By Shawn Proctor

Caption this wintery scene! Comment below.

After more than 700 days without snow (or a class cancellation for snow!), Villanova’s campus was blanketed in three inches of powder. The iconic bronze statues outside Mendel Hall, “Augustine the Teacher,” sculpted by Peggy Mach (1921-2013), took on its own snowy fashion statement. I wonder what they’re talking about here? Or how they feel about being outside on a frigid day? So, what’s your best fun caption to describe this scene?

Want to learn more about the sculpture displayed at Villanova? Falvey’s Digital Library has a sculpture collection with photos, details about the artwork, and the map coordinates to find them.

Shawn Proctor, MFA, is Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Library.

By Shawn Proctor

Jim Croce ’65, the beloved singer-songwriter who passed away at 30, was born January 10, 1943. To honor his birthday, we’re throwing it back to 1965, when then “James” Croce shared his musical talent on campus as a member of The Villanova Singers, who celebrated their 70th anniversary last year. That yearbook, contained in the University’s Digital Library, is truly “Time in a Bottle.” All photos: copyright Villanova University, credit Digital Library@Villanova University.

Yearbook photo of Jim Croce. Copyright: Villanova University, credit: Digital Library@Villanova University

Wearing loafers and a sweater, Croce lounges in a tree and strums his guitar as a co-ed listens on. Copyright: Villanova University, credit: Digital Library@Villanova University

The Villanova Singers (1965) Copyright: Villanova University, credit: Digital Library@Villanova University

Copyright: Villanova University, credit: Digital Library@Villanova University

Shawn Proctor, MFA, is Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Library.

By Shawn Proctor

Credit: Andrew McKeough

The sun is high. The sky is clear. Breathtaking and beautiful. It’s another heavenly day at Villanova, the kind that alumni treasure and students cherish. What’s your favorite sunny-day at Falvey Library?

Contact shawn.proctor@villanova.edu to share your memories!

Shawn Proctor is a Communication and Marketing Manager at Falvey Library.

By Shawn Proctor

Courtesy of Digital Library@Villanova University

As we look forward to this new year, we also wanted to look back at Villanova’s Astronomy Department, which is housed on the top floor of Mendel Hall. In this photograph, taken in the observatory, founder of Astronomy Department the Rev. Edward F. Jenkins, OSA, PhD, (center) is pictured with staff and faculty.

Shawn Proctor is a Communication and Marketing Manager at Falvey Library.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamboat_Willie#/media/File:Steamboat_Willie_1928_Poster.png (public domain)

By Shawn Proctor

Public Domain Day 2024 was a big milestone. The longtime symbol of the tension between copyright and public domain, Mickey Mouse has entered the US public domain. So now creators can write a song about Mickey and Minnie or explore their adventures in novels, movies, and any other form they wish.

“Disney is both an emblem of term extension and its erosion of the public domain, and one of the strongest use-cases in favor of the maintenance of a rich public domain. Mickey is the symbol of both tendencies,” says Jennifer Jenkins, Director, Duke Center for the Study of the Public Domain, in her blog “Mickey, Disney, and the Public Domain: a 95-year Love Triangle.”

But hold on one moment. Before you set your muse loose on those fabulous, famous mice, note that the only version this applies to is the Steamboat Willie and Plane Crazy ones, which are black and white.

Other versions will have to wait, alas.

There is a massive list of novels, films, musicals, and sound recordings that have joined Mickey in the US public domain, and depending on your interests, there’s likely something surprising and exciting to discover. Tigger and Peter Pan? Now available! Works by Robert Frost, Virginia Woolf, Charlie Chaplin, and Buster Keaton, too.

And Batman fans should note The Man Who Laughs, featuring the inspiration for the Joker, is also in the public domain. Batman and Superman won’t join him until 2034 and 2035, respectively.

Shawn Proctor, MFA, is Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Library.

To our campus community and beyond, Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and a happy new year ahead!

May your winter season be restful and filled will many good books and wonderful memories with family and friends.

Falvey Library offers congratulations to all of the Villanovans who will receive their degrees this month as part of winter graduation. They will have met the graduation requirements and be eligible to participate in the next commencement exercise in May.

There is a tradition of winter graduations, including this photograph of newly minted graduates in 1943 standing in front of Tolentine Hall. (Look closely. The people on the right are standing on a mound of snow!) This image and many others like it are available in Villanova’s Digital Library.

Shawn Proctor, MFA, is Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Library.

To get the campus ready for Christmas and all of the upcoming winter holidays, we decorated the Christmas tree! We worked elf-quick to bring you this dose of cheer in the form a time lapse video. Hope this gets you in the spirit for wassling and the festivities ahead!

(We added a hilarious final touch right after!)