Happy Friday, Wildcats! Falvey Library is delivering you another semester of Weekend Recs, a blog dedicated to filling you in on what to read, listen to, and watch over the weekend. Annie, a graduate assistant from the Communication department, scours the internet, peruses the news, and digs through book stacks to find new, relevant, and thought-provoking content that will challenge you and prepare you for the upcoming week. A disclaimer that this column is intended for reflection and entertainment (not for academic research, for example), and infuses scholarly content as possible.

Maybe it was the neon fever dream of Lisa Frankenstein a couple months ago, but the ’80s have been on my brain. Whether they were your formative years, you grew up on re-runs, or you just like the aesthetic, the 1980s make a lot of people feel nostalgic. Plus, with the rise and relative hold of Strangers Things, the ’80s are reaching new audiences.

Photo showing Cyndi Lauper, Studio Badge, and Sweatshirt issued to all attendees at A & M Studios, Hollywood California on January 28, 1985. Attribution : © Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com. Image sourced from Wikicommons.

As we approach the end of the semester, I think we could all use some lighthearted nostalgia (and a bit of campy fun) to help give our brains a  break. So, this weekends recs are all about the ’80s.

If you have 7 minutes…and want to listen to performances from some of the most iconic ’80s artists all in one song, watch the “We are the World” music video.

Bonus: You can also watch the The Greatest Night in Pop documentary about the behind-the-scenes scoop on “We are the World” and the artists involved.

If you have 15 minutes…and want the sparknotes of the 80s according to History, read this article.

If you have 30 minutes…and want to reminisce on the year 1985, flip through People’s “Celebrating the ’80s” edition, available through Falvey. If you think you remember 1985 like it was yesterday, there’s even a quiz for you to test your memory.

If you have 1 hour and 49 minutes…and want to watch one of the best horror movies of the ’80s, watch The Thing, currently free to stream on Tubi.

Bonus: if you want a less scary alien movie, watch E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, available in Falvey’s DVD Collection.

If you have 2 hours and 6 minutes…and like (kind of ridiculous) superhero movies, watch Batman (1989), available to stream online through Falvey.

Bonus: if you want to watch 2 other iconic movies from ’89, watch Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, available to stream online through Falvey, or Heathers, currently free (with ads) to stream on Youtube.

If you have 6 hours…and like dystopian books, read Margaret Atwood’s iconic The Handmaid’s Tale, available at Falvey.

Bonus: for more ’80s book recommendations, check out this list.

If you have 10 hours…and need a new playlist to jam out to, listen to Spotify’s “All Out 80s” playlist.

Interested in a ’90s throwback? Swing by our 90s-themed Stress Busting Open House on Friday, May 3 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. More details are available here. 

Annie Stockmal is a second-year graduate student in the Communication Department and Graduate Assistant in Falvey Library.

We’re celebrating libraries this week!

National Library Week, April 7-13, 2024, celebrates “the contributions of libraries and librarians,” while promoting “library use and support.” The week-long celebration was first sponsored in 1958 by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries (school, public, academic, and special) across the country.

While we love all libraries, we’re especially excited to celebrate Falvey Hall. Monday, April 22, 2024, marks the 75th anniversary of Falvey Hall as the home of Villanova University’s Library! The Villanova Community is cordially invited to join us on April 22 from 1-3 p.m. on the Falvey Hall Patio to celebrate the major milestone. We’ll offer a variety of delicious treats including cake, cookies, and candy for attendees to savor during this sweet moment (or until supplies last!) In honor of the Library’s namesake, we’ll also be raffling off a limited amount of custom Father Falvey socks.

You can help us commemorate this momentous occasion! Make sure to stop by to sign our big anniversary card and take a trip down memory lane by sharing your favorite Falvey memories! We want to know what part Falvey has played during your journey at Villanova. We hope to see you there. Cheers to 75 memorable years!

Take a peek at some throwback photos of Falvey Hall below. All images are courtesy of the Villanova Digital Library. More throwback memories of Falvey Hall will be featured on April 22.

Students in Falvey Memorial Library, 1979.

Dedication Of Villanova College Library, 1949.

Commencement, 1950.

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

Photo courtesy of the Villanova Digital Library.

Coffee is a staple on Villanova’s campus, especially in the Connelly Center! Throwing it back to the 1992-1993 academic year, campus coffee shops were a great place to find confections and cappuccinos!

What’s your go-to Holy Grounds order?

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library. Her go-to Holy Grounds order: a shot of espresso. 

Happy (almost) Spring Break, Wildcats! Whether you’re headed home to see the folks, traveling with friends, or relaxing on campus, Falvey Library wishes you a safe and restful week!

Photo courtesy of the Villanova Digital Library (Belle Air, 1969). #TBT

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

Image courtesy of the Villanova Digital Library (Bell Air 1964, p. 166)

Villanova’s 2024 Winter Gala has concluded, and students will now wait another year to dress up and take some pictures in Driscoll all while freezing in their suits, dresses, and heels in the chilly Pennsylvania weather.

Today’s TBT features a Junior Week formal from 1964. Would you wear any of these styles? Don’t forget, vintage styles are making a comeback! Maybe keep some inspiration in your back pocket for next year’s Gala.

Now that this Winter Gala is over, students are forced to face a long two weeks before they can bask in the relief of spring break, which is coming up after classes end on March 1. We hope that for those who attended the Winter Gala this past weekend, you enjoyed every minute with your friends dancing on the floor and saw “twinkles in their eyes and glows on their faces,” and that those memories will hold you over these next two weeks (and until the Winter Gala next year!)

Happy Thursday!

AJ Balinski ‘26 CLAS is a Communication major from Gibraltar, Mich. She works as a Communication & Marketing Student Assistant at Falvey Library.

Photo courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

The holiday season is in full swing! This week we’re throwing it back to Dec. 12, 1951. The program, advertising a holiday concert for the Rosemont College Glee Club, featured traditional carols and a special Christmas message. Happy holidays, Villanova!

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

Photo courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

---

Kennedy Hall is this week’s Throwback Thursday (TBT)! The negative above showcases the Architect’s rendering of the Student Service Building (Kennedy Hall) in 1968.

The Kennedy Hall mailroom is now retired, with Villanova students currently picking up their mail in Falvey Library. However, the Villanova community can purchase a mailbox faceplate from Kennedy Hall! “Each mailbox is $250 and includes a stand for display, a certificate of authenticity and the ability to personalize with any four digits—whether it’s a graduation year, anniversary or other number significant to you.”

Mailboxes are on sale until tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 10), and a portion of each purchase supports the Villanova Scholarship Fund. Purchase a Kenney Hall mailbox here (until supplies last).

---

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

Villanova University Archives, Villanova University. Special Olympics, 1992.

This week’s Throwback Thursday (TBT) celebrates the lighting of the Olympic flame at the 1992 Special Olympics Pennsylvania Fall Festival. Hosted and organized by Villanova University students, the festival is the largest annual student-run Special Olympics event in the world. More than 1,200 athletes will compete at the 35th Fall Festival at Villanova University Nov. 3-5. To learn more about Fall Festival, visit this webpage.

Ethan Shea, former Graduate Assistant at Falvey Library, highlighted additional throwbacks to past Special Olympics on this blog. In 2019, Beaudry Rae Allen, Preservation & Digital Archivist, curated an exhibit containing facsimiles of photographs and programs from the early days of the event.

Best of luck to all the athletes competing this weekend!

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