Exhibits and Events at Libraries

The University’s libraries are offering a full schedule of exhibits and events this semester, highlighted by a national traveling exhibition on founding father Alexander Hamilton at Weiner Library, Metropolitan Campus, and a photo exhibit celebrating the 50th anniversary of the College at Florham in its library.

Speakers to Illuminate Hamilton’s Life and Times

The Weiner Library will host “Alexander Hamilton: The Man Who Made Modern America,” a traveling exhibit that debuted in 2004 at the New-York Historical Society. The exhibit, from Thursday, October 16, through Friday, December 5, tells the story of Hamilton’s rise from an orphaned, 15-year-old West Indies immigrant to George Washington’s war-time aide — a Revolutionary War patriot and soldier, financial and legal genius and an ardent opponent of slavery. He was the chief architect of many of the financial, political and legal institutions so familiar to Americans today. The exhibit will be located in the periodicals department on the main floor of the library. Accompanying events are:

• Thursday, October 16, 2:30 p.m.: Opening ceremony and lecture, “Alexander Hamilton as a Congressman in the Final Years of the War,” by Thomas James Fleming, historian and author of Duel: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the Future of America.

• Monday, October 20, 2 p.m.: “Dynamic Learning Styles: Hamilton vs. Franklin,” James Marcum, University librarian.

• Wednesday, October 22, 2 p.m.: “Discussion and Viewing of a Film,” Chris Rasmussen, history (Metro).

• Tuesday, October 28, 2:30 p.m.: “Hamilton Grange, the Home of Alexander Hamilton and U.S. National Memorial Site,” George Tonkin, park ranger.

• Monday, November 3, 2:30 p.m.: “The Revolutionary War in Bergen County: The Times That Tried Men’s Souls,” Carol Karels, Leonia, N.J., municipal historian.

• Thursday, November 13, 8 p.m.: “Reason and Passion: Alexander Hamilton — A Staged Reading,” Ellen Spaldo, English (Metro).

• Monday, November 17, 3 p.m.: “Art and Architecture of Hamilton Grange,” Joan Taylor, fine arts (Metro).

• Monday, December 1, 3:40 p.m.: “Hamilton v. Jefferson: The Information Revolution,” Robert Taylor, history faculty, Bergen Community College.

All events except the Thursday, November 13, staged reading are in the Library Auditorium. The reading, which will be limited to the first 25 attendees, will be in the periodicals department.

The exhibit was organized by the New-York Historical Society, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association.

During its run, the library will add two Hamilton-related displays of its own. An exhibit of photographs of Bergen County and Metropolitan-area historic sites related to Hamilton’s life and one of historical maps illustrating Hamilton’s life. Organized by Judith Skorupa, assistant to the head of technical service, Weiner Library (Metro), and Maria Kocylowsky, department head, Business Research Library (Metro), respectively, the displays will be hung on the second floor of Weiner Library.

All events are free. For more information, call 201-692-2279.

PublicMind Series Looks at Election Coverage

Three panel discussions on press coverage of the 2008 presidential elections will constitute the Politics on the PublicMind Series this fall at the College at Florham. All three events, sponsored by FDU’s PublicMind polling institute and the College at Florham Library, will take place from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in the Orangérie, College at Florham Library.

“The Impact of the New Media on the Presidential Election” (Friday, September 26) will have a panel of professional bloggers and an electronic campaign consultant: Juan Melli, associate editor of Politicker.com; Eric Sedler, RedJersey.com; Scott Shields, consultant to White Horse Strategies; and Justine Lam, director of online marketing at Politicker.com. “Rate the Media’s Presidential Campaign Coverage” (Friday, October 24) will feature Bob Hennelly, WNYC Radio; Hugo Balta, Univision; and Debbie Borie-Holtz, PolitickerNJ.com and Rutgers University. “Presidential Campaign Debriefing” (Friday, November 14) will host Richard Mroz, John McCain’s New Jersey state coordinator, and Tricia Mueller, his counterpart for the Barack Obama campaign.

The discussions are free, but reservations are required. To reserve seats, contact colleend@fdu.edu.

College at Florham Early Years Shown

As part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the College at Florham, the library has prepared a photographic exhibition of “Photographs and Memorabilia From the Early Days: College at Florham, 50th Anniversary, 1958–2008, showing images drawn from the archives of the beginning period of the campus (and even the pre-campus Vanderbilt-Twombly estate). There is a sampling of campus publications produced during the campus’s early years as well. The exhibition is mounted in the lobby of the College at Florham Library, and will continue through Friday, October 17. See “A Golden Celebration — College at Florham Celebrates 50th Year” this issue http://inside.fdu.edu/otw/0809/50thyear.html.

Libraries Announce Grants

University libraries have received four new grants.

The Meadowlands Commission has given $44,000 for digitization and preservation of Meadowlands materials that the University has collected for years. The Meadowlands collection includes approximately 150 maps and 150 books and reports.

A grant from the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) will allow the libraries to organize, archive and develop a finder’s tool and index for the association’s papers, a project with a value of approximately $5,000.

The Andy Cappon Community Action Project has given $10,000 to archive 50 boxes of materials from the Cornucopia community organization, a leader in the volunteer environmental movement in New Jersey and the region.

A $5,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities will let the Conservation Center for Art and Historical Artifacts assess some library collections and judge their value. The libraries can then submit grant proposals to have especially valuable collections archived or digitized.

Photography Exhibits

The Weiner Library, Metropolitan Campus, is hosting “When Dreams Whisper” and “Photography of Eric Dong,” both displayed on the second floor and open during library hours.

“‘When Dreams Whisper’ is a pictorial essay inspired by nature and the seasonal changes,” said photographer Hildi Borkowski of River Vale, N.J. “It is designed to take the viewer on a journey through nature through metaphoric imagery coupled with motivational photography.” The exhibit will continue through Friday, October 10.

Borkowski began taking photographs more than 30 years ago. She has exhibited her work in several venues in Bergen County and has earned recognition from the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs. For information on the exhibit, call 201-692-2279.

The landscapes and travel pictorials of Eric Dong of Parsippany, N.J., are on display through Friday, December 12, in the second floor Writing Studio. Dong, a graduate of Dalian Maritime University in China, served on merchant ships for more than four years. After coming to the United States in 1986 and earning a master’s degree at State University of New York Maritime College, Dong worked in the international shipping market.

“I believe that no one see this world in the same way,” Dong said. “It’s very gratifying for me to know that people I know, people I have never met and people I will never meet can be connected to me through my photographs.”

For information about the Eric Dong exhibit, call Della O’Malley, reference librarian (Metro), at 201-692-2140 or e-mail dellao@fdu.edu.