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October Photos of the Month

October is the month during which the Nobel Prize Awards are announced. This 121 year old tradition has been observed since the awards were established in 1901, following the will of Swedish inventor and businessman Alfred Nobel. For the October Photos of the Month, I decided to explore and see what we can find in the Emilio Segrè Visual Archives about these award celebrations.

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The images, texts, and details that did not make it into this week’s episode of Initial Conditions: A Physics History Podcast

Find the corresponding podcast episode here: Initial Conditions - A Physics History Podcast

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September Photos of the Month

As a librarian, I have a responsibility to all of our materials. We prioritize our collection development policy, underrepresented voices in the history of physics, and the needs of our researchers when considering collection development (choosing which books to receive as donations or to buy).  Sometimes, I have to admit that those needs might also be fairly remote from my own sphere of knowledge. However, as any of my colleagues will tell you, information professionals tend to gain knowledge and interest in whatever is in our collections. One thing I love about my job is that it exposes me to worlds of information that I would never have encountered otherwise. As such, I’ve gained appreciation for areas of physics and history that I had not paid much thought to before starting my job at NBLA. Even though I think it would be awesome, it is indeed a good thing that all libraries are not filled with things that I know and care about (though perhaps one day I will go on to open a pinniped/flute/music/baking/Norwegian/children’s illustration/mushrooms/fashion library, and I think that might pretty awesome). 

This being said, if someone were to ask my opinion about subject areas within our collections, I do have a favorite branch of physics: acoustics. As a musician, it’s the area of physics that I feel makes the most sense, the area that I can see practical applications for in my own life, and the area where I might encounter ideas and meet people who are also obsessed with music and sounds. Whenever I get to interact with materials in our collections that focus on acoustics, I always get excited. 

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The images, texts, and details that did not make it into this week’s episode of Initial Conditions: A Physics History Podcast

Find the corresponding podcast episode here: Initial Conditions - A Physics History Podcast


Things that get better with age:

  • Wine
  • Chris Pine
  • Taylor Swift’s discography

Things that do not get better with age:

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NBLA Celebrates its 60th
Author

To celebrate our spectacular (if we do say so ourselves) 60 years of service to the history of the physical sciences, we are going to share a few of our favorite moments from each of our six decades.

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The images, texts, and details that did not make it into this week’s episode of Initial Conditions: A Physics History Podcast.

Find the corresponding podcast episode here: Initial Conditions - A Physics History Podcast

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Subtitle
The images, texts, and details that did not make it into this week’s episode of Initial Conditions: A Physics History Podcast

Find the corresponding podcast episode here: Initial Conditions - A Physics History Podcast

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Subtitle
The images, texts, and details that did not make it into this week’s episode of Initial Conditions: A Physics History Podcast.

Find the corresponding podcast episode here: Initial Conditions - A Physics History Podcast


On June 1st I traveled to Atlanta, Georgia. Leading up to the trip, the Initial Conditions team had been dealing with a number of issues with episode 8. Referring to the “Mickens episode” was our version of the “Macbeth” curse; invoking it was sure to introduce some unexpected technical obstacle that would further delay production.

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Subtitle
The images, texts, and details that did not make it into this week’s episode of Initial Conditions: A Physics History Podcast.

Find the corresponding podcast episode here: Initial Conditions - A Physics History Podcast

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August Photos of the Month

For the August photos of the month, please join me in appreciating some ESVA photos that contain lovely arrays of color.