Orbiting the Archives: Space, Science, and Imagination in Boston University’s Archival Collections
Orbital by Samantha Harvey, Boston University’s inaugural Common Read selection, envisions a single day on the International Space Station, where six astronauts grapple with issues ranging from the personal to the planetary. Though set in space, Orbital is decidedly realistic, pondering our planet viewed from the perspective of astronauts working in low Earth orbit. As the Boston University community engages with the Common Read program, the BU Libraries invites readers to consider life beyond the terrestrial through the lenses of reporters, artists, researchers, actors, directors, writers, and thinkers reflected in this diverse selection of materials held in our Special Collections’ archives.
The stars, outer space, extraterrestrials: through fiction, poetry, film and journalism created by authors such as, Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke, journalists Dan Rather and Oriana Fallaci, actors Leonard Nimoy and Robin Williams, and poet Nikki Giovanni, we conceptualize existence beyond our planet as a confluence of the scientific and the speculative. Through the papers in Boston University’s Special Collections, we encounter representations of space that, inspired largely by advancements in human understanding of space in the mid-20th century, reflect the convergence of scientific discovery, political and social transformation, art, and popular culture, as well as humanity’s fears and hopes for the future.
The exhibition is on display on the first floor of Mugar Memorial Library.
This exhibition was prepared in support of the Boston University Common Read Program. Learn more about the Common Read.
Acknowledgments
Exhibition Curators
Christopher Gately – Exhibits Manager
Michelle Niebur – Head of Access Services and Library Experience
Exhibition Co-curators
Kristina Bush – Library Experience Manager
Barbara Maratos – Literature & Languages Librarian
Exhibition Support
Dominik Johnson – User Services Manager
Peter Littlefield – User Services Coordinator
Sami Wright – Digital Imaging Specialist
Common Read Display Design
Ari Ketzel – User Services Assistant
Michael Cheatham – User Services Assistant
Lyric Combs – User Services Assistant
Meghan Maynard – User Services Coordinator
Melanie Salvat – User Services Coordinator
Typography by Syma Chan
Photos via NASA Hubble Space Telescope
BU Libraries Support Staff
Dawn Gross – Associate University Librarian for Planning and Operations
J.C. Johnson – Processing Archivist
Johanna Kaiser – Communications Manager
Jennifer King – Associate University Librarian for Academic Engagement & Special Collections
Ellen LeClere – Head of Processing and Collection Management for Special Collections & Interim Director of Digital Ventures
Nicole McCaffrey – Director of Finance and Business Services
Mark Newton – University Librarian
Sean Noel – University Archivist
Jane Parr – Reading Room & Reference Services Manager
Alexander Rankin – Acquisitions Archivist