Jasmine J. Johnson (left) and Rebekah Gerace display the original Stefan Zweig document that advocated for a library to retain books that were banned in Germany under National Socialism.
A banned book installation in Greece includes a Stefan Zweig document, thanks to students working in Special Collections and Archives.
A document facsimile from Reed Library's renowned Stefan Zweig Collection will be included in an upcoming art installation and exhibit at the American College of Greece in Athens.
It's not only a feather in the cap of Reed Library's Special Collections and Archives, but also for two undergraduates who work in Special Collections.
Jasmine Johnson, a senior majoring in Drawing and Painting and Art History from Fallsburg, NY, spent the spring semester studying abroad in Greece. She brought the document – Expose of an Inexpensive Series of German Books, a Series Independent of any Government Restrictions (SZ-AP2/W-H177a.2) – to the attention of the installation's curators at the American College of Greece.
The document discloses Zweig advocating for a library to retain books that were banned in Germany under National Socialism.
According to Co-curator Jennifer Nelson Kotsaras, the installation "explores current or historical restrictions on books through the creation of an underground library" to be experienced by visitors of the gallery.
Earlier in the semester, Stefan Zweig Digital Project intern Rebekah Gerace, a sophomore majoring in History from Cheektowaga, NY, had digitized that very document for its inclusion in the Stefan Zweig Digital Project, an international digitization effort to reunite the documents of the famed Austrian author to be viewed as they were originally held at his residence in Salzburg.
A facsimile of the document, now viewable on Stefan Zweig Digital, will be printed out in poster size and hung up to be read by attendees in its entirety.
Thanks to the high degree of collegiality and collaboration between Special Collections and Archives student workers and interns, sharing the recently digitized document between Austria and Greece was a breeze, and maintains the legacy of Zweig and his deep love of books.
