USC Libraries

In an instant, Doheny Library's Nazarian Pavilion courtyard became the scene today of the first in a series of live, pop-up plays staged by the USC Libraries and USC School of Dramatic Arts Professor Oliver Mayer. Directed by USC School of Dramatic Arts graduate Jonathan Munoz-Proulx, the performance featured USC student actors and captured the essential role of libraries in creative and intellectual discovery. Guest star David Zayas (also known by television viewers as Sgt. Angel Batista) played himself, touting the wealth of resources available at the USC Libraries. "Aren't you on TV," a student actor asked him in the flash play. "Aren't you on Dexter?" Click through for photos from the flash play.

The USC Libraries have begun a collaboration with USC School of Dramatic Arts professor Oliver Mayer to showcase the essential role of libraries in discovery and the creative arts through an upcoming series of flash plays. The original plays—short, one-act pieces written by Dramatic Arts students, faculty, and alumni—will appear spontaneously across campus beginning this spring and continuing throughout the fall 2013 semester. The first flash play in the series, which will be performed at a specific time and location to be announced through Twitter (@USCLibraries) and other social media, will take place near Doheny Memorial Library during the week of April 22. Keep reading to learn more about the flash play series.

For decades, dancer and choreographer Rudy Perez pushed the envelope of dance, inspiring audiences and fellow practitioners to reimagine the art form’s possibilities. When the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance opens in 2015, Perez may inspire a new generation of dancers through his personal archive, part of the USC Libraries’ Special Collections. Keep reading to learn more about the Rudy Perez Archive.

Authors Lois Banner and Adrienne Sharp will be the featured speakers at the next two Friends of the USC Libraries Literary Luncheons, scheduled for October 27 and November 17. Keep reading to learn more about Banner, Sharp, and the Literary Luncheon series.

This week, scholars from around the world convene at the USC Libraries for the fifth biennial conference of the International Feuchtwanger Society. From Wednesday, September 14 through Friday, September 16, historians, librarians, and other experts will discuss the experiences of the artists, intellectuals, and other German-speaking exiles who fled persecution in Nazi-controlled Europe for the safety of Southern California. Keep reading to learn more about the conference, titled To Stay or Not to Stay? (Bleiben oder Zurück-kehren).

More than one hundred finding aids for the USC Libraries' archival collections are now available online. These finding aids, which provide basic information about the collections as well as detailed inventories of the collections' contents, help researchers discover the riches of the libraries' archival collections. Keep reading for a list of available finding aids, organized by subject area.

The USC News website recently featured the libraries' Max Reinhardt Collection. Reinhardt (1873-1943) was an Austrian (and later American) theater and film director who was influential in developing the idea of the director as auteur. Keep reading for Dan Knapp's article from the USC News site.

Materials from the USC Libraries' Special Collections are on display this week at an exhibit on Russian Ballet at the Anaheim MUZEO. The exhibition celebrates Russian ballet and features unique artifacts and documents from the libraries' Grell/Colefax Russian Ballet Archive. Three costumes from the world-renowned Bolshoi Ballet are on display, as well as rare photographs of Russian ballet productions. The materials were collected by Los Angeles resident Dwight Grell, who traveled behind the Iron Curtain as early as the 1950s to photograph and film Russian ballet.

New features have been added to the LibGuide to the Leavey DVD collection, making it even easier to find titles and search or browse specific genres such as documentaries, theatrical performances, and foreign-language films. The LibGuide also has information about DVD lending policies and how to place DVDs on course reserve. Leavey now has 3,300 DVDs in its circulating collection.