KU Libraries showcase student-curated collections in Watson Library exhibit

LAWRENCE — As part of ongoing efforts to broaden collections, provide unique learning experiences and incorporate student feedback, KU Libraries will unveil two new student-curated collections. 

The opening reception for “The Nature of Being Human: Ecology, Identity, and the Stories in Between” will take place Feb. 5 in Watson Library’s Haricombe Gallery. 

Students Isabel López and Xinyu (Lavender) Wang worked with librarians Amalia Monroe-Gulick and Sara Outhier to learn about the process of collection development and some of the ways KU Libraries provide access to resources. While the student curators' areas of study and research interests vary widely — López is an undergraduate studying anthropology, Wang a graduate student in the history of art — they both jumped at the opportunity to learn more about libraries, explore their own curiosity and share resources with others.   

“I’ve always had an appreciation of libraries and especially librarians, but through this process of making this book collection it’s really opened my eyes to, wow, this is a lot of work,” López said. “It deepened my respect and admiration for the folks who do this process of collection development because it takes a lot of research and a lot of time and dedication.” 

López’s collection focuses on various forms of contemporary Indigenous literature from Latin America, including folklore, poetry, fiction and children’s books. Wang’s collection explores human connections with fauna and flora, primarily in China and Japan. Their combined efforts have culminated in more than 35 additions to KU Libraries in both print and digital formats and multiple languages.  

“The libraries acquisitions department has worked diligently to acquire as many of the books as possible (for the exhibition opening),” said Monroe-Gulick, who has mentored López throughout the project. “We are waiting on more to possibly come in, but these are challenging books to order because many are from small presses, out of print and located in many different countries.”  

Outhier worked closely with Wang, who added books in English and Chinese on topics that span mythical dragons to the panda’s cultural and political significance, tea culture in China and Japan, plants and mixology, animals in art over five centuries, Indigenous knowledge, natural disasters and more. 

“This breadth of topics reflects Lavender's natural curiosity and the uniqueness of her aesthetic taste, two elements that are essential to curating a well-rounded library collection,” Outhier said. 

Both Wang and López agree the experience has been beneficial to their personal growth as well as expanded their perspectives. 

“I understand more about how much it means for a library to exist in the world for the public and for our students,” Wang said. “The experience has also been very beneficial to me for my own research, having the opportunity to learn about research from a librarian’s point of view.”  

“I kept being amazed by how large the world of literature is, and how large librarian work can be, and even how large the libraries storage is,” López said. “The experience has really deepened my critical thinking skills and has made me reevaluate some of my previous thoughts and biases and overall improve my cultural awareness.”  

The Feb. 5 event is free and open to the public and marks the first days of a two-month-long exhibition in Watson. Attendees will hear from the student curators and their library faculty collaborators, and they will be able to browse related exhibit materials while enjoying light refreshments.