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

From the Art Library blog:

Share Our Strength! Women Artists of the 1960s and 1970s

Feminism’s ‘second wave’ emerged in the USA at the end of the 1960s. Women were fed up with isolation at home and inferior pay and conditions at work. The emphasis on equal opportunity led women artists to organize against institutional discrimination.

From the early 1970s several exhibitions and publications began the retrieval of knowledge about women artists that had been overlooked in the 20th century. Among them were artist Judy Chicago who created The Dinner Party, one of the most significant works of feminist art. Around the same time, Art Historian Linda Nochlin wrote her groundbreaking article "Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?"

The exhibit in the Diehn Atrium highlights a few of the influential women artists and art historians during the time, including Judy Chicago, Louise Bourgeois and Virginia native Sally Mann.

The exhibit in the Art Library showcases art work by Old Dominion University student Mary-Paige Cannon, and places the work within the context of the feminist art movement.

Take a break and come by to view the exhibits!!

"Our History is our Strength" is the national theme for 2011 Women’s History Month. 2011 is also the centennial anniversary of the YWCA of South Hampton Roads. The ODU Libraries would like to take this month to promote and celebrate the YWCA which "has served as a source of strength to over a quarter million women and children in Hampton Roads."

Visit the exhibit on the 2nd floor (near Circulation Desk) and on the Web which feature materials from the archives of the YWCA of South Hampton Roads housed in Special Collections of the ODU Libraries.

Contact Karen Vaughan kvaughan@odu.edu with questions or comments.

In honor of Black History Month, the ODU Art Library is proud to present a new exhibit featuring African American Artists from the Civil War Era. Among the artists featured are sculptor Edmonia Lewis, painter Robert S. Duncanson and photographer J.P. Ball.

The exhibit is located in the Diehn Atrium and the Art Library, and will run the entire month of February.

Visit the Elise N. Hofheimer Art Library Blog to read more about this exhibit and other news from the Art Library: http://www.oduartlibrary.blogspot.com

The University Libraries are celebrating Black History Month 2011 with an exhibit on the 2nd floor (near Circulation Desk) and a Web exhibit. The 2nd floor exhibit features photographs and books about the national theme: African Americans and the Civil War. The books are available for checkout. It will be available through the month of February 2011.

The Web exhibit serves as a starting point for learning about the vast contributions made by African Americans during the Civil War. Selected books, Web sites and other materials are available for those wishing to research this important topic.

Contact Karen Vaughan kvaughan@odu.edu with questions or comments.

Hope you were able to attend some of the outstanding events at ODU's Annual Literary Festival. Access information about the festival, who's speaking, when and where by visiting the Annual Literary Festival Web Site.

On the "Participants" page, you will find a link to books in the ODU Libraries by this year's festival authors. Check some out and find out what these writers have to say.

ODU's Annual Literary Festival is coming -- October 4-8, 2010. It's the 33rd annual festival. Access information about the festival, who's speaking, and when by visiting the Annual Literary Festival Web Site.

On the "Participants" page, you will find a link to books in the ODU Libraries by this year's festival authors. Check some out ahead of time and find out what these writers have to say.