In January 1849, “everybody skates” wrote Godey’s Lady’s Book editor Sarah Hale. Winter sports—skating, sledding, and snow-balling–were popular and “ladies are especially renowned for their grace and agility.” Readers also contributed notes on medicines, recipes and fashions. See Buchanan Fellow Robby Espano’s curator statement and discover what he found when he read the magazine and… Keep reading
Vanderbilt Special Collections Library recently acquired the Dinah Shore Collection, documenting the life of Vanderbilt graduate Dinah Shore, BA’38, a prolific singer, actress, and talk show host widely popular throughout the 1940s-1980s. Noteworthy items include Dinah Shore fan club newsletters, publicity stills, photographs and scripts from Shore’s talk shows, and original music recordings that will… Keep reading
In 1860, American readers loved Godey’s Lady’s Book for its elaborate colored fashion plates. Listen to Buchanan Library Fellow Josanda Addo’s curator statement, and hear her thoughts on the magazine’s advice to women. Content published in Godey’s Lady Book’s reflected American’s beliefs about women’s roles in society, including women’s self-sufficiency in the domestic sphere. Contributors… Keep reading
The Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries recently received a major archival collection, The John Birks ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie Collection, as part of the collaborative Academic Archives Purchasing Fund with the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) and Vanderbilt University. Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993), an instrumental figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz, was a… Keep reading
Vanderbilt University’s first student newspaper, the Vanderbilt Austral, published six years after the University’s founding, reveals an identity struggle between who students were and who they wanted to be. Buchanan Fellow Hannah Tsaio sees the students’ longing for an audience, expressing their desires to be heard by the administration, faculty, and each other. See Hannah’s… Keep reading
Call for Applicants for Fall Semester Buchanan Library Fellowship: Building a University: Vanderbilt’s Second Decade, 1885-1895 Have you ever wondered about the early years of Vanderbilt University? What were the first yearbooks like, and where did students live on campus? Which sports were first played on campus? Or perhaps you would like to learn about… Keep reading
The U.S. Presidency: Challenges of the Executive Branch Are you interested in working with primary resources to explore the role of the U.S. presidency? Buchanan Library Fellows in this fall semester fellowship will curate an exhibition in the lobby of Central Library that explores the opportunities and challenges of the U.S. Executive Branch. Fellows will… Keep reading
The James Robertson Papers Register Here April 23, 2021, Noon-1pm Please join us for this panel discussion on newly-available collections from the libraries. Vanderbilt’s Special Collections is home to the James Robertson Papers, composed of original letters and documents belonging to the early settler. The papers date from between 1784-1814 and were given by Robertson’s… Keep reading
Fall Semester Buchanan Library Fellowship: Giving Voice to Afro-Hispanic Life and Culture through the Collections of Manuel and Delia Zapata Olivella Recipients of this Buchanan Library Fellowship will research and curate an online exhibit on a theme relating to Vanderbilt’s Afro-Hispanic Zapata Olivella collections. Manuel Zapata Olivella (1920-2004) was known throughout Latin America as the… Keep reading
Happy National Library Week! We have collected favorite images of our libraries across campus for you to use for your next Zoom meeting background. Click on the images below, then right click and save it to use! Represent your library! Here are additional instructions for creating a Zoom background.
