What's New at the Library

Fascinating, colorful examples of the volumes gathered by Reed alumna, Janet Walker Binford ’36, grace the exhibition cases in the Hauser Library. The Binford Collection, part of the library’s special collections, contains gems of early exploration and travel, including Captain Cook’s volumes of his 1784 Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, highlights of the gardening world with a focus on rhododendrons, and carefully selected examples of children’s and other illustrated volumes. The collection also boast hundreds of titles printed by the Binford family’s publishing house in Portland, Binfords & Mort. September 10 – November 26, 2007.

The history of creative writing at Reed is a lively and long one. Over thirty different titles, edited and published by students, have appeared since the founding of the college. Some titles were seen only once while several ran for over a decade. Major authors and poets had their student pieces published at Reed, including Mary Barnard, Gary Snyder, Phil Whalen, Katherine Dunn, Don Berry, Debra Ginsberg, Lee Blessing, and Mei-mei Berssenbrugge. Come see samples of many of these literary magazines and their contents. May 25 through July 2007.

A celebration of five decades of work presenting lectures, awarding scholarships, and supporting Reed College. This exhibit honors the Committee, now in its final year, and its many activities which have greatly enriched Reed and the Portland community. Library flat and wall cases. September 2006

New Books by Faculty

Twenty-three books by current faculty members published since 2000 are on disply in the library cases. These titles present a diverse and vibrant body of intellectual pursuits leavened by at least one lighter study. Almost every subject field is represented as is the broad range of faculty expertise and curiosity, from visiting assistant professors to the college president. Most all books are held in the Reediana collection of the library’s Special Collections & Archives. April – June 2005

New Case Works

Case Works exhibition 7: Vitamin A, a student art organization dedicated to promoting art and creative boondoggle among the Reed College community, presents Danger and Safety. Work in the exhibition explores the delicate and sometimes disturbing relationship between vulnerability and security that permeates our lives both locally, nationally, and beyond. April – May 2005.

The Reed Thesis

A new exhibit mounted in the main Reed library cases displays the history and several of the interesting or infamous examples of the Reed thesis. Required since the inception of Reed in 1911, every Reed graduate has struggled with this time-consuming, demanding, often frustrating, and very long senior project. Over 12,700 people have completed this requirement, and 15 representative products are shown, including the theses of two students from the first class of 1915 and of Philip Whalen, Dorothy Johansen, Richard Crandall, Janet Fitch, and the modern “illuminated manuscript” of ’05 student, Linnane O’Connor. December 2004-February 2005

New Case Works

“A Secret History,” by Portland artist Cynthia Lahti, will be on view August 20 through November 18 in the Hauser Memorial Library. Lahti’s mixed media installation weaves narratives of fear, loss, joy, and discovery. Lahti creates individual objects and drawings from a wide variety of traditional and ephemeral media such porcelain, found paper, ink, pen, cloth, and paint. The materials and processes are juxtaposed in relationships that seem joyously playful, yet carry an undercurrent of melancholia, dislocation, and menace. Lahti describes the discrete elements of A Secret History as “artifacts of life.” Lahti states, “Art is an affirmation of existence. A scrap of paper with the words ‘I love you’ written on it can change someone’s life.”

James Beard Exhibit

James Beard for decades was called the foremost cooking authority in America. Active in New York from the late 1930s until his death in 1985, he was born and raised in Portland and lived, during the summers, in Gearhart at the Coast. A Reed student in 1920-21, Beard next tried his hand at acting and singing before gravitating to food and its preparation, always relying upon his childhood memories of the excellent dishes his mother created from the local fresh produce and seafood. Reed awarded Beard an honorary doctorate in 1976, and Beard bequeathed the collection of his own cookbooks to Reed. This exhibit draws from Beard’s printed culinary works housed in the Reed Library’s Special Collections. The exhibit is on display in the library’s main cases just beyond the circulation desk from August – November, 2004.