2008 Woodie Awards
"Finding the future" exhibit on display in Trexler Library
Jennifer Lavelle
Issue date: 3/1/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Penny Lochner, Series Librarian in Trexler Library, compiled a display entitled "Finding the Future: the Influence of Science, Science Fiction and Social Commentary." The exhibit was on display in the alcove on Level A of the library throughout the month of February.
Materials in the display were centered on the idea that "groundbreaking ideas, whether in the form of new research, an imagined future, or a thought-provoking essay, have all contributed to our finding new paths of discovery." The works in the display represented past and present idea leaders, many of them familiar, such as Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. Questions were raised about how messages of the past influence today's ideas and how these ideas will affect the future.
Ms. Lochner chose this theme for her display because it was a topic that interested her. "The turn of the New Year and the fact that many classes here are examining similar topics inspired the theme," said Ms. Lochner. While creating the display, she had the opportunity to reread some of her favorite works and also discovered new pieces to included. She said, "I got to try to read new things that I didn't understand. It was a fun project."
The essay, "As We May Think" by Vannevar Bush, was the starting point for the display and one of Ms. Lochner's favorite pieces of literature. Mr. Bush, an American engineer who worked on the atomic bomb during World War II, believed that, since the war was over, scientific endeavors should be focused on making human knowledge more accessible. He worked with microfilm reels to spread information. This idea was far ahead of its time, predicting newer technologies like hypertext and the Internet.
Another central work in the display was Ralph Waldo Emerson's speech "The American Scholar," addressed to the Phi Beta Kappa society in Cambridge, Mass. In this speech, he encouraged Americans to invent their own identity separate from Europe and develop new ways of thinking instead of relying on the old. This idea of creating new ways of thinking was central to the display.
Materials in the display were centered on the idea that "groundbreaking ideas, whether in the form of new research, an imagined future, or a thought-provoking essay, have all contributed to our finding new paths of discovery." The works in the display represented past and present idea leaders, many of them familiar, such as Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. Questions were raised about how messages of the past influence today's ideas and how these ideas will affect the future.
Ms. Lochner chose this theme for her display because it was a topic that interested her. "The turn of the New Year and the fact that many classes here are examining similar topics inspired the theme," said Ms. Lochner. While creating the display, she had the opportunity to reread some of her favorite works and also discovered new pieces to included. She said, "I got to try to read new things that I didn't understand. It was a fun project."
The essay, "As We May Think" by Vannevar Bush, was the starting point for the display and one of Ms. Lochner's favorite pieces of literature. Mr. Bush, an American engineer who worked on the atomic bomb during World War II, believed that, since the war was over, scientific endeavors should be focused on making human knowledge more accessible. He worked with microfilm reels to spread information. This idea was far ahead of its time, predicting newer technologies like hypertext and the Internet.
Another central work in the display was Ralph Waldo Emerson's speech "The American Scholar," addressed to the Phi Beta Kappa society in Cambridge, Mass. In this speech, he encouraged Americans to invent their own identity separate from Europe and develop new ways of thinking instead of relying on the old. This idea of creating new ways of thinking was central to the display.