Emory Libraries’ themed book exhibits highlight materials for teaching and student curation

From the million or more books stacked inside Robert W. Woodruff Library’s towers, several dozen are thoughtfully plucked from the shelves each year and singled out for their own special showcase.

These pop-up book exhibits, typically curated by librarians and students, pull together resources around a particular theme, then place them in high-traffic spaces — easily within sight of students, faculty and others who might have otherwise overlooked them.

As a result, they transform Emory Libraries’ spaces into active learning environments for instruction, research and discovery. Faculty members bring classes into the library, introduce students to primary and secondary research materials, and connect them with librarians who can help them further navigate Emory's vast collections — showing them how to explore beyond these tip-of-the-iceberg materials on display.

These small exhibits also give students hands-on experience in library curation, exhibit design, research and public programming. Students help choose the materials, create displays and research guides, and organize related events such as panel discussions and symposiums. “They don't just pull the books from the shelves,” says Chris Palazzolo, director of collections and open strategies, who mentors many student-curated exhibits. “They create signage, bookmarks and other takeaways. They take ownership, and they get into it.”

Most Woodruff Library exhibits are displayed in a dedicated book display section on Level 2 near the spiral staircase and elevators, with additional displays in the Rose Library or other spaces. All of the featured books are available for checkout with a current Emory ID.

The following examples highlight recent exhibits and their value for research and student learning.
 

Memoirs of the South

This student-curated exhibit, on display during spring 2026, was created by members of the Emory Libraries Student Ambassadors (ELSA) with guidance from Palazzolo and librarians Erica Bruchko, Russ Peterson and Derek Haroontune Otis. Featuring about 120 print and online titles, it explored Southern perspectives on family, music, food, identity, coming of age, sports, nature and more. It also inspired a research symposium featuring undergraduate and graduate student presenters.

“This exhibit was very much a collective effort,” says ELSA board member Morgaine Leroux, a rising junior and the group’s events coordinator. She credits ELSA president Cece York with leading the project, while other board members designed graphics, created exhibit decorations and bookmarks, promoted the exhibit on social media, and planned the symposium. “Many of us on ELSA’s board are from the South, so this project felt especially meaningful and personal,” Leroux says. 

Children’s books

Woodruff Library’s little-known children’s book collection began as a collaboration with Emory’s former Division of Educational Studies in the 1950s. It has grown to nearly 4,000 titles and remains popular with Emory staff raising families. The collection includes Newbery and Caldecott Medal winners, classics such as the Paddington Bear books and “Charlotte’s Web,” as well as 19th-century and contemporary children's literature.

The collection inspired two exhibits: “From Paddington to Twilight” (Level 2, July-September 2025), and “Pages of Wonder: A Journey Though Literature for Children” (Rose Library, June-November 2024). “Pages of Wonder” explored fairy tales, picture books, puzzles and pop-up books. The research guide provides links to books from both exhibits, including the classics, the Medal winners and selections from literature during the past 20 years. Palazzolo says there is still scholarly demand for some of the books, from child psychology classes to students in Emory’s African American Studies doctoral program who have used the collection to study how race is represented in children’s literature.
 

From Right to Left

“From Right to Left: Arabic, Hebrew, and Persian Study Resources at Woodruff Library” (May-October 2024) showcased how librarians and faculty can collaborate to connect students with library resources. Jewish Studies librarian Katalin Rac and Middle East and Islamic Studies librarian Neda Zeraatkar surveyed students about their favorite language-learning resources, then curated an exhibit featuring poetry, films, cookbooks, graphic novels, music and movies.

Faculty incorporated the exhibit into their classes, and Rac and Zeraatkar introduced students to language-specific library resources. An interactive activity inviting students to write their names in Arabic, Hebrew and Persian proved especially popular, and feedback from students and faculty led to expanded Arabic and Hebrew language collections.
 

Other exhibits beyond the classroom

Emory Libraries partnered with Emory’s Office of Sustainability Initiatives for “Fostering Climate Hope” (Nov. 8-Dec. 15, 2023), a physical and online exhibit exploring climate change and its impact on mental health. Created as part of Emory’s 2023 Climate Plan, the exhibit featured about 75 titles on topics including environmental psychology, nature writing, mindfulness, environmental health, community gardening, meditation and philosophy. Environmental sciences librarian Kristan Majors collaborated with OSI student interns to curate the collection, which continues as a resource through an online research guide with books, e-books and documentaries. The guide remains popular with students, faculty and colleagues at other universities.

“Graphic Narratives and Comic Collections at Emory: Past, Present and Future” (February 2022-May 2023), displayed at both Woodruff and Oxford College libraries, featured Emory's growing graphic novel collections and their value for teaching and research. Curated by Palazzolo and a team of librarians, the exhibit explored themes of war, immigration, colonialism, social justice, Afrofuturism and LGBTQ+ experiences through graphic narratives in multiple languages such as Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and more. Its popularity led to a permanent graphic novel display at Woodruff Library and continued growth of the collection through various areas of study, including foreign languages. The research guide contains links to books and other materials displayed in the exhibit.

Where do the themed exhibit ideas come from?

Whether it’s a request from a faculty member for their classes, or from a student group wanting to call attention to a certain issue or theme, organizing a book display in the library is a good way to gather targeted materials for a class, unearth a hidden collection, or educate others on campus about an important issue.

“The ideas have come from various areas,” says Palazzolo, “but they all come from a place of wanting to explore and to highlight how our collections reflect the interests of our community.”

For more information on book exhibits at Emory’s Woodruff Library, contact Chris Palazzolo.