Rare Maps, Early Texas History, and Serendipity

The Rees-Jones Collection continues to expand as excitement mounts for the 2025 groundbreaking of the much-anticipated library. These articles by Pat Ward appear in the Fall 2024 issue of the SMU Libraries Newsletter. Mapping early Texas history An 1833 Texas map commissioned by Stephen F. Austin and presented to the Rees-Jones Library of the American…Continue Reading Rare Maps, Early Texas History, and Serendipity

A World Awaits at Bridwell Library

This announcement, along with other news at Bridwell Library, can be found in the Fall 2024 editions of The Bridwell Quarterly and The Bridwell Quill. One need not travel across time or space to learn the stories of those who came before – they need only to visit Bridwell Library, and specifically, Bridwell Library’s Special…Continue Reading A World Awaits at Bridwell Library

SMU Libraries Digital Collections Update: December 2024

Ansicht bei Werth nachst Ober-Laibach, ca. 1857, from K.K. Staats-Eisenbahn von Laibach nach Triest, DeGolyer Library, SMU.

In December 2024, SMU Libraries uploaded 478 items into SMU Libraries Digital Collections. Highlights include: 86 negatives, ca. 1930s, from the Robert Yarnall Richie Photograph Collection. Highlights include a series of 19 aerial views of private school campuses in New England, including St. Mark’s School, St. George’s School, and Taft School. Two programs, 1946 and 1948, from…Continue Reading SMU Libraries Digital Collections Update: December 2024

Pony Up! Over a century of SMU football

SMU football fans are celebrating the team’s first ACC season with a playoff against Penn State University this week. The Mustangs and Nittany Lions have only met twice in their long history. The 1948 Cotton Bowl Classic ended in a tie, and Penn State won the 1978 game at home.   SMU’s first football game…Continue Reading Pony Up! Over a century of SMU football

Blunt Broadsides

Broadside which reads "No Political Discussion or Conversation of Any Kind Allowed.

Worried about contentious political conversations ruining the holidays? The DeGolyer has just the sign for you! This sign comes from John Crichton of the Brick Row Book Shop in San Francisco. As Crichton recounts, early in his career, he would frequently visit the legendary Vermont bookseller Ken Leach. Ken had this broadside hanging outside his…Continue Reading Blunt Broadsides

SMU Libraries Digital Collections Update: November 2024

Grupo de Tehuanas, ca. 1906, DeGolyer Library, SMU.

In November 2024, SMU Libraries uploaded 330 items into SMU Libraries Digital Collections. Highlights include: 138 negatives, ca.  1930s, from the Robert Yarnall Richie Photograph Collection. Highlights include a series of images of the American Radiator Building (today the Bryant Park Hotel) in New York City and images from the Texas State Fair in the centennial year of 1936….Continue Reading SMU Libraries Digital Collections Update: November 2024

Hawn Gallery Opens Student Curated Exhibition

Grey and black drawing with multiple human faces and birds

If you are a regular visitor to the Hamon Arts Library, you will have noticed that the Hawn Gallery has not looked much like a gallery since May. The space has been used as a temporary site for storage and for processing special collections for the last six months. This is about to change as…Continue Reading Hawn Gallery Opens Student Curated Exhibition

Through the Looking Glass: Searching for Scholarship with AI

Many of us are familiar with the problem of hallucination with generative AI tools. ChatGPT produces citations to sources that seem very real yet are utter fabrications. This is because the AI tool, in order to produce an answer, is not referencing actual sources, but rather what it has learned from its training data. In…Continue Reading Through the Looking Glass: Searching for Scholarship with AI

Looking for Databases? The Search is Over!

If you’re conducting research on campus, SMU Libraries has many resources available to support you, whether you are preparing for a class project, conducting a literature review for a conference proposal, or just interested in learning more about a topic. These resources can be found by checking out research guides, which are helpful as starting…Continue Reading Looking for Databases? The Search is Over!