Constitution Day is September 17, 2022 and the Collins Library, along with the University of Puget Sound, supports this important day. It is a time to reflect on the principles of our democracy. Learn more about this effort by visiting the Constitution Day web site sponsored by the National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/constitution-day. Visit the Founders Archive site to read the original comments from the founders of the Constitution and download the ebook Amending America at: https://www.archives.gov/amending-america. Curious about how the Constitution might be connected with the current issues associated with our country? Check this out: https://constitution.congress.gov/.
In June, the Supreme Court announced its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, holding that there is no constitutional right to abortion. In light of that, the university is focusing its Constitution Day activities on discussions about the background, impacts, and future implications of this decision as a constitutional matter.
We invite you to join us for a series of faculty presentations, panels, and discussions that focus on these questions:
On Monday, September 12 at 6:00 p.m., Professor Grace Livingston and Assistant Professor Regina Duthely-Barbee will present “Disorienting Histories: Black Womanhood and Reproductive Justice,” in the Tahoma Room in Thomas Hall. This presentation will situate reproductive health in the context of racism in the United States, and the ways that Dobbs impacts people differently.
On Friday, September 16 at 12:00 p.m., Professor Robin Jacobson, Professor Douglas Sackman, Professor Alisa Kessel, Visiting Associate Professor Tanya Erzen, and Professor Suzanne Holland will participate in a panel in the Wheelock Student Center in the Rasmussen Rotunda. This panel will focus on the Constitution and reproductive rights in the wake of Dobbs, delving into issues of equal protection and due process, federalism, religious liberty, and bodily autonomy. Civic Engagement will be hosting a voter registration table at this event.
On Monday, September 19 at 5:00 p.m., Professor Sara Freeman will host a discussion of the play, “What the Constitution Means to Me.” This discussion is intended for all attendees, whether or not they have seen the play. If you are interested in seeing the play before or after this discussion, a filmed version is available to stream via Amazon Prime, and the Seattle Rep has a production showing September 30-October 23.
In concert with these events, the library will be hosting a virtual board to enable our campus community members to share what the Constitution means to them: tinyurl.com/upscon. A collection of the texts and materials relied upon or recommended by the faculty members above will also be available at Collins Memorial Library.
Did you know that the Collins Library supports the publication of online journals through Sound Ideas, our institutional repository? We sponsor a number of journals that focus on Puget Sound research, teaching, and learning. For example, The Commons, is an online journal that is produced by students in politics and government. https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/thecommons/
Browse our student publications Collections below. Inspired to create an online journal? Just email libref@pugetsound.edu and we will put you in touch with the appropriate staff!
Welcome Back! We look forward to working with you this semester.
Collins Library Staff: Goodbyes and Hellos: This summer we wished our two archivists, Adriana Flores and Laura Edgar, well as they left Puget Sound to pursue new career opportunities. We welcome Jane Connelly and Olivia Inglin to our Archives in the next few weeks. Jane joins us from Seattle University where she has worked as the Law Library Archivist. She brings with her extensive experience from DePaul University in Chicago where she served as the Assistant Archivist. Jane received her Master of Library and Information Science with Archival Emphasis from Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. Olivia currently works as the Digital Asset Manager at Zulily and recently received her Master of Archival Studies from the University of British Columbia. We also welcomed Erin Lafferre who joined our Public Services Team and is overseeing our OCR for Canvas Program. Wendy Lee Spaček is our new Arts & Humanities Librarian. Nick Triggs has been appointed as our User Experience and Discovery Librarian. We are delighted to welcome all of our new staff to Puget Sound.
Changes with our Elsevier Journal Bundle: After a long and thoughtful review process, which included consultation with colleagues and LMIS, we will not be renewing our Elsevier journal bundle this year. This will allow us to directly subscribe to the Elsevier journals most frequently utilized by our Puget Sound community as well as result in considerable cost savings. Please keep in mind we can always provide content through interlibrary loan and document delivery.
New Web Page and Enhanced Searching in Primo: You will see some changes to our web site and to PRIMO. These changes were designed to enhance accessibility and streamline searching.
New Exhibit: Changing the Conversation: We are delighted to showcase over a decade of collecting unique artists’ books, zines and broadsides that reflect social justice themes. The exhibit is on display in the library link area and outside A&SC through the end of the semester. On August 25we will be hosting a zoom event with noted African American artist Alisa Banks who will discuss her book WrongfulTermination which is on display in the exhibit. This book addresses the impact of the CROWN Act and efforts to end race-based hair discrimination. On September 12, we are hosting a workshop in our Book Arts Studio with local printers Jessica Spring and Yoshi Nakagawa. They will discuss the collaborative process of designing the broadside for the exhibit and participants will have the chance to print their own conversation bubble. Both of these events require registration through the Puget Sound Book Arts organization. Click here and go to the calendar to register.
Scholarship in the Library:
Peggy Burge participated in a one-week intensive course offered by the Rare Book School in Charlottesville, VA. The seminar, “Six Degrees of Phillis Wheatley,” was taught by Dr. Tara Bynum who guided the class through multiple types of manuscript, print and material culture sources–letters, account books, meeting minutes of the Free African Union Society, sermons, pamphlets, broadsides, gravestones, funeral announcements, books published by subscription, and more–in order to create a richly textured understanding of eighteenth-century African American communities and their networks of writers and readers.
Nick Triggs has a unique artists’ book on display at the Bower Ashton Library in Bristol, England as part of an exhibition honoring noted artist Edward Ruscha. Visit this link to learn more: http://www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/news/#nordic
Ben Tucker completed chairing the year-long OER Institute sponsored by the AACU. Along with colleagues, Melvin Rouse, Heidi Morton, Margot Casson and Kevin Kirner, this Institute focused on how OER resources can enhance student success. A final report with recommendations is forthcoming.
Jane Carlin was a speaker as the Art Libraries Society Conference in the UK which focused on the issue of neutrality of libraries. Her presentation focused on the importance of diversifying collections. Carlin also has an article on Science Stories published in the journal Fine Books and Collecting.
Need Information? Don’t forget the Collins Memorial Library – Library Guides Questions? Contact your liaison librarian Comments: Contact Jane Carlin, library director Remember – Your best search engine is a librarian!
Illustrated by Yoshi Nakagawa and letterpress printed by Jessica Spring at the Springtide Press
This exhibit represents over a decade of collecting artists’ books that focus on social justice themes and challenge the way we think about topics. An artists’ book is a conversation starter. Full of voice and vision, artists’ books bring unique perspectives to a host of subjects that challenge long held beliefs, ideals and ideas facing our society. The Collins Memorial Library’s artist book collection draws you into a conversation, even if it is with yourself. Discover works that challenge and inform, moving a conversation from static to dynamic through form and content. Books change minds; their contents provoke strong emotions, potentially leading to protests, book burning, book banning and censorship. Books can change the way you think about an idea. An artists’ book can also change the way you see the structure of a book. These visual narratives pop-up, stitch over, spiral and illustrate ideas and points of view. They make a statement about the state of affairs in our complex world simply or in extravagant bindings and folds. Come see for yourself!
Discover the range of works, their impact, power and the unbound possibility inherent in an artist book. Check out the exhibit, Changing the Conversation: Artist Books, Zines and Broadsides from the Collins Memorial Library Collection, on display in the library from August 15 until December 14, 2022.
Creating a broadside for the “Changing the Conversation” exhibition was a welcome challenge and an opportunity for collaboration. Our own conversations were supplemented with sketches and mockups in an effort (especially as we are both more comfortable working in the analog realm) to share our ideas and harness two brains to tackle some complicated press maneuvers. Inspired by the curators’ choice of artist’s books, we started with “speech bubbles” and filled them with conversations of connection and conflict. Some are organic, like fungi communication networks. Or there’s fire, which can be used to send signals, burn books, or just be inflammatory. Our approach to color was playful, using day-glo colors for the patterns, in contrast to the outline typeface Columna printed in gray and black, mirroring both the repetition and openness in the bubbles. We hope the resulting broadside provokes both thought and discussion. — Jessica Spring and Yoshi Nakagawa
The print price is $30 and all proceeds will go to fund student centered projects and programs in support of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Payment: Payment can be made in person via credit card or check made payable to the Collins Memorial Library. Individuals outside of the area who wish to purchase a print can contact jspaine@pugetsound.edu with the subject line Changing the Conversation Print Purchase. In the email please provide your name and mailing address. Checks made out to Collins Memorial Library should be sent to Jamie Spaine, Collins Memorial Library, 1500 N. Warner Street #1021, Tacoma, WA. 98416. Upon receipt of your payment, the library will ship the print.
May 2022: The Wonderful World of Pop-Up Books: The Stanley W. Hess Collection, Collins Memorial Library, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma WA. Collins Library is delighted to announce the gift of 150 pop-up books from retired art librarian, Stanley W. Hess. An arts advocate in Kitsap County, Stanley has been honored with several community awards for his work with the Puppet Museum. He currently lives in Bremerton and is the curator of the Aurora Valentinetti Puppet Museum, a division formerly of Evergreen Children’s Theatre. The collection is currently being processed and will be maintained in the Archives & Special Collections. A series of events are being planned to showcase the collection.
JUNE
June 6 – August 6, 2022: Puget Sound Book Artists’ 11th Annual Exhibition, Collins Memorial Library, University of Puget Sound – Tacoma WA. The PSBA exhibition will be on view this summer at the Collins Memorial Library at UPS from June 6 – August 5, 2022. The theme is “peaks and valleys,” and promises not to disappoint.
June 11, 2-4pm: Puget Sound Book Artists’ 11th Annual Exhibition – Opening Reception, Collins Memorial Library, University of Puget Sound – Tacoma WA.(Masks are not required but recommended.)
AUGUST
August 12 – December 14, 2022: Changing the Conversation: Artists’ Books, Zines and Broadsides from the Collins Memorial Library Collection,Collins Memorial Library, University of Puget Sound (Masks are not required but recommended.) – Tacoma WA. This exhibit represents over a decade of collecting artists’ books that focus on social justice themes and challenge the way we think about topics. An artists’ book is a conversation starter. Full of voice and vision, artists’ books bring unique perspectives to a host of subjects that challenge long held beliefs, ideals and ideas facing our society.
Wendy will be joining Collins Library on August 1 as our Arts & Humanities Librarian. Wendy comes to us from Central Washington University where she was the liaison librarian to Africana & Black Studies, Art & Design, Asian Studies, English, Music, Philosophy & Religious Studies, World Languages & Cultures, and Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies. She earned a Master of Library Science from Indiana University, an MFA in Creative Writing and Poetry, also from Indiana University, and a BFA with an emphasis in Writing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Wendy has experience with a number of community organizations, including four years as the Youth & Teen Programs Manager at the Indianapolis Art Center, and most recently as a volunteer creative writing teacher and mentor at an LGBTQ+ youth support center in Ellensburg, WA. Learn more about Wendy and her interests below.
What attracts you to Puget Sound? I attended a small, liberal arts college for my undergraduate degree and I am excited to be back in an environment that values critical thinking and the development of the whole person. The friendly faculty, dedicated library staff, and beautiful campus won me over immediately when I did my campus visit, too!
What are you looking forward to most? Artist’s Books! Teaching with them, acquiring new ones, making use of the Book Arts Studio. I have a passion for book preservation and conservation and did my undergraduate degree in fine art and my MFA in creative writing, taking numerous courses on bookmaking, publishing, and artist’s books. I’m also looking forward to making personal connections with faculty and collaborating on supporting student’s research needs in the Arts & Humanities.
Past accomplishments you would like to share? In my previous role as Arts & Humanities Librarian at Central Washington University I was nominated for a President’s Diversity Award, was the principal investigator for an NEA Big Read Grant that we were awarded, and collaborated with numerous departments and student groups on events and collection development projects.
Anything that might be fun to know? In addition to being a librarian, I’m a poet! I publish my writing under my initials: WLS. You can find links to my poems here: wlspoet.com
On Tuesday, June 28, the Library will be transitioning to a new web site as well as a new version of our online catalog PRIMO. There may be some moments on June 28 when either or both the library website and Primo are unavailable. While we hope for a seamless transition of services, we recognize that these major implementations sometimes come with a few hiccups.
We ask for your patience as we transition to these new services. Library staff have been working behind the scenes throughout the academic year on this major transition and we look forward to showcasing enhanced searching and discovery options for you and our students.
In the short term, if you experience any disruption of service, please use the following email to report: libref@pugetsound.edu.
Thank you.
Jane Carlin | Library Director University of Puget Sound, Collins Memorial Library 1500 N. Warner St. CMB 1021 Tacoma, WA 98416 phone: (253) 879-3118
University of Puget Sound is on the traditional homelands of the Puyallup Tribe.The Puyallup people have lived on and stewarded these lands since the beginning of time, and continue to do so today.
Each year the Collins Memorial Library sponsors an award for a graduating Art major. The monetary award is $250 and the honor of displaying their art work in a prominent spot in the library for a term of one year. The winning art work is selected from a preview of the senior show by a Library panel.
Collins Library is pleased to bestow the 2021 Senior Art Award to Patrick Selner.
Comments from Angela Weaver, Fine & Performing Arts Liaison Librarian:
Of his work, Patrick wrote in his artist’s statement:
The human body is immensely beautiful and powerful in portraying emotion and how we connect with others and ourselves. I believe that physical connection and the body’s portrayal of emotion are extremely moving and intimate.
In selecting Patrick, the committee cited the quality of his printmaking as well as his amazing use of color and the beauty and emotional resonance of the finished prints. We are thrilled to honor him with this year’s Senior Art Award and look forward to exhibiting his work in Collins Library in the upcoming year. Congratulations, Patrick.
Library Jurors: Angela Weaver, Fine & Performing Arts Liaison Librarian Jamie Spaine, Administrative and Special Projects Coordinator Hilary Robbeloth, Systems and Discovery Librarian Nick Triggs, Public Services Specialist
Creating images of the human form and the language of the body allows me to create a story for the viewer to observe. My prints focus on the human body and how it interacts with others. The human body is immensely beautiful and powerful in portraying emotion and how we connect with others and ourselves. I believe that physical connection and the body’s portrayal of emotion are extremely moving and intimate. I hope that the figures are brought to life and encourage pause and contemplation on their significance and purpose.
Printmaking, one of the more precise and structured forms of art-making, is a process that I find beautiful. I love being able to watch my creation emerge until the final image is revealed. Each color and layer adds deeper meaning, building the image layer by layer. With each, the form evolves and comes into view through these color blocks.
Color combinations are something I consider carefully. With different color choices and combinations, an image can completely change. Color creates the mood of the piece and can change the viewers’ perception of an image. I value clean hard edges and larger blocks of color that interact with each other to create forms. I enjoy vivid, bright, warm, and cool tones in my prints and how these types of colors interact with one another. Highlights and shadows are created using different colors and hues to help place the figures in the space. My prints include squares at the base to emphasize the color choices and to show the progression of the layers and colors throughout the print. These also help in showing the relationships between the colors, and how each contributes differently to the figures in combination.
Each year the Collins Memorial Library sponsors an award for a graduating Art major. The monetary award is $250 and the honor of displaying their art work in a prominent spot in the library for a term of one year. The winning art work is selected from a preview of the senior show by a Library panel.
Collins Library is pleased to bestow the 2019 Senior Art Award to Ada Hoch-Schneider for her sculpture “Lobus.”
Ada’s work focuses on the importance of sustainability in design, and acknowledges everything has a monetary and environmental cost. The selection committee chose this work because of the artist’s statement regarding her thoughtful use of recycled materials and her concern about contributing to the garage on earth. Out of discarded fabrics and single use items, Ada has pieced together an object that resembles a fluffy cloud. The sculpture “Lobus” evokes a sense of lightness, reminds us of childhoods spent outdoors, and suggests a positive approach to waste use is possible. Her whimsical cloud skillfully crafted out of discarded materials invites us to look at a different end for fabric and other resource waste.
We are proud to have “Lobus” grace the Learning Commons area of the Collins Library so Ada’s artistic talents and important message can enrich our local community.
Congratulations Ada!
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Artist Statement
I find myself unable to separate waste and my artistic practice. Waste has often been a point of contention in my work and life in general as I feel the need to know exactly how to work material, mould it, manipulate it, and struggle to justify my use of it as a resource. Unable to remove the monetary and environmental cost from my mind, room for exploration and margin of error dwindles. Every part of my work must be worth the resources and space it inhabits or else I have failed, contributing to the overflow of garbage we leave on this planet. I am invariably present in the work; my own worth invested in it, leaves me with little in the way of rational reasoning to pursue artistic expression at all.
Working with fabric waste I am able to set aside parts of my ego and my own insufficiencies. Making becomes a practice. Sewing becomes a self-examination. Through piecing together each cut edge, puckered seam and twisted contour, I test my limits of craft, colour, shape and line recovering my love for art and creation in a medium I have known so well. These leftover scraps are discarded silhouettes produced by an industry focused on the expression of self and individuality, but what it leaves behind is, in part, more informative then the products designed. The material allows me to recall my love of fashion and sewing without my practice taking a backseat to the investment of resources. The only goal being the work itself and giving three dimensional form to something that often remains invisible.
About the Judges:
Hilary Robbeloth is a Metadata Librarian at Collins Library. Jada Pelger is the Information Resources Coordinator at Collins Library. Jamie Spaine is Administrative Coordinator at Collins Library. Lori Ricigliano is the Associate Director for User Services at Collins Library.
This piece is located on the first floor in the Learning Commons
