Dear Reader,
The end (of the year) is near! But still much to do. So I'll keep my notes brief. Good luck to all. Don't forget to come up for air occasionally; it's an easy way to acknowledge that May is Mental Health Awareness Month. More on this below, where you'll also find guidance on library resources perfectly suited for the celebration of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month -- from the perspective of contributions to the visual arts and the history and culture of the book.
Margot McIlwain Nishimura
P.S. The RISD Archives is looking for a grad assistant to help this summer with our "Rescuing RISD Recordings from Ruins" digitization project. If interested, please contact either of our archivists: Andy Martinez (amartine@risd.edu) or Douglas Doe (ddoe@risd.edu)
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TAKE GOOD CARE
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. As many of us may be overwhelmed with academic year-end stressors –while also surviving the fifteenth month of a global pandemic—taking care of our mental health has never been more important. Here at Fleet, we’ve collaborated with RISD Health & Wellness to develop a collection of books and e-books to support students in a range of issues that affect psychological well-being.
The collection will continue to grow thanks to the Christiane Corbat Art and Healing Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation. You can browse titles online and suggest future purchases here. Mental Health Awareness Month offers a timely reminder that Fleet Library is committed to supporting the RISD community in whatever way is needed!
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WAYS WE UNWIND
With the end of the semester and summer vacations around the corner, Library staff have some ideas for how to make the most of your down time:
Books
- Doug Doe, Digital Archivist, Archives: Wolf Hall series, by Hilary Mantel; Gilead and everything else by Marilynne Robinson; Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, by Patrick Radden Keefe; and Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip's War, by Lisa Tanya Brooks
- Mark Pompelia, Visual + Material Resource Librarian: A book recently acquired by the library: David Wojnarowicz: History Keeps Me Awake at Night, which accompanied a 2018 exhibit at the Whitney.
- Alecia Underhill, Material + Picture Collections Supervisor, VMRC: The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett (The audio version on Audible is read by Tom Hanks); Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, James Nestor. (I never thought a book about breathing would be so fascinating.)
Podcasts
- Laura Brown, Senior Library Assistant, Circulation + Reserves: Hungry, by RISD graduate Otis Gray, 2014 Sculpture
- Margot Nishimura, Dean of Libraries: Modern Art Notes; Accession has a lot of Modern Art episodes, including The Lonely Palette; and Recording Artists, a podcast from the Getty.
- Emily Begin, Digital Imaging Specialist, Visual + Material Resource Center: Absolutely essential podcast for parents of young children right now who are striving to maintain positive relationships (and their sanity!): Unruffled with Janet Lansbury. 20ish minutes each. It's a guide to mindful and respectful parenting. Soothing advice for frazzled and burnt-out parents of babies, toddlers and young children. Current (pandemic advice) and immediately applicable.
Shows and Films
- Alecia Underhill, VMRC: The Queen's Gambit and The Great British Baking Show
- Margot Nishimura, Libraries: Lupin (who doesn't like a good heist, especially if it involves the Louvre?!) and the British thriller Behind Her Eyes (avoid spoilers at all costs!)
- Doug Doe, Archives: Counterpart; The Durrells in Corfu; Call My Agent; Professor T
- Mark Pompelia, VMRC: Change the Subject, which documents a group of Dartmouth students' efforts to petition the Library of Congress to change the subject heading "Illegal aliens". The students' work inspired Fleet's recent decision to update our catalog subject heading from "Illegal alien" to "Undocumented immigrant". The film offers a great opportunity for the RISD community to learn more about subject terms, bias, change and how it all works —or stalls
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WHAT'S NEW
Here's a highlight of our recent book acquisitions about Asian & Pacific American artists/art/culture, or written by Asian & Pacific American authors, including those of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indian, Hawaiian and Filipino descent. All are circulating items except the fuzzy yellow book, which is an Artist's Book, and can be found here.
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HOW TO RETURN YOUR BOOKS AND OTHER MATERIALS
We recognize that returning library materials may be difficult. Please don't worry. Here's what you need to know about returning Fleet Library and interlibrary loan (ILL) materials. Questions? risdlib@risd.edu
Ways to return materials:
- Book drop: If you are currently in the Providence area, you can use the book drop just inside the front doors of 15 Westminster Street (by Public Safety) anytime.
- Mailing: Pack the items and use low cost USPS Media Mail to ship to: Fleet Library/RISD, 2 College Street, Providence, RI 02903 (email us the items you've shipped plus the tracking number). If a prepaid shipping label is helpful, please complete this form, and we will facilitate the process.
- If neither option works, or you have further questions, please get in touch with us by writing to risdlib@risd.edu
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