“. . . anyone interested in important contemporary reading material simply cannot ignore the graphic novel.”

Graphic narratives are a growing area of study and literary expression. This exhibit focuses upon the expansion of Oxford’s collections in this genre, including comics and long-form graphic novels. In addition to providing an overview of the genre, the exhibit also features three in-depth “sub-exhibits” of graphic novels and comics that illustrate how the genre allows for the expression of alternative perspectives and narratives. These graphic narratives provide a different experience than a prose narrative and demand what some have called a “double literacy” of the visual and the written word.

The curated collections of notable graphic novels focus on important social, racial, and historical themes, events, and individuals. They provide examples of how written and drawn narratives can create complex stories and engagement with the past, present, and future. They often serve as a literary and artistic medium to the experiences of individuals and communities in response to established social, historic, and economic institutions.

“. . . providing opportunities to consider ways to transform present struggles through intentional and sustainable change.”

For this exhibition, Oxford College Library’s Archives & Special Collections Team has selected a small number of records, publications, and artifacts to illustrate aspects of early Emory College and Oxford College of Emory University history that have not yet been fully explored by researchers.

This exhibition provides insight into sensitive and troubling events in the college’s history. While great care has been taken to create space in the archives for the experiences of historically excluded and minoritized groups, especially the individuals named or involved in these events, the majority of the collections reflect the perspectives of privileged white men. Materials related to ongoing efforts to acknowledge the legacies of slavery and dispossession still impacting the institution are also included, providing opportunities to consider ways to transform present struggles through intentional and sustainable change.

Please visit the Oxford College Library website for more information about the library's Archive & Special Collections, or call 770-784-8380.  

This installation is derived from the original 2014 exhibition at Emory University's Robert W. Woodruff Library. It was the first major exhibition to celebrate the life and work of late Irish poet and Nobel Prize-winner Seamus Heaney since his death. The exhibit at Oxford College Library features manuscripts, personal letters and photographs, and an old desk where Heaney wrote some of his celebrated poems. Among the evocative materials on display--most of them from the Heaney collection held by Rose--will be Heaney's poems and drafts showing his handwritten revisions, rare publications, and artists' books containing Heaney's poetry. The exhibit will also feature recordings of his poetry read by Heaney himself and by other poets, artists, and well-known figures.

Weekdays: Free after 5pm | Weekends: Free

"...a place for the Oxford community to gather, to learn, and to connect."

This inaugural exhibit in the Fran Elizer Exhibit Gallery is a retrospective on the history of the library at Oxford College, which served as the original Emory campus from 1836 to 1919. As we celebrate the opening of the new Library and Academic Commons, it is fitting to look back on the history of the libraries on this campus. The buildings have changed. The collection has grown. Yet, the best traits of the library are still the same.  Dedicated librarians and staff ensure that information is readily available and easily found. Alumni still remember with fondness their time at Oxford and give their support to the college, making it better for those who come after them. The library still serves as a place for the Oxford community to gather, to learn, and to connect.

Weekdays: Free after 5pm | Weekends: Free

"'Mammy' has a peculiar hold on the American psyche. Her image is so overpowering that accurate representations  - like these portraits - recede into the shadow of the stereotype." ― Dr. Kimberly Wallace-Sanders

The nanny photographs in this exhibition, dating from 1840 to 1920, offer early and consistent visual documentation of African American care givers and white children. These photographs, along with written narratives and visual materials from Rose Library's book and manuscript collections, supply critical counter-narratives to the well-known "mammy" stereotype and emphasize the undeniable humanity of each of the individuals shown. By looking at these portraits closely, we can tease out new insights into what is, perhaps, the most complex inter-racial relationship in American life.

View the "Framing Shadows" online exhibit!

Parking on campus is free, and there is nothing additional you need to place in your car if you park in a designated visitor parking area.