September 2024

All semester long, you can join us Fridays at 2 p.m. on the first floor of McCabe for this series of half-hour workshops on library resources and research skills. With brief presentations and time for hands-on exploration, we’ll cover topics like search strategies, citing sources, and using data.

See the full schedule here.

The Libraries Passport is the students’ guide to essential library resources and services. Now through Thursday, Oct. 31, get a stamp for each one you try, and if you earn six or more stamps, you win a prize. Students who attended Libraries Orientation received a passport in their tote bags, and more are available at the circulation desk in McCabe. Email Outreach Librarian Abbie Weil (aweil1@swarthmore.edu) with questions, or to claim your prize.

The Libraries are partnering with Career Services to bring you peer support in all facets of the job search. Career Fellows will be in the LibLab kitchen in McCabe Library (1st floor) every Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. Come for help writing or revising your resume, updating your LinkedIn or Handshake, and more. No appointment required.

Exhibition: Women of the Pulps: The Creators and Characters of Early Genre Fiction

Action, romance, mystery, horror—the pulps of the early 20th century had it all! While these story magazines gained a sensationalist reputation, they also laid the foundation for popular genres today and published the work of many women creators. Women of the Pulps showcases the women writers, editors, artists, and characters who brought these stories to life. Learn more in this exhibition guide.

Exhibition: Tuesday, Sept. 3–Sunday, Nov. 3, McCabe Library Atrium (1st floor)

Gallery Walk: Friday, Nov. 1, 3:30-4:30 p.m., McCabe Library Atrium (1st floor)

Exhibition: The Comics of Christian Cooper

Christian Cooper made his mark at Marvel Comics in the 1990s, where he was a writer and one of Marvel’s first openly gay editors. Cooper played a significant role in bringing diversity to both the creative process and the characters depicted in comic books. We're highlighting some of the key comics from his career.

Exhibition: Open now, McCabe Library LibLab (1st floor)

Author Talk: Tuesday, Sept. 24, 5 p.m., McCabe Library LibLab (1st floor)

Exhibition: Reimagining Mythology of India

This exhibition showcases final projects from CLST 029 Mythology of India, taught by Visiting Assistant Professor Varun Khanna. Students were asked to use the theories of myth production and the context of Indian mythology that they learned in class to create original illustrated mythological storybooks for children. They were told they could illustrate their storybooks using original hand-drawn art, digital images, or AI-generated art. The content of their myths is a combination of retellings of existing myths and original mythological stories. 

Exhibition: Friday, Sept. 6–Sunday, Nov. 10, McCabe Library Cratsley Lounge (2nd floor)

Pop-up: 100 Years of Truman Capote, 100 Years of True Crime

This September marks one hundred years since the birth of author Truman Capote. An openly gay Southern writer, Capote was ahead of his time in many ways. His 1966 book In Cold Blood, considered a "non-fiction novel," paved the way for true crime as a popular genre.

Pop-up: Tuesday, Sept. 3–Monday, Sept. 30, McCabe Library LibLab Hallway (1st floor)

Did you know that McCabe has an extensive collection of comics, manga, and zines? From Marvel and DC to local indie artists, check them out in the second floor lounge and the 3rd floor in the PN6700 call number range.

Roderick Wolfson is an architect who works as a senior planner/project manager in the College's Facilities Management office, on the Sustainable Capital Planning & Project Management team. He has been collaborating with the Libraries since 2018 on projects that include the Lib Lab, which opened in 2020, and the Libraries Master Plan which will start this fall. He has also led the College’s plan to renovate Martin Hall, which is now in construction and will open for Fall 2025.

What are you reading these days?

I tend to have three books going simultaneously: a fiction book for after work, an audiobook for my 45 minute commute to Swarthmore, and a non-fiction book when I have more concentration. I enjoy Victorian and early 20th century novels as the language (including metaphors) are so beautiful. I recommend Sinclair Lewis’s Main Street that I’m in the middle of now. Lewis has wonderful descriptive lists in which the items chosen and the adjectives are brilliantly evocative of the point he's making.  

In non-fiction I’m reading and recommend Safe Enough Spaces: A Pragmatist's Approach to Inclusion, Free Speech, and Political Correctness on College Campuses by Michael Roth (the President of Wesleyan University).

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