From May 16 to June 28, 2012, “The Face of the Ghetto” exhibition will be on display in the Learning Commons at ODU Perry Library. The official opening will take place on May 16th, 6 – 8 pm, and is open to the public.

“The Face of the Ghetto” in Norfolk is a collaboration of the Institute for Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding, College of Arts and Letters; the Federal Republic of Germany; and the Old Dominion University Libraries. As part of the Holocaust remembrance activities in and around Hampton Roads, the exhibition will be on display in the Learning Commons @ Perry Library of the Old Dominion University Libraries.

During World War II, the German Nazis established the second largest ghetto for Jews in the occupied Polish city of Lodz, renamed Litzmannstadt by the German occupants. In April 1940, more than 160,000 Jews from the Warthegau region were crowded into the Litzmannstadt Ghetto which consisted of an area of 4.14 square kilometers. Later on, 20,000 Jews from the German Reich, Prague and Luxembourg were deported to Litzmannstadt. More than 5,000 Roma also were incarcerated there in 1941.

As a result of the abominable conditions, more than 43,000 people died in the Litzmannstadt Ghetto. In 1942, tens of thousands of Jews with thousands of children among them were deported and killed in the Kulmhof extermination camp. The ghetto was dissolved in August 1944, and all save a handful of remaining inhabitants were killed in the Auschwitz extermination camp.

Professional Jewish photographers were instructed by the Jewish council of the Litzmannstadt Ghetto to photograph the daily life and work. They took pictures of children playing, working and eating and produced touching portraits as well. The pictures were intended to show a functioning community and testify to the utility of Jewish workers for the German economy. A collection of 12,000 contact prints by these Jewish photographers in the Litzmannstadt Ghetto is preserved in the Lodz State Archive. For this exhibition, 50 prints were selected and enlarged. Quotations from survivor reports and from the chronicle of the ghetto accompany each photograph. A short overview of the ghetto’s history, a description of the photography as an historic source and information about the photographers provide an introduction into the exhibition.

The exhibition is composed and provided by the Topography of Terror Foundation in Berlin, Germany and is supported by the Foreign Office, Federal Republic of Germany. The exhibition was first shown in the United States at the United Nations in New York City, and is currently on tour.

A Web exhibit is available at http://www.lib.odu.edu/exhibits/faceghetto/index.htm

“Spotlight on Scholarship” is a new series sponsored by the University Libraries. Every Fall and Spring semester, the Libraries will shine a spotlight on the scholarly output of one academic department through a reception and month-long exhibit.

The Communication and Theatre Arts Department is the focus of our first “Spotlight on Scholarship.” Traditional research and creative works produced by faculty for the past 10 years are featured in an exhibit in the Learning Commons from March 15 through April 30. Selected books, journal articles, posters, and flyers are on display.

Faculty will discuss some of their recent work at a reception on Friday, March 30, from 3-5pm in the Learning Commons Conference Room.

For more information, contact Karen Vaughan kvaughan@odu.edu

ODU Perry Library is celebrating Women’s History Month 2012 with an exhibit in the Learning Commons. The national theme for this year, “Women’s Education—Women’s Empowerment,” provides a fitting opportunity to honor our ODU’s Women’s Center. Since 1976, the ODU Women’s Center has offered programs and services that empower women to overcome obstacles and achieve personal and academic success.

The exhibit, available through the month of March, features news clippings, photographs, reports and other materials that illustrate the 35 year history of the Center’s programs and services. These materials were taken from a digital archive that was recently created from Women's Center materials donated to the University Archives.

For more information, contact Karen Vaughan kvaughan@odu.edu.

The University Libraries are celebrating Black History Month 2012 with an exhibit in the Learning Commons. The exhibit features a background depicting "the labors, struggles, organization, and sacrifices of common women" that have made possible the "prominence of heralded individuals" we know today. "Black Women in American Culture and History" will be available through the month of February 2011.

The exhibit was created by Edison Simmons and Marissa Jimenez. Contact Edison esimmons@odu.edu with questions or comments.

“Celebrating the History of Virginia Opera” is now on display in the Library Art Gallery on the first floor of Patricia W. and J. Douglas Perry Library.

The exhibit contains posters, programs, costume and wig designs, photographs and fliers from the Virginia Opera Papers, housed in Special Collections and University Archives of the University Libraries. A chronological listing, from 1975 to the present day, of the Virginia Opera’s repertoire is also on display. The exhibit will be on display until February 13th, when it will move to the Harrison Opera House.

For additional information, please contact Sonia Yaco, Special Collections Librarian and University Archivist at 757-683-4483 or via e-mail at syaco@odu.edu.

The University's 34th Annual Literary Festival begins Monday October 3. Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to hear from some incredible writers and artists.

Get the schedule and other information for this year's festival at: http://www.lib.odu.edu/litfest/34th

You may also wish to view an exhibit on the first floor Learning Commons @ Perry Library which features the participants of this year's festival with books by the authors. Previous literary festivals back to 1978 are archived in a digital collection hosted by the University Libraries at http://www.lib.odu.edu/litfest/.

Stop by the first floor Learning Commons @ Perry Library to view an exhibit featuring the participants of the 34th Annual Literary Festival. Books by the authors are also available for you to peruse.

The 34th Annual Literary Festival is October 3-8, 2011. On the Web site, you'll find the schedule of events.

Each year's literary festival is added to a digital archive of festivals back to 1978. Check out the archive at: http://www.lib.odu.edu/litfest/.

"Musical Heroes: A Tribute to Russell Stanger, Sidney Harth, and Benjamin Lees" is the title of a new exhibit at the Diehn Composers Room. All three men were outstanding examples of professional musicians. They were all passionate about sharing their music and taught young people for a good portion of their lives. They were not only teachers, however. Stanger was also a conductor and composer. Sidney Harth was a conductor and concertmaster of several American symphonies. Benjamin Lees was also a composer and is well known throughout the world for his symphonies and concertante. All three men have devoted their lives to sharing music with the world and this exhibit honors them -- especially since the musical world lost both Harth and Lees in the past year.

The exhibit is presented in honor of the John Duffy Composers Institute, which is sponsored by the Virginia Arts Festival. It is available for viewing through November at the Diehn Composers Room, 189 Diehn Fine and Performing Arts Center, from 8am-5pm, Monday through Friday.

Also be sure to view the Web exhibit.

For more information, contact Jessica Mirasol, Librarian Archivist for Music Collections, at 757-683-4175.

The American Library Association has designated this week "Preservation Week" to bring attention to preservation needs in libraries, as well as in communities and homes where countless treasures are at risk. "Pass It On: Saving Heritage and Memories" is this year's theme. You can find information and resources on ALA's Website.

From the ALA Website:

Why is preservation important?

In 2005 the first comprehensive national survey of the condition and preservation needs of the nation’s collections reported that U.S. institutions hold more than 4.8 billion items. Libraries alone hold 3 billion items (63 percent of the whole). A treasure trove of uncounted additional items is held by individuals, families, and communities. Some 630 million items in collecting institutions require immediate attention and care. Eighty percent of these institutions have no paid staff assigned responsibility for collections care; 22 percent have no collections care personnel at all. Some 2.6 billion items are not protected by an emergency plan. As natural disasters of recent years have taught us, these resources are in jeopardy should a disaster strike. Personal, family, and community collections are equally at risk.

Key environmental factors that place collections at risk:

--> Light: Ultraviolet rays from natural and artificial sources can cause fading and disintegration.
--> Pollutants: Dust is abrasive and can accelerate harmful chemical reactions.
--> Heat: High temperatures can accelerate deterioration.
--> Moisture: High humidity promotes mold growth, corrosion, and degradation, while excessive dryness can cause drying and cracking. Fluctuations between extremes can cause warping, buckling and flaking.

Key items that should be preserved:

Historical materials that are unpublished and one-of-a-kind, such as: architectural drawings, artifacts, audio and video recordings, diaries, genealogical information, letters, maps, memoirs/reminiscences, minutes/reports, photo albums and photographs, printed materials, professional and business papers, speeches/lectures