This piece written by Dean Jeffcoat is the introduction to the Fall 2025 Newsletter. Read the full issue to learn more about the topics discussed below. A launchpad for exploration Our fall newsletter theme is “Human-Powered AI.” In reality, all artificial intelligence is human intelligence. The material that generative AI tools draw from is human-created…Continue Reading We’re the hearts and minds driving AI
This piece is featured in the latest edition of The Bridwell Quarterly. Societas Liturgica conference bridges old and new in church music Founded in 1962 by the Dutch Reformed pastor Wiebe Vos, Societas Liturgica has come together and provided an exceptional space for global discussion on the history and evolution of liturgical studies and practice….Continue Reading A tale of two cities: Academic publishing a focus at Paris and Oxford conferences
A musical history of the Hilltop The Pfautsch-Anderson Choral Browing Collection is a non-circulating browsing collection of choral scores that supports the needs of choral and sacred singers, choral conductors, and music arrangers. The collection is comprised of nearly 6,300 music scores donated by two esteemed SMU music professors—professor of voice and choral conducting Lloyd…Continue Reading A hidden collection at Hamon is now discoverable
Pop-up exhibit showcases excellence of Rees-Jones Collection Last week on the Hilltop, Rees-Jones Archivist Christina Wood curated a pop-up exhibit coinciding with the Board of Trustees dinner at Fondren Library. This exhibit celebrated the arrival of the exciting new Rees-Jones Collection as the new library, rising only steps away from the dinner venue, takes shape….Continue Reading Where the frontier was written: Stories in ink and image
SMU Libraries is launching two new, forward-thinking cohort programs designed to help faculty understand, evaluate, and meaningfully integrate AI tools into both research and the classroom. These initiatives respond to one important question: How do we teach, research, and apply integrity in the age of AI? By bringing together faculty and librarians in collaborative, discipline-informed…Continue Reading Innovating together: New SMU Libraries cohorts advance AI-ready teaching and research
Striking it rich: How Texas’s oil boom shaped DeGolyer Library Texas’s first successful oil well was drilled by the Melrose Petroleum Oil Company in Nacogdoches County in 1866, but the monumental 1901 discovery of Spindletop in Jefferson County kickstarted the Texas oil industry. The success of Spindletop led to boomtowns all over Texas where wildcatters,…Continue Reading Wildcatters and Landmen in Texas
Crucial insight into the history of the West As the Rees-Jones Library of the American West continues to expand its holdings and prepare for future researchers, archivists are carefully processing significant manuscripts and special collection materials. Among these treasures, Rees-Jones archivist Christina Wood has encountered a remarkable letter by Joaquín Gómez de la Cortina, dated…Continue Reading Rees-Jones Collection captures key moments in New Mexico history
“We’ve all seen writers on the dust jackets of their books. These portraits, it seemed to me, generally failed to convey either character or personality. Writers deserve better. I wanted to make compelling pictures that would stick in the mind’s eye.” – Laura Wilson Glimpse into the mind of a writer A new exhibition now on…Continue Reading “Writers deserve better”: Laura Wilson’s portraits come to life at Fondren Library
What do a sugar railway in Cuba, U.S. soldiers hunting Pancho Villa, and a priest blessing a taxi in Mexico have in common? They’re all part of a fascinating array of newly digitized materials now available in SMU’s Digital Collections. These rare materials, held by DeGolyer and Bridwell and digitized by the Norwick Center for…Continue Reading From rails to revolutions: New windows into the past in digital collections
A Texas-sized legacy Dallas plays a vital role in the United States’ high-tech industry today, but its connection to electronics innovation began nearly a century ago. In the 1930s, a small company that made seismographic tools for the oil industry set roots in the city. This early venture eventually grew into Texas Instruments, a company…Continue Reading Innovating in Dallas: The Texas Instruments story