Schlesinger Library Exhibitions take place in the Lia and William Poorvu Gallery, which opened after a major building renovation in 2019. The gallery is open to all visitors, Monday through Friday, from 9 AM to 5 PM.
There are a number of different ways to use and arrange the gallery depending on the needs of a specific exhibition. The information here provides some guidelines on past practices and available resources.
a. Walls
The four walls of the gallery are labeled A-D.
Wall A is on your left as you walk into the gallery, where the Radcliffe Room is located. It is split into to sections by the Radcliffe Room door. The wall to the left of the Radcliffe Room is traditionally reserved for the exhibition's introductory text.
Wall B includes the raised "barn door" sliding panel that hides the storage area. Collections can be hung in this area, but it has also been used in the past for A/V projection using the ceiling-mounted projector.
Wall C is the window wall looking out at Radcliffe Yard. The shades are always drawn during exhibitions to limit light exposure. Collections can be hung between the windows.
Wall D is the longest flat expanse of wall in the gallery.
While the number of items that can be included will vary widely based on their size, shape, orientation, and grouping, here are some general guidelines on the suggested maximum number of items for each wall:
| Wall | Items |
|---|---|
| A | 5 (on the section to the right of the Radcliffe Room) |
| B | 4 with projection 8 without projection |
| C | 3 |
| D | 10 |
Picture Frames
We have white frames in three sizes for item presentation on the walls: small (12" x 16"), midsize (18" x 20"), and large (24" x 30"). See the diagram below for a visual aid. The frames are stored in a closet on the 4th floor when not in use.
"Rising white 4-ply" is our house color for mat board.
A full set of gallery space visualizations created by the Gallery Coordinator can be found her: Poorvu Space Presentation.pdf
b. Display Cases
The four main large display cases are often each focused on a different theme, person, time period, or other aspect of the exhibition.
The suggested capacity for each case is 8-10 items, with the suggestion that less can often be more, especially if materials are text-heavy. It is also important to consider how labels will fit into case layouts (both individual item labels and thematic labels, if necessary).
Preservation Services can construct mountings and supports that help display items in the cases to their best advantage/fit them in the available space; library staff should consult with Preservation Services when considering layout options for each case and before finalizing each case–supports are built individually based on an item's location within the display, so cooperation is required in order to have things work smoothly and successfully.
| Large Rectangular Cases (4) |
|---|
| Linen-covered deck: 53 3/8" x 28 1/8" |
| Bonnet height: 8 3/4" |
| Full interior: 59" x 33" |
The Hat Box case can be used to spotlight 1-2 special items or to fit an oddly-sized or -shaped item.
Square "Hat Box" Case (1) |
|---|
| Linen-covered deck: 22" x 22" |
Bonnet height: 18" |
Full interior: 27" x 27" |
The Medicine Cabinet can be used to display a number of small ephemera objects or realia (examples from past exhibitions include buttons, potholders, menstrual product boxes, medical tools).
| Pole-Mounted "Medicine Cabinet" Case (1) |
|---|
| Back panel: 25 1/8" x 42 1/2" |
| Depth: 3 1/8" |
| Up to 6 glass shelves: 3" x 24" each |
There are two additional small wall-mounted acrylic cases that can be used to display larger, singular three-dimensional items.
| Acrylic Wall-Mounted Cases with Platforms (2) |
|---|
| Bonnet interiors: 9 1/2" x 7 1/2" x 17 1/4" |
| Bases: 9 1/2" x 7 1/2" |
c. Nook
The Nook is the small room off the far side of the gallery. It has a TV screen that can be used to show A/V and several shelves that can be used to present published materials related to the exhibition for visitors to read. In past exhibitions, these have included both collections materials that are not too rare or delicate and duplicates or use copies or collections materials purchase specifically for the exhibition. The Nook can also be a place to spotlight another aspect of the exhibition or to present an interactive activity, such as a reflection writing activity, mock election/voting booth, or bulletin board with flyers from community organizations that visitors can connect with. The Nook is also more generally a spot for visitors to sit briefly and reflect on the exhibition. Take-away swag like postcards are often offered in the Nook.
d. A/V in exhibitions
The two main ways A/V has been incorporated into past exhibitions is via the screen in the Nook and the projector in the main gallery. Often, looped video will play in the Nook while the projector displays a series of static images (portraits with text, collections images), either with or without audio.
Examples of A/V materials displayed in past exhibitions
Exhibition | Projected A/V | Nook A/V |
|---|---|---|
In Their Own Voices | n/a (not used) | interview about Black Women Oral History Project |
| Solidarity! | n/a? | collection of video clips related to global feminist activism |
| Age of Roe | images of letters to Ms magazine about abortion with audio narration | collection of video clips related to abortion debate |
| Out for Blood | slideshow of menstrual product print ads | collection of video clips related to menstruation |
| Elect/Ability | slideshow of 100 portraits of women candidates/elected officials | collection of video clips related to women candidates |
| Angela Davis | n/a (not used) | collection of video clips of/related to Davis |
Considerations for A/V usage include:
- Capacity of the Lead Archivist for Visual Materials & Recorded Sound Collections, who will often have to help with access, digitization, and other aspects of A/V presentation
- The time and resources required to digitize materials and create closed captioning
- Noise levels and auditory processing challenges created by competing sound from projection in main gallery and video in the Nook
- Lengths of individual clips and length of overall A/V presentation
- Creating clips from a longer piece of A/V in a way that tells a coherent, self-contained story
iPod/iPad options
If there is an element of your exhibition that makes sense as a more individual listening/watching/interacting experience, there are options for using a device and headphones mounted in the gallery that is pre-programmed to present particular A/V. Specifics about how these can be use and what the limitations must be discussed with the Gallery Coordinator.
e. Accessibility
Physical accessibility requirements/considerations for exhibitions in the gallery (and the parallel online versions) include:
- Floor space and pathways in and around cases and other stationery obstacles (pillars, etc.)
- Font size, color contrast, and height of labels mounted on walls
- The minimum size to be used in printed labels in the gallery is 18pt in Arial font.
- Sound levels and captioning on A/V
- Availability of handouts or other textual guides
- Light effects or possible strobing in video
- Content warnings or contextualization for potentially traumatizing materials
- Tour options for d/Deaf or hearing-impaired visitors
- Image description and screen reader-accessible text in the online exhibition
Do we have any actual guidelines we can record here? Might need to ask Jen and Joe.
f. Alternative Case Layouts to Maximize Use of Original Objects
Due to conservation and preservation concerns about light exposure, certain case layouts are recommended if original items are going to be displayed in the large cases. The images included here are all potential options for exhibitions using original collection items in all four cases.
These layouts can also be found on SharePoint here: Alternative Case Layouts to Maximize use of original objects 220120.pdf
