What’s New at the GSU Zach S. Henderson Library

As we had announced, yesterday we held the launch party for EagleSpace and the Waddie Welcome Archive.  A roomful of people, many of them students, were here to learn more about Mr. Welcome and the collection of murals and other hand-painted signs representing Savannah community artwork.  The exhibit on the first floor of Henderson Library includes some actual signs, as well as photographs of others and accompanying explanations.

So what is EagleSpace, you ask?  Some of you are already familiar with the idea of institutional repositories, which are free online archives (see some frequently asked questions about IR’s here).  EagleSpace, which uses the DSpace software, is Georgia Southern’s new repository.  Now, in our soft launch, you can access EagleSpace at http://eaglespace.georgiasouthern.edu (the main URL will stay the same, although the links to the individual collections & items might change soon with a new server).  Try searching for “waddie welcome” and then browsing the collection by title to see the images.  (There are more images being added, so keep an eye on it!)  EagleSpace is Georgia Southern’s component of a statewide project, the GALILEO Knowledge Repository, or GKR, which is in its early stages.  (Sneak a peek here!)  The repository can be used to archive, and make freely accessible, our electronic theses and dissertations, faculty publications, multimedia files, etc., in order to provide seamless access to the digital intellectual product of the University System of Georgia.

Stay tuned for future developments, including discussion forums here on the Georgia Southern campus.

Come join us to celebrate Henderson Library’s newest acquisition!

The Waddie Welcome Archive is a photographic archive of hand-painted African American signs from Savannah, Georgia. The archive will be housed in Special Collections at Georgia Southern and online with the new EagleSpace database.

Authors and photographers Tom Kohler and Susan Earl will be present to talk about their photographs and their book Waddie Welcome and the Beloved Community. An exhibit accompanies the talk. Refreshments served.

Thursday, April 30, 4 PM

Library Exhibition Room, 1st floor

(through the main entrance and up the stairs past the main desk,

returning to the first floor from inside the security gates)

Contact: Robert Batchelor, batchelo@georgiasouthern.edu

April 22, 7 p.m.
Zach S. Henderson Library

You are invited to the closing reception for the Benjamin Franklin touring exhibit. Winners of the poetry and prose contests will be announced, prizes awarded and readings of the winning entries given. The event begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday,  April 22, 2009, on the bottom floor of the Library.

Brought to you by Zach S. Henderson Library as part of the “Ben’s Ten” series, honoring Franklin’s 300th birthday. Visit the Franklin exhibit on the bottom floor of Henderson Library through April 22, sponsored by the American Library Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Statesboro Herald is featuring an article on Henderson Library’s Ben Franklin exhibit and the events surrounding it.  Check it out here.

The Studio Statesboro Vodcast presents video coverage of the opening reception of the Benjamin Franklin exhibit here at Henderson Library this past weekend.  Check out all the other upcoming events in the Ben’s Ten celebration here!

Excitement is building for the upcoming Benjamin Franklin Exhibit, including the Poetry and Prose Contest (deadline March 1!).  For more information, check out this description from the American Library Association.  Soon you could be the first to spot this exhibit at Henderson Library!