Lunchtime author talks were introduced into the Libraries events cycle almost two years ago to amplify Dartmouth scholarship. Orchestrated by Rachel Starr GR ’13, these one-hour talks welcome everyone to hear from writers as they immerse us in their written world. Publications range from research findings and creative nonfiction to biographies, poetry, and young adult fiction. In their talks, Dartmouth authors illuminate an aspect of our social, economic, cultural, and political milieu.

Guided by Professor Jessica Beckman's sweeping historical framework and in collaboration with the Department of English and Creative Writing, Rauner Special Collections Library, and Dartmouth Libraries Book Arts Workshop, students participate in a unique learning experience.

In mid-2023, Daniel Lin ‘23, a recently minted Digital Library Fellow, received two large boxes of physical time-based media from Memory Apata, Music and Performing Arts Librarian, and Taylor Ho Bynum, director of the Coast Jazz Orchestra at Dartmouth. The boxes contained VHS, DAT, and cassette tapes; magnetic reel-to-reels; CDs; and DVDs.

This Fall Term, we continue our rich tradition of library and community co-curated exhibitions. On view through December: “Disappearing: An archive of land loss in coastal Louisiana,” “The Fragile Testament of Erosion,” and “From Vision to Reality: The Appalachian Trail from Then to Now” offer unique perspectives and meaning in their respective histories and landscapes. Individually and as a collective, they highlight what it means to preserve and protect our much-loved landscapes while acknowledging the realities of climate and human impact.

Why are some poets remembered and glorified, while others fade into obscurity? And when you do stumble upon a “nobody” poet, why research them and make their work discoverable and interpretable for others? These two questions, and a desire “to recover another feminist and political poet who was subject to erasure” formed the basis of Ella Grim '25's Stamps Scholar research project. 

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In December 1951, Evelyn and Vilhjalmur Stefansson made their way to Dartmouth with three railroad car-sized trucks containing a vast “polar library” in tow. Soon after establishing the Northern and Polar Studies Program at Dartmouth and adding the Arctic collection to Baker Library, Dartmouth sponsored the Stefanssons' travels to Greenland to collect as much material about Greenland and by Greenlandic authors as possible. What they amassed, in partnership with Greenland administrators and Denmark, would become valuable research and teaching material still used to this day.

What do I care more about, love or money? What about my parents’ expectations? Am I comfortable with all these social roles I have to play? What will happen to my reputation if I make the wrong decision? When does my privacy become creepy secrecy? Should I stay within the bubble, or strike out toward the horizon? 

If these challenges ring a bell for you, you’re either a Dartmouth student, or you’re a character in a Jane Austen novel.

And the envelope, please! We were thrilled to roll out the red carpet for the inaugural Open Scholarship Commitment Award for Reproducible Research (OSCARRs) in February to celebrate community members who represent the best of reproducible research. The award spotlights Dartmouth research projects that embody the essence of reproducible research and open scholarship.

In partnership with Rauner Special Collections Library - and with the help and expertise of Instrument Core Facility Manager Paul Defino and Instrument Specialist Chris Snyder of the Chemistry Department - senior lecturer Jenny Lynn is embarking on an exciting scholarly investigation.

Have you ever wondered how some of the most bespoke, highly specific, and poignant sessions come to be taught at Rauner Special Collections Library? Curiosity and collaboration. Another factor is just how many people contribute to the process — even when separated by distance and time. How?