and lucky attendees get to taste and judge each entry!
At our Edible Book Festival, we offer five prize categories:
Most Sustainable (ingredients must be clearly marked as being organic, local, sustainable, etc)
Most Creative Literary Interpretation
Best Tasting
Crowd’s Choice
Grand Prize
This year we had the pleasure of Dr. Carrie Tippen, Associate Professor Marc Nieson, Dr. Alice Julier, and Archivist Molly Tighe as guest judges. They selected the winners of Most Sustainable, Most Creative Literary Interpretation, Best Tasting, and the Grand Prize. The 35+ attendees all voted on Crowd’s Choice. Keep scrolling to see who the big winners were and what kind of amazing Edible Books were submitted this year!

Most Sustainable: Mikayla Wobrak and Albert Stanley for “Seoul Long and Thanks for All The Fish Tacos”
Most Creative Literary Interpretation: Lore Pinder for “Sweeny Todd’s A Little Priest Pies”
Best Tasting: Rachel Snyder for “Not All Tarts Are Apple”
Crowd’s Choice: Jade and Iris Marzolf for “Brucie’s Cake from Matilda”
Grand Prize: Kate Emory for “The Crepe Gatsby”
A Little Priest Pies (Most Creative Literary Int.)
Not All Tarts are Apple (Best Tasting)
Prizes!!
Pulled Piggy
Baklava inspired by Cresent
The Crepe Gatsby (Grand Prize)
Bread and Jam for Frances / Arthur’s Honey Bear
The Sunshine and Biscotti Club
Brucie’s Cake from Matilda (Crowd’s Choice)
Animal Farm
Harold & the Purple Iced Cake
Seoul Long And Thank for All The Fish Tacos (Most Sustainable)
Our judges judging
Mikayla and Albert with their award winning Edible Book!

January 2018

The Chatham University Archives invites you to explore Chatham Leadership: The Presidency of Cora Helen Coolidge, an exploration of a president whose ceaseless dedication to women’s education steered Chatham through one of its most tumultuous chapters. Presented as an extension of Chatham Leadership: A Presidential Timeline, this exhibit aims to convey both the impact Coolidge had on Chatham as well as the profound and indelible impression she had on the lives of students from her era. The exhibit is on view in the lounge of the Women’s Institute in Braun Hall, and we encourage your to stop by and explore the legacy of President Coolidge. Pennsylvania College for Women President Cora Helen Coolidge Cora Helen Coolidge was born on December 6, 1866 in Westminster, Massachusetts to Ellen Drusilla Coolidge and Frederick Spaulding Coolidge. Her father, distantly related to Calvin Coolidge, was the first democratic congressman from Massachusetts. Her brother, Marcus Allen Coolidge, was mayor of Fitchburg, Massachusetts prior to his election to the U.S. Senate. A learned family, the Coolidges frequently discussed the works and philosophies of Thoreau, Emerson, and other transcendentalists during supper, and Cora was made to read the Bible, English literature, history, and politics. Miss Coolidge’s father, Frederick Spaulding Coolidge. C.M. Bell, photographer. Hon. F.S. Coolidge , 1891. [between January and January 1894] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/ Upon graduating from the Cushing Academy in 1887, Coolidge attended Smith College, a private women’s liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she received a Bachelor of Laws. During the following summers, Coolidge took classes at the University of Chicago and the University of Gottingen in Germany. Portrait of Miss Coolidge, 1897 Fitchburg Historical Society Fitchburg, Massachusetts www.fitchburghistoricalsociety.org Coolidge came to the Pennsylvania College for Women (PCW, and now Chatham University) in 1906 as President Henry Drennan Lindsay’s hand-picked successor to Miss Elizabeth Eastman, the former dean of the college. At the time of her hiring, Coolidge had developed the reputation as a strong public lecturer on the subject of English literature and the adept and personable vice-principal of the Cushing Academy, her alma mater, in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. After arriving in Pittsburgh, Coolidge continued giving public lectures about women’s education and her two favorite authors—Robert Browning and Robert Louis Stevenson—to clubs, church groups, and other educators. Coolidge was active in several of these clubs and groups, including the American Association of University Women, Pittsburgh Colony of New England Women, Twentieth Century Club, Women’s City Club, and Monday Luncheon Club (click here to learn about the Monday Luncheon Club through records held at the Heinz History Center). In 1908, Coolidge founded the College Club, an association of female graduates to socialize and pursue common interests in education, science, and humanities. Luncheon at P.C.W. for Jane Addams, 1908 (Addams second from left, Coolidge third from right) Following the sudden death of President Lindsay from pneumonia in 1914, Coolidge was chosen to serve as the acting president of the college prior to Dr. John Carey Acheson’s election in 1915. Coolidge served as dean until she was appointed in 1917 to be President of the National Committee of the Bureau of Occupations, a war-time committee engaged under governmental authority to find jobs for women. Before accepting the position, Coolidge was awarded a Doctor of Literature by PCW. In addition to her wartime work with the Bureau of Occupations, Coolidge was highly active executive secretary of a Red Cross branch that included Fitchburg, Massachusetts and ten other towns. World War I Volunteer Clerical Corps., Fitchburg, Massachusetts, 1918 Fitchburg Historical Society, Fitchburg, Massachusetts www.fitchburghistoricalsociety.org After the resignation of Dr. Acheson as president of PCW in 1922, Coolidge was asked by the Board of Trustees to assume the position of president. Acutely aware of the college’s precarious financial position, Coolidge proclaimed, “I’ll come back to Pennsylvania College for Women if you mean business, but I won’t come back to bury it.” Reasonably satisfied with the seriousness of the board’s attitude, Coolidge accepted the position with the intent of solving the college’s financial woes by establishing an endowment of one million dollars. Additionally, Coolidge sought to raise five hundred thousand dollars for equipment and buildings and to boost the reputation of the college to match those of nation’s best universities. A clipping of an interview published in 1922, the day after Miss Cora Helen Coolidge arrived in Pittsburgh to become president of the Pennsylvania College for Women. To realize her ambitions, Coolidge spearheaded an intensive fundraising campaign. Along with courting wealthy philanthropists within the city of Pittsburgh, the college conducted a thorough search to locate five hundred Pittsburgh-area alumnae and an additional twelve hundred former students living in thirty-six states and six foreign countries. In cities in which five or more alumnae were living, fundraising dinners were held. The largest fundraising dinner, held at the William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, was attended by over 1,000 guests, including Madame Louise Homer, the daughter of Dr. William T. Beatty, one of the founders of the college in 1869. A proposal for the distribution of the one-million-dollar endowment. Although the original goal of the one-million-dollar endowment fund was not met, the profile of the college rose appreciably, and enough funds were generated to expand Woodland Hall and construct the Buhl Hall of Science, the James Laughlin Memorial Library, and a heating plant. President Coolidge and three great-great grandchildren of James Laughlin (Left-to-right: Elizabeth Laughlin, Henrietta Laughlin, and Mary Laughlin) break ground on the James Laughlin Memorial Library in spring 1931. A drawn map of the Pennsylvania College for Women’s campus before the construction of Buhl Hall and the James Laughlin Memorial Library. During her time as president, Coolidge engendered a feeling of warmth and intimacy between the office of the presidency and the student body. Her home atop Woodland Road was open to all students who wished to discuss with Coolidge any conceivable subject related to the college, academics, or their personal lives. To further establish familial bonds, Coolidge frequently hosted meetings and parties within her home, open to any member of the college community. In the final months of her presidency, Coolidge retreated from public life as she slowly succumbed to a long-term illness. On March 12, 1933, Miss Cora Helen Coolidge died with her brother by her bedside. Coolidge bequeathed $5,000 and 316 of her books to the PCW, and $1,000 to support scholarships at Smith College, Cushing Academy, and the Smith College Club of Fitchburg, Massachusetts. A program for the memorial services held on April 30, 1933, in honor of Miss Coolidge. As PCW grew through the years, changing its name to Chatham in the 1950s, the influence of Cora Helen Coolidge was never forgotten. When the main academic building of her era, Berry Hall, was replaced with a new academic quad , the new humanities hall was named in her honor. Detail of Program for the dedication of Braun, Falk, Coolidge Halls, May 2, 1954. Cora Helen Coolidge’s impact on Chatham University and the Pittsburgh region cannot be overstated. Her guiding hand led the Pennsylvania College to create the country’s first college program on social work and her steady perseverance allowed the school to grow during one of the nation’s most economically trying times. As we continue to welcome Chatham’s newest President, Dr. David Finegold, and reflect on the past leaders who’ve shaped the development of this community, the achievements of Cora Helen Coolidge remain a timeless inspiration. For more information on Cora Helen Coolidge or other leaders in Chatham history, we encourage you to reach out to the Chatham University Archives & Special Collections in the JKM Library.  

November 2017

Every year, Chatham University chooses a Global Focus, and the 2017-2018 school year is the Year of Indonesia. In order to highlight Indonesian culture and society, the JKM Library has partnered with Dr. Greg Galford on displays that celebrate Indonesian culture and help educate our Chatham community. The first is a display of beautiful Javanese batiks purchased in Yogyakarta, Indonesia by Dr. Galford. Each of the batiks on display are incredibly beautiful, but one in particular features golden wax detailing that is truly stunning. The batik has been the source of some controversy over the years concerning the appropriation of Indonesian culture by many of its neighbors. A 2009 New York Times article detailed the struggle for cultural ownership of the batik between Indonesia and Malaysia. This was just one of many conflicts between the two nations. In September of that year, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, known as UNESCO, made the decision to add the batik to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list, meaning that its cultural meaning and significance is now protected and attributed to Indonesia (Gelling, 2009). According to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, the batik is deeply rooted in Indonesian culture and plays a big part in the lives of Indonesians. Different intricate patterns are worn for everyday activities, special events, marriages, pregnancy, and other life events. Batiks feature at the birth of a child and the death of an elder. They are even incorporated into entertainment, such as puppet shows. The incredible designs drawn by craftsmen are indicative of the wide range of cultural influences Indonesia has been exposed to over the centuries. You will see elements of “Arabic calligraphy, European bouquets and Chinese phoenixes to Japanese cherry blossoms and Indian or Persian peacocks.” (Indonesian Batik, 2017) The process includes drawing beautiful designs on fabrics in hot wax which then helps to control which part of the fabric accepts the dyes and colors. This process is repeated on the same piece of fabric until the desired design is achieved (Indonesian Batik, 2017). The results are breath-taking. You can see video examples and up-close images of this process on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage website. In another article by the New York Times that discussed the attempts to revive the batik tradition in the 1990s, batik historian T.T. Soerjanto explains how the tradition dates back 2,000 years and was first mentioned in the 15th  century in the court records of Pakubuwono V, the King of Solo (Rabin, 1990). Take a look at the detailed fabric scans below of some of the batiks we have on display. Come in person to see our gilded batik in all its glory. You can find our batik display on the first floor of the library hanging on the wall partition near the elevator. Feel free to get up close and even touch the fabric, but please proceed with care. The second display is a collection of 18 books on Indonesia, provided by Dr. Galford. These books, which are both fiction and non-fiction, range in topic from history to civil engineering and infrastructure. While you are more than welcome to enjoy these books in the library, please do not remove them from the building. Below is a full list of titles in case you are interested in finding a copy for yourself! Under Construction: The Politics of Urban Space and Housing During the Decolonization of Indonesia by Freek Colombijn Island of Bali by Miguel Covarrubias Planet of Slums by Mike Davis The Traditional Architecture of Indonesia by Barry Dawson and John Gillow Balinese Dance, Drama & Music: A Guide to the Performing Arts of Bali by Wayan Dibia and Rucina Ballinger with illustration by Barbara Anello The Indonesia Reader: History, Culture by Tineke Hellwig and Eric Tagliacozzo The Year of Living Dangerously by Christopher J. Koch Behind the Postcolonial: Architecture, Urban Space and Political Cultures in Indonesia by Abidin Kusno The Appearance of Memory: Mnemonic Practices of Architecture and Urban Form in Indonesia by Abidin Kusno The Past in the Present: Architecture in Indonesia by Peter Nas Indonesia, Etc.: Exploring the Improbable Nation by Elizabeth Pisani Creative Batik by Rosi Robinson A Nation in Waiting: Indonesia’s Search for Stability by Adam Schwartz Indonesia: Peoples and Histories by Jean Gelman Taylor Indonesia: A Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit by Justine Vaisutis Malay Archipelago by Alfred Russel Wallace The Living House: An Anthropology of Architecture in South-East Asia by Roxana Waterson Krakatoa: The day the world exploded by Simon Winchester We hope you enjoy Chatham’s Year of Indonesia! Take a moment to view our displays the next time you find yourself on the first floor of the JKM Library. References Indonesian Batik. (2017). Retrieved from https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/indonesian-batik-00170 Gelling, P. (2009, September 14). Score One for Indonesia in the War Over Batik. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/world/asia/15iht-batik.html?mcubz=0 Rabin, R.C. (1990, February 18). The Intricate Patterning of Batik. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/18/travel/the-intricatepatterning-of-batik.html?pagewanted=all&mcubz=0  

October 2017

The Chatham University Archives invites you to explore Chatham Leadership: A Presidential Timeline, a chronology and account of the remarkable individuals who
have shaped Chatham and made it the institution it is today.
President Spencer Inauguration, 1935
Founded in 1869 by Reverend William Trimble Beatty and supporters from the Shadyside Presbyterian Church, the Pennsylvania Female College actualized the growing
sentiment of the times that women—and therefore society—benefited intellectually, socially, and morally from a liberal arts education that had commonly been limited to men.
Rather than offering courses in needlework, china painting, and English, as other women’s schools in Pittsburgh had throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the
Pennsylvania Female College offered courses in astronomy, chemistry, Greek, and other rigorous subjects that prepared women for professional careers.
Over the next 148 years, the school changed names, first to Pennsylvania College for Women then to Chatham College (now Chatham University), and welcomed
generations of students, faculty, and leaders dedicated to creating a productive and conscientious society through liberal arts education. The 21st century brought the Falk
School of Sustainability, Eden Hall Campus, undergraduate coeducation, and Chatham’s 16th President, Dr. David Finegold.
Buckets and Blossoms, 2017
The Chatham University Archives and the JKM Library congratulate Dr. Finegold on his inauguration as he joins a historic lineage of Chatham leaders. We welcome
the Chatham community to take a look back to the history of our school and the men and women who have served as its leader. Explore this lineage below and through
materials on display in the lobby of the JKM Library.
Reverend James Black
1870 – 1875
Reverend James Black, born April 27, 1826, was selected by the Board of Trustees to be the first president of the Pennsylvania Female College. Although his work prior
to his presidency had primarily been the instruction of men, his two years of teaching at the coeducational University of Iowa had shown him “that our daughters are as
capable of instruction as our sons.” Noted for his stirring oratory, Reverend Black led a daily devotional every morning before classes began.
Reverend Thomas Strong
1875 – 1878
In addition to his presidential responsibilities, Reverend Thomas Strong taught classes in moral philosophy, aesthetics, literature, and history, and was considered a gifted
teacher by his students. In 1876, Strong helped to establish the Alumnae Association of the college, which worked to promote the interests of the college and foster
fellowship among its members.
Helen E. Pelletreau
1878 – 1881 (Acting)
1881 – 1894
The “sweetly austere” Helen E. Pelletreau served as the third president of the Pennsylvania Female College, guiding it through a financially tumultuous period which saw
drastic reductions in the salaries of all employees. Although there was doubt as to whether the college would survive, Miss Pelletreau remained committed to instilling her
educational theory in a shrinking student body. Of equal importance to college scholarship, she contended, were high ideals of living, kindly thoughtfulness, and courtesy.
R. Jennie DeVore
1894 – 1900
As the Pennsylvania College for Women continued to endure financial instability, Miss R. Jennie DeVore placed her hopes in a rigorous curriculum that would position
the college among the “best institutions.” Convinced that an honorable college should have a campus to match its lofty academics, Miss DeVore oversaw additions to
Berry Hall and construction of the Music Hall, which became recognizable features of the campus skyline for the next fifty years.
Chalmers Martin
1900 – 1903
Recognizing the “free-elective” trend among institutions of higher learning, Chalmers Martin introduced a revised curriculum designating two-fifths of courses as
electives. This was welcome news to students who felt that required subjects monopolized too much time and restricted intellectual exploration.
Dr. Samuel Martin
1903 – 1906
“Samuel Martin,” Hankey Center &
C. Elizabeth Boyd ’33 Archives,
accessed October 4, 2017,
http://exhibits.wilson.edu/items/show/87.
To maintain the high educational standards established by Miss DeVore, the Pennsylvania College for Women accumulated an alarming amount of debt which, by 1904,
threatened the existence of the college. Knowing student fees would be insufficient in covering ever-increasing expenditures, Dr. Samuel Martin called upon trustees,
alumnae, and others who believed in the mission of the college for financial support, and was met with an overwhelming response. By January 1, 1906, the college raised
$200,000, enough to eliminate the debt and establish a $120,000 endowment fund.
Dr. Henry Drennan Lindsay
1906 – 1914
Under Dr. Henry Drennan Lindsay’s eight-year tenure as president, the Pennsylvania College for Women greatly increased the size of the student body, diversified the
curriculum, and facilitated the creation and growth of on-campus arts programming. Dr. Lindsay served as president until his sudden death from pneumonia in 1914.
Dr. John Carey Acheson
1915 – 1922
In his first year as president, Dr. John Carey Acheson sought to radically modernize the Pennsylvania College for Women, proposing that the campus move from its
location on Murray Hill to the property of Ross Farms, near Aspinwall. Dr. Acheson remained committed to his plan until his resignation in 1922, but annual budget
deficits and the First World War continuously stymied his vision.
Cora Helen Coolidge
1922 – 1933
Miss Cora Helen Coolidge, a former instructor and dean at the Pennsylvania College for Women, was elected as president during a time of considerable financial
difficulties. Convincing all groups of the college that an endowment of one million dollars would be necessary to ensure the survival and growth of PCW, Miss Coolidge
spearheaded an intensive fundraising campaign. Although the original goal of one million dollars was not met, the profile of the college had risen appreciably.
Mary Helen Marks
1933 – 1935 (Acting)
When illness forced Miss Cora Helen Coolidge to resign from her position as president in 1932, the longtime dean of the college, Miss Mary Helen Marks, was elected as
acting president. The years of the Great Depression proved difficult for the Pennsylvania College for Women, but Miss Marks was commended by the editorial staff of the
student-run Arrow for “efficiently and graciously” carrying out her presidential duties and for being an example of cheerfulness throughout one of the most precarious
periods of the college’s existence.
Dr. Herbert Lincoln Spencer
1935 – 1945
Dr. Herbert Lincoln Spencer was esteemed by civic and educational organizations throughout the Pittsburgh area for his enthusiasm and affability, traits considered
indispensable by the Board of Trustees during the challenging years of the Great Depression and World War II. To help ease the financial burden of the college, and to
contribute to national defense efforts, Dr. Spencer permitted the campus to be used for the instruction of men in local defense industries and fifty non-student women
employed by the Glenn Martin Bomber Plant.
Dr. Paul Russell Anderson
1945 – 1960
Dr. Herbert Lincoln Spencer’s handpicked successor, Dr. Paul Russell Anderson, was enthusiastically elected by the Board of Trustees to lead the reconversion to peacetime order following World War II. During Dr. Anderson’s presidency, a new and modernized curriculum was conceived and several new buildings, including Braun, Falk,
and Coolidge Halls, were constructed to accommodate the growing student body.
Dr. Edward Eddy
1960 – 1977
As societal tensions mounted on campuses across the United States, Dr. Edward Eddy proclaimed in the 1965 Chatham College yearbook that “A college graduate today
ought to be among the most dissatisfied people in the world.” Graduates who lost a passionate desire for change, he continued, “deny all that your alma matter
represents.”
Dr. Alberta Arthurs
1977 – 1982
A sluggish economy, transformative technologies, and an increasingly complex society created new opportunities for Chatham College and for Dr. Alberta Arthurs,
Chatham’s 14th
president. To meet these new demands, Dr. Arthurs advocated for new academic offerings and adjustments to library and technological resources that
would prepare graduates for a rapidly changing decade.
Claire Guthrie Gastañaga
1982 – 1983 (Acting)
Claire Guthrie (now Guthrie Gastañaga) was appointed as acting president amid rumors that Chatham College would be closing. During this pivotal year in the college’s
history, Guthrie Gastañaga oversaw the introduction of a new core curriculum that would allow career-minded students to contend in a competitive job market. Guthrie
Gastañaga is now executive director of the ACLU of Virginia.
Dr. Rebecca Stafford
1983 – 1990
Under the leadership of Dr. Rebecca Stafford, Chatham College introduced the Information Science, Human Services Administration, and International Business majors to
entice career-minded students. During this period of rapid modernization, Chatham College also implemented a more rigorous curriculum and adopted a motion to
consider coeducation.
Louise Brown
1991 – 1992
A Trustee and alumna of the Class of `67, Louise Brown brought 15 years of city government experience to her interim presidency.
Dr. Esther Barazzone
1992 – 2016
Under the leadership of Dr. Esther Barazzone, our longest tenured president to date, Chatham gained university status, began admitting men as undergraduate students,
and received international recognition in the field of sustainability. “Dr. B” also prioritized a multicultural education experience to prepare graduates for an economically
and technologically connected world, the result of which was the creation of the Global Focus program.
Dr. David Finegold
2016 –
A renowned scholar and educational innovator, Dr. David Feingold has authored or co-authored seven books and monographs, including BioIndustry Ethics and
Corporate Boards: New Strategies for Adding Value at the Top. Dr. Finegold has dedicated his career to education reform, the design of high-performance organizations,
and extensive research on education and skill-creation systems around the world.
Before signing off, we couldn’t resist sharing a few extra pictures of former Chatham presidents. We’ve many more in the Chatham University Archives, so stop by to
learn more about Chatham history.
 

August 2017

Have you ever noticed that a few of the group study rooms in the JKM Library are named? Have you ever wondered why or whom they are named for? The Chatham University Archives & Special Collections is thrilled to help solve these questions with our new exhibit, A Room with a View to Chatham History, which explores the lives of the individuals who’ve been honored with a room named in their honor at the JKM Library. History on view in the Elliott Room, JKM Library With this exhibit, on view in each of the named study rooms, we invite you to explore the legacies of Dr. Mary A. McGuire, Dr. Mable A. Elliot, Dr. Edgar M. Foltin, Laberta Dysart, and Arthur L. Davis. Each of these Chatham professors made significant contributions to their field of expertise and contributed to the development of Chatham as we know it today. Dr. Mable Elliot and the Elliot Room One of the most notable professors honored as the namesake for a study room is Dr. Mable A. Elliot, Professor of Sociology from 1949 until 1965 (Room 201). Dr. Elliot earned three degrees from Northwestern University (bachelor of arts, master of arts, and doctor of philosophy). Appointed as an adviser to the U.N. Commission on Social and Economic Affairs, Dr. Elliot was also the first women elected president of the Society for the Study of Social Problems (click here for more info). Dr. Elliot was described as both a feminist and a pacifist, and her criticism of U.S. criminal policies and anti-war activism led to the creation of an FBI file which was maintained for over 30 years. Interested in learning more about Dr. Elliot? Biography of Dr. Elliot in the JKM Library book collection Take a look at the book Mabel Agnes Elliott: Pioneering Feminist, Pacifist Sociologist in the JKM Library collection (click here to find it in the library catalog). Laberta Dysart and the Laberta Dysart Study Room Some members of the Chatham Community may be familiar with Laberta Dysart, namesake for Room 202, as author of the first history of Chatham, Chatham College: The First Ninety Years (available online through the University Archives here), but her contribution to Chatham does not stop there. A professor of history at Chatham from 1926 until 1958, she was active in Chatham’s Colloquium Club and in the local chapter of the American Association of University Professors. The University Archive’s Laberta Dysart Collection, click here for the collection finding aid, contains a variety of records documenting her impact on the university, including an article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about her retirement, an award honoring her service to Chatham, and the eulogy delivered by a former student and longtime friend, Eleanor Bartberger Dearborn `31, at a campus memorial held in her honor. Pittsburgh Post Gazette article in honor of Labaerta Dysart’s retirement. Chatham College Centennial Award given to Laberta Dysart Eulogy for Laberta Dysart written by Eleanor Barbeger Dearborn ’31 The Chatham University Archives welcomes further research on these individuals, on the history of campus, and how the Chatham community continues to shape the environment. Stop by the library to view A Room with a View to Chatham History or contact the University Archives at x1212 or M.Tighe@chatham.edu for more information.  

May 2017

The JKM Library and the Archives & Special Collections are pleased to present Chatham Summers with the University Archives, a media exhibition highlighting the rich documentation in our photographic collections. Items on view document life at Chatham during the summer and feature images of campus sports, events, and more. Lantern Slide Depicting PCW Tennis, c. 1905 The exhibit includes visual material from Chatham’s earliest years and from more recent years. 1888 Sketch of Students Wearing Sun Protection Though things may seem a bit quieter around campus than during the fall and spring semesters, these images reveal that Chatham students have always pursued a wide variety of activities, regardless of the heat, humidity, or era. We’ve included a few of our favorites in this post, but stop by the JKM Library to view the exhibit in its entirety! Taking a Spin Around Campus, c. 1952-1953 Diving Practice, c. 1950s Chatham vs. Robert Morris, 1980 Not around campus? Additional records from Chatham history, including yearbooks, newspapers, photographs, and other records are accessible online at the web site for the University Archives & Special Collections. Or, stop by the Archives Reading Room to learn more about Chatham history. 

March 2017

 Our 6th annual celebration of the International Edible Book Festival was a really fun event! If you missed it, here are the highlights.

We had three fantastic judges: Dr. Carrie Tippen, Dr. Heather McNaugher, & Sophie Slesinger who, after some very serious deliberation, selected four of our five prizewinning edible books:

Best Tasting

Maryem Aslam, Harry Potter (chocolate oreo ball snitches)

Most Sustainable

Molly Tighe, Seitanic VS (Satanic Verses)

Most Creative Literary Interpretation

Kate Emory, Julius Caesar

Grand Prize:

Amy Lee Heinlen, A Good Man is Hard to Find

The final prize was determined by the attendees, who voted for their favorite book. The winner of this popular vote prize was:

Maria, Trump: The Art of the Deal

Everyone seemed to have a great time and the library lobby was packed:

Want to see ALL the books submitted? Check out the pictures on our Facebook page!

Also, fun fact: The Wikipedia page for the Edible Book Festival has featured a book from our 2012 event since April 2013 (and we didn’t add it!)! We’re famous!

If you missed this year’s event, don’t worry! There’s always next year, and you can even start planning your entry now. All Chatham students, staff, and faculty are invited to submit an edible book.

March 14, 2017

FREE FOOD! FABULOUS PRIZES!
It’s the event you’ve been waiting for all year. Or perhaps the event you didn’t even realize you’d been waiting for!
Join us for Chatham’s 6th annual celebration of the International Edible Book Festival! Wednesday, March 29th from 4:30-5:30 in the Lobby of the JKM Library.
What’s an edible book, you ask? It’s up to you! It may be food that looks like a book:
Food that was described or consumed by characters in a book:
A fun interpretation of the title of a book:
And whatever else you might think of!
Full details of the event can be found in the Chatham Happenings. Please join us – create your own book to enter for a chance to win one of 5 amazing prizes! Or just come for the free food and to vote for your favorite.
Hope to see you there!

February 21, 2017

Did you know that Chatham’s literary magazine Minor Bird has flown through a few different iterations since it was first hatched in 1929? Was your interest in the graphics used for the Minor Bird piqued by the new exhibit, Objects of Study: Selections from the Artifact Collections of the
Chatham University Archives, on view at the Women’s Institute? Did you happen to see a few eyecatching illustrations of Minor Bird covers from the 1950s and 1960s in the JKM Library Newsletter and wonder if there are any more compelling visuals? Yes? Then you are in luck!
We, the staff of the Chatham University Archives, selected a handful of our very favorite Minor Bird covers and we’re thrilled to share them with you here. And, if your appetite for Minor Bird is still not quenched, you can flip through fifteen years’ worth of literary explorations by Chatham
students online through the Internet Archive!
The Minor Bird first appeared as a simple, line drawing in 1929. This logo was used until 1939.
Minor Bird front cover, June 1936
The line drawing also appeared at the top of each page.
Minor Bird, Spring 1929
After a brief stint under the umbrella of the student newspaper, the Minor Bird emerged in 1949 with
a very different look.
Minor Bird front cover, Spring 1949
Several variations on the 1949 theme were used, including this Minor Bird cover from 1950.
Minor Bird front cover, Spring 1950
Lots of change happened in the 1950s and the Minor Bird logo was no exception.
Minor Bird front cover, Spring 1951
Minor Bird front cover, Spring 1952
Minor Bird front cover, January 1955
The Minor Bird covers from the 1960’s are particularly evocative of this expressive era.
Minor Bird front cover, Winter 1967
Minor Bird front cover, Spring 1969
Minor Bird front cover, Fall 1969
Minor Bird rear cover, Fall 1969
The Chatham University Archives include numerous publications by the Chatham community, including additional issues of the Minor Bird, the Sorosis, and Faces & Places. Stop by the University Archives or contact Molly Tighe, Archivist and Public Services Librarian, for more information.

March 2016

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the University Archives presents selections from our collection that highlight Chatham’s unwavering commitment to encouraging civic engagement in all levels of the political system. This exhibition, Celebrating Women’s History: Chatham Women in Politics, demonstrates student civic engagement tracing back to the earliest days of the Suffragette movement, when students paraded through downtown Pittsburgh in support of women’s right to vote. Pennsylvania College for Women float, 1907 Materials on exhibit illustrate a wide variety of activities, including rallies supporting equal access to education and student involvement in all levels of the political process. The exhibit illustrates the continuity of the civic engagement among the student body and the university’s unwavering commitment to foster civic engagement as a core value. We welcome you to explore Celebrating Women’s History: Chatham Women in Politics at the JKM Library and in the lounge of the Women’s Institute. See below for some of our favorite archival records on this topic, plus a few that we just couldn’t squeeze into the display cases! Still hungry for more Chatham history? Click here for more information about the collections in the Chatham University Archives & Special Collections. Clippings documenting Chatham’s “Women and the War” Conference During World War II, Chatham hosted an conference titled, “Women and the War” to discuss the role of women in the war effort. Student volunteers update a poster showing the contributions of Faculty, Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshmen to the Fund to fight war and communism. Chatham students worked tirelessly to support the war effort, both at home and on the front lines. World War II veterans return to campus to continue their studies. In the 1950s, Chatham students turned their attention to increasing voter turnout, both on campus and within the broader community. Students from Harrisburg cast their absentee ballots. Student-lead efforts to increase voter turnout continue to this day. In 1997, Chatham students collaborated with students from the University of Pittsburgh in a program to increase voter registration in the local community. Two-page spread from the 1997 Cornerstone about voter registration efforts. In the 1960s, Chatham women joined in the rising chorus of American students speaking out on issues of civil rights and the war in Vietnam. After the Greensburg Four protested racial segregation at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in North Carolina, students from all over the south joined the sit-in. In Pittsburgh, Chatham students protested outside the downtown Pittsburgh Woolworth, carrying signs reading “Chatham students protest civil rights violation,” and “Chatham students protest Woolworth lunch counter segregation.” Click here to view a picture of this protest captured by legendary Pittsburgh photographer Teenie Harris housed at the Carnegie Museum of Art. Read more about the 1960 protest in this clipping from the Chatham student newspaper. Article appearing in “The Arrow” on April 8, 1960 about Chatham student protest of lunch counter segregation All across the country, college students voiced concerns about equality, civil liberties, and civil rights. The university hosted a conference focusing on campus unrest in 1968, allowing college and university presidents, faculty, students and administrators to discuss and understand the changing political climate. Brochure for conference on campus unrest held at Chatham in 1968 As the 1970s drew near, Chatham students became very engaged in discussion of the Vietnam War and continued to the support civil rights issues. Chatham students protest the Vietnam War on Fifth Avenue Chatham rally about Attica Prison riots Material from Strike Information Central demonstrating student unrest Editorial appearing in Chatham’s “The Arrow” in 1970 Student civic engagement continued through the 1980s, when Chatham women participated in demonstrations in Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. One student attended a meeting at the White House with student leaders and President Jimmy Carter. Bonnie McElvery, Student Government President, with President Jimmy Carter at the White House Chatham students at a Pro-Choice rally in Washinton, D.C. in 1989 In 1995, Chatham students organized a rally in support of Vice President Al Gore’s campaign to preserve federal funding for student loans. The rally was attended by over 2500 students from local colleges and universities and at least one University President. Can you spot the University President in the pictures from the event below? Images from 1995 rally to preserve federal funding for student loans Over the years, Chatham has invited activists, heads of state, members of Congress, and other office holders to engage with students on local, national, and international political issues. Fliers for some of Chatham’s visiting speakers Curious about Patricia Schroeder? Here’s more information about her career and her visit to Chatham. Brochure from Patricia Schroeder visit to Chatham in 2004 Wondering if Catherine Baker Knoll, who spoke at Chatham as the Treasurer for Pennsylvania, held any other public office in the years that followed? Her records are open for research at the Detre Library and Archives at the Heinz History Center in downtown Pittsburgh. Click here for the finding aid to her papers. Remember, the Chatham University Archives can help you locate primary source records at other archival repositories. Of course, we’re all looking forward to the 2016 commencement speaker, Chatham’s own Muriel Bowser. Muriel Bowser graduated from Chatham in 1994 and was the eighth Mayor of Washington, D.C. Chatham Alumna Muriel Bowser As much as we’ve shown through Celebrating Women’s History: Chatham Women in Politics, we have so much more material in the University Archives that documents Chatham’s unwavering commitment to encouraging civic engagement among students. We’d be thrilled to show you more from our collections on this or any other area of Chatham history. 

April 2015

Whether you’re planning a vegetable or rain garden, JKM Library has the resources you need!
Stop in to the First Floor and check out books on a variety of garden styles and the plants you’ll need.
Don’t have a green thumb but find inspiration in being outside? Check out either of Jamaica Kincaid’s books on how she finds peace and happiness in the natural world.

April 2015

Yesterday’s celebration of the International Edible Books Festival was a rousing success! Thanks to everyone who participated.
Thank you also to our three wonderful judges for their hard work in selecting the prizewinning edible books:
Dr. Heather McNaugher, Associate Professor of English & Creative Writing
Malik Hamilton, Food Studies student
Amy Lee Heinlen, Librarian and Poet
Serious deliberation was required to select the prizewinners.
And a big congratulations, of course, to our fantastic prizewinners:
Most Creative Literary Interpretation:
Molly Tighe for Tender is the Night Most Creative Ingredients / Use of
Ingredients:
Shuai Lu for Ancient Egypt: The Land and its Legacy
Most Sustainable:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Most Popular Vote:
Rachel Geffrey for Curious George
Grand Prize:
Tiffany Waltenbaugh, Teresa Scibilia, & Lorraine Yanjtovich for The Very Hungry Caterpillar
 

March 2015

On March 16, 2015, Jennie King Mellon Library celebrated Freedom of Information Day, an annual observance of our rights to speak out, to share information freely, and to obtain information that the public has a right to know. See our display of related books and materials in the first floor lobby!
Libraries are information repositories, and are based upon the idea that information should be freely shared and experienced. Libraries and librarians are often on the front lines of First Amendment and information freedom concerns. A recent example is the controversy that occurred when, in 2013, the Chicago Public School System pulled Marjane Satrapi’s award-winning graphic novel Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood from their curriculum.

Persepolis
The banning of the work could not have happened without discussion amongst various administrators in the school system, much of which occurred in writing, and so the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF), and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) all put in Freedom of Information Act requests for the correspondence in early 2013. FOIA allows for anyone to access, or to request and receive, any information held by the federal government (including public schools) that is not specifically required to be kept confidential. The professional organizations received only a few pages of documents, including a heavily-edited version of the email chain which began with a complaint about the book and ended with the determination that it would be banned.
Over a year later, in December 2014, Jarrett Dapier, a student of library science at the University of Illinois who was writing a paper on censorship in K-12 classrooms, submitted his own Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on the subject and received the complete email correspondence chain. The full correspondence received by Dapier reveals that the decision to pull the book from the curriculum was based on two pages in Persepolis identified as being “not appropriate” by one school principal. In a domino-effect panic, the book was thus ordered to be removed from curricula across the entire Chicago Public School System.
The correspondence also reveals that some teachers and librarians at the affected schools initiated “pushback,” by noting that the book is acclaimed, and that librarians retain the authority to purchase and make available to students even those texts that have been deemed controversial. Responding to the controversy, the Chicago Public School System ultimately allowed the work to remain in its libraries, and approved it for study in 11th and 12th grade classrooms. The story indicates how progressive causes can use information transparency to effect change, but also how imperfect the system can be. Information access is a right that needs to be exercised continually to be retained. March 16 is a better time than any to take advantage of this right! See http://www.foia.gov/ for more information.
Sources:
http://www.foia.gov/
http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/persepolis-rising/
http://ncac.org/blog/how-chicago-public-schools-dumped-persepolis/
http://www.ftrf.org/blogpost/852091/161174/FTRF-files-FOIA-request-to-Chicago-Public-Schools-over-removal-of-Persepolis
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/federallegislation/govinfo/opengov/freedomofinfo
 

March 2015

Spring break is just a few short days away, so you better stop by JKM Library to check out the books on your Spring Break Reading List! Don’t have a list prepared?
Have no fear…the Popular Reading Display has just been stocked!
Here’s what’s new on the table:
Pittsburgh Noir, edited by Kathleen George
The Autumn House Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry, edited by Sue Ellen Thompson
Inside by Alix Ohlin
Dancing on the Edges of Knives, poems by Ed Ochester
Allegheny, poems by Ed Ochester
Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk
Wicked and Son of a Witch, by Gregory Maguire
Prodigal Son, by Dean Koontz
The Pittsburgh Book of Contemporary American Poetry, edited by Ed Ochester and Peter Oresick
 

February 2015

January 2015

January 2015

December2014

October 2014

August 2014

August 2014

August 2014

June 2014

June 2014

April 2014

April 2014