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(Photo by Matt Cashore \/ University of Notre Dame)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Ruben Celani<\/a>, Ph.D., joined the Hesburgh Libraries in October as a postdoctoral research associate in Italian Studies and Zahm Dante Collection curatorial fellow. He works in Rare Books & Special Collections as a subject liaison for Italian studies and curator of the Libraries\u2019 extensive rare Italian collections, while also pursuing his own academic research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prior to joining the Hesburgh Libraries, Celani served as an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Literary Studies at Ghent University in Belgium. He holds a Ph.D. from Ghent University in Literary Studies with specialization in Italian Studies, as well as a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Archival and Library Sciences from the University of Rome \u201cLa Sapienza.\u201d Ruben has experience working in libraries in Rome, The Hague, and Antwerp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the full press release on the Hesburgh Library website.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Opening January.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This exhibition highlights stories of survival, contemplation, competition, protest, and learning, from six distinct collections in Rare Books and Special Collections. Each section, presented by a different subject curator, focuses on an example of how people over time and in different places, construct community and cultivate hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Curated by Rachel Bohlmann, Ph.D.<\/strong> (Curator, American History and American Studies), Gregory Bond, Ph.D.<\/strong> (Curator, Joyce Sports Research Collection), David T. Gura, Ph.D.<\/strong> (Curator, Ancient and Medieval Manuscripts), Matthew Knight, Ph.D.<\/strong> (Irish Studies Librarian and Curator), Natasha Lyandres<\/strong> (Curator, Rare Books & Special Collections), and Payton Phillips Quintanilla, Ph.D.<\/strong> (Librarian and Curator for Latin American and Iberian Studies).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Day (January 19th), the birthday of Jackie Robinson (January 31st), and Black History Month (February), Rare Books and Special Collections is pleased to highlights examples from its collection of souvenir fan pennants from the Negro Baseball Leagues<\/a>. The colorful collectible felt souvenir pennants represent leading Black baseball teams of the 1930s and 1940s and feature large screen-printed graphics of African American baseball players in action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Curated by Gregory Bond<\/strong> (Curator of the Joyce Sports Research Collection).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Created across multiple centuries, geographies, and cultures, pre-Hispanic clay sellos<\/em> (flat and cylindrical stamps and seals) are celebrated as the earliest manifestation of Mesoamerican print culture. This cross-repository Spotlight Exhibit presents a selection of sellos<\/em> stewarded by the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art; two emblematic publications of sello<\/em> designs, preserved in the Hesburgh Libraries\u2019 Rare Books and Special Collections; and contemporary examples of sello-inspired visual arts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Curated by Payton Phillips-Garc\u00eda Quintanilla<\/strong> (Librarian and Curator for Latin American and Iberian Studies).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n These and other exhibits within the Hesburgh Libraries are generously supported by the McBrien Special Collections Endowment.<\/em><\/em> All exhibits are free and open to the public during regular hours.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout the semester, curators will teach sessions related to our holdings to undergraduate and graduate students from Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s College, and Holy Cross College. Curators may also be available to show special collections to visiting classes, from preschool through adults. If you would like to arrange a group visit and class with a curator, please contact Special Collections<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more about bringing your students to RBSC<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Special Collections acquires new material throughout the year. Follow this blog for more information about recent acquisitions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rare Books and Special Collections welcomes students, faculty, staff, researchers, and visitors back to campus for Spring ’26! Here are some things to watch for in Special Collections during the coming semester. Special Collections Welcomed a New Postdoctoral Research Associate during the Fall 2025 Semester Ruben Celani, Ph.D., joined the Hesburgh Libraries in October as … Continue reading Welcome Back! Spring 2026 in Special Collections<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1936,"featured_media":3220,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5065,75050,77971,75053,75054,75060,12646,75062,75063,75052],"tags":[455963,77938,77960,73938,156,75749,5072],"class_list":["post-11177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-exhibits","category-instruction-and-class-visits","category-irish-studies","category-latin-american-studies","category-medieval-renaissance","category-miscellaneous","category-russian-east-european-studies","category-sports-research","category-us-history-culture","tag-african-american-history","tag-book","tag-broadsides-prints-posters","tag-manuscripts","tag-news","tag-recent-acquisitions","tag-spotlight"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/rbsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/rbsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/rbsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/rbsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1936"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/rbsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11177"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/rbsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11203,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/rbsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11177\/revisions\/11203"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/rbsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/rbsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/rbsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/rbsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Spring 2026 Exhibition \u2014 Cultivating Community: Stories from Special Collections<\/a><\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSpotlight Exhibits Opening in January<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Pennant Race: Souvenir Fan Pennants of the Negro Baseball Leagues<\/a><\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/rbsc\/files\/2026\/01\/MSSP_10079-0008-1024x299.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFirst Impressions: An Introduction to Mesoamerican<\/em> sellos \/ Primeras impresiones: Una introducci\u00f3n a los sellos mesoamericanos<\/em><\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/rbsc\/files\/2026\/01\/BOO_006693173-0004-detail-1024x299.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSpecial Collections’ Classes & Workshops<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Recent Acquisitions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nSpecial Collections will be closed on Monday, January 19, 2026, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"