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Welcome back, Gators!

We can't wait to help make 2026, your year!

The exterior of Smathers Library

FEATURED LIBRARY EVENT

FEATURED LIBRARY EVENTS

Upcoming Events

  1. Mar 12

    1. Global Games at LibWest

      Library West Room 212 Humanities & Social Sciences, 1545 W University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32603, USA

      2:00pm to 5:00pm

  2. Mar 26

  3. Mar 31

  4. Apr 17

  5. May 19

 

FEATURED eXHIBIT

Smathers Library Gallery (2nd floor), through May 8th

Animating Hope: Izaak and Bertie Cohen's Puppet Theater

During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Izaak (Ike) and Bertha (Bertie) Cohen hid in Rotterdam. Concealed in the upstairs apartment of Nico Dane and Gien Dane-Verkouter, the couple was often forced to hide in a narrow closet behind a staircase. In this confined space and under these dangerous conditions, the Cohens created a puppet theater. Ike carved the wooden hand puppets while Bertie sewed costumes and painted the figures’ faces. Inspired by classic fairy tales, they used the puppets to stage clandestine performances for local children. Their identities remained a secret, and their presence obscured. These performances transformed an environment of fear into one of hope. All exhibits are free and open to the public during the same hours as the building in which they are housed, unless otherwise specified and with occasional exceptions for maintenance.

Illustration of a puppet show with a silhouetted puppet and blue curtains.

News and Highlights

When a children’s literature course was dropped from the university curriculum, Ph.D. students approached education librarian, Brittany Kester, P.h.D, for help. The graduate students were approached by undergraduates who were…