UW Libraries November Update

Incoming ARL President: Dean of University Libraries, Simon Neame has been elected vice president/president-elect by the Association of Research Libraries.  His term as president will begin January 1, 2027.

KUOW/Seattle Now: U.S. Documents Librarian Cass Hartnett talks with KUOW’s Patricia Murphy about UW Libraries’ annual public Constitution reading.

Congratulations to Holly Miowak Guise whose book Alaska Native Resilience: Voices from World War II , published by UW Press, was awarded three prizes from the Western History Association: the 2025 Robert G. Athearn Award for best book on the twentieth-century West, the 2025 John C. Ewers Award for best book on North American Indian Ethnohistory, and the 2025 Robert M. Utley Prize for best book on the military history of the frontier and western North America. Discover more 2025 award-winning books from UW Press.

The Daily features UW Libraries New Exhibit: “Right to Read: Banned books and the First Amendment.

UW Librarian, Faculty and undergraduate students collaborate to create a new digital archive dedicated to preserving feminist knowledge and stories at UW Bothell and Cascadia College Library.

NEW for the 2025-2026 academic year — Dewey Data! Imagine your research paper focuses on US consumer habits and you need to find out how many Frito Lay brand potato chips consumers purchased in all states. You can access consumer data sets like this, and many other types of data with Dewey Data! Provided by UW Libraries, Dewey is a research platform that provides access to third-party datasets across a variety of data categories including foot traffic, construction permits, healthcare, workforce, consumer behavior, and transportation. University of Washington faculty, students, and researchers are eligible for access and must register an individual account. Learn more.

November 6: TEAL Digital Scholarship Lecture Series 2025-26: Dating the Undated: Unlocking the Chronology of Premodern Japanese Publications through AI and Microscopic Imaging

Open Scholarship Labs:

• November 12: Publish & Protect Your Research in a Flash with Manifold (Online)
• November 19: Exploring Research and Teaching with Humap an introduction to Humap, a digital humanities platform designed to create interactive maps, timelines, and exhibits. In-Person and Online

November 13: Fine-tuning LLMs on Custom Datasets (In Person) and (Online)

November 17: Going Public: Navigating Online and Professional Harassment, Panel Discussion (In-Person) Join Emma Spiro, Katherine Cross, and Kate Starbird for a discussion on how scholars can continue to do meaningful, public-facing work while protecting their well-being, supporting their communities, and sustaining trust in research. The discussion will be followed by a Q&A and a brief reception.

November 19: Critical Gaming Collaboration Studio: Game Jam – Turning a Draft into a Functional Proposal take a draft proposal from RozForum and work together to transform it into a functional game concept!

November 20: Scholar’s Studio: Come and see what your fellow students are researching! Hosted by the UW Libraries Research Commons and The Graduate School’s office of Graduate Student Affairs, Scholars’ Studio gives UW graduate students and postdoc students the opportunity to share their research across disciplines, make connections and build presentation skills. Scholar’s Studio features up to 10 short presentations (5 minutes each and includes a Q&A with presenters followed by a reception. Presenters receive feedback on their presentations through feedback forms distributed to audience members.

Did you know that UW Libraries and UW School of Music host a monthly lunchtime concert series? Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in the North Lobby of Allen Library to hear UW students perform a variety of music, live in the Library. Your cheese sandwich never felt so classy!

Be sure to check the calendar to confirm the performance schedule.

Out of Scope: Unexpected Artifacts in Special Collections

Explore unexpected artifacts that have made their way into Special Collections!

Photo of vintage matchbook coversCultural organizations such as libraries, museums, and archives rely on a collection development strategy known as ‘scope‘ to shape their collections based on priorities outlined in their organization’s mission. Based on priorities outlined in their organization’s mission, the scope may center around a geographical focus, historical period, etc. Despite these guiding parameters, out-of-scope material inevitably makes its way into an organization’s collections. Out of Scope highlights unique and intriguing items found in Special Collections.

The Mountain is Out – Through Friday, Aug 28, 2026
Allen Library (ALB), Special Collections (Basement level)
Rainier, Tahoma, Nutselip… the mountain is known by many names. A Pacific Northwest icon, Mount Rainier holds a unique place in the region’s culture and lore. Its massive peak is the dominant land form on the horizon for more than a hundred miles in any direction, rising far above the surrounding Cascade Mountains. Beginning in the late 19th century, European and American visitors explored the area, and activism led to the establishment of Mount Rainier National Park in 1899.

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From Brush to Type: The Evolution of Bookmaking in East Asia – Through Mar 31, 2026
Gowen Hall (GWN)
This exhibit highlights rare works from the Tateuchi East Asia Library Special Collections, showcasing how innovations in papermaking, printing, and design across East Asia transformed the form of books and the cultures they shaped.

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