Celebrate Islam Awareness Week and “Spin the Wheel of Rumi!” The number you land on determines which Rumi quote is meant for you. Several English translations of Rumi’s poems and books about Rumi are included in the display:
A meet-and-greet at the library, lectures, and panel discussions are all planned during Islam Awareness Week.
The first event is an opportunity to meet your Muslim classmates while enjoying donuts and coffee on the front porch of the Library. October 22 ⋅ 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
“Muslim Life on American College Campuses” will be the focus of a CLP panel discussion with Furman students and Dr. Aminah Hasan-Birdwell, Professor of Philosophy at Furman. October 22 ⋅ 7 p.m. ⋅ Watkins Room
Imam Omar Shaheed, Imam at Masjid As-Salam in Columbia SC, will present a CLP lecture on “An African-American Journey through Racism, Religion, and Reconciliation.” October 25 ⋅ 7 p.m. ⋅ Patrick Lecture Hall
A CLP lecture by Professor Zoharah Simmons, Assistant Professor of Religion at the University of Florida, will cover the topic of “400 Years of Islam in America.” October 30 ⋅ 7 p.m. ⋅ Watkins Room
A CLP panel event with Edward Ahmed Mitchell, Executive Director of CAIR Georgia, will discuss “The American Dream in Light of the Travel Ban.” November 1 ⋅ 7 p.m. ⋅ Watkins Room
You can find the following works by Dr. Zoharah Simmons in the Furman Libraries:
The library has created a private, upgraded study room reserved for the “Scholar of the Month” and their friends. Perks include:
Want to become the Scholar of the Month? You can enter electronically by clicking on the purple button below. One entry per person per month.
We will randomly select one winner from all entries on November 1st and email the results to all who entered. The Scholar of the Month will also be announced on the library’s blog, Facebook, and Instagram accounts. Say goodbye to hunting for a vacant study room. Say hello to privacy, comfort, convenience, and storage space!
fine print: The Scholar of the Month contest is limited to Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors. Sorry, Freshmen!
Dr. Douglas Brinkley, a best-selling author and one of America’s most revered presidential historians, will speak at The Poinsett Club in downtown Greenville on Thursday, October 25, at 6 p.m.
His talk, “Highs and Lows of the American Presidency: Past, Present and Future,” is sponsored by the American History Book Club (AHBC) and Forum and Furman University. The event is open to the public but reservations are required. More information can be found in the Furman News.
The Furman Libraries have several of Dr. Brinkley’s award-winning books.
![So what does the future hold for scientific publishing? Timo explains: [male character speaking]: "The fundamental debate of our time is open access." [other male character thinking]: "Open access?"](http://alex.halavais.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/phd080509s.gif)
Open Access is the free, immediate, online availability of research articles coupled with the rights to use these articles fully in the digital environment. Open Access ensures that anyone can access and use these results—to turn ideas into industries and breakthroughs into better lives. The Furman Libraries support open access in the following ways:
Open Access Fund – Provides money for publishing Furman research open access.
Open Educational Resources – Provides support to faculty in the use of open educational resources.
Open Access Initiatives – Financially supports national open access initiatives.
Learn more about Open Access:
by Gabe Fresa, Library Intern, Summer 2018
Sixty-three years ago, the final book in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy was published. The series focuses on the quest to destroy the “Ring of Power” and permanently end the Dark Lord Sauron’s malevolent influence in Middle Earth. A young hobbit and his gardener encounter numerous trials along the without ever once using Gandalf’s own person ‘air-taxi’ giant eagles, which conveniently show up after the after all the hard work has been finished. All of that is beside the point. The story is crafted using both Norse and Germanic mythology with a large helping of Tolkien’s own imagination thrown in.
The LOTR series has given birth to a number of different spinoffs with the franchise producing everything from movies, to video games, to men’s briefs. Just the movie franchise alone is worth just under $6 BILLION. The cultural impact of the LOTR has been immense with an additional $250 million series currently in production at Amazon Studios. Just like the 7,000-year-old Gandalf, there appears to be no end in sight for the significance of Middle Earth in contemporary culture.
Series Links
Book One: Fellowship of the Ring
Book Two: The Two Towers
Book Three: Return of the King
Are you planning to attend Homecoming? If so, visit the Furman University Libraries’ tent on the Furman Mall. We would love to see alumni, and especially library student assistant alums, on Saturday, October 20th from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Furman’s Special Collections and Archives is celebrating Homecoming with several events throughout the weekend.
“Behind the Scenes in Special Collections and Archives”
See (and touch!) highlights from Furman’s rare book and archival collections, from medieval manuscripts to contemporary book art and historical Furman documents, in this one-hour program. Learn how materials are acquired and preserved, and how they are being used by students and faculty for teaching and research.
Friday, October 19, 4 – 5 p.m.
2nd floor, James B. Duke Library
Special Collections and Archives Exhibition
Visit Special Collections and Archives to view the exhibit, “Furman’s Legacy of Slavery: An Exhibition Based on the Work of the Slavery and Justice Task Force.” This exhibition, curated by History Professor Stephen O’Neill and Special Collections Librarian Jeffrey Makala, documents the nineteenth-century history of Furman and its founders’ ties to slavery based on documentary evidence from the University Archives and new research undertaken over the past year by the university’s Slavery and Justice Task Force.
Friday and Saturday, October 19-20, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
2nd floor, James B. Duke Library
Panel Discussion – Slavery and Justice
Join members of the University’s Task Force on Slavery and Justice to learn more about their research and findings.
Saturday, October 20 at 9:30 a.m.
Pitts Room – 2nd Floor, James B. Duke Library
Special Collections and Archives Open House
Stop by, say hello, and maybe find yourself in the Archives. You can see materials related to your Furman reunion class, including yearbooks, newspapers, and photographs.
Saturday, October 20, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
2nd floor, James B. Duke Library
Sturm und Drang on Display in the Maxwell Music Library
Sturm und Drang
noun
/shtoormˈ oont dräŋˈ/
(translated as “storm and stress”)
Definition of Sturm und Drang
1 : a late 18th-century movement in German literature and music aimed at shocking the audience or imbuing them with extremes of emotion
2 : turmoil
The Classical period music (1750–1800) associated with Sturm und Drang is predominantly written in a minor key to convey difficult or depressing sentiments. The principal themes tend to be angular, with large leaps and unpredictable melodic contours. Tempi and dynamics change rapidly and unpredictably in order to reflect strong changes of emotion. Pulsing rhythms and syncopation are common, as are racing lines in the soprano or alto registers. Writing for string instruments features tremolo and sudden, dramatic dynamic changes and accents.
Meet Pascal the bookworm! He’s visiting all the PASCAL member libraries and spreading the word about the Partnership Among South Carolina Academic Libraries. If you need a book that we don’t have, check PASCAL (http://www.pascalcat.org/) to see if it is available through a partner library. This service is free to Furman students, faculty, and staff. Want more information? Ask a librarian! Pascal the bookworm is pictured with library benefactor, Charlie Peace. #haveyouseenpascal @fu_libraries
The Furman University Libraries are offering a selection of database trials. To discover and access trial databases, visit the library’s guide for Electronic Resources Trials.
Ethnic NewsWatch Ethnic NewsWatch (ENW) is a collection of full-text newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic and minority press. This resource includes unique community publications not found in any other database, as well as top scholarly journals on ethnicities and ethnic studies.
Ethnic NewsWatch comprehensively covers these ethnic categories:
– African American/Caribbean/African
– Arab/Middle Eastern
– Asian/Pacific Islander
– European/Eastern European
– Hispanic
– Jewish
– Native People
Of the more than 2.5 million articles contained in the collection, nearly a quarter are presented in Spanish; dozens of major Latino publications are featured.
This trial will be available through Thursday, November 8th.
GenderWatch This is a database of unique and diverse publications that focus on how gender impacts a broad spectrum of subject areas. With its archival material, dating back to 1970 in some cases, GenderWatch is a repository of important historical perspectives on the evolution of the women’s movement, men’s studies, the transgender community and the changes in gender roles over the years. Publications include scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, regional publications, books and NGO, government and special reports.
This trial will be available through Thursday, November 8th.
