See the letters sent below, reprinted here with permission, to the student body earlier this month from student Angie Zhang and Juilliard’s VP for Library & Information Resources, Jane Gottlieb. Angie Zhang also notes a wish for increased Drama and Dance involvement in future recommendation cycles, so contact her or library AT juilliard DOT edu to get involved!
Letter from the Student Curator
Dear Friends in the Juilliard Community,
I am most excited to share with you the launch of a new student-led initiative here in the Lila Acheson Wallace Library: our “Curated Bookshelf,” which was created with you in mind.
The centerpiece, a list of book recommendations by students, alumni, staff, and faculty members of Juilliard, is designed to spark conversations and highlight the wonderful resources here in this library. The books on this list have call numbers listed below the titles for your convenience, and books that are not in the library or in the process of being acquired will have either the cover of the book on display, or the actual book, generously lent to the library for the month by the recommender.
As an extension, you will also find an electronic copy sent directly to your email inbox with additional recommendations and blurbs written by featured members of the community. There will also be a fun and light-hearted “What’s on your bookshelf?” section starting with the next edition, which will span a wide variety of genres.
Each month, we will also have a Library Staff Spotlight. Comments from the student body in previous years suggest that more interaction with the staff in the library would make for a more enhanced study space and environment. With that in mind, this slice of the pie aims at telling stories and finding common interests, which could result in fruitful conversations and discoveries. I highly recommend this month’s Q&A with library cataloger, David Snow.
It is my sincere hope that everybody will find something intriguing and inspiring in this new initiative. Like the school itself, this student-led project can exist only with your contributions and thoughtfulness. Going forward, I welcome any book recommendations as well as suggestions around how to adapt this project to better fit the needs, wants, and curiosity of our wonderful family of art appreciators and makers. Please send comments, recommendations, and feedback to aez AT juilliard DOT edu and I will follow-up with you personally.
Finally, this project would not be possible without the generosity and support of Jane Gottlieb, Vice President for Library and Information Resources (see her own welcome letter below); all the staff members of the library; Daniel Parker, President of Student Council; and everybody who enthusiastically agreed to be a part of this first edition.
Happy reading and exploring!
Yours Truly,
Angie Zhang
Letter from Jane Gottlieb
I am enormously grateful to Angie Zhang, our Student Curator of the new “Curator and Community Recommendations” project. This student-led initiative will help us achieve the ever-present goal of ensuring that Juilliard’s library collection best reflects the needs of The Juilliard community, and that students, faculty, staff, and alumni are able to engage with our resources in meaningful ways.
In addition to the book recommendations that Angie highlights in this inaugural issue, we welcome your ideas about scores, media, and online resources that should be included in the “Recommendations” listings. Please e-mail library AT juilliard DOT edu with your thoughts, which I will share with Angie.
And we’re so pleased that this initiative will help you to get to know the library staff better: they are treasures of the Juilliard community!
Jane Gottlieb
Vice President for Library and Information Resources