31 research outputs found
"Cover Me": Rolling Stone Coverage of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, 1973-2007
Get PDFThis study investigated how a hugely influential magazine, Rolling Stone, has covered one of popular music’s biggest icons in order to discover how the magazine fixes public memory and thereby creates celebrity. It examined how the magazine’s coverage of Springsteen changed over time; whether it corresponded to events in his career or personal life; what subjects it dealt with; the location, size and general tone of articles; and what recurring themes characterized coverage. Examined in the study were the magazine’s 387 articles about Springsteen and the E Street Band from their first mention in the magazine on March 15, 1973, until their most recent on June 1, 2007, when it reported that the group would reunite for an album and tour. A complete list of articles pertaining to them was obtained from the Asbury Park Public Library, home to a Springsteen collection including more than 4,915 holdings, such as books, song books, tour books, comic books, magazines, fanzines, Internet articles and academic articles and papers. Several major themes emerged in the coverage. His concerts were given a nearly monumental status, and his reputation as a live performer was regarded as nearly unparalleled. He was portrayed as a man who never lost his connection to his fans and his working-class roots despite his massive success. Later, he became the voice of the downtrodden and marginalized. The magazine’s coverage did not reflect the negativity that appeared in other places. Through its editorial decisions, Rolling Stone affected public memory of Springsteen. By taking a laudatory stance on him from the beginning and building upon that over the course of his career while at the same time downplaying controversies, the magazine presented a one-sided picture of him. This approach to coverage ultimately changed little during thirty-four years of coverage. By occupying its position as the premier American music magazine, Rolling Stone had the ability to make its version of him the legitimate, generally accepted one
Trouble Getting Onboard? The Experiences of First-Time Subject-Specific Librarians
Get PDFStarting a new job is always difficult, but there are unique challenges that new librarians face. This panel presentation featuring six first-year academic librarians will highlight some of the common experiences early-career librarians face, and suggestions of ways to improve the transition from student to professional librarian. Improving the onboarding process is not only important for new and early-career librarians to succeed, but also for the entire library organization as onboarding plays a key role in retention and organizational culture
Houses, Hot Dogs, and \u27Hoods: Place Branding and the Reconstruction of Identity in Rick Sebak\u27s Pittsburgh Documentaries
No full textThis project investigates the implementation of place branding theory via documentary filmmaking focused closely on the local characteristics of a place/region. Employing a close reading of WQED filmmaker Rick Sebak\u27s Pittsburgh History Series focused upon recurrent themes about aspects of Pittsburgh\u27s unique identity framed in relation to rhetorical approach and documentary techniques, while also noting aspects left out of Sebak\u27s films, this dissertation demonstrates the progressive potential of publicly funded documentary filmmaking to enable the residents of a given place to rebrand their identity and foster revitalization, independent of the expectations of city planners or corporate sponsors, and without sacrificing the diversity of experiences that give that place its unique character. As a whole, Sebak\u27s body of work constructs a particular narrative of Western Pennsylvania\u27s identity that revamps some of the preexisting notions about that identity. As a project of self-definition and self-understanding, the Pittsburgh History Series provides the local populace with some agency in recreating its image, rather than being branded from the outside. The success of this place branding approach to documentary filmmaking for Sebak and Western Pennsylvania suggests that other cities and regions could use it as a model to take greater control of their identities and cultivate renewal.
On the whole, this dissertation views Sebak\u27s films as a series of reconstructions. While place branding aims to reconstruct a place\u27s identity, the process of documentary filmmaking involves a specific reconstruction of reality in order to communicate certain ideas about that reality. In other words, through his films Sebak constructs or reconstructs aspects of Pittsburgh identity and feeds them back to the residents of that area. Particular aspects of this unique identity frequently emerge in his films. These recurring characteristics that he stresses include neighborhoods that retain a sense of closeness and community as well as ties to their history, a uniquely dedicated workforce that can innovate without abandoning the working-class values of the past, and a rich cultural life that is competitive with that of larger cities in terms of quality yet also more modest and accessible than that found elsewhere. This redefinition of Western Pennsylvania\u27s identity seeks a way forward without attempting to completely discard all aspects of the region\u27s existing identity. This celebration of the region\u27s positive attributes—and consequent downplaying of its more divisive and unpleasant elements and episodes—encourages pride among the local population while also enhancing its appeal to outsiders who might consider relocating themselves and/or their businesses to the area
