News from the City Tech Library
This summer, a selection of materials from the NYCCT archives and faculty librarians personal zine collections, curated by Nora Almeida, Wanett Clyde and Jen Hoyer, are on display in the library’s front and interior windows.
For more information about the archives, visit the NYCCT Archives libguide.
For more about zines and zine making, visit the library catalog.
To borrow a zine, stop by the library in person.
On Thursday, Oct. 16 from 3:00pm-4:00pm, we hosted four visitors to the Archives and Special Collections @ NYCCT Open House for New York Archives Week 2025. It was organized and setup by Wanett Clyde, Kel Karpinski, Jennifer Hoyer, and Keith Muchowski. For the event, they displayed artifacts from the archive, including artwork, photos, student newspapers, and books. During the event, Jason Ellis gave a presentation on the City Tech Science Fiction Collection. Our discussions ranged from maintaining archives, challenges to growing special collections, sustainability, and practical advice for entering the field.
This March, the library is hosting a wonderful exhibit of Communication Design (COMD) student work on typography. The exhibit was curated by Professor Anita Geraldo and includes a video created by Professor Josh Kapusinski. The library has created a related book display of books on type and typography.
from the exhibit overview: The Communication Design Major is a NASAD-accredited Bachelor of Fine Arts program that immerses students in a dynamic and comprehensive design education. At its core lies a deep passion for typography—the essential art of shaping the written word into meaningful visual communication. From their first year to their senior capstone, students refine their craft, mastering how typography subtly yet powerfully conveys thought and emotion. Through this journey, they build a professional portfolio where design transforms ideas into compelling narratives.
The following COMD faculty selected student work and contributed: Professors Patricia Childers, Chun-Wo Pat, Lynn Cole-Walker, John DeSantis, Anita Giraldo, Maria Geneiveve Hitchings, Lyubava Kroll, Rich Redznak, Dirk Rowntree, Beth Tondreau.
Students whose work are featured in the exhibit are: Leslie Alcantara, Nadeen Baala, Felix Batiste, Brandon Belliard, Jorge Buenabad, Shamika Bumpkus, Andreina Cabral, Nathaniel Dharmadi, Yoanna Donalds, Dennis Diaz, Esteicy Diyarza, Layla Flores, Fenix Frias, Barry Forde, Amir Gamble, Kateri Gensler, Paulina Guadalupe, Alexander Gutierrez Rodriguez, Ze Huang, Andras Jaime, Felix Lin, Jawanza Lynch, Christian Macias, Alexandra Melendez, Mahareen Munawar, Sunny Naseem, Auribel Vargas Pena, Garry Peltzer, Jr., Michael Peterkin, Jennifer Rodriguez, Ariel Saunders, Michael Shahaf, Raewsa Tanjim, Tobrise Angy Vasquez, Oscar Wong, Amy Wu, David Wu Liang.
Professor Inés Corujo Martín of the Humanities department and City Tech’s Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Committee, working with local Mexican artist Daniel Valle (@danielvalleart), has mounted another vibrant exhibit in the library’s display cases. This time, in celebration of Día de los Muertos.
Daniel Valle is a multidisciplinary and self-taught artist. Originally from Mexico, he has spent most of his life in New York City. Daniel seeks to communicate the history and values of Mexican culture through his authentic creations.
What is Día de los Muertos?
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and other Latin American countries, including Guatemala and Ecuador, to honor and remember loved ones who have passed away. It is observed every year on November 1st and 2nd. The roots of Día de los Muertos trace back to Indigenous traditions, particularly those of the Aztec and Mayan civilizations, which viewed death as a natural part of the life cycle. Unlike Halloween, Día de los Muertos is a colorful, vibrant celebration that sees death as a joyful part of life, reuniting the living and dead.
Ofrendas (altars)
A traditional altar set up is usually decorated with pan de muerto, candles, cempasúchil, photos of the deceased, calaveras, personal items, and favorite foods. The ofrenda is both a tribute and a way for families to feel connected to their loved ones, blending indigenous traditions with Catholic influences.
In Mexico, parades are held in the streets with music and dancing. People attend festivals decorated with papel picado (intricate paper cut) and cempasúchil (marigolds). Families make ofrendas (altars) dedicated to the deceased that include papel picado, cempasúchil, pan de muerto (bread), sugar skulls, fruit, beverages, candles, photographs, and other items.
The HSI committee and Daniel invite students of Hispanic heritage to submit images of your ofrendas (altars). using the QR code on the flyer below. Or by clicking here.
A selection of related titles from our collection:
Hispanic American religious cultures
Our America : the Latino presence in American art
*Thank you to Professor Inés Corujo Martín for her contributions to this post.
To combat the continued assault on Black history and culture, and especially books by Black authors, the African American Studies Department (AFR) and the Library hosted a Banned Black Book Month Panel for Black History Month 2024.
Panelists: (l-r)
Dr. Bennett (AFR), Dr, Biswas (AFR), Dr. Banks (AFR), Dr. Richards (ENG), Prof. Abdul-Wasi (AFR), Dr. Sylvester (ENG)
Facilitator: Dr. Evangelista (AFR)
Host: Dr. Ferdinand, Department Chair (right)
We are in a climate where book bans are wielded like weapons. These threats to knowledge acquisition take many forms, but many of them have focused on removing access to Black history along with Black books. Stats from organizations like Pen America and the American Library Association highlight the disproportionate banning of content which celebrates or illuminates marginalized communities.
We solicited book titles by Black authors that have been banned in any capacity (regionally, educationally, etc.) from the City Tech Community. A selection of these submissions is now featured in the library’s display window along with catalog pages from Between the Covers Rare Books, color prints of artwork by Brooklyn native Jean-Michel Basquiat, black and white prints from Leroy Lucas’ “Growing Up Black” exhibit portfolio and photos from Peter Cohen‘s collection of snapshots and vernacular photographs.
Click here to visit the exhibit’s accompanying slideshow and here for City Tech’s online Banned Black Book Collection which features titles we have available in the library.
Check out our Banned Black Books online collection.
We’ll continue adding titles as they come in.
Visit the library at the end of the month to enjoy them in person!
It is not too late to register for “Racism, Eugenics & Antisemitism: Connections Between Jim Crow and the Nuremberg Race Laws,” an event featuring Tom White, Coordinator of Educational Outreach at the Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene (NH) State College. The program is being held here at City Tech in cooperation with Queensborough Community College’s Kupferberg Holocaust Center. The event is on Thursday November 30 and runs from 1:00-2:15. One may attend in person or online via Zoom. For more details, please click here. After the event attendees will have the opportunity to explore the two galleries.
Please note that no coats or bags will be allowed in the event or exhibit spaces and must be checked. Please enter via the Community Center, 287 Jay Street. See directions here.
Freedom to Read Under Attack
Banned Books Week, an annual celebration of the freedom to read, will be held September 18–24 this year. During this week, authors, booksellers, librarians, publishers, and readers come together to advocate for the right to read without censorship. The theme for 2022 is “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.”
Free and open access to ideas and information is a critical element of our democracy. The observation of Banned Books Week pushes back against censors: people who try to remove or restrict access to books that they find threatening in some way.
Book challenges often come from parents who want to restrict access to materials they find offensive. They want to control what their children, and their neighbors’ children, can read in school classrooms and public libraries. Targets are often books by or about Black or LGBTQ people. Censors label these books as “obscene” or “harmful to minors” or even as tools for “grooming” children for exploitation. For example, the Proud Boys protesting at Drag Queen storytimes claim to be protecting children from the corrupting influence of fairy tales and glitter.
Unfortunately, the intense political polarization of the past several years has resulted in an increase in censorship activity. Attempts to remove books from libraries, and attacks on librarians, are on the rise. According to the American Library Association, the number of banned and challenged books doubled from 2020 to 2021, reaching the highest number since tracking began. There were more than 729 attempted bans of 1,597 individual books in 2021.
Another disturbing trend is that more states are passing legislation to ban books and to restrict what librarians and K-12 teachers can add to their reading lists and book collections. In states where these new laws are in effect, educators who attempt to share banned materials or even talk about bans are being harassed and threatened. Banned Books Week 2022 is an opportunity to applaud those who stand up for our freedom to read, even at a cost to themselves.
For more information on book banning and censorship:
“How Efforts to Ban Books Impact Public Libraries” Discussed on WNYC’s “The Takeaway”
Book Bans? My School Doesn’t Even Have a Library (Opinion)
Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021
The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 729 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2021. Of the 1597 books that were targeted, here are the most challenged, along with the reasons cited for censoring the books:
If you want to read a banned or challenged book (including some of the ones listed above) and see what all the controversy is about, check out our display in the front area of the library!
This post was co-authored by Rachel Jones and Nora Almeida
Today is Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day. We pause to remember those lost. May their memory be a blessing.
In October-November 2023 “Americans and the Holocaust,” a traveling exhibit sponsored by the American Library Association and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, will be coming to New York City College of Technology. Please check this space for further details and news about events.
Curious about jazz or love it already? The library has streaming music (you’ll find additional information about ways to listen on the Internet too) and films. We also have DVDs and CDs as well as lots of ebooks and print books. Under organizations and museums, you will find spaces that offer live jazz and and also have resources for listeners and musicians. If you are new to jazz, you’ll find that jazz is amazingly diverse; you’ll want to explore current and historical styles as you begin to develop your own tastes and preferences. Jazz is alive and well and we are very privileged to be in New York City where live performances regularly occur in clubs and outdoors. All About Jazz is a good website (and print publication) to find interviews, record reviews, and listings of local live performances.
Streaming documentaries on jazz in Academic Video Online (AVON) (requires login off-campus)
DVDs to watch Ken Burn’s epic documentary on jazz is in the library. Find the 10 DVD set in Multimedia, DVD 1858. You can borrow DVDs for seven days.
African American Music Reference books
Browse ebooks on jazz in African American Music Reference
