On January 24-25, 2019, the East Asia Library will host a symposium on Chinese political imagery entitled History, Images, and Politics in the PRC: An International Workshop, co-sponsored by Stanford Libraries, the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, and the Confucius Institute.
Have you ever wondered why Stanford is represented by the color cardinal, and not the original choice of gold? Or why the university's motto is in German?
We are pleased to announce a new Spotlight at Stanford exhibit focused on the development of Stanford's insignia: Becoming Stanford: The History and Meaning of the University’s Insignia.
Sanborn maps are a favorite of any map librarian. What's not to like about them? They give us a view into the history of our country in a way that few other maps do. They show the growth and decline of towns and cities. They track the changing use of buildings over time. At times they tell us who lived and worked in specific areas. We peek into the past to understand what kept people entertained, be it an amusement park, a skating rink, a movie theater, or a bar. The Sanborn Fire Insurance Company began producing these maps in the late 19th century for towns and cities throughout the United States in order to provide information to insurers about the composition and use of buildings to allow for the correct underwriting of policies. The maps include: building footprints; building material shown by color, height and number of stories; uses such as dwellings, hotels, churches, and chicken coops; street widths, water pipes, hydrants, and cisterns. This provides historians, genealogists, urban planners, and ethnologist with a wealth of information about the nation's past.
Sunday November 11, 2018, Veterans Day, marks the 100th anniversary of the unofficial end of World War I. Although the actual peace treaty wasn’t signed until later, November 11, 1918 — at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month — is when a truce, known as the Armistice, was signed and the fighting stopped. In commemoration, the Department of Special Collections and University Archives presents an exhibit of WWI-related materials drawn from the University Archives’ War Records and other sources.
(Image caption: Grimoire or magic scroll containing prayers, incantations, invocations, symbols, seals, and instructions for rituals. Southern Germany/Austria, 1790. Stanford Libraries Department of Special Collections.)
From October 20 - November 2, 2018, the East Asia Library will host a pop-up exhibition in the third floor display cases featuring paintings produced by students in ART245: The Art of Lotus in Chinese Brush Painting, taught by Felix Chan Lim, Ph.D. and Bobbi Makani-Lim, Ph.D.
To commemorate the German national holiday Tag der Deutschen Einheit (Day of German Unity), there will be
In collaboration with the Center for East Asian Studies, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary at Stanford, the East Asia Library is hosting an exhibition of contemporary ceramics entitled "Hand and Eye: Contemporary Reflections of East Asian Ceramic Traditions."