Random Hack of Kindness at Albany

On Saturday June 1st, Albany will join the National Day of Civic Hacking with a Random Hack of Kindness Event:

In this event we will join pioneering citizens across the United States blazing new trails for social innovation in an event of unprecedented scope. Nearly one hundred teams across the country, supported by more than 20 government agencies, will come together with a common purpose: to invent new applications that leverage open, public data for the common good. This is the National Day of Civic Hacking.

Logistics

Where:

We will meet at the State University of New York at Albany
Social Science Building, Room SS 134 (NOT Science Library, SLG020)

When:

From 9am to 4pm,
You are welcome to join at any time and stay as long as you want.

Activities

Being a Hackathon, this is an open space for you to join, bring your own ideas and meet with like-minded people. Below are some of the activities that we anticipate to perform:

• Mobile Project for Emergency Responders
• Learning Raspberry Pi
• Hacking the Google Chromebook
• Google maps / Open maps
**Attendees will get Amazon server gift certificates for $100!**

More Details at this Google Doc. Under the title ‘Who is Coming’, please add your name so that we can keep track of who will be participating.

For any questions or concerns please contact Luis Ibanez at luis.ibanez@kitware.com

Organized by Luis Ibanez and UAlbany ASIS&T Student Chapter

C-SPAN at UAlbany

The M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives is prominently featured on C-SPAN2’s BOOKTV show that will broadcast on Saturday December 8 at 12:00 noon on CSPAN2. The program is part of C-SPAN’s LCV (Local Content Vehicle) 2012 Cities Tour of all of America’s state capitals and will also be available on their web page later today. Here’s a link to the C-SPAN Local Content page for Albany.

UAlbany MSIS program earns full reaccreditation from ALA

The Master of Science in Information Science (MSIS) program has earned full reaccreditation from the American Library Association (ALA).

Accreditation is achieved through a review process conducted by an external review panel of practitioners and academics that verifies the program meets the Standards for Accreditation of Master’s Programs in Library and Information Studies.

NANOvember 2010

The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) cordially invites you to join the annual celebration of "NANOvember," a month-long adventure into the exciting world of nanotechnology.
Please plan to attend any of a series of events and activities - all of which are free and open to the public - that showcase nanotechnology and the global leadership of CNSE in the most important science of the 21st century.

Pre-register for CNSE NANOvember events

Help spread the word! Click here for a NANOvember flyer to pass along to your family and friends.

CNSE Community Day
Saturday, November 6, 11:00 a.m - 3:00 p.m.
CNSE invites residents of the Capital Region, Tech Valley and New York State to tour CNSE's Albany NanoTech Complex and receive an up-close look at the exciting world of nanotechnology.

CNSE Community Lecture Series

Monday, November 1, 6:30 p.m - 7:30 p.m.
CNSE Community Lecture Series presents Dr. John Elter
Explore the idea of using nature as a model in science as Dr. John Elter, Executive Director of CNSE's Center for Sustainable Ecosystem Nanotechnologies, discusses biomimicry.

Monday, November 8, 6:30 p.m - 7:30 p.m.
CNSE Community Lecture Series presents Dr. Alain E. Kaloyeros
Learn about the potential of nanotechnology, its growing impact on all facets of society, and the global leadership of CNSE and NYS with Dr. Alain E. Kaloyeros, CNSE's Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer.

Monday, November 15, 6:30 p.m - 7:30 p.m.
CNSE Community Lecture Series presents Dr. Matthew Hynd
Find out how innovative neuroscience research is being conducted with the use of nanotechnology at a lecture presented by CNSE Assistant Professor of Nanobioscience Dr. Matthew Hynd.

Monday, November 22, 6:30 p.m - 7:30 p.m.
CNSE Community Lecture Series presents Dr. Robert Geer
Learn how nanotechnology education is driving exciting 21st century careers with CNSE Vice President for Academic Affairs and CNSE Chief Academic Officer Dr. Robert Geer.

Nano at the Y
Saturday, November 13, 9:30 a.m - 12:00 p.m.
Experience nanotechnology, a science that is driving our technological future and the future of our region, with hands-on activities led by CNSE faculty and staff at seven of the Capital District YMCA branches.

NanoCSI
Thursday, November 18, 6:00 p.m - 7:30 p.m.
Discover how nanotechnology is being used to advance DNA testing and other technologies used in crime scene investigations at this interactive lecture with CNSE Associate Professor of Nanobioscience Dr. Scott Tenenbaum.

Nanotechnology & Video Games
Saturday, November 20, 12:00 p.m - 2:30 p.m.
Delve into the large impact of nanotechnology on the evolution of video games with interactive gaming terminals and a lecture by CNSE Associate Professor of Nanoscience Dr. Vincent LaBella.

UAlbany's Annual Security Report

A copy of the University at Albany's Annual Security Report is now available for your information. This report, which includes campus crime statistics, is prepared in compliance with the "Jean Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act" (formerly called and more commonly known as the "Campus Security Act") and can be accessed at this web site.

This report contains recently updated information for calendar year 2009 and comprises statistics for the previous two years as well. It includes numbers for reported crimes that occur on-campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by the University at Albany; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning sexual assault and alcohol use on campus.

UAlbany Fall Festival and Book Fair Features Top Authors and Great Fun

October 9 event boasts nearly 30 UAlbany authors, a farmers' market, and student performances.

Message from UAlbany President George Philip - October 1, 2010

Dear Members of the Campus Community:

This afternoon, I held a Town Hall meeting to inform the campus community of some of the difficult "next steps" the University at Albany will be taking to address its ongoing budget challenges. If you were unable to attend this meeting given the unfortunate timing, please understand that the decision to deliver this message on a Friday afternoon was not our preferred choice. It was necessary due to the limited availability of appropriate large venue options - particularly, since the Campus Center is undergoing renovation.

For those unable to join us today, I want to take this opportunity to share with you my message.

This year's State Budget reduced the level of State assistance to our campus by nearly $12 million. In fact, over the past three years, the campus has cumulatively suffered more than $33.5 million in State tax support reductions - more than a 30% decline. Since 2008, we have addressed these reductions to our revenue base through the elimination of approximately 200 vacant lines resulting from resignations and retirements, a soft-hiring freeze, reductions in non-personal expenditures and temporary service, reductions in graduate student support, a moratorium on non-essential travel, energy savings, operational efficiencies and more.

As I have said many times before, non-strategic and opportunistic short-term measures are simply not compatible with operating an organization on a sustainable basis. In the face of diminishing State support, these types of cuts are a clear pathway to mediocrity. It remains critically important for the University to rethink and rebalance its core academic and research mission given its reduced revenue base, and reallocate resources accordingly.

As late as August, we remained hopeful that passage of the Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act, including predictable and rational tuition in the future, would be adopted. If adopted as originally proposed, this landmark reform, coupled with sustained state assistance, would have helped us to address our current budgetary challenges, while at the same time, provide our campus with the tools and resources necessary to advance our academic enterprise. Regrettably, neither financial nor regulatory relief were enacted during the 2010 Legislative session.

As you may know, over the past several years, we have engaged the University community in numerous discussions about the principles that should guide budget-related decisions. I am most grateful for the perspectives and guidance provided by the Budget Advisory Groups I, II, and III, along with the University-wide strategic planning committee.

Like several other SUNY campuses, the University is now at a point where we must analyze, evaluate and consider implementing measures that reallocate resources and eliminate some existing programs. Such actions will potentially affect a number of units across the campus.

As we enter this period of further communication and dialogue, the University anticipates that the actions discussed today will unfold over a two-year period. By the end of 2012, we expect that the equivalent of another 160 full time positions will be eliminated - bringing the campus total to over 360 positions eliminated over the four-year period starting in 2008. To the extent possible, it is our sincere hope and intention to minimize the disruption across the University by achieving the majority of the reductions through attrition resulting from the early retirement incentive program, voluntary resignations and other future vacancies. Notwithstanding these efforts, by the end of this process, I regret that involuntary terminations of employment will be unavoidable.

It is important to underscore that administrative and support units have and will continue to shoulder a higher percentage of the cost savings measures adopted, which is consistent with the University's priority of protecting the academic mission. Based on what we know now, in this fiscal year and next, administrative units will absorb an additional 10% reduction in their state operating budgets, while colleges and schools will experience an additional 7% reduction. Over the four-year period ending in 2012, administrative units will have suffered a reduction in their state operating budgets of nearly 22.4%, while colleges and schools will have realized a 16.2% reduction. Of the reductions between 2008-2012, we anticipate that nearly three-quarters of the workforce actions will relate to professional and support staff, while the remaining will be faculty positions. These disproportionate reductions are consistent and in line with the values, advice and guidance I have received from the campus advisory groups previously mentioned.

In addition to job losses already incurred, our administrative and support units are being forced to implement additional budget actions that have and will continue to result in reductions in hours of service operations, diminished employee and student services university-wide, cutbacks in general operational and physical plant support, and more.

It is important to note that every possible effort is being made to ensure that the health and safety of our campus community is not compromised.

Once again, we are striving to manage future reductions in ways that will mitigate the impact on our existing employees. The University is also exploring administrative consolidations, ITS efficiencies, as well as conducting a comprehensive review of the expenditures associated with our athletics program in order to achieve additional savings.

Unfortunately, these efforts in the administrative and extra-curricular areas are by themselves not enough. The University's academic program will be further impacted. The Provost and Deans from each of the schools and colleges have been working closely over the past two years to consider and implement reduction scenarios as our fiscal challenges worsened. I am sure all of the faculty have observed and felt the impact of these changes as professional conference support has dried up, academic support services have diminished, assistantships have declined, some departments have become smaller, and class sizes have become larger. Many program changes are already underway to accommodate the current resource picture. No school or college has been exempt from these reductions, and some areas have in fact borne more of the burden only because of the opportunistic way in which the cuts had to be managed in the short term.

Going forward, Provost Phillips and I will continue to work with the Deans, Chairs, and applicable governance bodies to sustain the University's capacity to offer strong academic programs in areas of high student demand. In addition to the program changes already underway, we now must begin consideration of further actions, given the requirements of the academic calendar and the cycles associated with student and faculty recruitment.

As a first step in this more difficult phase of reallocation planning, I have issued a directive today to suspend all new admissions to five program areas - Classics, French, Italian, Russian, and Theatre. Provost Phillips and Dean Wulfert met earlier today with the faculty in each of these program areas to communicate this action and begin a discussion about the future.
This decision was based on an extensive consultative process with faculty, and in recognition that there are comparatively fewer students enrolled in these degree programs.

It is important to recognize that this action is by no means a reflection about the quality of the faculty appointed to these programs, or frankly about the value of these subjects to the liberal arts. They are and continue to be valued scholars and colleagues. The University will continue to offer a broad array of arts and humanities courses in its curriculum.

We have also taken steps in preparation for the final year of Project Renaissance - the student living learning community for first-year students. I have asked the University Senate to provide consultation to me on further action with regard to all of these program areas.

I am mindful that the identification of these specific programs makes it appear that the College of Arts and Sciences is bearing a disproportionate reduction. I want to assure you that larger reductions across the other schools and colleges are being addressed, but simply in different ways. I have asked the Provost to begin the process of initiating other program consolidations and efficiencies. While the magnitude of the reduction requires significant participation from all units, our approach will continue to be derived from the advice and guidance of each of the Budget Advisory processes: to be strategic and differentiated with a view towards the future and the goals articulated in our Strategic Plan.

In taking these actions, I also want to share with you two important principles that the University will uphold. First, the University remains fully committed to ensuring that all our students will have an opportunity to complete the specific major/program to which they have already been admitted. Equally important, the campus is committed to supporting faculty and staff impacted by resource reallocation and program decisions by providing opportunities to seek placement at another UAlbany program, to explore placement at another SUNY campus, if available, and/or to pursue retraining, where required.

As a point of clarification, I want to remind the campus community that there is a distinct difference between capital and operating funds and how they can be used. In recent months, you have noticed there is a significant level of capital construction taking place on campus. It is important to realize that State of New York prohibits SUNY campuses from using SUNY capital funding for operating related expenses, such as faculty and staff. This type of funding can ONLY be used for capital construction and improvement, as well as large equipment purchases.

Lastly, I have apprised the University Council of the campus's budget situation, and have fully reviewed with them the actions and the next steps the University intends on taking. Our Council members support us with confidence that UAlbany will continue to be nationally recognized as a center of excellence for education, research, and service.

Please be assured that I will continue to keep you informed of future developments. I also invite you to visit the Budget Update webpage on the University's MyUAlbany portal.

Once again, thank you for your dedication and support of the University at Albany.

Sincerely yours,

George M. Philip
President

No, not THAT Engelbert Humperdincks

Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel
Saturday, October 2 at 8pm
Recital Hall - $10 / $5 students, faculty-staff & seniors
Hubbard Hall Opera Theater presents Englebert Humperdinck's classic dark opera in a concert version accompanied by pianist Michael Clement.

The University at Albany Department of Music is pleased to present Hubbard Hall Opera Theatre in a concert version of Engelbert Humperdincks Hansel and Gretel on Saturday, October 2, 2010 at 8pm in the Recital Hall of the UAlbany Performing Arts Center on the uptown campus. The opera will feature Alexina Jones, Kara Cornell, Irina Petrik, Julian Whitley, Victoria Tralongo, Hillary Esqueda and Olivia Mogul accompanied by pianist Michael Clement.

The operatic telling of Hansel and Gretel began as a simple request from Adelheid Wette to her older brother, Engelbert Humperdinck, to set four songs she had written based on the Brothers Grimm story of the same name. After many revisions and a year later, the fully realized opera received its premier on Christmas day in 1892 under the baton of Richard Strauss who called it ...a masterpiece of highest quality Humperdincks unique synthesis of traditional German folk songs with Wagnerian influences and techniques resulted in an instant and overwhelming success. In fact, it remains to this day one of the most popular operas in standard repertoire.

Building off of the rich tradition of arts in the Cambridge Valley, Hubbard Hall Opera Theater (HHOT) seeks to bring another element of culture to Hubbard Hall, an already bustling arts center. The mission of HHOT is to provide classically trained singers and instrumentalists in New England and upstate New York greater opportunities to create something beautiful close to home, while also giving rural audiences the chance to enjoy an opera without having to spend the night in a city to do so.

Mezzo-soprano Kara Cornell has performed leading roles with Stony Brook Opera, Union Avenue Opera, Center City Opera, St. Petersburg Opera, Musaic Concert Series and locally with Capital Opera and Hubbard Hall Opera Theatre. She will return to the UAlbany Performing Arts Center stage on March 20, 2011 for a duet performance with soprano Lisa Eden entitled Sisters in Song.

A lyric coloratura soprano, Alexina Jones is a graduate of NYU's Steinhardt School who, since moving to upstate New York, has performed with Lake George Opera, Capital Opera and Hubbard Hall Opera Theatre.

Originally from the city of Kiev, Irina Petrik found her love of singing as a soprano soloist with Kiev Youth Symphony. She has performed with The State Philharmonic of Ukraine, Kiev Operetta House, Bay Area Russian Festival, Atlanta Folk Orchestra, Washington Balalaika Society Orchestra, C-R Productions at Cohoes Music Hall, Lake George Opera and Balalaika & Domra Association of America.

A talented singer and actress in both dramatic and comic roles, soprano Victoria Tralongo has appeared with opera companies and orchestras throughout the U.S. and Italy. Recently she has been seen in performances with New Jersey State Opera, Center Stage Opera, Riverside Opera, Opera in the Heights, New York Opera Productions, Chelsea Opera and Regina Opera.

Baritone Julian Whitleys performances have most recently been with Tri-Cities Opera. He has also performed with Opera of the Hamptons and Eastman Opera Theatre as well as the renowned Berkshire Theatre Festival, where he sang over fifty performances of the title role in Bernsteins Candide last summer.

Tickets are $10 for the general public and $5 for students, seniors & UAlbany faculty/staff and may be purchased through the UAlbany Performing Arts Center Box Office. For further information, contact the Box Office at (518) 442-3997.

UAlbany Year in Review

Here is the University at Albany Year in Review 2009-2010.

UAlbany accreditation

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education acted to reaffirm the University at Albany's accreditation and commended UAlbany "for the quality of the self-study process."

The final self-study document, along with the statement of reaccreditation, is available on the wiki HERE.

Following the Yellow Brick Road

The M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives Presents:
Following the Yellow Brick Road: Imitation and Influence in Children’s Literature

Classic children’s books endure for their originality and timeless value to generations of young (and older) readers. A handful of these books distinguish themselves as exemplars and definers of entire genres. Six such examples are presented in this exhibit. They are: The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678); Robinson Crusoe (1719); Gulliver’s Travels (1726); Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865); The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900); and The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902).

Presented in the University at Albany Science Library’s Atrium exhibit cases are selections of books, some classics in their own right that take influence from their groundbreaking predecessors in a broad variety of ways. Some are explicit sequels or pastiches, while others borrow structural, stylistic, or symbolic elements, but are otherwise independent entities. Some are written by associates of the influencing novel’s author, and some even share visual similarities with their parent work. Still more are abridged or excerpted versions of classics intended to make them accessible to even the youngest readers, or to convert works originally written for adults into child-friendly formats.

Erin Shoudy, Graduate Assistant, Miriam Snow Mathes Historical Children’s Literature Collection, selected the items from over 12,000 titles in the collection. The Mathes collection is accessible in the Department of Special Collections and Archives on the Science Library’s’ third floor. The exhibit will be in the Science Library’s Atrium exhibit cases until December 15, 2010. Further information about the Mathes Collection is available here.

Dewey Library closed Fri pm, Sunday

Due to a water line failure on the UAlbany downtown campus, Dewey Library will be closing this afternoon (6/25) sometime after 2pm. It will also be closed Sunday.

The library staff is not yet certain what time services will be resumed on Monday.
Faculty and students can call Dewey Library at 442-3691 for information.

The University Library and Science Library remain open. Downtown faculty and students
may wish to visit those libraries or call 442-3558.

Looking at National Intelligence: Perspectives of a Former Outsider

Wednesday, April 14, 2010 12:25-1:30pm

Levitt Room, Milne Hall, UAlbany Downtown Campus
135 Western Avenue, Albany, NY

Guest Speaker
Richard Willing
Senior Analysis Projects Coordinator
Office of the Director of National Intelligence


From March 2008 to February 2009, Richard Willing was press secretary and public affairs director for the Director of National Intelligence. He is currently senior projects coordinator for the DNI's Directorate of Analysis. As a reporter, Willing covered war, science and the law, national security, and the auto industry from Washington, D.C for 21 years. Beginning in 1997, he was a national reporter at USA TODAY, specializing in civil law and criminal cases involving DNA evidence. He also covered intelligence. His beats included the White House, the U.S. Supreme Court, three presidential campaigns, the American auto industry, pro football charities, and the National Hockey League. Special assignments included the 1990-91 Gulf War, Northern Ireland's "Troubles," a biography of Detroit's first black mayor, the 50th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, and the opening of the Smithsonian Institution's human skull archive.
Willing was raised in suburbs of Chicago, Detroit and New York, and holds honors degrees from Yale College and the Kiplinger Program of The Ohio State University. In 2007, Willing was made an honorary citizen of the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Dr. Jim Steiner, Public Service Professor at Rockefeller College, will provide commentary. Dr. Steiner teaches graduate-level courses in the craft of intelligence, with emphasis on intelligence analysis for homeland security. Policy Conversations are open to all. There is no admission fee. Please feel free to bring a brown bag lunch and join the discussion.

Dean Straussman to Moderate Rove vs. Dean Debate

The University at Albany Student Association (SA) has named Dean Jeffrey D. Straussman of the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy the moderator for its upcoming World Within Reach Speaker Series debate between political heavyweights Karl Rove and Howard Dean. "I am honored to be asked," said Straussman. "This debate promises to be both spirited and informative about the many challenges that face our great nation, now and in the future."

SA Programming Director Reuben Ingber, a senior political science major from Queens, described the dean as "the optimal choice" to referee the match between Rove, Bush Administration Senior Political Advisor, and Dean, former governor of Vermont and Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. "Dean Straussman has the knowledge necessary and he is able to put his own personal beliefs aside to insure that we can hear from these two political giants from their own perspectives," Ingber noted. "We're excited to have him as moderator."

Straussman's role, according to Ingber, will be "to keep the conversation going, to ask the tough questions and to make sure those questions get answered." The participants will be seated around a table on a set much like Meet the Press. Ingber hopes Dean Straussman will "get as many questions in as possible." Questions will be a combination of the dean's and those submitted by UAlbany students.

The Rove vs. Dean Debate is the second installment in the World Within Reach Speaker Series. Last fall, the Student Association presented former Secretary of State Colin Powell whose talk on "Diplomacy: Persuasion, Trust & Values" was attended by more than 3,500 members of the UAlbany community. "We want to provide opportunities for students to engage in conversations outside of their classes," said Ingber. "Karl Rove is a huge name in the political community. Howard Dean is a big name in Democratic politics. We wanted to offer two people who are as far apart as humanly possible on all issues. Both are great spokesmen for what they believe. That allows the students to understand issues from all sides and be able to make up their own minds."

The debate will take place at the SEFCU Arena on the uptown campus of the University at Albany on Thursday, April 8 at 8pm. Doors open at 6:45pm. Students, alumni, faculty, and staff planning to attend must register online in advance.

25th anniversary of the Writers Institute

Please come to a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the New York State Writers Institute at the University at Albany, at 8:00p on Monday, November 16 in Page Hall on the downtown campus.

Former New York State Governor Mario Cuomo and Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin will speak at this celebration. The event will also feature a short video highlighting the Writers Institute's history and memorable guests and events, as well as the release of the first ten selections of the Institute's list of "25 Uniquely New York Books."

In 1984, Governor Mario Cuomo signed into law the legislation creating the Writers Institute, giving it a mandate to provide "a milieu for established and aspiring writers to work together... to increase the artistic imagination." Under the direction of Pulitzer Prize-winner and UAlbany Professor of English, William Kennedy, the Institute has hosted over 1,000 visiting writer appearances, screened over 400 films, and presented dozens of writing workshops, symposia, and special events, making it one of the premier literary arts organizations in the country.

Home Across Lands documentary

The screening of the Albany premiere of Home Across Lands refugee documentary, hosted by USCRI Albany, will take place at SUNY's Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, on Wednesday, April 29 at 7:00 PM.

Home Across Lands chronicles the story of Kunaman refugees as they move from a refugee camp in Ethiopia to their new home in the US; it was made by an Emmy award-winning team of documentary filmmakers.

More information about the film, including how to purchase tickets, is available at USCRI Albany's website.

"USCRI Albany has been helping refugees begin new lives in the Capital Region since 2005. Refugees arrive having fled war and persecution, and must quickly adjust to new way of life in the United States."

Free films!

Classic Film Series, Friday evenings, 7:30 p.m. (Unless otherwise noted), Page Hall, 135 Western Ave., UAlbany’s Downtown Campus

MADRIGAL (Cuba, 2006)
September 26

NIGHT AND THE CITY (United Kingdom, 1950)
October 3

LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD (France, 1961)
October 17

A DAY IN THE COUNTRY (France, 1936)
October 24

M (Germany, 1931)
October 31

KWAIDAN (Japan, 1964)
November 7

FROZEN RIVER (United States, 2008)
November 14
NOTE 7:00 p.m. Start Time

MY MAN GODFREY (United States, 1936)
November 21

Friday nights Danes After Dark brings you the First Run Movie Series. All movies shown are out of the theater and not yet released to video. Best part? All the movies are absolutely FREE! Shown in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) at 9PM these movies are not to be missed. This semester's movie schedule is below. L


9/26/2008 - Wanted

10/3/2008 - Get Smart

10/17/2008 - The Dark Knight

Leonard S. Marcus, author of Minders of Make-Believe, at U Albany

Leonard S. Marcus will be speaking about his book Minders of Make-Believe: Idealists, Entrepreneurs, and the Shaping of American Children’s Literature

When: Thursday October 23, 2008, 4:00 PM,

Where: Standish Room, Science Library, University at Albany, SUNY

Free and open to the public

Leonard Marcus, one of the foremost authorities on the history of children’s literature, will discuss and sign his new book, Minders of Make-Believe (2008, Houghton Mifflin), an animated first-time history of the visionary editors, authors, librarians, booksellers, and others whose passion for books has transformed American childhood and American culture.

What should children read? Marcus tackles this three-hundred-year-old question that sparked the creation of a rambunctious children’s book publishing scene in Colonial times. And it’s the urgent issue that went on to fuel the transformation of twentieth-century children’s book publishing from a genteel backwater to big business. Marcus delivers a provocative look at the fierce turf wars fought among pioneering editors, progressive educators, and librarians - most of them women - throughout the twentieth century. His story of the emergence and growth of the major publishing houses - and of the distinctive literature for the young they shaped - gains extraordinary depth through the author’s path-finding research and in-depth interviews with dozens of editors, artists, and other key publishing figures whose careers go back to the 1930s.

Leonard S. Marcus began his publishing career with Awakened by the Moon, a widely acclaimed biography of Goodnight Moon author Margaret Wise Brown, and last fall Random House released Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children’s Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became an American Icon Along the Way. Marcus, a consummate professional, capable of discourse on a wide range of topics, also possesses a wry wit, hinted at in the picture book he created with his wife, Amy Schwartz, Oscar: The Big Adventure of a Little Sock Monkey (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books).


Free and open to the public. Seating is limited. RSVP to: Brian Keough, at bkeough@albany.edu or 518-437-3931. Sponsored by the University at Albany Libraries & the Marcia J. Brown Fund

Secret Lives of Toys at UAlbany

The University Libraries’ M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives is hosting an exhibit talk “The Secret Lives of Toys and Their Friends: Selections from the Miriam Snow Mathes Historical Children’s Literature Collection” on Wednesday March 28, 2007 at 3:00 PM. Kali M.D. Roy, graduate student assistant and exhibit curator, will discuss her ideas and inspiration for this exhibit that is drawn from the Mathes Historical Children’s Literature Collection) and features a small sampling of historical children’s literature about adventures based on the lives of living toys or objects, and stories from a toy's point of view.

The over fifty items in the physical exhibit are from approximately the 1850-1950 period and highlights the potential scholarly uses of the Mathes Collection. Located in the University’s Department of Special Collections & Archives, the Miriam Snow Mathes Historical Children's Literature Collection includes over 10,000 children's books and periodicals published in the 19th century and up to 1960. The collection is strong in the literature of the first half of the 20th century, but there is also extensive coverage of the 19th century, the latter half in particular. There is an especially strong concentration on neglected and forgotten works published in the United States, 1875–1950. The central purpose of the Mathes Collection is to provide the texts of works that are generally no longer available in children's library collections today–and to make them available for historical, literary and cultural study and consultation by scholars, students, teachers, librarians and the interested public. The Mathes Collection is named for Miriam Snow Mathes, Class of '26, who had a continuing interest in the Historical Children's Literature Collection. Ms. Mathes, who was a lifelong student, librarian, and teacher of children's literature, established an endowment fund in 1993 to provide continuing support for the collection.

The exhibit is available through May 2007 during normal hours for the Department of Special Collections & Archives, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Monday – Friday


When: Wednesday March 28, 2007 at 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Location: M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives, Science Library, Room 350 Web site
Cost: Free

RSVP appreciated. Contact Brian Keough, (518) 437-3931 or bkeough@albany.edu