Jen Library Reference Department

Printmakers, Renaissance history buffs as well as interactive designers: check out the excellent website for The Brilliant Line! The exhibit, now on view at the Museum Of Art at RISD, highlights the work of key Renaissance and Baroque engravers from throughout Europe. While it’s sure to be a fine showing of great art and excellent scholarship, the accompanying website is really stunning, because it shows users exactly how these masters created their etchings, layer by layer. Select a work and click “analyze lines” to give it a test drive, as I did with Robetto’s “Adoration of the Magi”:

Analyze Lines feature - via the Museum of Art at RISD

I couldn’t help but be reminded of MoMA’s “What is a Print?” tutorial. Fine printmaking is a rather obscure process to many, and both of these sites do an excellent job of explaining print history and technique for a general audience.

Have you been “wowed” by an exhibition website recently? Add a comment to tell us about it!

James Krenov, influential master woodworker, author, and teacher has passed away. His cabinets exhibit simplicity of form, and highlight the natural and unique qualities of wood. Krenov referred to himself as a “pre-kerouac Hippie” who roamed Europe and worked in shipyards and factories before studying fine woodcraft under Carl Malmsten in Sweden. He founded and taught at the College of the Redwoods Fine Furniture Program in Fort Bragg, California, in addition to keeping a personal studio.

Many were influenced by Krenov’s philosophical approach to his art. In a Smithsonian interview, he said the main belief informing his work is “you should not be unhappy in the primary thing that occupies you”. Kranov’s books are much more than just a how-to. He speaks of the smells, colors, natural variances, and feel of woodworking materials, and of the process of transforming raw wood into unique works of art.

Anyone who enjoys the pleasures of handwork will want to take a look at Krenov’s writings. Jen library has several of his books: James Krenov, Worker in Wood; The Impractical Cabinetmaker, and The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking.

See images of James Krenov’s works here.

Are you this committed to your writing?

Heads up Library fans -  it’s Writing Center Week! WC staff are hosting fun and practical events, workshops and consulting sessions in Savannah, Atlanta, and online.

Learn how to:

• Get your creative juices flowing with listing and brainstorming activities
• Use free online tools to stay organized and save time
• Master the fine art of revision
• Create perfect citations
• AND SO MUCH MORE!

To learn more, login to MySCAD and check out the Writing Center site under Resources Tab > Directory. The full schedule is listed there. And check out their Twitter and Facebook pages too!

Who's your favorite reading partner?

It’s the first week of the quarter. You’re finding your way around campus, settling into your classes, and becoming familiar with all of the places and people you need to get on with your daily life. It’s exciting, but overwhelming - it seems like a lot to keep track of.

Class readings are an important mark on the big to-do list. Many of you are starting to come into the Library to look for assigned texts. Here’s the rundown of some of the basic book-finding skills that will serve you well in the months (and years) to come.

http://library.scad.edu/ - the Library Catalog

• Your best buddy for looking up books
• Access it anywhere you’re online
• Simply type in the name of an author and/or title to see what is available.

When you find your book, jot down the call number and keep it handy. Also look for the location of the book. These include:

• The campuses - Jen (Savannah), Atlanta, and Lacoste
• Reference - use in library only. In the Jen library, these are on the first floor.
• Reserve - use in library only. Provide the call number and title to circulation desk staff

A note on the book’s status:

• Available = on the shelf and ready to check out
• Checked out & due date = someone else has it
• Use the request button to become next in line to read a checked out book, once it is returned
• You can also use ‘request’ to send a book from Atlanta to Savannah, and vice versa

Other handy information:

To learn more about book checkout and loan periods visit our policies page

Not sure where in Jen to find it? Take a look at our library floor plans

And you can always ask us to learn more!

SCAD’s fall quarter begins next Monday. Welcome to all of our students, whether you’ve just arrived in Savannah for the first time, or are coming back after summer break. Staff at the Jen Library are rooting for your success in the new school year.

In honor of this occasion, please enjoy these photos of yesteryear’s college students! The pictures come from Flickr Commons, a place where museums worldwide share some of their best images. We have posted about this great resource in the past; it’s just a superb place to look for great public domain works. Explore the Commons to see thousands of pictures from the Smithsonian Institution, the New York Public Library, and others. And now… on to the students.

Ah, the days when drawing classes were gender segregated:

What if synchronized dancing was part of the SCAD curriculum…

…or faculty were required to wear robes?

Even back then, the library was THE place to be.

And don’t forget the importance of college sports.

Whatever you do, SCAD librarians are here to help you towards a bright and happy academic future!

Update 9/14: links have been added to the pictures so you can see the collections they come from.

Diller Scofidio’s Library © Carlos Solis - via archdaily.com

Fall Quarter will soon be upon us, but those of you lingering in the NYC area might want to check out this fascinating ongoing exhibit: Unpacking My Library: Architects and their Books , on view at Urban Center Books. A prolific architect’s library is featured each month; Liz Diller and Ric Scofidio are headlining September. For those of you who can’t make it there in person, the exhibition website features some interesting highlights, and a catalog will be published later this year – leave a comment if you’d like to see it at the Jen Library!

The organizers state: “Each architect’s library is unique and informs their practice in surprising ways. Their personal statements, and favorite books, show that they are not bound by architectural themes or a canonizing of architectural history.” What an interesting way to demonstrate the wide-ranging and very personal sources of inspiration and research that architects, designers, and artists require. Collections of text, images, and random bits of paper and ephemera can form a creative laboratory of sorts, and upon examination reveal quite a lot about the keeper’s interests and history.

A quick Google search reveals that there are plenty of artists and designers who love books, and are blogging about it. A few examples can be seen here, here, and here.

Do you have book collection? How does reading fit into your daily practice? Is there a book that is a must-read for others in your area of specialization? Tell us about it!