Norman E. Alexander Library for Jewish Studies

In honor of the tenth anniversary of the Norman E. Alexander Lecture in Jewish Studies, this year's event will highlight the work of scholars doing research in the collections. Dr. J. H. (Yossi) Chajes will discuss his work on kabbalistic manuscripts; Dr. Francesco Spagnolo will share music relating to the Jewish community in Corfu; and Alexis Hagadorn will describe what she discovered in analyzing paint samples and bindings. J. H. Chajes is the Wolfson Professor of Jewish Th...ought in the Department of History at the University of Haifa and the Director of the Ilanot Project. Francesco Spagnolo is the Curator of the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life and Associate Adjunct Professor in the Department of Music at University of California at Berkeley. Alexis Hagadorn is the Head of Conservation and Preservation at Columbia University Libraries. For more information and to register, go to events.columbia.edu/go/nea10

As we ramp up to the beginning of the semester, we have some important updates to library access. Please check the library update website here: https://library.columbia.edu/about/news/alert.html Highlights: Seats will become available in libraries for Columbia students only, by appointment (link to reservations will go live next week at the library update website). JTS affiliates are now able to request and check out books from the Columbia collections.... Special Collections will be limited to Columbia students, faculty, and staff only, by appointment. Note (among other requirements) that face coverings will be required in ALL library spaces. All of this information is swiftly changing, and subject to further change, so please bookmark the library update website for the latest information.

Save the date! There will be a session for the Columbia community on "Doing research in Jewish Studies (mostly virtually)" on October 14. More details (and registration info) here: https://events.columbia.edu/go/jewishstudies

New e-resource: Refugees, relief and resettlement : forced migration and World War II http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?clio14898825 Archives of the Central British Fund for World Jewish Relief, 1933-1960 -- Records of the Department of State relating to the problems of relief and refugees in Europe arising from World War II and its aftermath, 1938-1949 -- Refugee files from the records of the Foreign Office, 1938-1950 -- Refugee records from the general correspondence files of the political departments of the Foreign Office, record group 371, 1938-1950 -- Refugee records from the public and judicial department collections of the British India Office, 1939-1952 -- Refugee records from the War Cabinet, the Colonial Office, the Home Office and the War Office, 1935-1949.

Students: We will be giving a general introduction to digital research in Jewish Studies via Zoom at the beginning of the semester. Before we set any dates, are there particular preferred days of the week or times of day? (Are evenings better once classes start?) Please let us know here, or email Michelle directly.

There are lots of women hidden in the rare Judaica stacks at Columbia University Libraries. Our latest post (this one to the Global Studies blog) highlights just a few of them: https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu//finding-the-women-in-colu/

Professor John Ma & Associate University Librarian Chris Cronin marked the opening of the Libraries' new book pick-up service with a Columbia blue ribbon-cuttin...g - almost 4 months after the Libraries last checked out print books to users! blogs.cul.columbia.edu//libraries-launches-book-pick-up-s/ The service enables current Columbia University in the City of New York students, staff & faculty to request & pick up library materials from participating library locations. Here's how to take advantage: library.columbia.edu/services/request/pick-up-service.html

Breaking News! CUL has begun a *select* pick-up book service. Please see details below, from the CUL Library Status Update page: https://library.columbia.edu/about/news/alert.html Borrowing (Book Pick-Up Service) and Returning Physical Materials Book pickup service is now available for select print collections. Eligible items will have a "Pick-up" hyperlink in the CLIO record (currenly available for materials shelved in Butler Library only). Please refer to the Pick-Up S...ervice page for instructions about how to request materials for pickup, how to pick up the materials, and how to return materials. Materials can be returned to book bins outside Butler Library. Due dates have been universally pushed back to Oct. 2, 2020; regular late fines have been removed; account blocks have no negative effect on access or permissions. If you have left or are leaving the New York City area permanently and cannot return materials to the Butler Library book bins, please email [email protected] make other arrangements. See more

Important news from the libraries! Scanning of general collections has resumed, thanks to volunteers from across the library system. If you need a portion of a work, please click the "Scan" button in the catalog record for that book in CLIO. Additionally, our book drops are now open for returning books.

It's been an unusual semester, to say the least, but we have been very busy. Our Spring newsletter is now available. For a PDF with active links, please reach out (or join our mailing list)! Wishing everyone good health.

The Norman E. Alexander Librarian, Michelle Chesner, has been sharing our collections (and others') by request (and if digitized) via Twitter: https://twitter.com/hchesner/status/1257506379901865984?s=20 Is there anything else you'd like to see/have questions about?

Professor Joshua Teplitsky (Stony Brook University) wrote an essay for the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies (IIJS) Magazine featuring a couple of our manuscripts that describe how social distancing worked during the plague in Padua in 1631. https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu//plague-passover-and-persp/

Enjoy our Spring 2020 Magazine. Inside find an essay by Joshua Teplitsky on plagues past, profiles of our students and faculty, and a peek into the Norman E. Alexander Library for Jewish Studies.