Around the Libraries

A group of undergraduate students have created a limited podcast series using archives from the Hornbake Library. The series, With Love & Struggle—researched and written by Janete Amaya, Hannah Bray, Maliyah Daniels, Ashley Mazur, Katherine Guerrero Rivera, Viviane Stackhouse, and Fibee Ybanez—dives into the Libraries’ archival collection of Off Our Backs, an underground feminist magazine that ran from 1970 to 2008.

The University of Maryland Libraries will host a virtual dialogue on Tuesday, August 29, 2023, from 3:00-4:30 pm ET, to explore actions that can be taken to ensure libraries remain bastions of intellectual freedom for all. American librarians are increasingly becoming the latest targets in the political and cultural wars spreading across the country, part of a growing movement to ban books, censor ideas, and restrict educators’ ability to discuss race, gender, identity, and LGBTQ+ issues in the classroom.

The University of Maryland Libraries is pleased to share the latest issue of our annual Illumination magazine. Read about some of the creative ways we’re advancing the university’s public service mission and supporting our community’s pursuit of excellence.

The University of Maryland Libraries is excited to announce the acquisition of Ford’s Theatre records. The Ford’s Theatre records will be archived with Special Collections in Performing Arts (SCPA) and located in the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library.

Jordan Sly, Head, Humanities and Social Science Librarians, and School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Librarian for German, Italian, and French, has been elected as the Chair-Elect of the University Senate for the 2023 - 2024 term after which he will become Chair of the Senate and then Past Chair serving for a total of three years in these positions.  

The University of Maryland Libraries have signed a new agreement extending access to Elsevier ScienceDirect through December 2024. Through ScienceDirect, users can search for peer-reviewed literature, including journals, books, conference proceedings, and other Elsevier-published research.

“It’s okay to be different. You are special and important just because of who you are.” from "It’s Okay to be Different" by Todd Parr Celebrating differences  was a key theme throughout the Libraries’ first-ever Storytime in Drag event on Monday, April 24. Students, faculty, and staff gathered in McKeldin Library to celebrate the university’s recognition of Pride Month with performers D’Manda Martini and Bella Naughty, who read from banned children’s books (see list below) as well as other books featuring LGBTQ+ affirming themes.

The University of Maryland Libraries are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 Library Awards for Undergraduate Research. This year’s awardees are Emily Fox, Cecelia Hough, and Evan Richardson all in the class of 2023 and majoring in History. Elizabeth Early, also in the class of 2023 and a History major, is the recipient of the Libraries’ award for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) research.

Celebrate 25 years of Maryland Day with the University of Maryland Libraries on Saturday, April 29, 2023 from 10am - 4pm. Join us in Hornbake Library and the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library for the following events. 

The UMD Libraries is pleased to announce that Lae’l Hughes-Watkins has been named the inaugural Associate Director for Engagement, Inclusion, and Reparative Archiving in Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA). Hughes-Watkins assumes this new leadership role after serving for over three years as University Archivist. (A search to fill the now-vacant archivist role will be conducted soon.)