Jon Shaw

The complete papers of pioneering Colombian intellectual and cultural activist Manuel Zapata Olivella are now available to the public, and access has been expanded to the papers of his sister, master dancer and folklorist Delia Zapata Olivella, thanks to archival efforts by Vanderbilt’s Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives. Read More

Many writers and performers with Vanderbilt ties will be featured at the 2026 Southern Festival of Books, which returns to the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, Tennessee State Museum, and Tennessee State Library and Archives Oct. 17–18. Read More

The Heard Libraries, in collaboration with key university partners, are making 2026–27 the Year to Unplug—a sustained, institution-wide effort to cultivate a campus culture of reading, reflection and community. Read More

A new pilot program between Vanderbilt University’s Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries and Cambridge University Press will expand Vanderbilt’s Evidence-Based Acquisitions (EBA) ebook agreement with Cambridge to include book publishing opportunities for Vanderbilt authors. Read More

The Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries will celebrate the conversations that arise from books, reading and the exchange of ideas when they host a series of talks on Vanderbilt University’s campus this fall featuring prominent authors. Read More

The Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries have launched a new web platform and improved database for the Vanderbilt Television News Archive, one of the most extensive and complete archives of television news in the world. Read More

Students from the Vanderbilt Cloud Innovation Lab for Libraries and Applied Digital Preservation, powered by AWS, represented Vanderbilt University through technical demonstrations, professional networking, and award-winning innovation at the 2026 AWS Summit Washington, D.C. Read More

Vanderbilt’s Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries will collaborate with global publishing and analytics company Elsevier’s Cell Press to elevate the visibility and impact of Vanderbilt University research. Read More

Erin Geier, cloud innovation lead and manager of the Vanderbilt Cloud Innovation Lab at the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries, represented Vanderbilt University at the 2026 International Image Interoperability Framework Annual Conference and Showcase, held June 1–4 across Amsterdam, Leiden, and The Hague in the Netherlands. Read More

Vanderbilt University Librarian Jon Shaw, who has led the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries since 2022, has been reappointed for a five-year term and named dean of libraries and letters, effective July 1. In this expanded role, Shaw will serve as the inaugural Connie Vinita Dowell University Librarian, thanks to generous support from Dowell, M.L.S.’79, Vanderbilt’s first dean of libraries, and her husband, Stephen P. Miller. Read More