The City Tech Library has a new Science Fiction collection that includes comics, serials, novels, and pulp classics. The materials, which Prof. Jason Ellis and Prof. Alan Lovegreen (English Dept.) helped acquire from a private collection in California, is comprised of over 4,000 items and is housed in the Library Archives.
This past fall, the Library Exhibition showcase featured items from this collection. The display was installed by Prof. Ellis , and highlighted books, magazines and research materials that are now part of the City Tech Archives. Several English faculty are using the collection in their courses already and this past fall, City Tech hosted a Symposium on Science Fiction. Here’s what Prof. Ellis had to say about the symposium:
On November 29, 2016, over 70 participants came together to celebrate the new City Tech Science Fiction Collection and discuss the importance of science fiction to STEM-focused educational programs like those at City Tech. Titled “Symposium on Amazing Stories: Inspiration, Learning, and Adventure in Science Fiction,” it began with twelve presentations from scholars at City College of New York, City Tech, Columbia University, Orange Coast College, the Winthrop Group, Yale University, and York College. These ranged from the beginnings of the genre with Hugo Gernsback and his electrical experiments to the latest trends in science fiction and maker culture. In the last session, Prof. Jill Belli hosted eight City Tech students in a round table discussion about how science fiction inspires STEM students. The symposium concluded with an oral history of the collection by Prof. Jason W. Ellis and a tour of the archives by Prof. Keith Muchowski. Find out more about the collection at the Science Fiction at the City Tech OpenLab site.
