Dear friends,

It seems hard to believe that we are already pondering the return of standard time and the chillier winds of November; I’m a huge fan of the former and have learned to love the latter. The last months have certainly been a bit of a whirlwind at the John Carter Brown Library, with lots of incredible programming for the various constituencies that we serve, hopefully including each of you!

We recently unveiled a new exhibit curated by Bertie Mandelblatt, George S. Parker Curator of Maps and Prints. “Learning to Sail, Living at Sea: Vernaculars of Transatlantic Knowledge” opened with a truly lovely reception featuring a short talk by Bertie, and lots of time to peruse the exhibit. I’m pleased to share that the exhibit will be open through the spring, so you have plenty of time to come in and experience it. (A virtual version will be published on our website soon for those of you who can’t visit us in Providence.)

As we can already see the end of the year approaching, we continue to provide lots of opportunities to visit the Library and learn more about our Collection and our work. Over the next few weeks in particular, we will highlight new books by Brown University faculty members Andrew Laird (John Rowe Workman Distinguished Professor of Classics and Humanities, Professor of Hispanic Studies) and Seth Rockman (Associate Professor of History). Join us for their discussions of Aztec Latin: Renaissance Learning and Nahuatl Traditions in Early Colonial Mexico on November 14 and Plantation Goods: A Material History of American Slavery on November 22, respectively. Professor Laird's event is co-sponsored by the Departments of Classics and Hispanic Studies, and Professor Rockman's is co-sponsored by the Department of History.

And as a special added bonus to get the month started, we invite everyone to join us virtually on Friday, November 1 for a talk by New York Times bestselling author and award-winning staff writer at The New Yorker magazine David Grann as part of the Expansive Histories of the Early Americas program series in partnership with the Providence Athenaeum. Unfortunately, in-person tickets are sold out for this event, but the virtual option is still available!

A reminder that the JCB’s fellowships are core to our intellectual community; programs for fellows and information about fellowship applications for next year (due December 16) can be found on our website. (Please note that at least one more fellowship will be posted soon in addition to the opportunities already published on the JCB website.)  

As always, I invite you to be part of everything the Library has to offer in person or online, and encourage you to contribute to our work by giving generously as you are able.

Yours,

Karin

Karin Wulf

Beatrice and Julio Mario Santo Domingo Director and Librarian, John Carter Brown Library and Professor of History, Brown University