Archive for the ‘Announcements’ Category
“A Very Complex Undertaking…”: The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University (1996-2006) UCLA Library Curators’ Conversations on May 16
Tuesday, May 14th, 2013Dear Leonard: A Musical Tribute by Piano Spheres to Leonard Stein
Thursday, April 11th, 2013
“I’m a Stranger Here Myself”
Saturday, March 16th, 2013UCLA Library is pleased to collaborate with UCLA Center for the Art of Performance’s presentation of Allen Ginsberg’s Kaddish: A Hal Willner Project For Naomi Ginsberg (1894-1956), scheduled for April 17 in Royce Hall, http://cap.ucla.edu/calendar/event_detail.asp?id=274, with a series of programs and exhibitions, “I’m a Stranger Here Myself,” http://www.library.ucla.edu/news/kaddish-related-programs.
Although often overlooked, Los Angeles was a significant site of Beat culture in post-WWII America. There was North Beach in San Francisco. Greenwich Village in New York. And Venice Beach in L.A. Los Angeles poets such as Stuart Perkoff, John Thomas, Charles Bukowski and Lawrence Lipton, author of the classic narrative, “Holy Barbarians,” typified the spirit of the era. Well known Beats from Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti to Michael McClure and Jack Kerouac traveled frequently to Los Angeles, built friendships with local writers and artists, and performed in Los Angeles coffee shops, clubs and bookstores.
The Beats flourished in a larger literary and artistic context in L.A. Serious and gifted poets such as Thomas McGrath, Bert Meyers, Gene Frumkin, Estelle Gershgoren Novak, Ann Stanford, Don Gordon, Mel Weisburd, Josephine Ain, along with others, feuded with the Beats, congregated around respected literary magazines such as Coastlines and California Quarterly, read their work to jazz, collaborated with graphic artists, engaged in the civic culture, and laid the basis for L.A.’s contemporary literary environment, many of them while fighting for their lives and careers during the height of McCarthyism, what blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo called “the time of the Toad.”
All events at UCLA libraries are free and open to the public, though several request reservations. Events off-campus may require fees. Please check at http://www.library.ucla.edu/news/kaddish-related-programs.
Ahmanson Research Fellowships for the Study of Medieval and Renaissance Books and Manuscripts
Wednesday, February 20th, 2013Thanks to the generosity of the Ahmanson Foundation, the UCLA Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (CMRS) and the UCLA Library Special Collections (LSC) are pleased to announce the new Ahmanson Research Fellowships for the Study of Medieval and Renaissance Books and Manuscripts. The fellowships support the use of the extensive medieval and Renaissance monographic and manuscript holdings in LSC, which primarily are organized into collections such as the Ahmanson-Murphy Collection of the Aldine Press; the Ahmanson-Murphy Collection of Early Italian Printing; the Elmer Belt Library of Vinciana; the Orsini Family Papers; the Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts Collection; the Richard and Mary Rouse Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts and Early Printed Books; the Medieval and Renaissance Arabic and Persian Medical Manuscripts.
The fellowships will be awarded on a competitive basis to graduate students or postdoctoral scholars who need to use these collections for graduate-level or postdoctoral independent research. Recipients will receive a stipend of $2,500/month for fellowships lasting up to three months. Graduate students or scholars holding a PhD (or the foreign equivalent) who are engaged in graduate-level, postdoctoral, or independent research are invited to apply.
Applications are due March 1, 2013, for fellowships to be taken between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014.
The application should include:
- Cover letter
- Curriculum vitae
- Outline of research and special collections to be used (two pages maximum)
- Dates to be spent in residence
- Two letters of recommendation from faculty or other scholars familiar with the research project.
Application materials may be submitted by e-mail (PDF format preferred) to cmrs@humnet.ucla.edu, or by mail to:
UCLA Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies
Attention: Ahmanson Fellowships
302 Royce Hall
Box 951485
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1485
Curators’ Conversations: The Sacredness of Alameda Street on December 6
Wednesday, November 28th, 2012UCLA Library Special Collections
Curators’ Conversations
The Sacredness of Alameda Street: Reflections on the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education Records Project
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Noon – 1 p.m.
Charles E. Young Research Library Presentation Room
The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education records, 1875-2012 were donated to the UCLA Library in 2011, and Special Collections staff began processing the collection in a warehouse near downtown early in 2012. Processing Projects Librarian Megan Hahn Fraser and Project Archivist Kelly Besser will present highlights of the collection and discuss the challenges of an experimental project to process more than one thousand linear feet of institutional records in one year.
Now nearing completion, this processing project makes available a wealth of research material documenting board decisions on matters such as building projects, curriculum, enrollment, personnel, student and staff integration, student unrest and Un-American activities. The collection offers scholars in many disciplines insight into educational, cultural and social issues central to the history of Los Angeles.
The title comes from an August 1963 statement by board member Mary Tinglof in which she describes school boundaries, especially the one along Alameda Street, becoming “as rigid as Berlin walls,” and the struggles to bring equal education to all students.
This occasional series explores Library collections and projects with staff who acquire and make them available. The presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer period.
You are welcome to bring your lunch; coffee and cookies will be served.
Seating is limited. RSVP to UCLA Library Development at rsvp@library.ucla.edu.
Save the Date! Jim Tully subject of Bonnie Cashin Lecture on October 11
Thursday, September 6th, 2012
Jim Tully on MGM sound stage, 1930. Jim Tully Papers, 1883-1952, Collection 250. UCLA Library Special Collections
The Bonnie Cashin Lecture
featuring Paul Bauer and Mark Dawidziak
REDISCOVERING JIM TULLY
Golden Age Hollywood’s Hard-Boiled Writer
Thursday, October 11, 2012
4-6 p.m.
UCLA Charles E. Young Research Library Main Conference Room
11360 Charles E. Young Research Library
RSVP by October 2, 2012 to UCLA Library Development at 310.206.8526 or rsvp@library.ucla.edu
“The Life and Times of Jim Tully–From Drifter to Celebrated Author”
Selections from the Jim Tully Papers
An exhibit in UCLA Library Special Collections
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
October–December 2012
On October 11, UCLA Library Special Collections will host the Bonnie Cashin Lecture by Paul Bauer and Mark Dawidziak, entitled “Rediscovering Jim Tully: Golden Age Hollywood’s Hard-Boiled Writer” at 4:00 in the Charles E. Young Research Library Conference Center. Bauer and Dawidziak are authors of the biography, Jim Tully: American Writer, Irish Rover, Hollywood Brawler, published by Kent State University Press in 2011.
The lecture will be followed by a reception in Library Special Collections for the opening of the accompanying exhibit, “The Life and Times of Jim Tully—From Drifter to Celebrated Author” curated by Lilace Hatayama. The exhibit will feature selections from the Jim Tully Papers, including drafts of his novels and first editions, correspondence with Hollywood celebrities, sports figures, writers, editors, and screenwriters, research files for his non-fiction pieces, photographs with celebrities of the day, and mementos of his strong ties to his hometown of St. Mary’s, Ohio.
Space is limited; RSVP by October 2, 2012 to UCLA Library Development at 310.206.8526 or rsvp@library.ucla.edu.
Jim Tully (1886-1947), once known as “the most feared man in Hollywood,” rose from an impoverished childhood in St. Mary’s, Ohio to become an internationally known novelist and popular writer. A self educated “road kid,” he traveled the country working odd jobs and hopping trains. Tully found work as a tree trimmer, boxer, reporter, and chain maker before settling in Hollywood and working for Charlie Chaplin. He published his first novel, Emmett Lawler (1922) based on his own family history and travels, while also establishing himself as a keen observer of Hollywood and the cult of celebrity. He wrote a series of best-selling novels, contributed to countless magazines and literary journals, and included hobos, convicts, Hollywood stars and American literati amongst his friends.
UCLA Library Special Collections houses Jim Tully’s papers, which contain manuscripts of novels, short stories, articles, plays and celebrity profiles written by Tully, as well as research material for his varied interests, including pugilism, prison reform and capital punishment, hoboing, labor strikes and many other topics. There is extensive correspondence with Hollywood celebrities, directors, studio executives, literary figures, and family and friends, including one of Tully’s mentors, H.L. Mencken. The papers also include photographs and personal material about family history, marriages and travel. The collection is available for research and the finding aid for the Jim Tully Papers on the Online Archive of California provides extensive information regarding its contents and scope.
By Lilace Hatayama, Literary Manuscripts Specialist and curator of “The Life and Times of Jim Tully–From Drifter to Celebrated Author” Selections from the Jim Tully Papers.
The Cashin Lecture and Jim Tully exhibit form part of a collaboration with other local groups and institutions to celebrate, highlight, and feature the life and work of Jim Tully. The partner events are:
Wednesday, October 10: American Cinematheque at the Egyptian
American Cinematheque will screen 1933’s “Laughter in Hell” based on Tully’s 1932 novel of the same name. Tully biographers Paul Bauer and Mark Dawidziak will introduce the film and conduct a Q&A after the screening at the Egyptian Theater, 6712 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028.
Details and ticket information: Watch for the October calendar posting at http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/egyptian_theatre_events
Sunday, October 14, 12-2 p.m. : Jim Tully’s Hollywood Walking Tour
Los Angeles Visionaries Association (LAVA) presents this free event focusing on the locations that were important to Jim Tully’s career in the motion picture industry during the teens through the 1930s. Led by Tully biographers Paul Bauer and Mark Dawidziak, the tour begins at Larry Edmunds Bookshop, 6644 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028: http://larryedmunds.com/
Details and reservations, after October 4: http://lavatransforms.org/tullywalk
Monday, October 15, 6-11 p.m. : The LAVA Salon at Musso & Frank—Jim Tully: A Hobo in Hollywood
Los Angeles Visionaries Association (LAVA) presents the fourth of the quarterly LAVA Salons at Musso & Frank Grill, 6667 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028.
Details and ticket information: http://www.lavatransforms.org/mussosalon4
The Cashin Lecture Series
Bonnie Cashin (1908-2000) was one of the foremost American fashion designers in the second half of the twentieth century. At the vanguard of her field for nearly forty years, she had an enormous influence on twentieth-century design. Her oft-stated credo, “Chic is where you find it,” sums up her belief that designers should possess a habit of wonder and an ability to connect the fashion world with objects and ideas not usually associated with it. In the summer of 2003, UCLA Library Special Collections acquired the Bonnie Cashin Archive as a gift from the Cashin Estate. In addition to Cashin’s personal papers, the Estate provided an endowment to establish the Bonnie Cashin Lecture Series. The series brings to UCLA gifted individuals from a variety of disciplines to celebrate the creative process, and to preserve the legacy of Cashin’s remarkable life and work.
- Visit the Bonnie Cashin Archive at the UCLA Digital Library at <http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz0002bk1c>
- View the online exhibit Chic is Where You Find It: Selections from the Bonnie Cashin Collection of Theater, Film, and Fashion Design at <http://unitproj.library.ucla.edu/special/cashin/cashinindex.htm>
An “A” List Acquisition: A New Aldine for Library Special Collections
Wednesday, September 5th, 2012It’s not easy to find an Aldine press book that UCLA doesn’t already hold in its Ahmanson-Murphy Aldine Collection, a world-renowned collection of books printed by Aldus Manutius the Elder (1449?-1515) or his heirs, Paulus Manutius (1512-1574), and Aldus the Younger (1547-1597). The few Aldines we’re missing are usually held in institutional collections, and rarely appear on the international book market for purchase.
However, this summer, Library Special Collections was able to add not one, but two, Aldines to its collection. One of them, now on display for a short time in the LSC lobby, is a 1520 edition of Erasmus’ Adagia, a collection of Latin and Greek proverbs.
The Adagia, beautifully printed in roman and Greek type, and bearing the characteristic Aldine anchor-and-dolphin device on both the title-page and last page, once belonged to the famous French binder, Jean Grolier (1479-1565), an early collector of Aldines. His ownership inscription appears on the last leaf.
Later, the book was owned by Pierre Séguier, a 17th-century French statesman whose personal library was surpassed in value only by the royal collection. His initials, “PS” are gilt-stamped in the spine panels of the binding.
Most recently, the Erasmus was part of the library of Herman and Aveve Cohen, owners of the Chiswick Bookshop in New York City.
Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education Records Processing Project
Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012UCLA Library Special Collections acquired the records of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education in 2011, and since then our staff has been working to process this large and significant collection so that researchers can begin to use it.
Portions of the collection will be open to the public soon, but in the meantime, we wanted to offer a glimpse behind the scenes to give an idea of the project’s scope.
The records span more than one thousand linear feet of shelf space. (For comparison, the Los Angeles City Hall building is 454 feet high.) They are stored at a warehouse near downtown, and, unusually for our department, processing is taking place there rather than on campus. Project archivist Kelly Besser, a former LAUSD teacher and Center for Primary Research and Training alum, has been arranging, describing and rehousing the records since January 2012. Project assistant Alyssa Loera joined her in May 2012.
Most of the records were stored in file cases in storage lockers. 
Other formats included large ledger volumes of Board meeting minutes. 
A large portion of the file cases hold what the Board called “Subject Files,” and include supporting documents regarding their actions, such as publications, letters, catalogs, lists, and photographs. Readers might not be surprised to learn that one of the first subject files that caught our attention was marked “Library.”
Out of the box, the contents looked like this and included catalogs of books, reports on elementary school libraries, and letters regarding censorship of books.
Shown below is a 1973 letter from a student’s parent objecting to Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger being assigned reading in an American Literature class. The parent finds the “profanity and gutter language… enough to shock some adults.” He goes on to say that “We shouldn’t be shocked at ‘Watergate’ when things like this are being taught and advocated in our public schools.” Items such as this give us a sense of the matters of concern for students, parents, teachers and the Board.
The collection is a rich trove documenting Board decisions, large and small, that had profound impacts on Los Angeles. Please check back often for more updates on our progress with these important records.
Update: A draft of the finding aid for the collection is now available through the Online Archive of California.
By Megan Hahn Fraser, Processing Projects Librarian
The Ninety-Nine comic books in Library Special Collections
Wednesday, July 18th, 2012
Currently on display in Library Special Collections (Charles E. Young Research Library) are comic books of The 99 (Arabic: الـ ٩٩ al 99), also written as The Ninety-Nine (Arabic: التسعة وتسعون al-tis’ah wa-tis’ūn). The 99 is published by the Kuwait based company Teshkeel Media, featuring a team of 99 superheroes based on Islamic culture and religion. The heroes including Jabbar the Powerful and Noora the Light who must collect 99 gems encrypted with the wisdom and power of the ancient Dar Al-Hikma library of Baghdad, which are spread across the globe.
The series takes a look at the lives of individual young characters from many different cultures which reflect the diversity of the Islamic world. The name 99 comes from the 99 names of Allah. Each of the superheroes has a special power based on one of the attributes of Allah. According to the creator of the series, Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, “the 99 is a bold attempt to teach Muslim children about what the culture of Islam truly values.”
In the crossover mini-series, Justice League of America-The 99, the award-winning Islamic superhero team unites with DC comics flagship characters. Issues 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 of the crossover issues are on display.
Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, creator of THE 99 and founder / CEO of Teshkeel Media superheroes has appeared on the list of ‘The 500 Most Influential Muslims’ by the Royal Islamic Strategic Center, Jordan. This is the third time that Dr. Naif has found his name in the prestigious list of The Most Influential Muslims in the world.
Al-Mutawa was also commended by President Barack Obama at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship in April 2010, during which praised The 99 for its ability to capture the imaginations of young people through a message of tolerance.
Gift of Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa and David Hirsch
Ray Bradbury Mini-Exhibit now on view
Monday, June 18th, 2012
All librarians and bibliophiles attending the ALA Annual Convention in Anaheim next week are cordially invited to stop by UCLA Library Special Collections to view a mini-exhibit in honor of Ray Bradbury, Los Angeles sci fi and fantasy author, and lifetime lover of libraries, who passed away June 5, 2012.
Although Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois, he came to Los Angeles with his family as a young boy during the Depression, and never left. After graduating from Los Angeles High School, he went to work selling newspapers, and educated himself by reading in libraries around the city. It was in the basement of Powell Library on the UCLA campus that he rented a typewriter—at a rate of 10 cents per half hour — and pecked out the short story “The Fireman,” which he later expanded as Fahrenheit 451.
On display are first editions of some of his best known works, The Martian Chronicles, and Fahrenheit 451, some of his early short stories, including “The Fireman” (1951), his typescript manuscript of the Chronicles, and his typescript screenplay and stills from the John Huston film, Moby Dick (1956).
Library Special Collections is located in the Charles E. Young Research Library on the UCLA campus, just off Sunset Boulevard, at Hilgard Avenue. Please stop by!
