Princeton University Library is the main library system of Princeton University, a private Ivy League institution in New Jersey, USA. The term Ivy League is used in America to refer to eight older universities which have excellent academic ratings and which feature ivy growing on the walls of some of the old buildings. They include Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, and Yale University. In addition to having top-level students and ajarns, Ivy League institutions tend to be very well funded. In 2015, Princeton had an endowment of over 22 billion USD, or 689,117,000,000.00 Thai baht. The Princeton University Library has ten branches with over 7.3 million volumes, 83,000 serial titles, 6.7 million microforms, and 49,000 linear feet of manuscripts. Its director is Anne Jarvis, who was previously university librarian at the University of Cambridge, UK. Anne Jarvis earned a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College Dublin, a diploma in library and information studies from University College Dublin, a master’s degree in communication and cultural studies from Dublin City University and a master of arts from Cambridge University. Among the challenging projects she is supervising is a 10-year renovation of Princeton’s Firestone Library, scheduled to be completed in September 2018. The Firestone Library first opened in 1948, and is one of the largest open-stack libraries in the world. Its books are mostly stored in three semi-underground levels. Firestone also houses the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. The Rare Books and Special Collections division own ancient Near Eastern clay tablets and papyri and the largest holdings of Arabic and other Islamic manuscripts in North America. There are also medieval and Renaissance manuscripts and documents; literary manuscripts, and many other original research materials. Among its treasures are the autographed manuscript of the important American novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.The Thammasat University Libraries own a few different editions of this widely admired novel. Also in Princeton’s Department of Rare Books and Special Collections are the papers of the Nobel Prizewinning American author Toni Morrison. The TU Libraries own several books by and about Toni Morrison. In addition to her other achievements, Toni Morrison is a professor emeritus at Princeton University. Among the library’s more recent acquisitions, announced this month, is a collection of Soviet posters that add to Princeton’s documents of Soviet visual culture. As the library website notes,
Princeton University Library has become an important center for the collection and study of Russian visual culture.
As the website of Frederick Fisher & Partners, the architects responsible for renovating the Firestone Library, explains:
Firestone Library has been the academic heart of Princeton University since its completion in 1948. Frederick Fisher and Partners was entrusted with its redesign… With its Collegiate Gothic Revival exterior, Moderne interior, and numerous additions, Firestone required a sensitive integration of design rhetoric from different eras. The massive library—which reflected state-of-the-art flexible planning and open-stack design when built—will be completely remodeled by Frederick Fisher and Partners as designer in partnership with Shepley Bulfinch as project architect. All signature spaces and interiors will be strategically renovated to preserve the integrity of the original building, while modernizing its systems and operations. Study carrels and furniture will also be designed by the team. In addition to a building wide art installation program, there will be a Rare Book/Special Collections exhibit gallery on the ground floor. This long-term, phased project will integrate today’s technologies with flexibility for future systems to make Princeton’s main library a cutting-edge resource for student and faculty scholars for decades to come.
Thailand and the United States of America
According to the website of the U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Thailand, the deadline passed recently for the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) 2018 call for proposals. AFCP helps preserve cultural and objects, as well as forms of traditional cultural expression in Thailand and around the world. AFCP has supported the restoration of ancient and historic buildings, assessment and conservation of rare manuscripts and museum collections, preservation and protection of important archaeological sites, and the documentation of vanishing traditional craft techniques and indigenous languages. The minimum funding available for individual projects is US$10,000 per project and the maximum amount is US$200,000 per project. In 2017, awards ranged from US$24,000 to US$174,000. Thai scholars interested in this program might check the website in time for next year’s call for proposals.
Helping with American English
Thai ajarns who teach English and feel they might benefit from the American English E-Teacher Spring 2018 program offered by the embassy might also look at the website. The American English E-Teacher Program is an 8-week, online university-level courses in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) developed by U.S. educational institutions. Courses available include:
Using Educational Technology in the English Language Classroom
Integrating Critical Thinking Skills into the Exploration of Culture in an EFL Setting
Teaching Grammar Communicatively
Professional Development for Teacher Trainers
Teaching English to Young Learners (under 12 years old)
TESOL Methodology
Content-based Instruction
Those who wish to apply for these courses should be English language professionals with strong reading and writing skills. They should be Thai citizens, if applying to study from Thailand and would need to be present for the E-Teacher term this year from April 3 to May 29, 2018. They will also need a high-speed internet connection, and 10 to 12 hours free weekly to spend with the course online for eight weeks. In case courses are full, there is an option to sign up for alternate courses. Phone interviews are conducted before applicants are admitted. While the deadline for courses this spring has already passed, since these courses are given regularly, again interested candidates might check the US Embassy website from time to time for updates about when the next group of courses are available.
Encouraging Students
Still another regularly offered program is the Southeast Asia Youth Leadership Program Thailand. Secondary school students from Thailand are invited to apply for the Southeast Asia Youth Leadership Program (SEAYLP), hosting 50 to 60 participants from countries in Southeast Asia that are members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Five students and one adult mentor are selected to represent Thailand. The program offers workshops and engagement with U.S. high schools, community organizations, youth groups, and community leaders. Challenges and opportunities facing the U.S.A. and ASEAN in the 21st century will be discussed. After a pre-departure orientation in Bangkok, students experience a 25-day exchange program, exploring leadership and community activism in the United States. Students are also guided to create projects in their home communities. Student applicants should be Thai citizens currently living in Thailand, and have good English language ability, among other requirements. TU students who have younger brothers or sisters who might be interested can look at the US Embassy website for further details and scheduling.
(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)