Yesterday was the big shindig day in our library. Every February we have an exhibit called the “Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Activity.” We solicit contributions from the faculty and staff of Butler of publications and works that they’ve done in the last year. Books, articles, book chapters, and other publications are included, as well as paintings, music (sheet and CD), concert programs, etc.

Since “scholarship” means different things to different academic disciplines, we welcome anything that is created, whether a scholarly article or theatre costumes designed for a play.

This year we had 56 different people contribute to this exhibit, which runs for the month of February. Almost 3/4 of the contributors were repeats, meaning they’ve submitted other things in previous years (this is the sixth annual), showing that continual scholarship is alive and well at Butler University. There were 155 items included in the exhibit this year, and only one of them was in last year’s; the rest were in the exhibit for the first time. Pretty cool!

Anyway, last night was the big shindig where we have a formal reception for faculty and staff to come, enjoy hors d’oeuvres and wine and conversation. People reconnect with each other and take a look at what their colleagues have been up to during the last year. Then there’s a featured lecture by one of our faculty, presenting on the research they’ve been doing. It always ends up being very interesting and cross-disciplinary, so everyone enjoys it and can relate to the topic on various levels. This year it was on the dialogical process that goes on as children learn to read. The description in our invitations sounded a little dry or maybe dull, but when you put the topic in the mouth of someone who’s passionate about it, especially a really good speaker, it comes alive and becomes very interesting. That happened again this year.

The faculty in particular really look forward to this event. With so many ways that things get trimmed budgetarily (is that a word?), they enjoy getting really good food and wine and atmosphere and everything, instead of good-enough-to-get-by. The faculty view this reception as a treat, or a reward for the extra work they do. And an incentive to continue, I think. A special time for celebrating the work they’ve done in continuing to contribute to their discipline. Except that many of the works included in the exhibit are outside the disciplines of the people who submitted them. That’s okay, of course, because it lets us see another side of our colleagues.

My role in this whole event is complete. It’s my “baby,” as it were. From working up the invitations that we get printed up and mailed in early January and soliciting contributions for the exhibit, to creating the menu for the soiree and creating the atmosphere with music, lighting, etc., to creating the printed bibliography of all the publications and works that make up the exhibit, every little detail is mine to do or delegate. Thankfully there are some very helpful people on the library staff and our marketing department and printshop always come through wondrously. That helps a lot.

So anyway, the big shindig is over now–went off superbly–and I’m taking the rest of the week off to recover from the cold I’ve been fighting.