Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries

@vuartsci Research Professor @jadabumrad recently became the first Vanderbilt faculty member to win a Peabody Award. The @peabodyawards honor excellence in storytelling that reflects social issues and emerging voices. Abumrad won for his podcast series “Fela Kuti: Fear No Man,” which he produced on campus in the @vandylibraries Studio 608 podcast studio.   Learn more about the Peabody Awards, one of the most prestigious honors in storytelling at the link in @vanderbiltu ’s bio.

Thanks to all who joined @vupcb and the Vandy Libraries for Walk & Talk Tuesday on May 12! Participants viewed several exhibits currently on display in Central Library: “Books Retyped” is the first exhibit in the new Third Shelf Gallery on the 8th floor. This exhibit features a series of design monographs and long-form books on one subject—or in this case, one designer. Students in last fall’s ARTS 1515 Graphic Design: Typography class were tasked with creating a new cover for a book that reflects the design principles or aesthetic style of the designer featured. The range of results show the approaches to typography demonstrated by William Morris, Josef Albers, Paul Rand, Herb Lubalin and Armin Hofmann. The Third Shelf Gallery was created by Sarah Dunham, assistant professor of the practice of art, and Stephanie Morgan, librarian for Art, History of Art and Architecture, and French and Italian. “Relooking” is on view on the 7th floor and highlights student work from ARTS 1200: Photography I: The Analog Moment and ARTS 1202: Photography in Digital Culture, taught by professors Vesna Pavlović and Tamara Reynolds in spring 2026. Buchanan Library Fellows Rubric Barredo, Lincoln Dillman and Justin Schwab created the exhibit over multiple months by establishing an overall theme and curatorial approach while gaining hands-on experience in exhibition curation and art handling and learning best practices for displaying artwork in public spaces. “Relooking” collects moments in time across Vanderbilt’s campus and the city, assembling these unique images to reflect on the nature of perception. Both exhibits are part of Art in the Library, a new initiative made possible with generous support from the @curbcenter at Vanderbilt. The project aims to transform Central Library into a more creative space by introducing two new gallery areas that highlight student work and encourage engagement with the arts. As a bonus, the Walk & Talk participants also took in “The World Through VPS’ Lens,” a display of student work by the @vanderbiltphotosociety on the 8th floor. #VandyLibraries #Vandygram

The first three episodes of “Made in Tennessee,” a new podcast celebrating the everyday art and craft objects used, loved, and handed down through generations of Tennesseans, are now available for listening. 🎧 Hosted by Vanderbilt Special Projects Librarian Celia Walker and Tennessee-based appraiser Sarah Campbell Drury of Case Auctions, “Made in Tennessee” is supported by a @tennessee250 grant and recorded at the Heard Libraries’ Studio 608. Check out the first three episodes on Apple Podcasts or Spotify: 1. Tracey Parks on Tennessee Furniture 🪑 2. Cynthia Stow on Art Conservation and Tennessee Portraiture 🖼️ 3. Jennifer Core and Julia Doyle on Tennessee Samplers 🪡 Learn more: madeintennessee.org #TN250 #VandyLibraries #Vandygram

Sophomore Revive & Thrive photo dump!💙💜📸 Thank you to our campus partners @VandyLibraries , @VandyCareNetwork , and @VU_WSTS for partnering with us! We wish you all the best of luck on your finals. Finish out the semester strong! #VandyGram #VUResColleges #VU2028

Thanks to all who joined us on April 22 for the Heard Libraries’ annual Spring Fling! 🌸🐝 About 165 students stopped by for LEGO flowers, Play-Doh and plenty of candy. A highlight of the event was two delicious @winston.the.saint.bernard cupcake pull-aparts—and, of course, Winston himself made a special appearance. 🐶🐾 We especially enjoyed seeing all the seniors who came to spend time with their favorite campus furry friend one final time. Congratulations #VU2026 graduates! We’ll miss you! ⚓💛🖤 #VandyLibraries #Vandygram

About 150 students attended Sophomore Revive & Thrive at Central Library on April 21! 🖍️☕🐶💛🖤 Hosted by @rescolleges and the Heard Libraries, the event offered students a chance to recharge through crafts, enjoy coffee from @theproverbialcup_midtown , and hang with friends, including @winston.the.saint.bernard . The gathering also featured a special drop-in visit from VUMC’s cardiac surgery nursing team, who stopped by during a well-deserved break. Campus partners, including the Center for Student Wellbeing and the Vanderbilt Writing Studio & Tutoring Services, were also on hand to support and engage with students. It was a very fun and impactful afternoon! @vandycarenetwork @vu_wsts #VandyLibraries #Vandygram

Join Curator of Rare Books Teresa Gray for an online discussion about the exhibit “Infinite Worlds: Science Fiction and the Future of Humanity,” currently on view in the Central Library 4th-floor lobby through May 2026. 🤖 🧬 👽 🛸 Gray will discuss the importance of science fiction as a literary genre and the significance of several authors featured in the exhibit. Her talk is on Friday, May 1, from 1 to 2 p.m. via Zoom. Learn more and register: vu.edu/sci-fi-curators-talk #VandyLibraries #Vandygram

As the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding this year, the Heard Libraries are marking a 250 milestone of their own. 🎉 Special Collections and University Archives recently wrapped a two-year project to digitize, describe, link and preserve 250 “small” collections—those that fill a few folders but not an entire box—everything from a handful of photographs each to a single diary to archival manuscripts and letters. These small collections represent approximately 20 percent of the archives’ total number of collections and showcase the breadth of distinctive items in Vanderbilt’s holdings. Here are just a few: 1. Photograph of the Memphis and Nashville pavilions along Lake Watauga during the 1897 Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition. (MSS.0959, 1897 Centennial Exposition Collection, Vanderbilt Special Collections and University Archives) 2. Poetry book in French inscribed with “Constance Riveau,” c. 1853–54. (MSS.1037, Vanderbilt Special Collections and University Archives) 3. 1828 diploma purportedly from the University of Nashville, though the “recipient” does not appear on any official graduation rolls. (MSS.0979, Vanderbilt Special Collections and University Archives) 4. Letter handwritten by Peabody College student Mabel Beck, 1910. (MSS.0803, Vanderbilt Special Collections and University Archives) 5. Promotional broadside for Tennessee magician Fetaque Sanders, c. 1930s–1950s. (MSS.1130, Fetaque Sanders Collection, Vanderbilt Special Collections and University Archives) To learn more about Special Collections or to schedule a visit: vu.edu/scua #VandyLibraries #Vandygram

Gearing up for finals? Join us for a fun study break featuring board games and free snacks! 🎲 • Friday, April 24 • 12:30–2 p.m. • Divinity Library, Room 211 #VandyLibraries #Vandygram

Join us for Spring Fling at the Library! 🌼🌷🌸 • Wednesday, April 22 • 4–6 p.m. • Central Library 4th Floor Lobby Free LEGO flowers, cupcakes, @winston.the.saint.bernard and more! #VandyLibraries #Vandygram

The Heard Libraries went to the dogs last week—in the best way! 🐾 Our favorite library fur-ambassaDore, @winston.the.saint.bernard , visited three library locations on campus and celebrated his 500th animal therapy visit at Central Library on April 15, marked by his friends and fans with stickers and mini cupcakes. The @vandycarenetwork also returned to Central, bringing 10 puppies for students to cuddle and enjoy before finals are here. 🐶🐾💛🖤 #VandyLibraries

Stop by Central Library this coming Thursday evening and grab a free bagel as you fuel up for finals! 🥯 • Thursday, April 23 • 7–9 p.m. • Central Library 4th Floor Lobby #VandyLibraries #Vandygram