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Announcements and Calendar

Calendar of Events

Current and Upcoming Events | Current Exhibits | Upcoming Exhibits | Past Events

Our gallery and reading room are open year-round.
Summer hours are Monday thru Friday 9 am to 5 pm. and Sat., 9 am to 1 pm
Fall and Spring school semester hours are: Mon., Wed., Fri., 9 am to 5 pm
Tues., Thur., 9 am to 7 pm
Sat., 9 am to 1 pm
Holiday hours can change, please call ahead to the reference desk
if you have any questions.
806.742.9080


Current and Upcoming Events

10/28/2011Michael Pollan Q&A Session
1:00 - 2:00 p.m. in the Formby Room

Do you have questions? Michael Pollan will be here to answer them. For the past twenty-five years, Michael Pollan has been writing books and articles about the places where nature and culture intersect: on our plates, in our farms and gardens, and in the built environment. His books include Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual; In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto; The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals and The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World.
10/2010We are happy to announce that the Susan Brind Morrow Manuscript collection is open for research

Susan Brind Morrow is an author, translator, and linguist living in New York State. A finding aid for this collection can be found at the SWC/SCL's TARO website, linked from the Reference Services tab. This collection is part of the James Sowell Family Collection in Literature, Community and the Natural World. The Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library thanks the Sowell family for their generous support.
9/09/20106:00PMPoetry Reading by Formby Fellow Millicent Borges Accardi
English Building, Room 106
Millicent Borges Accardi has received literary fellowships from the National Endowment for the arts (NEA), the California Arts Council, the Barbara Deming Foundation, and is currently a Formby Fellow at the SWC/SC Library at Texas Tech. Her work has appeared in over 50 publications including Nimrod, Tampa Review, New Letters and Wallace Stevens Journal as well as in Boomer Girls (Iowa Press) and Chopin with Cherries (Moonrise Press) anthologies.

Current Exhibits

The Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library exhibits program offers many treats to patrons under the three turrets of our facility on the Texas Tech University campus. More information on our exhibits can be found here.

Current shows include



3/22/2013-5/19/2013Where the Wind Gallops: 24 Landscapes
Photographs by Melinda Green Harvey
Melinda Green Harvey, realizing she was most comfortable with big sky and long horizon, started a daily photo blog in January 2009, posting at least one photograph every day. And with big skies came the wind - shooting with the wind, into the wind, against the wind, and in spite of the wind. These photographs are taken from that daily work.These 24 photographs are taken from that daily work.
1/2013-12/2013The First Storm Chaser: Dr. Fujita, Catastrophic Winds, and the Lubbock Tornado

Dr. Ted Fujita researched meteorology, focusing on severe storms, and is credited with theorizing the existence of microbursts. His most widely known contribution was the creation of the Fujita Scale, or F-scale, which is used to assess tornado strength based on a given storm's wind speed and resulting damage. The exhibit includes photographs, film, charts, publications, newspapers, and posters documenting the broad scope of his research.
10/15/2012-5/31/2013Selections from the Collection of Dr. Idris Traylor

This exhibit celebrates the generosity of Dr. Idris Rhea Traylor Jr. in donating more than 7,500 books, maps, manuscripts and other items to the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library.

Included are selections from Dr. Traylor’s extensive library on the Russian Empire Period; materials documenting his world travels to such countries as Nigeria, Italy and India; and early printed and manuscript leaves in Latin, German, French and Cherokee. The display also provides insight into Dr. Traylor’s impact on Texas Tech during his 39 years of distinguished leadership and service.
4/2012-
12/2012		The Sowell Collection of Natural History Writers
Three exhibit cases showcase the Sowell Collection’s eighteen natural history writers. Viewer’s can see each author’s portrait, one of their written works and an excerpt. Also included are items of interest from the Sowell Collection
2/2012-
12/2012		John Burroughs Award Winners - Holden Reading Room
Featuring Sowell Collection Writers and John Burroughs Award Winners: Barry Lopez, David Quammen, Gary Nabhan along with his Award, plus 15 other books by Burroughs Award Winners.

Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library-associated shows at other venues


9/2011-
5/2012		Lubbock International Airport - Crossroads Music Archive
Album covers of musicians whose collections reside at the Archive are displayed in two exhibit cases near Gate 5, also a four panel exhibit of memorabilia from various Crossroads Music Archive collections can be seen on the concourse

Upcoming Exhibits


1/21/2013-
8/2013		Crossroads of Music Archive- Wayne Hatchel Photo Exhibit
Wayne Hatchel, who worked as sound engineer for a variety of musicians including Joe Ely, has photographs that include many backstage images from his time with the Ely band and other well-known musicians. The exhibition will be on display at the Buddy Holly Center through Oct. 14, 2012, and after that will be shown at the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library.
Past Events

3/2012-
2/2012		Sowell Collection Writers
Three exhibit cases showcasing all Sowell Collection Writers including biographies, books, quotes, manuscripts and posters.
9/2010-
6/2011		Romantic Era Rare Books
An exhibit based on the Southwest Collection's Rare Books holdings reflecting western literature during the Romantic era.
11/2010-
6/2011		Merket Alumni Center History
A history of the Merket Alumni Center in photographs.
April 26-28, 2012Celebrating the Sowell Collection Conference

All are invited to attend the Sowell Collection Conference. Sowell Collection writers David Quammen, Gretel Ehrlich, Barry Lopez and Gary Paul Nabhan will each give a presentation, a question and answer session, and sign books.Conference presentations will be in the Formby Room. There will also be a banquet, April 26, and a lecture, April 27. Contact Dr. Diane Warner (ext. 2-3749) for additional information.
April 26, 2012David Quammen, speaking at our Celebrating the Sowell Collection Banquet
Frazier Alumni Center
6-9 p.m.

The Sowell Collection Banquet will be held at the Frazier Alumni Center from 6-9 p.m. Barry Lopez will introduce the featured speaker, David Quammen, author of The Song of the Dodo, Monster of God, and The Reluctant Mr. Darwin. The banquet is open to all, no charge. Contact Dr. Diane Warner (ext. 2-3749) for details. For additional information on David Quammen, see: http://www.swco.ttu.edu/Sowell/DavidQuammen.php
April 27, 2012Sowell Collection Lecture: Gretel Ehrlich
ENGL 001
7:00 p.m.

Gretel Ehrlich will be the featured speaker. A reception and the Sowell Collection Conference book signing will follow. For additional information on Gretel Ehrlich, see: http://www.swco.ttu.edu/Sowell/GretelEhrlich.php