Library and Information Access is hosting several exhibits during Fall 2009 in honor of Charles Darwin's 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species. In the Donor Hall, you'll find Darwin Now, a traveling exhibit created by the British Council that explores Darwin's life and the importance of the theory of evolution to the contemporary world and to modern science. Biological specimens from the collections of the SDSU Department of Evolutionary Biology (including a Galapagos Island tortoise shell and a terrarium of orchids and insectivorous plants) are also on display in the Donor Hall in an exhibit called The Fact of Evolution. Special Collections will host the exhibit The Book that Shook the World, a vivid exploration of Darwin's life, his masterpiece, and his other contributions to scientific thought using illustrations, photographs, and first editions of his works. A complementary display called Discovering Darwin highlights evolutionary thought in books and ephemera from the collections of Special Collections. These exhibits begin on August 10th and will run through December 20th, 2009. Stay tuned for details about lectures and other events in conjunction with these terrific exhibits!(Image: the rare orchid Angraecum sesquipedale, which Darwin studied intensively.)
