Word of the Week: Bibliosmia 

“The smell and aroma of a good book.” 

Bibliosmia, or book-smell, is caused by the chemical breakdown of compounds within the paper. When you smell a book, you are essentially smelling the book’s slow death, which explains why the older the book is, the better it smells! 

This Week at Falvey  

Monday, Sept. 20

Mindfulness Mondays / 1–1:30 p.m. / ZOOM / https://villanova.zoom.us/j/98337578849 

Tuesday, Sept 21

1842 Day is Villanova’s annual day of giving, a 24-hour event for the entire Villanova community to come TOGETHER to make a gift of any size to the designation of their choice. Tuesday, September 21 marks the University’s fifth annual 1842 Day. This is our opportunity to show pride and gratitude for the impact Villanova has on each of us, in our communities and around the world.

Wednesday, Sept. 22

Fall 2021 Falvey Forum Workshop Series: ArcGIS Online Field Apps / 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. / ZOOM / Register Here 

Friday, September 24th 

Villanova Gaming Society Meeting / 2:30-4:30 p.m. / Speakers’ Corner / Free & Open to the Public 

This Week in History 

September 24, 1789 – The first Supreme Court is established  

The Judiciary Act of 1789 is passed by Congress and signed by President George Washington, establishing the Supreme Court of the United States as a tribunal made up of six justices who were to serve on the court until death or retirement. That day, President Washington nominated John Jay to preside as chief justice, and John Rutledge, William Cushing, John Blair, Robert Harrison and James Wilson to be associate justices. On September 26, all six appointments were confirmed by the U.S. Senate. 

The current members of the Supreme Court in 2021 are Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Neil Gorsuch, Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Justice Amy Coney Barrett.  

Jenna Renaud is a graduate student in the Communication Department and graduate assistant in Falvey Memorial Library.

Linotype operators of the Chicago Defender newspaper, 1941.

By Darren G. Poley

Newspapers are primary sources for facts and opinion concerning people and events. They can also tell us a lot about society and culture in a historical time and place. For these reasons, one of the newest databases now available to the Villanova community is one of Gale’s primary sources collections: Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers. It provides full-text access to an array of major 19th-century American newspapers, regional newspapers, illustrated papers, and those published by groups and interests, such as African Americans, Native Americans, women’s rights groups, labor groups, and the Confederacy.

Some of the other historical newspaper collections Falvey also provides access to online by means of its Databases A-Z list and guides on its website:

• African American Newspapers: The 19th Century (Accessible Archives)
• American Indian Newspapers (Adam Matthew Digital)
• America’s Historical Newspapers (Readex)
• Black Abolitionist Papers (ProQuest)
• Black Historical Newspapers (ProQuest)
• Catholic News Archive (Catholic Research Resources Alliance)
• Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers (Library of Congress)
• Historical Newspapers (ProQuest)
• LGBT Magazine Archive (ProQuest)
• New York Times: 1851- (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)
• Pennsylvania Gazette: 1728-1800 (Accessible Archives)
• Pennsylvania Newspaper Record: Delaware County (Accessible Archives)
• Philadelphia Inquirer, 1860-2009 (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1786-2008 (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)
• Washington Post Historical: 1877- (ProQuest)

Darren G. Poley is Associate Director of Research Services and Scholarly Engagement, and Theology, Humanities & Classical Studies Librarian at Falvey Memorial Library. 

The University Archives recently acquired the research materials compiled by alumnus Ann Marie Cammarota for her 1985 Master Thesis, Consideration of the American Press Coverage of the Cuban Political Situation from 1952 to 1958 and its Influence of the United States Foreign Policy. Cammarota’s thesis investigated if American press coverage of Batista’s government influenced the State Department’s policies at the time. The papers include declassified memoranda from the State Department regarding Cuban activities between 1957 and 1958. The documents reveal the State Department’s growing apprehension surrounding escalating violence and the United States’ international reputation.

After completing her Masters in 1985, Cammarota continued her studies at Temple University for a PhD in History. She has been an instructor Neuman College, St. Joseph’s University, and Rosemont College. In addition to teaching, she has published a book, Pavements in the Garden: The Suburbanization of Southern New Jersey, Adjacent to the City of Philadelphia, 1769 to Present, which is also available in our general stacks.

The University Archives is excited for the new addition to the collections because the documents serve as significant primary sources for US-Cuban relations as well as highlight the work of our former students. The documents have been added to VUA 32 Alumni Records and available for research.