NLM/ALA Frankenstein Exhibit Comes to UCLA
Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature, a traveling exhibit organized by the National Library of medicine and the American library Association, will be on display at the UCLA Powell Library Rotunda from November 12, 2003, to January 9, 2004. The exhibit examines the birth of the novel and Mary Shelley, its precocious creator; early 19th century science as reflected in the novel; political, social, and cultural themes explored in the novel; the transformation of the monster on stage and on film; the story's continuing popularity in the United States; and questions raised by the novel that apply to emerging biomedical innovations. A number of public programs at UCLA are being planned to explore and celebrate the novel and its legacy; a listing is available at http://www.library.ucla.edu/frankenstein/. UCLA also has a companion display, 'Was I then a monster...' at the Young Research Library. The companion exhibit includes materials from the UCLA Department of Special Collections, including the original 1818 and subsequent rare editions of the novel, other works by Mary Shelley, source materials, and scholarly works about the author, the novel, and the novel's theatrical and film descendants.
The exhibit was initially shown at the National Library of Medicine from October 31, 1997 to November 30, 1998. It is traveling to 80 institutions for display from October 2002 through December 2005.
[Editor's Note: Adapted from Library News for the Faculty, Fall 2003. The NLM web site for the exhibit is http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/frankenstein/frankhome.html. The traveling exhibit schedule is available on the ALA pages for the Frankenstein exhibit - http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/ Our_Association/Offices/Public_Programs_Office/Current_Programs/ Frankenstein__Penetrating_the_Secrets_of_Nature / Frankenstein__ Penetrating_the_ Secrets_of_Nature.htm]