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Stories

UW Libraries Celebrates Pride Month

June 1, 2024
Seattle Pride Parade photos courtesy of the Seattle Municipal Archives accessible via UW Libraries.

Updated June 2024

Pride Month is celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. The Stonewall Uprising was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.  Learn more about the history of Pride Month, and thank you for joining UW Libraries in sharing these many interesting collections and  UW resources in celebration of Pride Month!

Featured Resources!

Be Gay, Do Comics: Queer History, Memoir, and Satire from the Nib | School Library Journal
UW queer community member recommendation: Be gay, do comics! : queer history, memoir, and satire from The Nib

Accessible to all UW Libraries users, LGBTQ Health is the premier peer-reviewed journal dedicated to promoting optimal healthcare for all sexual and gender minority persons worldwide. The LGBTQ History Research Guide features many other UW Libraries resources including the Archives of Sexuality & Gender, LGBT Magazine Archive, Queer Pasts and much more.

New Health Sciences Resources:

Over the past fiscal year, UW Health Sciences Library received an Allen Signature Award to enhance the health sciences collection through the purchase of books and films by and for Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC), disabled folks, women, and/or trans folks. This year, the award is dedicated to online resources, with many new resources added this fiscal year, including:

Read:

Queer Joy: a curated list of graphic novels, novels, poetry, manga, movies and TV, including trigger warnings along with keywords and descriptions.

Watch:

AN INTERSECTIONAL LENS: TOWARDS A QUEER AND TRANS PEOPLE OF COLOR (QTPOC) FILM CANON A film cannon that explores QTPOC representation in American cinema; a spotlight on high-quality, unique and exceptional films that illuminate experiences that have been rendered invisible or marginalized in American mass media.

Listen:

A drag wedding ceremony c.1950 from the UW Libraries Don Paulson and Skippy Larue photograph collection, featured in The Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer people have been visible and politically active in Seattle for generations. Their activism has yielded pioneering civil rights victories. This special section of the The Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project includes many oral histories and other historical photos and artifacts covering the history of the LGBTQ activism in Seattle and western Washington.

Discover:

  • Check out journals like Feminist Studies; GLQ: A Journal of Gay and Lesbian Studies; and Transgender Studies Quarterly available through UW Libraries  with your UWNet ID! Learn more.

Rainbow Book Month LGBTQIA+ Book Awards and Bibliographies from the American Library Association

The American Library Association supports LGBTQIA+ literature through the Stonewall Book Awards (in Children’s and Young Adult, Non-Fiction, and Literature categories), as well as two bibliographies including the Rainbow Book List and Over the Rainbow Book List. These awards and lists serve to recognize the very best in contemporary literature and serve as invaluable tools for building quality LGBTQIA+ collections.

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Stories

May Update

April 23, 2024
a box with the Going Public date May 21

Learn how to write & pitch compelling, research-based op-eds!

Since 2017, the Libraries and the eScience Institute have partnered to offer the successful Going Public Symposium–an interdisciplinary, tri-campus event designed to build skills in translating and communicating research findings to wider audiences and co-creating knowledge with community partners. Led this year by the Scholars Strategy Network, this year’s symposium will focus on  Op-Ed writing and translating research into public opinion pieces for news organizations. Learn More

This month is packed with incredible events, including several celebrations of student work such as the GIS Symposium, Three-Minute Thesis and the  Research Communication and Equity Showcase and Fellowship Reception. Don’t miss amazing opportunities to meet and hear from authors  Josh Tuininga and Tibetan Buddhist Master, H.E. Tulku Yeshi Rinpoche (separate events) as well as “must go” annual events like the 2024  Going Public and “Choose Privacy Week” workshops.  PLUS book clubs, film screenings and more make May our busiest month of the year, so be sure to read the entire update for the full list!  As you begin to prepare for finals and graduation, don’t forget our Top Ten Tips. Enjoy the sun!

News and Stories

‘The Medium is The Message’: Exploring the value of graphic novels – a feature story on UW Libraries current exhibit in Special Collections by Priya Devanesan, The Daily. Read the story.

New Online Resource: Planet.com!

an image of a glacier
See a time lapse video of rock glaciers near Thompson Pass and hundreds of other similar “planet stories” with UW access to Planet.com!

The UW Libraries is providing a campus license to Planet.com, giving UW faculty, staff, and students access to Planet.com’s Earth-observation satellite data. Planet provides daily satellite imagery of Earth’s land surfaces and coastal areas, and captures over 300 million square kilometers of imagery each day. Get an expert view into this new resource when you attend the 2024 GIS Symposium on May 30th, featuring a guest speaker from Planet.com!  To learn more about our license and request your account, please visit our UW Planet page.

Community /Events /Exhibits

First Wednesday Concert
Wednesday, May 1, 2024,

EXHIBIT: Music, Island, Stories: Taiwan Calling!

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. / North Allen Library

Melody in the Stacks
A mini concert featuring smooth vocals from songs by East Asian artists performed by our students.
Wednesday May 8th, 2024
3:30-4:15 p.m.

EXHIBIT: Music, Island, Stories: Taiwan Calling!, 
Celebrate Taiwan’s pop music through the Music, Island, Stories: Taiwan Calling, a pop-up exhibition on the UW campus.

 

“We Are Not Strangers” Author Talk with Josh Tuininga"We Are Not Strangers" Author Talk with Josh Tuininga
Wednesday, May 8, 2024,
4 – 6:30 p.m./ Allen Auditorium

Buddhist Culture & Philosophy: Healing from Covid-19
Guest Speaker: Tibetan Buddhist Master, H.E. Tulku Yeshi Rinpoche
Wednesday, May 8, 2024,
3:30 – 5 p.m. / Petersen Room, Allen Library North, 4th Floor, Room 485

Image: artwork by 2023 fellow, Sarah Nguyễn. Learn more about Sarah’s work and read the accompanying bilingual illustrated booklet.

2024 Research Communication and Equity Fellowship Reception

Thursday, May 9, 2024,
2 – 3 p.m. / Research Commons Green A

Join us to celebrate the academic and creative work of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) graduate students. Each Fellow has created a physical artifact that visually communicates their research. These artifacts take many forms: posters, artwork, visualizations, etc.  Learn more.

 

Citizen 13660

Film Screening and Reception for AIDS, Posters, and Stories of Public Health: A People’s History of a Pandemic
Wednesday, May 15, 2024,
12 – 2 p.m. / Health Sciences Library, 2nd floor

Special Collections Book Club: Citizen 13660 by Miné Okubo

Mine Okubo was one of over one hundred thousand people of Japanese descent – nearly two-thirds of whom were American citizens – who were forced into “protective custody” shortly after Pearl Harbor. Citizen 13660, from UW Press is Okubo’s graphic memoir of life in relocation centers in California and Utah, illuminates this experience with poignant illustrations and witty, candid text. Join the discussion Wednesday, May 15th!
Wednesday, May 15, 2024,
5 – 6:30 p.m. / Special Collections Classroom

3 minute thesis logo- stick figure standing in front of a crowd with microphone
GIS Symposium 2024 
Student talks followed by Keynote: Austin Stone from Planet Labs PBC who will give an introduction and overview of UW’s new Education & Research license to Planet.com!
Thursday, May 30, 2024
10 a.m. – 1 p.m. / Allen Library South Research Commons, keynote on Zoom		 Three-Minute Thesis (3MT)

Three-Minute Thesis (3MT® ) is a professional development competition that celebrates the exciting capstone and research experiences of master’s and doctoral students at the University of Washington. The competition is open to eligible graduate students from all three campuses and supports their capacity to effectively explain their research or capstone in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a public audience.
Thursday, May 23, 2024,
3 – 4:30 p.m. / Alder Auditorium

Learning Workshops

Fair Use Workshop
Wednesday, May 1, 2024,
10 – 11:15 a.m./ UW Libraries Open Scholarship Commons

Open Scholarship Commons Community Fellows Workshop Series: Building Sustainable Digital Projects
Thursday, May 2, 2024,

Choose Privacy Week Events

Reading the Fine Print: a Workshop + Hackathon on Privacy and Terms of Service for Common Research and Classroom Tools
Monday, May 6
10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. / Hybrid

Privacy on Your Phone
Wednesday, May 8
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Privacy with Cookies- Drop-In
Wednesday, May 9
11 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Privacy, AI, and the Law: A Conversation About the Porous Boundaries Between Your Life and Technology

Wednesday, May 9
2 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

1 – 2:30 p.m. / Open Scholarship Commons: Presentation Space

Open Scholarship Commons Community Fellows Workshop Series: Building Dynamic Websites with WordPress
Friday, May 3, 2024,
1 – 2:30 p.m. / Open Scholarship Commons: Presentation Space

Reading the Fine Print: a Workshop + Hackathon on Privacy and Terms of Service for Common Research and Classroom Tools
Monday, May 6, 2024,
10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. / Hybrid

Building Digital Collections Using Minimal Tech
Tuesday, May 7, 2024,
1 – 2:30 p.m. / Suzzallo Library: Open Scholarship Commons: Presentation Space

Accessibility & Data Visualization Workshop (online)
Tuesday, May 14, 2024,
12 – 1 p.m. / Online

Designing for inclusive learning with Universal Design for Learning
Thursday, May 16, 2024,
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. / Zoom

Intermediate Twine Workshop: Styling for Aesthetics & Meaning
Friday, May 17, 2024,
1 – 2:30 p.m. / UW Libraries Open Scholarship Commons

Going Public: OpEd Writing Workshop
Tuesday, May 21, 2024,
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. / Online

Office Hours / Drop-In Help

Online Text Mining Support Office Hours
Thursday, May 2, 2024,
5 – 6 p.m. / Zoom

Digital Scholarship Project Help Office Hours
Tuesdays in May
2 – 3 p.m. / Suzzallo Library: Open Scholarship Commons: Group Work Space B

Data Visualization Office Hours
Wednesday, May 8, 2024,
1 – 2 p.m. / Suzzallo Library: Open Scholarship Commons: Group Work Space B

Online Text Mining Support Office Hours
Thursday, May 16, 2024,
5 – 6 p.m. / UW Libraries Open Scholarship Commons

Missed it?

Don’t miss these great stories from last month’s Library update!

A New Family Study Space in Allen Library!

NEWS YOU CAN USE-  Safeguarding Your Digital Footprint: A Workshop on Privacy in Online Platforms

Archival Silences and Sounds @ the UW Ethnomusicology Archives 

Looking Ahead

JUNE 4: HYBRID: Comics and Graphic Novels in the University: Librarians Anne Davis and Allee Monheim discuss collecting, care, and advocacy

JUNE 12: Special Collections Book Club: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

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Stories

Congratulations Admitted Students!

April 6, 2024

Updated April 16, 2024

Admitted Students Day in Special Collections!

Visit Special Collections, UW Libraries home for rare and unique materials, open on Saturday, 4/20 to celebrate admitted students. Between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm, visitors will get a chance to see the Special Collections reading room exhibit and a few gems from the collection on display.

What is “Special Collections”? 

Special Collections brings together the University of Washington Libraries’ most rare and unique resources, with an emphasis on Pacific Northwest history and culture.  Materials in special collections come in all forms– manuscripts, printed works, artists’ books,
photographs, music, audio recordings, moving images, architectural drawings, maps, clothing, tools, and more. Our collections  span history and the globe, and offer boundless opportunities for exploration and discovery.

University of Washington rowing team from the 1936 Olympics

Image: 1936 Olympic Games and Poughkeepsie Regatta Crew Champions (Joe Rantz is the second rower from the front), University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, UW37275. See also  many of the iconic historical photos in a new UW Libraries digital collection: UW 1936 Olympic Rowing Team

Congratulations and welcome to all of  UW’s  incoming class! We are excited to welcome Husky family members to the libraries throughout the year, and especially on Admitted Students Day 2024!   If you plan a visit to UW Libraries, be sure to “know before you go” and check hours first (note:  Odegaard and Suzzallo and Allen Libraries will be open special hours  SATURDAY April 20, 2024. Whether your family is local or half a world away, staying connected to UW Libraries is a great way to learn about all of the library resources, events and benefits available to you AND your family members.

Check out UW Libraries materials!

Anyone can get a UW Libraries Borrower’s card AND you may be eligible for a free card depending on your affiliation with UW Alumni Association or other public education or service affiliations.  Check your status, and learn how to get borrowing privileges. 

Learn about UW Libraries public events — author talks, book clubs, cultural events and more!

The library is host and partner to many events that are open to the public – both in-person and online. Check out the UW Alumni Book Club, author  events and more!

To get notifications of Library events:

Student job opportunities and the benefits of joining the UW Libraries team!

We are always hiring new students! Join a great team of student employees from across all areas of study. Flexible hours in  great locations! All students who apply are also eligible for the Libraries student scholarship fund. Students who work at the libraries have built skills and experiences that they appreciate long after their employment.

Free Services and Resources

There are so many ways UW Libraries supports students beyond books and study spaces, especially for first year students. We offer a wide variety of free workshops, consultations and drop-in help such as

  • Odegaard Writing and Research Center : librarians and peer consultants provide guidance with all stages of the research process, including defining a research question, exploring background information, and finding sources. Writing tutors can help you with writing assignments at any phase of your process.
  • Help with digital and online content creation projects (audio/video software, data visualization, and mapping) through the Libraries’ Open Scholarship Commons

Books and Book Clubs

Whether you are looking for a book recommendation, or opportunities to meet others, check out these groups and online resources:

Support our Libraries

Every student needs UW Libraries, and UW Libraries needs YOU! Private support is essential to enhance and develop new programs and resources that benefit ALL Huskies. There are a variety of ways you can give and get involved, including our new Suzzallo Reading Room Window Program !   Learn more about all the ways to support UW Libraries.

We hope you have an amazing time visiting with your family! 

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Stories

April Update

March 29, 2024
Thank you for supporting UW Libraries on Husky Giving Day: April 4th!
Help us meet our goal of 175 donors this year! Your gift helps to provide essential library services, resources and support that fuel teaching, learning and research for every Husky and our community of global users. Learn more.

STUDENTS: UW Libraries Student 2024 Video Contest deadline has been extended to April 30th! Your 1- minute video could be worth up to $1,500! Learn more.

Spring is definitely in the air, Huskies! While you may be feeling more like studying outside under the cherry blossoms these days, don’t forget to take advantage of the Libraries’ services and support, on campus and online. If you’re a researcher looking to improve your research profile with digital storytelling, this quarter’s Storytelling Fellows workshop is for you! Student parents/caregivers— check out our new kid-friendly study room. Don’t miss the launch reception for our newest exhibit The Medium is the Message!  STUDENTS— earn some extra cash for that summer vacation by entering our annual student research award and video contests! This month’s update has some GREAT stories and points you to the many FREE workshops for all UW students, staff and faculty.  Finally — a huge thanks to everyone who has and will support the UW Libraries on UW’s annual one-day giving campaign – Husky Giving Day!  

News and Stories

Julie Tanaka

Welcome Julie Tanaka new Associate Dean for Distinctive Collections – UW Libraries newest leader starts April 1! Learn more about Tanaka’s days as a Husky her new role in UW Libraries Special Collections.  Read the announcement.

 

 

The new Family Study Room in located in Allen South 386F

 

New Family Study Room! UW Libraries and the University of Washington RSO Student Parent and Caregiver Advocacy Group are excited to announce the opening of a Family Study Room in located in Allen South 386F! This study room is overseen by the RSO group which is an organization of students who are also parents or caregivers. The room is furnished by the RSO with toys, books, and other child-appropriate items, along with a study table for the adults and a print release station. The study room is accessible via a parent/caregiver code provided via a request form. Learn more. 

2024 Undergraduate Student Research Award – Applications open April 1! Turn that project into cash – all forms of scholarship are encouraged – papers, posters, art, music and more. Get the details.

Your Voice, Your Books: The Return of Recommended Reads for Equity – UW Libraries is excited to re-launch this unique crowd-sourced book recommendation forum that directly influences a dedicated book collection in Odegaard Library for books about equity, diversity, and inclusion. Learn more.

 

 

 

Safeguarding Your Digital Footprint: A Workshop on Privacy in Online Platforms. We click “accept” on Terms of Service agreements without a second thought, trusting that our data is in safe hands. But is it really? Blindly accepting terms and conditions is no longer a viable option. It’s time to empower ourselves with knowledge and critically evaluate tools we work with every day. Learn about digital privacy tips and tools in this new blog and get ready for an essential UW Libraries workshop coming up in May. Learn more.

 

image of Joe BrazilArchival Silences and Sounds @ the UW Ethnomusicology Archives – this comprehensive update gives insight into the most recent and important work of the Archive’s new acquisitions and digitization efforts of cultural heritage works such as  recordings by Joe Brazil, Robert Garfias, Hiromi Lorraine Sakata, the Native Northwest Online partnership and student engagement. Read the story.

 

 

 

 

Community /Events /Exhibits

“MUSIC, ISLAND, STORIES: TAIWAN CALLING!” Pop-up Mini ConcertSpecial Collections Book Club: Maus by Art Spiegelman
Wednesday, Apr 3
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. / Allen Library North Lobby

Exhibit Launch Reception: The Medium is The Message: Lived Experience is the Story
Tuesday, April 9
4 – 6 p.m./ Allen Library South, Basement, Special Collections Lobby

UW Teaching and Learning Symposium
Tuesday, April 16 
1 – 2:30 p.m. / Kane Hall

Special Collections Book Club: Maus by Art Spiegelman
Wednesday, Apr 17, 2024, 
5 – 6:30 p.m. / Special Collections Classroom

Book Talk: North Korea’s Mundane Revolution with Andre Schmid
Thursday, Apr 18Persepolis Film Screening

4:30 – 6 p.m. / Allen Auditorium
Persepolis Film Screening
Thursday, Apr 18 
5 – 8 p.m. / Allen Auditorium

Learning Workshops

ATLAS.ti Training – Basic Skills
Friday, Apr 5, 2024, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Open Scholarship Commons, Presentation Space

UW Libraries Storytelling Fellows: Video Storytelling Registration Due 
Tuesday, Apr 9 / Online

Building Digital Collections Using Minimal Tech
Tuesday, April 23
1 – 2:30 p.m. / Suzzallo Library: Open Scholarship Commons: Presentation Space

Misleading data visualizations (and how to avoid making them)
Tuesday, Apr 16 
11 a.m. – 12 p.m. / Online

Open Scholarship Commons Community Fellows Workshop Series: Accessibility of Online Data Visualizations
Monday, Apr 22
1 – 2 p.m. / Open Scholarship Commons: Presentation Space

Building Digital Collections Using Minimal Tech
Tuesday, April 23
1 – 2:30 p.m. / Suzzallo Library: Open Scholarship Commons: Presentation Space

Open Scholarship Commons Community Fellows Workshop Series: Best Practices for Sharing Qualitative Interview Data: wrestling with epistemological, curatorial, and ethical considerations
Wednesday, Apr 24
10 – 11 a.m. / Open Scholarship Commons: Presentation Space

Creative Commons WorkshopCreative Commons Workshop
Wednesday, Apr 24
11 a.m. – 12 p.m. / Online

Building Digital Collections Using Minimal Tech [Zoom]
Tuesday, Apr 30
1 – 2:30 p.m. / Zoom
Office Hours / Drop-In Help

Office Hours/Drop-In Help

Online Text Mining Support Office Hours
Thursday, Apr 4
 5 – 6 p.m. / Zoom

Data Visualization Office Hours
Wednesday, April 10
1 – 2 p.m. / Suzzallo Library: Open Scholarship Commons: Group Work Space B

Missed it?

The Secret Life of UW Libraries Catalogers and Metadata Specialists Spotlight  This series of blog posts highlights our brilliant student employees and the work they do to make finding library resources easier and more effective. You may be surprised to hear that before you can access a library resource when you need it, a lot of work must be done to get that resource into the UW Libraries catalog. A whole department of librarians, staff, and students are quietly working away behind the scenes to get new resources into the catalog and to find innovative ways to enhance the Libraries’ metadata. Learn more.

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Stories

Safeguarding Your Digital Footprint: A Workshop on Privacy in Online Platforms

March 29, 2024

There is no doubt that for both research and teaching, online tools and platforms offer incredible utility and convenience, from collaborative research tools to engaging classroom platforms to innovative modes of sharing your work. While these platforms are important tools enabling us to work and learn, they also present a myriad of challenges. Because, beneath the surface, lies a complex web of data privacy concerns that demand our attention.

We click “accept” on Terms of Service agreements without a second thought, trusting that our data is in safe hands. But is it really? Blindly accepting terms and conditions is no longer a viable option. It’s time to empower ourselves with knowledge and critically evaluate tools we work with every day.

Did You Know?

1. FERPA Loopholes: Did you know that FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, may not protect your classwork if it’s not within a university-approved platform? So understanding the nuances of platform terms is crucial for safeguarding your academic integrity and privacy.

2. Youtube’s Subsidiary Rights: Ever read the fine print on Youtube’s Terms of Service? You might be surprised to learn that by uploading content, you grant Youtube the right to sublicense your work. What does this mean for your intellectual property rights?

3. Discord’s Data Sharing: Love using Discord for collaborating? Think again. Despite its popularity, Discord shares user content with law enforcement agencies. Your private conversations might not be as private as you think.

These eye-opening examples underscore the importance of understanding the context in which we operate online. We click “accept” on Terms of Service agreements without a second thought, trusting that our data is in safe hands. But is it really? Blindly accepting terms and conditions is no longer a viable option. It’s time to empower ourselves with knowledge and critically evaluate tools we work with every day.

Let’s Learn Together

Join us on May 7, 2024, from 10:30 am to noon for a workshop designed for students, instructors, and researchers alike. Whether you’re navigating the digital realm for academic purposes or personal use, this workshop is your guide to understanding and navigating the murky waters of how the tools we rely on really use our data. 

“Say goodbye to legal jargon-induced headaches…”

Our workshop will provide invaluable insights into deciphering the common language used in Terms of Service and Privacy Policies. Say goodbye to legal jargon-induced headaches as we introduce the “Terms of Service; Didn’t Read” framework— a fantastic tool for reviewing and parsing agreements.

But we won’t stop there. Prepare to put your newfound knowledge to use in our Terms of Service Hack-a-thon. Armed with your device or one from our laptop cart, you’ll examine and rate commonly used tools in research and coursework. Together, we’ll uncover which platforms prioritize privacy and which ones are more problematic.

Workshop Details:

  • Date: May 7, 2024
  • Time: 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
  • Location: Hybrid workshop, available both on Zoom and in the Open Scholarship Commons.

Don’t miss this opportunity to take control of your online presence and advocate for your digital rights. Register now and embark on a journey towards informed decision-making in your online research and scholarship.

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Stories

Archival Silences and Sounds @ the UW Ethnomusicology Archives

March 29, 2024

Founded in 1962, the UW Eth­no­mu­si­col­ogy Archives is home to more than 80,000 rare and unique films, videos, and sound recordings. One of the largest archives of its kind in North America, its collections represent a kaleidoscopic of array of sounds and styles from around the world, and around the block. A part of Libraries Special Collections since 2022, its curator, John Vallier,  has been working on a variety of projects, a selection of which are described here.

“Silences enter the process of historical production at four crucial moments: the moment of fact creation (the making of sources); the moment of fact assembly (the making of archives); the moment of fact retrieval (the making of narratives); and the moment of introspective significance (the making of history)… (Michel-Rolph Trouillot in Silencing the Past: Power and Production of History (1995).

Ethnomusicology archives have since their inception documented the sounds and stories of marginalized and minoritized peoples. Despite such efforts, these archives–like all archives–are full of gaps, or “silences” as noted by Trouillot. In an effort to address such archival silences, the Archives occasionally acquires new collections that refocus attention on the sonic legacies of musicians and researchers working on the cutting edge margins of their fields. These recent additions to the Archives are examples of such efforts. 

Recent Acquisitions  

image of Joe Brazil
Image: Joe Brazil, January 3, 1967

Joe Brazil Collection: over 2,000 items includes unique recordings of Miles Davis, Art Blakey, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, and many others.

Joe Brazil (1927-2008) was a saxophonist, founder of Seattle’s Black Academy of Music, and the first Black faculty member in the UW School of Music whose tenure was controversially denied in 1975. He played saxophone with a pantheon of jazz greats, including John Coltrane. His recently acquired collection of over 2,000 items includes unique recordings of Miles Davis, Art Blakey, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, and numerous other jazz masters. While it will be some time before his collection is processed, preserved, and made available to researchers, progress is already being made. The Archives and Special Collections are honored that his family entrusts the Ethnomusicology Archives and Special Collections with preserving and providing access to his legacy.

Robert Garfias Collection

Image: from a performance by Mexican-American musician Lydia Mendoza on 12-string guitar. Filmed by Robert Garfias in 1978 (entire film available here)

During his academic career, Professor Robert Garfias founded the UW Ethnomusicology Program, was appointed to the National Council on the Arts and served as a member of the Council of the Smithsonian Institution. During his extensive career, Garfias conducted significant periods of fieldwork and language study around the world, including in Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Mexico, Zimbabwe, Guatemala, and Spain. This past February, he donated to the Archives over 10,000 photographs taken during many of these fieldtrips. While these images await processing, a selection of his related field recordings and films are available online via Adam Matthew’s Ethnomusicology Field Recordings Online and the Libraries Internet Archive portal.

Digital Projects

Digitization allows us to preserve and make accessible cultural heritage materials for generations to come; however, the resources to do so at scale are often limited.  Community partnerships help bridge that gap, while also expanding access to a broader audience.

Native Northwest Online: 20,000 unique objects digitized so far

https://plateauportal.libraries.wsu.edu/

With considerable help from many across the Libraries, the Archives continues to steward UW’s contribution to Native Northwest Online, the $334,000 CLIR funded partnership led by Associate Vice Chancellor and Professor Kimberly Christen of Washington State University. Nearly 20,000 unique objects from UW Libraries have been digitized as part of the project so far. Many of these have been uploaded to the Plateau Peoples’ Portal where they are being reviewed and assessed by representatives from nine participating Tribes: Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation; Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes; Spokane Tribe of Indians; Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Nimíipuu (Nez Perce) Tribe; Quinault Indian Nation; Schitsu’umsh (Coeur d’Alene); Snoqualmie Indian Tribe; Yakama Nation. Using the Mukurtu CMS and the Mukurtu Metadata Transformation Toolkit, each Native partner will review, update metadata, assign protocols for access and Traditional Knowledge Labels to digitized content. This information will be shared with the non-Native repositories, including UW Libraries, thereby providing a direct and sustainable pathway for ongoing digital returns, and culturally enhanced public records.

The Hiromi Lorraine Sakata Collection

Gulu playing the chang in Dai Kundi, Hazarajat, Central Afghanistan (1972). From the Hiromi Lorraine Sakata Collection.

Hiromi Lorraine Sakata is a retired UW ethnomusicologist whose work focused on Central Asian music and culture. Beginning in the 1960s, Professor Sakata conducted extensive fieldwork across Afghanistan and Pakistan as part of her dissertation research. Over the course of many years and several trips to the region, she amassed large collections of field recordings, photographs, and other materials, all of which she donated to the Archives. A selection of some 900 items from these collections, which also include footage of famed Pakistani qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, are now published on Ethnographic Sound Archives Online and Soundcloud. 

Fun Fact: Sakata’s Field recordings of traditional Afghan music recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s have been added to the National Recording Registry of the United States Library of Congress. Learn more.

Inside and Outside the Classroom 

A video still from Nirvana’s 1991 performance at the former Beehive Music & Video (809 NE 45th Street), now a PetCo.

In addition to being the Archives’ curator, John Vallier is an affiliate faculty member in Ethnomusicology and the Department of Comparative History of Ideas (CHID). In his role as faculty, Vallier offers courses on a range of topics. This quarter he is teaching a new class for Comparative History of Ideas (CHID) called Grunge is for Lo$ers. Undergraduates in this class are interrogating

the UW Ethnomusicology Archives Instagram account always has interesting pics and finds!

Seattle’s alternative music history while contributing to the development of the Archives’ Seattle Sounds Archiving and Preservation Project (SSAPP). Guest speakers, interviews, archival sound recordings, and the newly digitized Rocket newspaper are informing student projects and contributions to the Archives.

Lastly, the Archives is excited to announce that a group of UW students have formed a new Archives-focused student group called Vault Sounds that they describe as an “ethnomusicology listening club.” This Monday, April 1, the group will be holding its first listening session in Allen Auditorium, located on the ground floor of Suzzallo-Allen Library. The event starts at 4pm. More information about the club is available here. 

To learn more:

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Stories

Your Voice, Your Books: The Return of Recommended Reads for Equity

March 14, 2024

UW Libraries is excited to re-launch Recommended Reads for Equity – a crowd-sourced book recommendation forum that directly influences a dedicated book collection in Odegaard Library for books about equity, diversity, and inclusion. This collection brings together over 170 unique voices and perspectives — students, staff, faculty and alumni have joined together to share what they think is important about equity.  Anyone can submit a recommendation, and every recommendation creates an opportunity for connection through shared conversation and reflection. We had a chance to talk with UW Libraries Undergraduate Experience Librarian, Emilie Vrbancic, about the history of the program and how it has evolved over time.

HOW DID IT START?

Recommended Reads for Equity display table at Odegaard Library

My former colleague, Steve Weber and I wanted to create a space where people could come together to define a community-driven expression of what equity means to us, as a unique campus community. The program was first funded by a Diversity Seed Grant in 2018, and the initial collection resulted in 138 book recommendations and 120 books in the collection ranging in topics from the environment to identity to social (in)equality to law.  In addition to the Odegaard team, many graduate students were also essential to maintaining the project, organizing and publishing the online guide, especially Riko Fluchel, Caitlin Stewart, and Sydney Krueger. 

My favorite aspect of this project is reading the nuanced and often personal recommendations folks submit. There is genuine curiosity and care in sharing what they’ve read with others. People are sharing a part of themselves through this project- it’s priceless.

EVOLVING OVER TIME

The collection now totals over 175 titles and provides insight into books that have captured our collective attention on campus – like Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi or The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. 

Click to share a reccomendation!

What’s great about this collection is that it’s unique to the UW community. It’s also up to us to continue to grow the collection as our understanding of equity changes and we react to national conversations like Black Lives Matter and the ongoing conflict in Palestine and Israel. 

While the project was on a pandemic-related hiatus over the past two years, with this relaunch, we hope to continue to grow the collection with more recommendations from the UW community, especially books that are socially and culturally relevant in this current moment. 

HOW DO PEOPLE LEARN ABOUT IT?

This project involves several components: outreach to the campus community, book displays and new book acquisition, an online collection guide, and programming. Prior to the pandemic, we held in-person events and created additional ways to engage through video book talks during spring quarter 2020. The online guide continues to be used by the UW community and we hope to have more in-person events in the next academic year. 

FOR QUESTIONS AND TO GET INVOLVED:

Contact Emilie Vrbancic, [email protected]

Go to the Guide: https://guides.lib.uw.edu/research/recommendedreadsequity/home 

Submit a recommendation today: https://tinyurl.com/reads4equity  

Stories

The Secret Life of UW Libraries Catalogers and Metadata Specialists Spotlight

March 12, 2024

About the Student Spotlight Series

You may be surprised to hear that before you can access a library resource when you need it, a lot of work must be done to get that resource into the UW Libraries catalog. A whole department of librarians, staff, and students are quietly working away behind the scenes to get new resources into the catalog and to find innovative ways to enhance the Libraries’ metadata. This series of blog posts will highlight our brilliant student employees and the work they do to make your tasks of searching, identifying, selecting, and obtaining library resources easier and more effective.  

Valerie Rollins

Student Spotlight #3: Valerie Rollins

Valerie Rollins came to the University of Washington Libraries as an MLIS candidate with years of library experience already behind her. During her study at the UW iSchool, Valerie worked at the Libraries as an Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Student Assistant in Circulation, completed her Capstone project with Cataloging & Metadata Services (CAMS), and, through Directed Fieldwork, Valerie learned cataloging with Crystal Yragui, UW Libraries Science and Book Arts Cataloger.

Valerie’s Capstone project focused on converting traditional library metadata (MARC21 catalog records) about UW electronic theses and dissertations to Wikidata. When students submit their theses and dissertations to the University of Washington to earn their degrees, their work is published and made available (often to the public, and sometimes just to the UW community) electronically through the UW ResearchWorks Archive. UW Libraries users can search the ResearchWorks archive or the library catalog for this important student research. While the UW Libraries catalog and ResearchWorks Archive are excellent knowledge discovery systems, Wikidata offers exciting possibilities for information discovery and access which library workers like Valerie are learning to harness. 

knowledge graph example

A little about Wikidata:

“Wikidata is a collaboratively edited multilingual knowledge graph hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation.[2] It is a common source of open data that Wikimedia projects such as Wikipedia,[3][4] and anyone else, can use under the CC0 public domain license. Wikidata is a wiki powered by the software MediaWiki, including its extension for semi-structured data, the Wikibase.”–Wikipedia.

Linked open databases such as Wikidata offer vast possibilities for improving library metadata. With linked open data, communities across the world can share massive amounts of data using agreed-upon, machine-readable languages called ontologies in a way that was not possible before. The UW Libraries has been exploring linked data, and Wikidata particularly, for a number of years. One of our significant projects was the PCC Wikidata Pilot project. As part of this project, Crystal Yragui designed a workflow and set of schemas (schemas dictate the overall structure of metadata) for converting catalog records for UW electronic theses and dissertations to Wikidata. After the pilot project ended, this workflow became outdated, and significant transformation work remained to be done. 

“Valerie’s experimental work with traditional library cataloging and Wikidata is helping users to  discover more information, faster and more easily…”

The Secret Life of UW Libraries Catalogers and Metadata Specialists Spotlights

Read our other spotlight features on amazing student employees who work with our UW Libraries cataloging and metadata teams!

Valerie partnered with classmates Olivia Davis and Bryce Hagan to take on a workflow update, schema update, and remaining MARC21 to Wikidata transformation work. Valerie rapidly learned the ins and outs of MARC21 catalog data for electronic theses and dissertations, how to use tools such as OpenRefine to perform data cleanup and author and edit Wikidata schemas, and wrapped her mind around the details of the workflow. Valerie made significant edits to update and streamline the workflow and completed a large chunk of transformation work alongside her classmates. Valerie demonstrated excellent communication and leadership skills during her Capstone project, which was completed in Spring quarter of 2023.

Concurrently with her Capstone, Valerie completed a separate Directed Fieldwork with her Capstone sponsor which deepened her knowledge about MARC21 cataloging during the Winter quarter of 2023. Focusing primarily on scientific electronic theses and dissertations, Valerie learned to create catalog records using national cataloging standards and controlled vocabularies, and performed complex identity management work in Wikidata as well.

Valerie proved herself to be a thoughtful cataloger with an eye towards promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion in her cataloging. She edited many authority records (types of catalog records which identify standardized forms of names for things). More recently, she accumulated linked data identifiers for the same entities from various data sources around the world to remove gender information in accordance with a recent PCC policy change regarding authority records for people. Although subject analysis for cutting-edge scientific theses is particularly difficult, Valerie picked up the Library of Congress Subject Headings (a controlled vocabulary used in cataloging) easily and even made a few proposals for new headings during her fieldwork. Valerie populated bibliographic and authority records with links to Wikidata entities  as part of her Capstone project workflow, bringing together the work she completed during her Capstone and Directed Fieldwork to achieve maximum benefits for library users.

Learn more about why students love working at the Libraries!

“Valerie brought together the work she completed during her Capstone and Directed Fieldwork to achieve maximum benefits for library users.”

Compared to traditional catalog records, Wikidata can uncover more nuanced relationships between more frequently updated, machine-readable datasets so that users are able to find related information more easily. Exploring Wikidata, our users can find all of the students of a particular professor simply by clicking their name. They can discover related Wikipedia articles and other sources. Identifiers from all over the web are linked and aggregated in Wikidata, along with more information than a traditional library catalog can provide. 

Valerie’s experimental work with traditional library cataloging and Wikidata is helping users to  discover more information, faster and more easily with linked data. To explore the results of her work, you can visit the University of Washington’s PCC Wikidata Pilot list of Wikidata items for electronic theses and dissertations and click on any title that interests you. Or, you can check out this Wikidata item for UW Professor Rajesh P. N. Rao to see how Valerie’s work integrates with the existing work being done by the Wikidata community to describe scholars and scholarly work at the University of Washington. 

Before her graduation from the MLIS program in Spring 2023, Valerie accepted a position as the Cataloging, Acquisitions, & ILL Manager at Sno-Isle Libraries. We are delighted to have Valerie as a local colleague and are so very proud of her success!

For questions about this project and other related work at the UW Libraries, contact: Crystal Yragui, [email protected].

Stories

March Update

March 6, 2024
student video contest graphic
Since 2018, this annual student video contest has produced some amazing videos to highlight all there is to LOVE about UW Libraries. Turn that creativity into cash! Create a 1-minute video that highlights reasons why we LOVE our UW Libraries. Learn more.

We are nearly to the end of winter quarter! Cherry blossoms are right around the corner and our Libraries are “blooming” with valuable opportunities for students, including the Libraries’ annual video contest! We are celebrating new exhibits (including first-ever “pop up” events with rare music and art collections), our amazing student employees and the grand-reopening of the Tateuchi East Asia Library. Good luck on finals, and don’t forget to bookmark our Top Ten Tips, always a helpful reminder of all the ways #YourUWLibrary is here for you, Huskies! Read on for all the latest news and events.

News and Stories

Exhibit: Revolutionary Feminists: The Women’s Liberation Movement in SeattleJust in time for Women’s History Month! UW Libraries Special Collections announces the opening of the papers of women’s rights activist Barbara Winslow, author of Revolutionary Feminists: The Women’s Liberation Movement in Seattle (Duke Univ Press, 2023).  Throughout March, you can view notable features of Winslow’s work in a new display on the Allen Library mezzanine.  On March 28, as part of Winslow’s book tour,  the Libraries will host a special community event with Winslow and friends to celebrate the opening of her papers, and to share a personal perspective reflecting on her life’s work as a feminist advocate, educator and documentarian of the Seattle scene from 1969-1979 with local organizations such as Women’s Liberation-Seattle, the It’s About Time feminist bookstore, and the Peace and Freedom Party. Learn More.

“my experience working at the UW Libraries has been transformative for my personal, academic, and professional growth…” – Braedyn, 2024 Student Scholarship Recipient

We Love Our Student Employees! Over 50 student employees received scholarships through the Student scholarship fund. They wrote amazing essays about their work experience with the Libraries. You can get a sense of just how important these students workers are by watching and reading highlights from their essays that were shared at the scholarship reception February 29, 2024. READ THE STORY.

a photo montage of dancers, drummers, martial arts performers
student performers at the Tateuchi East Asia Library’s grand re-opening celebration.

Celebrating the Tateuchi East Asia Library: On February 21, international guests, UW students faculty and community leaders gathered for the official re-opening celebration of the Tateuchi East Asia Library renovation. Guest speakers, student performances and rare, special collections on display made for a fantastic event highlighting the libraries unique impact locally and internationally. READ THE STORY.   Note: Next week, the library will host many international colleagues who are in town for the Council on East Asian Libraries (CEAL) Conference. Welcome!

“We frequently saw these acts before anyone in the country,” said Keister. Image: “New band” Def Leppard on one of its first tours in Seattle, reading The Rocket. The publication ran from 1979 to 2000 and was the first to cover bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. #k5evening

Saving Seattle’s Storied Music History: KING 5 News visited UW Libraries to explore how 20 years of pivotal Seattle music history was digitally preserved through funding and partnership with the UW Libraries,  the Washington State Library and its Washington Digital Newspapers program. This in-depth story features interviews with Charles R. Cross, longtime editor of The Rocket, who played a key role in getting the archives of the music magazine digitized, and John Keister, another Rocket editor and foundational partner during the paper’s earliest days.  WATCH THE STORY.

 

Community Events/Exhibits

The Medium is The Message: Lived Experience is the StoryNEW EXHIBIT –  The Medium is The Message: Lived Experience is the Story –  Explore the relationship between the graphic novel and the potency with which they tell stories of identity, memory, and culture through the UW Libraries Special Collections Spring/Summer exhibit. Monday, Mar 18 – Thursday, Sep 19, 2024 / Allen Library: Learn more.

 

SGN: Seattle Gay News (@SeattleGayNews) / X 1977 issue headline: NGTF Co-Exec Expresses viewsCelebrating 50 years of the Seattle Gay News: A new exhibit in Allen Library’s Government Publications, Maps, Microforms & Newspapers (GMM) area. The Seattle Gay News, one of the longest-running LGBTQ in the world, is officially 50! Explore the history of a newspaper that has served the Seattle gay community since March 1974, reporting on arts, culture, health, politics, civil rights, and more. We celebrate the newspaper by presenting headlines and examples of how it covered the local, national, and international happenings and highlighting how the UW Libraries and the Washington State Library preserve and make it accessible to all. On display through April 12, 2024. Learn more.

Art Building TowerFrom the Vaults: Check out Rare Art Items at the UW Archives! The UW Music and Art Libraries, in partnership with UW Libraries’ Special Collections, will be showing off a variety of rare arts-themed items from their archives. Ordinarily available by appointment only, these unique materials will be on display via “pop up” tabling events at the Music and Art Libraries. Monday, Mar 25 – Thursday, Mar 28, 2024: Learn More

Real Lit Hosts Hugo Award Winner Sarah Gailey
Thursday, Mar 7
12:30 – 1:30 p.m./ UW Tacoma Library

Opening Reception: the Barbara Winslow (feminist) Papers
Thursday, Mar 28
3:30 – 5 p.m. / Smith Room (3rd floor, hallway to left of Reading Room)

Learning Workshops

Aligning your course around outcomes and objectives
Thursday, March 14
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. / Online

Metadata Support for UW Libraries Digital Scholarship Platforms
Monday, March 18
2 – 3 p.m. / Suzzallo Library: Open Scholarship Commons: Group Work Space B

Office Hours / Drop-In Help

Digital Scholarship Project Help Office Hours- Tuesdays: Learn about getting started with digital projects at UW. We offer consultations for research and course related projects. Examples include support for digital publishing, building digital exhibits, and more! We can help you find the right tools, resources and instruction whether you’re just getting started or are working on an on-going project. Learn more

Citation Tools Cafes- Rotating days: Drop in and connect with the UW Libraries Research Commons citation management tools experts at a variety of cafes around campus! Learn more

Data Visualization Office Hours- Wednesdays: Drop by office hours to get help with data visualization! We can help you choose the right tools, find resources, and discuss how to prepare your data for visualization. Learn more.

Graduate Funding Information Service Office Hours: The Graduate Funding Information Service (GFIS) works with current and admitted UW graduate students.  Learn more.

Save the date

2024 Undergraduate Student Research Award – Applications open April 1! Turn that project into cash – all forms of scholarship are encouraged – papers, posters, art, music and more. Get the details.

Husky Giving Day is April 4th! Thank you for considering participating in this annual UW giving event. This year, your support can be directed to two high-impact giving opportunities — student scholarship funds or the libraries Catalyst Fund. Thank you for your support, and be sure to follow us on socials to share and encourage others to support UW Libraries Husky Giving Day! Learn more.

Building Digital Collections Using Minimal Tech: learn about technology that anyone can use to build online digital libraries, archives, and exhibits, especially for under-resourced organizations.
Tuesday, April 23
Suzzallo Library: Open Scholarship Commons Presentation Space

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Stories

The New Tateuchi East Asia Library: A Celebration of Culture, Community and Collections 

March 6, 2024

Re-opening celebration of the Tateuchi East Asia Library  brings campus and community partners together 

a photo montage of dancers, drummers, martial arts performers
Event performers included Amy Sun (far left) and Annie Yao (far right) of UW’s Traditional Chinese Dance Club; UW Taekwondo Club (middle images), UW Taiko Kai (middle right, drumming),  UW Judo Club and UW Kendo Club (not pictured)

On Wednesday Feb 21, 2024, over 175 students, faculty, staff, community members and distinguished guests came together to celebrate the official grand re-opening and renovation of the Tateuchi East Asia Library. 

Hyokyoung Yi, Lucy Li, Azusa Tanaka, Consul General Iyori of Japan, Daniel Chen, Director General of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), Zev Handel, Dan Asher, Consul General Seo of Korea, Simon Neame, Tricia Serio, Danny Hoffman and Sheryl Stiefel

The program was officiated by Simon Neame, Dean of UW Libraries, and guest speakers included Daniel Asher of the Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Foundation;  Consul General Seo of the Republic of Korea; Consul General Iyori of Japan; Daniel Chen, Director General of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO); and–all the way from Tokyo Keio University–librarians Ms. Mutsumi Hosaka and Mr. Takashi Kuramochi. UW Provost Tricia Serio attended and shared celebratory remarks along with Danny Hoffman, Director of the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies and Zev Handel, Chair of the Department of the Asian Language and Literature. In addition to hearing from these distinguished guests, attendees also enjoyed refreshments and live performances from seven different student interest groups, including traditional Chinese dance, martial arts and The Libraries Singers.

 “This library is a vibrant hub of intellectual exchange and collaboration. It is a place where ideas are born, where minds are opened, and where friendships are forged across continents and cultures.” – Consulate General Iyori

Dan Asher of the Tateuchi Foundation  and Sheryl Stiefel, Assistant Dean of University Libraries for Advancement 

Daniel Asher, Administrator of the Tateuchi East Asia Foundation spoke on behalf of the Tateuchi Foundation, whose $6 million gift in 2020 provided essential funding for the renovation. 

“I’m especially grateful for the outstanding attendance here today and for all the hard work that went into transforming the East Asia Library into the Tateuchi East Asia Library,”  said Asher.  “On behalf of the Tateuchi Foundation, I’d like to express our gratitude and for continuing to make the library a nationally-recognized resource for years to come.”

The event slideshow offered a great historical overview of the library–from its earliest days as a single collection housed in Suzzallo Library– to current day, as one of the region’s premiere East Asia libraries:

View the full slideshow.

Several of the speakers noted the importance of the library as a cultural hub and connector for the East Asian community. Consul General Seo of the Republic of Korea commented on the import of the library and its extensive Korean collections.

“The Tateuchi East Asia Library is a testament to the UW’s enduring commitment to promoting cross-cultural understanding and diversity. I must commend UW’s (Tateuchi) East Asia Library, UW’s Korea Center and Jackson School of International Studies for having one of the most extensive Korean collections of history, art, and politics in North America, and it is a source of great pride of the Korean-American community here in Washington.” 

Danny Hoffman, Director of the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies and Jackson School of International Studies and Zev Handel, Chair of the Department of the Asian Language and Literature also gave high praise to the library and noted its important role at UW.

“For the faculty, students who work within East Asian studies and languages, this library is a precious jewel,” said Handel. “We deeply value the strong relationship that our department has with the libraries and we’re really looking forward to this new chapter in this wonderful space.”

Student employees greet guests: Sophomore student Yilin Liu and Senior student Victor Yin (see the new map and program Victor designed at the end of this post!)

Director Hoffman expressed his appreciation as well. 

“On behalf of the Jackson School, congratulations and thank you for being an extraordinary resource on this campus,” said Hoffman.  Hoffman also commented on the Libraries’ role in attracting first-rate students and federal funding.

UW graduate students, Hannah Wampler, Juan Felipe Arroyave and Intaek Hong spoke about their experience and appreciation for the library, and Youkyung Sung, a visiting librarian from the Korea Foundation,  read a special poem titled Ch’uksi that she wrote to commemorate the occasion. 

photo of the caligraphy in the library, before the rennovation, 2020
Image:  a view of the tapestries in the original space (2020)

In his speech, Zev Handel, Chair of the Department of the Asian Language and Literature gave a brief history and explanation of the large calligraphy banners above the library’s front door, a source of wonder for many library users. 

“The tapestries were created by Gasei Komai, a Japanese calligrapher who was an artist in residence in 1977, a year after the library moved to this space, and the two kanji together represent  “heigei” in Japanese, “pi ni” in Mandarin, “pai ngai” in Cantonese and “pi ye” in Korean.  

The dictionary definition is “to look askance at”, a kind of negative connotation, but the calligrapher intended a different meaning. The meaning he wanted to express was seeing into the very heart of a space.

Sometimes it is the indirect or the unexpected way of looking at something that reveals the truth about it. A fitting message for this library, which has for many decades, been offering all of us the chance to look at things from a new perspective.”

a view of the tapestries from February 2024

During the renovation, the panels were removed and had the opportunity to be professionally treated and cleaned by UW Libraries’ Preservation and Conservation team. Now, newly refurbished, the panels remain in their original location, but are seen in a new light amidst a  more open entryway.

The Tateuchi East Asia Library underwent extensive renovations last year, starting in June, the first renovation of the space since 1976. While the library officially reopened at the end of summer quarter 2023, Libraries staff and student employees have been hard at work to prepare the space for a more formal re-opening celebration. In addition to a much more open and collaborative environment and new staff reference desk, the renovation provided many new display cases to showcase the libraries’ unique special collections. 

For the event, several items from the libraries special collections were on display, including:

  • a calligraphy poem about Spring done by the first prime minister of Japan, Ito Hirobumi (1841-1909) 
  • Late 16th to early 17th century movable type imprints (extremely rare from pre-modern Japan, they tested the movable type printing for a few decades and gave up because the amount of the letters to prepare are countless, unlike alphabets)
  • 1658 Daimyo, local governors, annual registories   
  • a manuscript map from the late 18th century Korea that was recently digitized and professionally treated by experts in library’s preservation and conservation team
  • Chinese collected works published in the Ming dynasty;  its original work was created over 1,000 years ago by a Tang dynasty scholar.
Tateuchi East Asia Library staff: Hyokyoung Yi and Interim Director and Korea Studies Librarian; Azusa Tanaka, Japan Studies Librarian, Lucy Li, Interim China Studies Librarian, and Youkyung Sung, a visiting librarian from The Korea Foundation who will be working at the library through July 2024

Through the words and performances of the speakers and performers, the grand re-opening event was a great expression of the diversity of cultures and studies represented at the University and within the library itself,  a resource that will continue to thrive through the dedication of its expert staff and the incredible generosity of The Tateuchi Foundation and all those who support UW Libraries.

Learn More:

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