Photo courtesy of Kallie Stahl.

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour began last night at Lincoln Financial Field. Performing for sold out crowds Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Swift’s tour “marks the stadium’s second three-night residency; the first was Bruce Springsteen, naturally (and his dates weren’t even consecutive).” Born in West Reading, PA., and spending time in Wyomissing, PA., and Stone Harbor, NJ, Swift has many ties to the Philadelphia area. This weekend marks Swift’s first time performing in South Philly since 2018.

Whether you’re a Swiftie, or just interested in learning more about the cultural phenomenon surrounding the pop star, check out the Falvey Library resources below:

• Weekend Recs: Red (Taylor’s Version)
• The Words and Music of Taylor Swift (Perone, 2017) *eBook
• Taylor Swift (Olson, 2021) *eBook
• Taylor Swift (Peppas, 2011) *eBook
• Taylor Swift: Superstar Singer and Songwriter (Schwartz, 2019) *eBook
• Taylor Swift: Country Pop Hit Maker (Nelson, 2013) *eBook
• Taylor Swift: Country & Pop Superstar (Houser, 2012) *eBook

Local resources:

• “Philly (Taylor’s Version) — Here’s all of our Taylor Swift coverage in one place” (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
• “How Philly Is Celebrating Taylor Swift in May 2023” (Visit Philadelphia)
• “Taylor Swift mural unveiled on South Street in time for the singer’s Philly concerts” (PhillyVoice)
• “Swiftadelphia’: Excitement building for Taylor Swift’s concert at Linc” (CBS)

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library. Her favorite Taylor Swift album is Folklore (pictured above). 

By Merrill Stein

Introduce yourself to new Gale Primary Sources additions. The Times (London) Digital Archive, 1785-2019 (Gale), the world’s oldest daily newspaper in continuous publication, was extended from 2012 to 2019. A complimentary acquisition expands the British Library Newspapers collection to include Part VI: Ireland, 1783–1950, adding titles published in Ireland in the late eighteenth, across the nineteenth and during the early twentieth centuries. A significant number of these are national publications but many are more regional from cities such as Dublin, Cork and Galway as well as more rural towns like Waterford, Tuam, Ballinasloe, and Birr. Key topics include nationalism and Irish independence; Fenianism; The Roman Catholic Church; Irish diaspora; establishment of the Land League; the Irish literary revival; and sport and leisure.

From the Gale Archives Unbound database, new collection material in British and European History, African American Studies and American Studies includes:

In the British and European History collection:

• European Colonialism in the Early 20th Century: Italian Colonies in North Africa and Aggression in East Africa, 1930-1939 (Gale) – Comprises correspondence, reports, cables, maps, and other kinds of documents related to U.S. consular activities in Italian colonies in the early twentieth century. U.S. Consulates were listening posts reporting on the activities of the Italian colonial governments and later the mandate authorities, and the activities of the local population. Highlights include the Italo-Ethiopian War and the activities of American expatriates in the conflict and conflicts between Italian, British, and French colonial governments in Northeast Africa. Sourced from originals in the U.S. National Archives.
• Dublin Castle Records, 1798-1926 (Gale) – Presents records of the British administration in Ireland prior to 1922. Most of these papers relate directly or indirectly to the methods adopted by the authorities, using civil and military forces, to combat the efforts of the Nationalist organizations to secure Irish independence. Sourced from the originals at The National Archives in Kew.
• Chamberlain Family Papers Gale) – Comprises the papers of Joseph (b.1836 – d.1914), Austen (b.1863 – d.1937), and half-brother Neville (b.1869 – d.1940). “For nearly three quarters of a century, one member or other of the Chamberlain family stood at the centre of affairs in Great Britain, …” holding what are referred to as the Great Offices: Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary, and Home Secretary. Austen Chamberlain was the family historian and through his papers the Chamberlains can be traced from the 18th century. These papers are sourced from the University of Birmingham, UK. The documents can be related to peace and justice, history, British politics, Irish studies, and political science in general.

In the African American Studies collection:

• Transcripts of the Malcolm X Assassination Trial (Gale) – Features digital copies of the microfilmed transcripts of the Malcolm X assassination trial including witness testimonies, preliminary motions, summations, the court’s charge, the verdicts, and the sentences, as well as a confession made years after the trial by one of the convicted men. Sources from the records of the New York State Supreme Court.
• U.S. Military Activities and Civil Rights: The Little Rock Integration Crisis, 1957-1958 (Gale) – Documents President Eisenhower’s use of Federal troops and the Arkansas National Guard in the Little Rock integration crisis. The operation is detailed from the planning for intervention prior to deployment, up to the withdrawal of troops at the end of the school year. Records include a journal of events, an official summary of the operation, a historical report prepared by the Office of the Chief of Military History, documentation of Governor Faubus’ actions with regard to integration, press reports and observations on the community response, and congressional correspondence. Sourced from the U.S. National Archives.

In American Studies:

• Hindu Conspiracy Cases: Activities of the Indian Independence Movement in the U.S., 1908-1933 (Gale) – Offers documents covering the Hindu Conspiracy Case, a series of arrests and later trials against Indian Nationalists active in the United States and bankrolled by Germans interested in supporting the overthrow of British colonial rule in India. Sourced from originals archived in the Justice Department Library and the U.S. National Archives.
• Observer (The): News for the American Soldier in Vietnam, 1962-1973 (Gale) – Presents digital copies of The Observer, a weekly newspaper carrying official news about and for American troops in Vietnam. The paper was published by the Command Information Division of the U.S. Military Assistance Command’s Office of Information which distributed more than 80,000 copies per week among American troops in Vietnam. Sourced from the Library of Congress.
• Transcripts of the Malcolm X Assassination Trial (Gale) – Features digital copies of the microfilmed transcripts of the Malcolm X assassination trial including witness testimonies, preliminary motions, summations, the court’s charge, the verdicts, and the sentences, as well as a confession made years after the trial by one of the convicted men. Sources from the records of the New York State Supreme Court.

Want to examine these corpuses further? Acquaint yourself with the  Gale Digital Scholar Lab, offering a suite of text analysis and data visualization tools that can be used to build, clean, and analyze corpuses from the Gale resources generally and any of the twelve Gale’s Primary Sources – or any texts uploaded to the platform. The text analysis and data visualization tools cover document clustering, Named Entity Recognition, Ngrams, sentiment analysis, and topic modeling. Better yet, schedule a consultation about your digital project at digitalscholarship@villanova.edu or reach out to Erica Hayes, Digital Scholarship Librarian at erica.hayes@villanova.edu.

For further information contact the appropriate Falvey subject librarian.

Merrill Stein is Political Science Librarian at Falvey Library.

By Merrill Stein

Image courtesy of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanborn_maps

Sanborn Digital Maps, 1867-1970 (ProQuest), provide access to more than 660,000 Sanborn maps, produced over a century, charting the growth, layout and development of more than 12,000 American towns and cities. Originally produced in color, these black and white Sanborn maps are large-scale plans of a city or town, drawn at a scale of fifty feet to an inch. They were created to assist fire insurance companies as they assessed the risk associated with insuring a particular property. The maps list street blocks and building numbers including numbers in use at the time the map was made and previous numbers. A legend has also been added to assist with interpretation of the black and white maps.

Although Sanborn maps today have minimal interest for the fire insurance industry, municipal governments are Sanborn’s best customers today. Engineering and architectural concerns are also significant purchasers of corrected Sanborn maps. The maps can be useful for geography and urban planning, ancestry, history and policy studies.

For additional information and history about Sanborn maps, visit the ProQuest guide and the Library of Congress Introduction to the Sanborn Map Collection. Access the Sanborn Digital Maps, 1867-1970 (ProQuest) trial under Falvey Library’s Databases A to Z. Access the Sanborn Digital Maps, 1867-1970 (ProQuest) trial under Falvey Library’s Databases A to Z, until Nov. 4.

Merrill Stein is Political Science Librarian at Falvey Memorial Library.

Lia Chaleva, Acquisitions & Licensing Librarian. Photo by Kallie Stahl, Communication & Marketing Specialist.

Iliana “Lia” Chaleva recently joined Resource Management and Description as Acquisitions & Licensing Librarian. Resource Management & Description “builds and cultivates collections through acquisitions, licensing, description, discovery, and access to resources for Villanova scholars and community.”

Before joining the Falvey Library staff, Chaleva was the e-Resource Librarian at West Chester University. She also worked as an e-Resource Librarian at Bryn Mawr College for nearly 15 years. After coming across the job posting for Falvey Library, Chaleva knew she wanted to explore the opportunity at Villanova University. “I live on the Main Line and I’ve always had an affinity for Villanova’s campus. Especially these last few years, driving past and seeing all the progress that has been made. Its such an inviting place.”

Originally from Bulgaria, Chaleva earned her Master’s in Library & Information Science (LIS) from Rutgers University. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Relations from the American University in Bulgaria. Her interest in LIS began when she worked at the European Union (EU) Information Center in Bulgaria after graduating from the American University in Bulgaria. “The space had a small library with documents about the EU, work stations, free brochures. I worked at the public information desk answering questions: It felt like I was working in a mini library. I became interested in learning how to effectively organize information. Rutgers University was a perfect fit for me. I was able to conduct research and work on a variety of library information projects while completing my degree.”

Chaleva compliments her colleagues when discussing her role as Acquisitions & Licensing Librarian. “I work with a wonderful team. We are always working to get access for all users. I am responsible for reviewing current contracts with publishers and ensuring those terms and conditions are favorable for the Villanova community. My role entails a lot of technical information, but ultimately those technicalities can benefit Falvey Library patrons. Acquiring new resources is a collaborative process. Everyone has input, and we all work together to ensure we are obtaining the best information from vendors.”

In her free time, Chaleva enjoys spending time with her family and watching her children’s sporting events. “My family and I like to be outside. We like to kayak, hike, and fish. (‘We catch the fish, but always put them back!)'” She enjoys reading and watching historical movies. Her reading recommendations for Falvey patrons: Antarctica by David Day, Pennsylvania Good Eats by Brian Yarvin, and True Crime Philadelphia by Kathryn Caravan.

Chaleva’s office is located on the second floor of Falvey Library, room 232. Email iliana.chaleva@villanova.edu; 610-519-4731.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.