News Archive

a shelf of books

May 18, 2022

From 2022 to 2024, the Brandeis Library will be undertaking a Strategic Collections Project, to ensure that our physical collections remain as current and relevant to the University’s research and teaching needs as possible. Learn more about what to expect here!
a copse of trees in spring on the Brandeis campus

May 4, 2022

A powerful research database that brings together deep, scholarly content from four celebrated works of ornithology, as well as multimedia and observation research.
The Brandeis Library's OneSearch logo

April 27, 2022

Brandeis Library has purchased new databses for perpetual access, through our participation in the ProQuest Evidence Based Acquisition (EBA) program. Learn more about the new databases here.
a display of books in the Library

April 13, 2022

Throughout April and May, visit the Library's physical display on Farber 1 for a collection centered on mental health & wellness resources, or check out our digital display in OneSearch.
A banner for the Henri Lazarof exhibit

March 31, 2022

At long last! After many Covid-related delays, University Archives & Special Collections is delighted to announce the opening of the physical exhibit of HENRI LAZAROF: A LIFE IN MUSIC.
A collection of small white blocks with Mayan artwork, created on a 3D printer

February 18, 2022

Brandeis MakerLab Maker in Residence Clara Alexander discusses her work on the Glyph Block Project.

a display of books highlighting black women history makers

February 7, 2022

Check out the newest library book display for February and March on Farber 1, as well as our digital display in OneSearch, on "Black Women as History Makers."

A black and white photo showing Leonard Bernstein and Lillian Hellman stand alongside Brandeis students at a piano.

January 3, 2022

The new West Side Story remake came out December 10th so it's a fun time to explore its connections to Brandeis's University Archives & Special Collections.

January 2, 2022

On January 1, the Brandeis Library will enter into a Read and Publish agreement with Cambridge University Press (CUP). Under this agreement, any Brandeis University faculty, staff, or student can publish open access articles in CUP journals at no cost to themselves.

December 3, 2021

On December 3, 2021, members of the ITS and library staff held an information session with Brandeis faculty to discuss the capabilities of our new online faculty guide, hosted by ScholarWorks.

Photo of a bookcase with books displayed in a rainbow.

October 1, 2021

In honor of LGBTQ+ History Month and National Coming Out Day,  we've pulled together a selection of books in our collection to celebrate! Check out the display on Farber 1.  We also invite you to suggest a book for the library!
Collage of student winners

July 8, 2021

To recognize students who apply exemplary library research skills, Brandeis Library awards Research Excellence Prizes and has selected the 2021 prize winners from an outstanding pool of student submissions.
Statue in front of Goldfarb

June 17, 2021

Starting Monday, June 21, patrons will be able to make interlibrary loan requests using shorter forms within the OneSearch interface instead of needing to go to ILLiad to do so. Requested physical items and received items will appear in patrons’ OneSearch accounts as before, but after June 21, new requests will only be handled in OneSearch and not ILLiad.
OneSearch logo

June 7, 2021

The Brandeis Library is updating OneSearch to allow for a better user experience.
A scan of Masekhet Rosh ha-Shanah that shows handwriting, stamps, and an insert about the Brandeis Library

May 27, 2021

Footprints is an online platform that aggregates information about the ownership, location, movements of specific copies of early modern Jewish books. Each "footprint" is a piece of information that shows, ideally, that a specific book was owned by a specific person in a specific location at a specific time.

May 17, 2021

The Library has been able to select titles to acquire for perpetual access through the ProQuest Evidence Based Acquisition program. While we are not able to continue the EBA program after May 31, 2021, we are excited to announce that we have purchased perpetual access to multiple databases.

May 17, 2021

While the Brandeis Library will no longer have access to EBA databases for which we do not have perpetual access, your subject librarian would be happy to discuss additional resources to support your teaching and research.
Stamp depicting signing of peace treaty

April 14, 2021

The collection’s commemorative stamps highlight specific historical moments, as well as aspects of Israeli society, culture, and scientific achievements.
Student pointing at computer screen in a computer lab

March 15, 2021

ScholarWorks replaces the former Brandeis Institutional Repository (BIR) and will go well beyond it in scope. Our vision for the repository is that it fully and completely represents Brandeis contributions to the scholarly and creative communities.
HoverCam over an old newspaper displaying the image on a laptop screen

March 4, 2021

Although instruction in the Brandeis University Archives and Special Collections (ASC) looks different than it did a year ago, the goal remains the same: engaging students with archival materials and teaching them primary source-based research skills.
Statue in front of Goldfarb Library covered in snow

February 19, 2021

Studying off-campus? Can't travel in the snow? No worries, we've got you covered!
A student on a laptop with another student in the distance

December 10, 2020

Learn more about APA citation or how to use Library databases to find funding opportunities. We cover University Archives, the basics of podcasting, the art of 3-D printing, how to find music scores and more. Want to know how to code in R?  We can help!
Two images of Sophie Brill-Weitz filming her dance and kicking one leg in the air

November 5, 2020

Adagio Dance Company can't perform their in-person show this year due to COVID-19, so the group has partnered with Sound and Image Media Studios (SIMS) to film a series of physically-distanced performances.
HoverCam set up over a book with text on one page

October 19, 2020

The new HoverCam allows staff to take photos and videos of materials that can be shared in remote classes or research consultations. The camera enables the speaker in a Zoom video to show their face in one window while the camera can display materials in another window.
Lockers in Usdan

October 5, 2020

Users can now request to pick up Brandeis or ILL materials at the lockers, which are located on level 2 of the Usdan Student Center, near DCL.
Shelf of thick books

August 20, 2020

As part of Brandeis Library’s ongoing efforts to improve user experience, we have renamed the Document Delivery service to “Scan on Demand” to make it easier to understand how this service can support your research, teaching, and learning.
Photo caption: From left to right, top row: Claire Ogden and Lucia Pugh-Sellers; bottom row: Alex Luu and Rebekah F. Kristal

June 29, 2020

The Brandeis Library's Research Excellence Prize recognizes students who apply sophisticated information literacy skills to the selection, evaluation and synthesis of sources for a research project.
A Library patron sits at a table among the stacks

June 3, 2020

Since mid-March, the Brandeis Library Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery department has filled more than 1,800 Borrowing requests, almost 600 Document Delivery requests, and almost 1400 lending requests—all while working remotely from home!
Portrait of Louis Brandeis in between two armchairs and a small table

March 10, 2020

The portrait, attributed as a gift of the artist Charles J. Fox, depicts the associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States in his judicial robes while sitting with a book.
Three people stand in front of a Caste banner

March 2, 2020

J-CASTE advances peer-reviewed scholarship across disciplines into caste systems in South Asia and beyond and considers the marginalization and inter-generational oppression of religious, racial and cultural minorities throughout the world.
Black and white image of three men at microphones

December 4, 2019

Nineteen minutes of rarely-seen 1969 television film footage are available to see in the Brandeis University Archives & Special Collections reading room.
A large wooden bookcase

October 1, 2019

A new bookcase in Rapaporte Treasure Hall had a decades-long history with alumni before arriving at the Brandeis Library this summer.
Pile of records and papers on table

July 31, 2019

Professional digitization is allowing the Brandeis University Archives to discover the contents of a series of recently-acquired audio recordings on Abbie Hoffman '59.
Shelves of books

July 8, 2019

To address the high costs of textbooks and other academic resources, the Library supported four grants for faculty who are incorporating open and affordable educational resources into their courses.
Shelf of books

July 8, 2019

The Brandeis Library has awarded Information Literacy Grants to four faculty members to support their work with librarians to design courses that help students become mature researchers and scholars.
Clockwise from top-left: Lynn-Tyia Porter, Helen Wong, Emily Glovin, Jacob Silverman

June 25, 2019

To recognize students who apply exemplary library research skills, the Library awards Research Excellence Prizes and has selected this year’s award winners from an outstanding pool of student submissions.
Brandeis University Professor Laurence Simon, left, presents the letter from the Dalai Lama to University Archivist Maggie McNeely and University Librarian Matthew Sheehy.

June 14, 2019

The Brandeis University Archives & Special Collections acquired a letter from the Dalai Lama in praise of the founding of CASTE: A Global Journal on Social Exclusion.
Brandeis Library staff and Waltham Group student leaders in front of the Library

May 20, 2019

The gift was one of the incentives for students and faculty to participate in the Library Survey in fall 2018.
Esther Brandon with Renee Korgood

May 16, 2019

The award recognizes Esther Brandon’s "significant commitment to the welfare of LGBTQIA+ and gender non-conforming people."
Treadmill desks at window

March 25, 2019

The treadmill desks were purchased as part of a CEEF proposal, which provides funding for student-led initiatives that enhance the Brandeis community.
Illustration of woman holding a plane and missile

February 5, 2019

The Image Portal presents archival materials related to the history of social reform and social welfare in the United States. The site was awarded the Center for Research Libraries' 2018 Primary Source Award for Access.
Qualtrics logo

February 5, 2019

All Qualtrics users now have the option to access the Qualtrics API feature. Qualtrics API (Application Program Interface) allows you to push and pull data from Qualtrics programmatically.

Painting of river and window, cover image for The Inner Peace Outer Peace Reader

January 25, 2019

Brandeis University lecturers in Peace, Conflict and Coexistence Studies Peter Gould and John Ungerleider have published an open textbook for PAX 120B: Inner Peace and Outer Peace.
A pile of records, cassette tapes, and a film reel

December 17, 2018

Abbie Hoffman, class of 1959, once said in a rarely-heard interview that he hoped to give his papers to Brandeis University. A recent gift honors Abbie's wish.
Black and white photo of Lenny Bruce holding newspapers

December 17, 2018

The untitled 12-and-a-half minute 16mm film, a collaboration between Lenny Bruce and the musician “Count” Lewis DePasquale, a friend of the comedian, is a darkly comic, silent account of a down-on-his-luck street newspaper salesman, played by Bruce, with a jazz score, likely by DePasquale.
Woman standing in front of a colorful painting
Orli Swergold ‘18, a  New Rochelle, N.Y., native who double-majored in art history and studio art, said the piece is a snapshot of how she has grown as an artist and as a person in her time at Brandeis.
Row of non-English language books
The collection currently features about 50 titles in Chinese and Hindi. The collection also will be adding titles in Spanish and Korean soon.
Farber Library and trees
Student Union President Hannah Brown '19 said it is important to have a link between the Brandeis Library and the Student Union to make sure that undergraduate and prospective student voices are heard.
Room with tables, chairs and a computer terminal

The room features soft seating, work spaces, a computer terminal and a fantastic view—and it is accessible only to faculty.

Shelf of picture books in the Library.

The Library is building a new picture book collection located on Goldfarb Level 1. The collection was created in support of the education program and includes a number of award-winning titles.

Pages of photography from Bruce Davidson's East 100th Street.

Bruce Davidson’s East 100th Street disappeared from the Brandeis Library in 1973. It would not return for several decades. Then one day in 2015, the book arrived back at the Library with a note from the former student who had held onto it for 42 years.