Amanda Alexander

Check out this month's recommendations, which are focused on food.

An array of books are displayed laying flat, including cookbooks, a film novelization, and a book on climate activism. Visible titles include Julie and Julia, Rataouille, Farm: the making of a climate activist, and Eat Pray Love.

Celebrate by delving into LGBTQ+ stories this month.

A library scene with a stack of books on a table, titles visible, and blurred figures in the background, suggesting a quiet, studious atmosphere. Titles include the DVDs Potato Dreams of America, Waking Up Dead, Framing Agnes, 8 Years, Homo Say What, Like Me, Estuaries, and Blue Jean, followed by the books David Bowie Made me Gay, Bright Lines, A Sturdy Yes of People, Nobody Needs to Know, and The Unfortunates.

Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with this selection of books and DVDs!

A tall stack of books with their spines displayed sits on a marble ledge, with a line of DVDs leaning against the left edge of the stack. The colorful assortment of titles is displayed in front of a variety of greenery, indicating the outdoors.

Follow Ms. Codex 1950 through the conservation process and learn what goes into bringing a fragile manuscript out from ‘restricted access’ for teaching and study.

A person wearing a mask is applying a small tool to the edge of a manuscript page that appears to have been removed from a codex lying open to the side.

The collaboration will ensure lasting access to significant collection of Jewish Music History

A musical composition with text in German.

Discover a new poet or reunite with an old favorite through our Featured Books and DVDs this month.

A stack of books and DVDs is wedged between the branches of a tree, with a building and blooming trees in the background. Some of the titles include books I Could Pee on This, Taught by Women, and Pulling the Chariot of the Sun, and DVDs All Eyez on Me and Beloved Sisters.

Collection of single-issue comic books valued at more than $500,000.

A collection of vintage comic books displayed on a flat surface. The four comic books are The Amazing Spider-Man, The X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Zap Comix. Each comic book cover is richly colored and displays the title of the comic series and issue number.

Learn more about female politicians, rock stars, and other significant figures who haven’t been fully recognized in history classes with these stories.

A wood bookshelf is filled with a variety of DVDs and books standing upright. DVDs area to the left of a divider. Visible titles include Barbara Rubin, Every Secret Thing, Booksmart, Harriet, Chantal Akerman Collection, Eve's Bayou, Incognito, Party Girl, Tender Fictions, Learning to Drive, Girl from God's Country, Certain Women, Finding Kukan, and Smithereens. To the right of the divider are books. Visible titles include Black Chameleon, Agent of Change, She's a Rebel, Manifesta, and Oh My Mother.

From music journalism to activism to mountain climbing, the topics of our Black History Month picks run the gamut, while also highlighting significant historical figures and communities.

Author: Amanda Alexander

Featured Books and DVDs: Snack-tacular!

Featured Books and DVDs: Pride

Featured Books and DVDs: AAPI Heritage Month

A New Chapter for a 16th Century Codex

Gratz College Gifts Gratz-Mandell Jewish Music Collection to the Penn Libraries, Launching Partnership to Catalog and Digitize Materials

Featured Books and DVDs: National Poetry Month

Avid Collectors Gary and Dawn Prebula Donate More than 75,000 Comics to Penn Libraries

Featured Books and DVDs: Women’s History Month

Featured Books and DVDs: Black History Month