Library Blogs

Join the Special Collections Research Center in Hatcher next Tuesday (11 October) at 4 pm for our second After Hours open house of the term exploring the Arabic devotional compendium Dalāʼil al-khayrāt!

We are pleased to invite you to a panel regarding the discovery of the forgery of our Galileo manuscript: October 6, @7:00 pm. Hosted by the U-M Detroit Observatory in Ann Arbor, Nick Wilding (Georgia State University) and Pablo Alvarez (University of Michigan Library) will be discussing various aspects surrounding this extraordinary document, including its alleged historical significance, the fascinating process establishing it as a 20th-century fake, and the lessons that we can all learn from the unmasking of this forgery.

I’m delighted to be able to announce, finally, that all of Asia Library is open for use. Our hours are the same as those of Hatcher Library. Asia Library has undergone a significant renovation: the creation of the Mayumi and Masao Oka Tadoku Room.

Join the Special Collections Research Center next Tuesday (13 September) at 4 pm (Eastern) for our first After Hours virtual open house of the term with the curators of A Perfect Pairing!

In this mystery, one of a series set in Gilded Age New York, Prudence MacKenzie, a judge's daughter turned detective, and Geoffrey Hunter, a former Pinkerton agent, search for two missing children--a brother and sister--in the streets of New York. They learn that the missing girl has been sold into prostitution, and, with the help of historical figures such as Jacob Riis and Nellie Bly, attempt to rescue the children. The book paints a detailed portrait of life in New York in the 1890s, from the parlors of the wealthy to the sordid streets and alleyways of the tenements.

We are excited to continue our After Hours open houses this semester, online and in person! Join us on the second Tuesday of each month at 4 pm for an encounter with our collections.

Culinary historian and Adjunct Curator Janice Bluestein Longone passed away on August 3, 2022 at the age of 89. Jan was the principal donor and driving force behind the formation of the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive, the culmination of a life-long interest in culinary history that she shared with her husband Dan Longone, University of Michigan Chemistry Professor Emeritus.

Happy August! It’s that time of year– back to school. While starting or resuming school can lead to feelings from being worried to being excited, it’s a phase of change for everyone involved. We want to recommend books that have characters that are also going through huge changes and having their coming of age moments. While you read and cheer them on, make sure you cheer yourself on and care for your wellness as you are transitioning. We wish you a fantastic school year– Go Blue!

Newly cataloged for the Jewish Heritage Collection: a poster announcing the premier presentation in Philadelphia of the Yiddish play Milchume kalles (The Jewish War Brides) at the Arch Street Theater. Gift of Elliot H. Gertel.

Helen Castor tells the story of Joan of Arc in the context of her times. The book is a history of the part of the Hundred Years' War in which Joan played a major role, and it begins with the English victory at Agincourt in 1415. Castor writes about the political factions, and shifting alliances, in France at the time, and about how Joan's appearance at the French Dauphin's court, followed by her victory at Orléans in 1429, changed the course of the war. She also writes compellingly and movingly of Joan's trial. For biographical information about Joan, look elsewhere, but this book is excellent as a history of her times.