Special Collections at the University of Rochester River Campus Libraries

09/22/2026

09/22/2026

Join us September 28 for "Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues in New York and Beyond" with Ross Perlin.

Contemporary cities are the most linguistically diverse in history, even as an estimated half of the world's 7000-plus languages are endangered. In comtemporary New York City, the Endangered Language Alliance (ELA) has mapped over 700 of those languages, including many that are indigenous, primarily oral, and little documented. Driven by new forms of mobility, migration, and the diasporization of nearly every ethnolinguistic group, many other diverse cities around the world are not far behind. In this talk, Ross Perlin, ELA’s co-director and author of the recent book Language City, will describe New York's complex linguistic history and ELA’s efforts over the last 15 years, before panning out to discuss the impact of migration, diaspora, and multilingualism on urban linguistic diversity more generally, with a range of political, economic, social, and cultural implications.

Ross Perlin, Lecturer, Department of Slavic Languages, Columbia University, is co-director of the Endangered Language Alliance (ELA), a non-profit research institute focused on documenting and supporting endangered languages in New York City and beyond. At ELA since 2013, he directed the creation of the Languages of New York City map (www.languagemap.nyc) and has managed a variety of projects focused on language documentation, language policy, and public programming around urban linguistic diversity. Himalayan languages are a research focus — for his PhD in Linguistics at the University of Bern, Ross created a trilingual dictionary, a corpus of recordings, and a descriptive grammar of Trung, an endangered language of southwest China, based on several years of fieldwork. Ross has a BA from Stanford, an M.Phil. from Cambridge, and an MA from the University of London (SOAS). Ross is also a writer and translator, whose work has appeared in the New York Times, The Guardian, Harper's, The Atlantic, and elsewhere. His most recent book is Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues in New York, published in 2024 by Grove.

09/22/2026

Spill the Tea with RBSCP! 📚🫖

This month, RBSCP student employee, Emily English, presents “A popular treatise on gems”, a lapidary index that details the appearance, formation, and properties of gemstones. Lapidaries date back to the classical period, and tend to follow a magical, religious tradition. Highlighted today is one that focuses on the empirical and rational aspect to gemstones. Visit RBSCP to learn more!

Curious about highlighting a piece of our collection over tea and treats? Email our director, Eric Ensley, at [email protected]! ✨

06/17/2026

Jazz fest is right around the corner, and we’re looking back on the success of Chuck Mangione (1940-2025), a Rochester native and Eastman School of Music graduate. 🎓🎺🎶

Chuck Mangione, a jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer, started his career playing in Rochester’s jazz clubs throughout the 1950s and 60s alongside his brother Gap Mangione and their band The Jazz Brothers. Before achieving mainstream success, Chuck taught at the Hochstein School, and he directed The Eastman School of Music’s Jazz Ensemble in the late 60s. Later with his own performance group, The Chuck Mangione Quartet, Chuck received two Grammy awards and fourteen nominations throughout his career. He is best known for his album Feels So Good (1977) and his contributions to the contemporary jazz movement. 

At RBSCP, we house his uncle Jerre Mangione’s extensive collection of written material and other ephemera, which includes family photographs, publicity materials, etc. relating to Chuck and Gap Mangione’s musical careers. This post highlights a collage of headlines and features that were published between the 60s and 90s. 📚

Special thanks to our student employee, Emma Hilger, for her work towards this post! 💖

05/08/2026

Congratulations to our 2026 David and Ann Vincent and Zagorin fellowship recipients! Learn more about each recipients upcoming research in their slide.

More information about each fellowship can be found in a link in our bio.

05/06/2026

Please consider supporting the Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation on this Day of Giving!

Your gift to the Rare Books and Special Collections Fund supports our print and digital collections as well as rare and unique items that tell the story of Rochester's rich history.

Funds support the acquisition of rare and unique materials, both physical and digital, for customized curricular experiences, curated exhibits, citizen scholarship, and collaborations with other cultural institutions.

Please consider making a gift by clicking the link below.
https://give.rochester.edu/campaigns/69538/donations/new?tc=93250&designation=RareBooksandSpecialCollectionsFund&a=12793062&utm_source=RCL&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dayofgiving26

04/29/2026

Happy Preservation Week! 📚✨

Today we’re in the RBSCP preservation lab, learning more about the care, housing, and thoughtful decision-making that go into preserving the diverse materials in our collections for the long term.

04/27/2026

🧤 To Glove or Not to Glove 🧤 Happy Preservation Week!

Ever wondered when librarians wear gloves—and when we don’t? Our video breaks it down! Here’s a quick guide to what you’re seeing and why it matters:

Textiles — NOT to Glove
Clean, washed hands are best for textiles. Bare hands provide better dexterity and sensitivity, helping prevent snags, tears, or accidental stress on fragile fibers. Gloves can actually make handling riskier by reducing your sense of touch.

📗 Green Books — GLOVE
Some 19th-century green book cloths were colored with arsenic-based pigments. Because arsenic can be harmful if absorbed through the skin or ingested, nitrile gloves are recommended, along with thorough handwashing after handling.

📄 Paper — NOT to Glove
Studies have shown that clean, dry hands are safer than gloves for paper. Gloves reduce dexterity and increase the risk of tears or dropped materials—washed hands give better control.

📸 Photographs — GLOVE
Photographs are made with various chemicals. Oils and acids from our skin can cause staining, fading, or long-term damage, so gloves help protect the image surface.

Photographs in Mylar Sleeves — NOT to Glove
When photographs are safely housed in Mylar sleeves, gloves aren’t necessary. The sleeve acts as a barrier, making this ideal for teaching environments and frequently used materials.

Metal Objects — GLOVE
Skin oils and salts can accelerate corrosion on metal. Gloves help prevent rust, tarnish, and chemical reactions that can permanently damage objects.

📚 Books in Cradles — NOT to Glove
When books are properly supported in cradles, clean hands allow for careful page turning and better control.

✨ The takeaway: It’s not about always wearing gloves—it’s about choosing the safest method for each material. Thanks for celebrating Preservation Week with us!

04/24/2026

Our very own Eric Ensley, the Joseph N. Lambert and Harold B. Schleifer Director of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, was a recent guest on WXXI’s “Connections with Evan Dawson,” where they discussed the role of the university during — and after — times of war. You can find their conversation wherever you get your podcasts! 🎙️

04/16/2026

Spill the Tea with RBSCP! 📰🫖

This month, RBSCP student employee, Roshele Jean-Baptiste, presents SASSY, the Gen-X teen magazine for forward-thinking young women and its impacts on the culture of the late 1980s and early 1990s. SASSY grew out of publisher Sandra Yate’s and editor Jane Pratt’s dissatisfaction with teen magazines for young women. Launched in 1988, the publication quickly found an audience among readers hungry for a magazine that reflected their actual lives and concerns, rather than one that offered an idealized version of adolescence.

Did you know RBSCP holds nearly a full run of the magazine? Stop by to see more!

Interested in highlighting a piece of our collection over tea and treats? Email our director, Eric Ensley, at [email protected]! ✨