Northwestern University Libraries

four poets shared their works today at a reading in the book nook.

happy to all the poets and artists!!

Faculty! Win a free library tshirt!

This year's Research Impact Challenge kicks off this week. Complete four self-paced challenges or catch a research metrics workshop with the library to increase the impact and reach of your scholarship—plus, win a library t-shirt.

Keeping track of your scholarship and metrics helps you demonstrate the impact of your research on communities from within and outside your discipline, saves time in the long run, and raises the profile of Northwestern as a whole.

Visit the link in our bio or https://libguides.northwestern.edu/ResearchImpactChallenge to get started.

Displaying Empire: Britain’s Visual Encounter in India is a student-curated exhibit now on display in the entrance hall of University Library.

Curating Displaying Empire involved a combination of independent research and collaborative work by the students of Professor Yuthika Sharma's museum seminar Art History 395, culminating in the physical exhibit and a digital companion site.

The East India Company began as a mercantile corporation, chartered by Queen Elizabeth I in 1600, to expand trade in commodities such as spices, cotton, tea, and silk. By the eighteenth century, the Company became a militarized governing presence driven by resource extraction. The Company’s stronghold in India attracted professional and amateur British artists, some of whom were part of its military and administrative network. Others, seeking to further their careers, traveled in India extensively, often relying on the support of local experts to record their impressions.

The Indian artist of this painting of a seamstress or embroiderer on a laminated silicate mica sheet is now unknown.

(shout out to our brilliant for beautifully mounting the plastic facsimile for the exhibit)

"Research takes one in unexpected directions: follow them!"

Faith Magiera '27 presented her prize-winning research using archival collections this afternoon. Thank you to Faith and to Professor of English and Gender & Sexuality Studies Jeffrey Masten for sharing the value of serendipity in research.

Magiera's research project, composed originally for Masten's course English 339: Studies in Shakespeare, drew in part upon a book of plays by the Roman playwright Seneca. The paper was one of the winners for the inaugural Undergraduate Archival Research Project Prize.

Join 2025 winner Faith Magiera (’27) and Jeffrey Masten, Professor of English and Gender & Sexuality Studies, for a lunchtime conversation to learn more about the research process and the power of engaging students in rare book and archival research. All are welcome!

A pop-up exhibit of related materials from the McCormick Library of Special Collections and University Archives will be on view.

We are kicking off Open Education Week by highlighting one of our incredible Faculty OER Grant winners. Irene Finestrat's textbook project "En Perspectiva: El español a través de sus comunidades” is an open educational resource for Spanish 125-0. It centers community-based themes that build intercultural competence, language development, and critical thinking through diverse voices across Spanish-speaking communities. Irene says,

“Developing my own course materials and making them openly accessible has transformed the class. I can adapt content to meet students where they are, and ensure it reflects current topics and lived experiences. I’m deeply grateful to the library team for their support throughout the process.”

In addition to the flexibility for faculty, it also has a positive impact on students. This OER replaces a one-quarter textbook that previously cost $80 to $110, removing a major barrier to access.

Interested in Open Education or want to learn more about OER’s? Check out our website: https://air.northwestern.edu/get-started/open-educational-resources/

Loved this piece on longtime library employee Vince McCoy! Congratulations on his retirement; he will be missed in these halls.

Vince McCoy’s story is intertwined with Northwestern history After more than five decades of service to Northwestern Libraries, where he started working as an undergraduate, Vince McCoy’s personal history and that of the institution are deeply intertwined.

The best ways to keep up with Northwestern Libraries:

Sign up and join us for workshops: https://www.library.northwestern.edu/visit/plan-your-visit/events.html

Visit for exhibits: https://www.library.northwestern.edu/visit/plan-your-visit/exhibits.html

Send us an email or chat message: https://www.library.northwestern.edu/about/libraries-information/contact-us/

Can you recognize this location from night-lights alone? GIS specialist Mech Frazier uses satellite imagery to kick off a workshop on geospatial tools — highlighting how night-time images reveal city light pollution, luminosity, and bulb-driven color differences💡💫

Think you’re a map master or GeoGuessr genius? Join the Library Geospatial Team and for the GeoPuzzle Challenge on November 19 in University Library!

Answer: Cairo, Egypt

Ever wondered what happens when public data disappears?

Help recover and preserve geospatial datasets — valuable resources for planners, researchers, and students that recently went offline at our upcoming data rescue workshop. Snacks will be provided!

🔗 Register: tinyurl.com/DR2-Hybrid | Open to NU students, staff, and faculty