NEW THIS WEEK: A summer exhibition at Shields Library tells how archivists turn assorted, musty papers into an organized set of documents readily available to researchers.

The exhibition is titled Attic to Archives: Bringing Historical Collections to Light. It is the work of Liz Phillips, manuscript archivist in Special Collections, University Library.

The library Web site describes the exhibition like this: "Have you ever wondered how a group of old papers becomes a research collection? A great deal of research, writing and hands-on cataloging takes place between the time that files are moved out of an attic or garage and the day that researchers come to use them in the Special Collections reading room."

The exhibition, in the display cases outside the reading room, on the library's first floor, "will take you through the steps involved in bringing a historical collection to life."

Shields Library hours through July 31: 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, 1-7 p.m. Sunday.

OPENING RECEPTION: The Nelson Gallery plans an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. July 9 for the Black Market Type & Print Shop and Routines.

The Black Market Type & Print Shop offers visitors the opportunity to work with more than 30 type fonts copied from the artwork of internationally-known artists.

These letterforms have been scanned and converted into computer fonts, and the public can use them for free. “Through this process the visual language of contemporary art is subtly distributed beyond the gallery through street-level ephemera such as rock-show fliers and for-sale notices,” exhibition organizers said.

At other venues, people produced such items as personal letters, out-of-order signs and “free kittens to a good home” posters.

The Nelson’s summer exhibition also includes Danish artist Mads Lynnerup’s Routines, based on the four weeks he spent observing people and their routines in the area around Sønder Boulevard, a central street in Copenhagen.

Using his notes and drawings, he produced 10 posters and a video of the different routines that he discovered in the neighborhood.

“This installation subtly, but brilliantly, captivates the viewer through mundane, overlooked acts in a way that makes them poignant and amusing; magic is created,” states a news release from the Nelson.

The gallery is in 124 Art Building. Regular summer hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and by appointment on Sundays.

ONGOING EXHIBITIONS

Art-Science Fusion Program Exhibition — More than 50 photographic works by students, exploring the conceptual connections between art and science and the role of art and science at UC Davis; plus a ceramic mosaic, The Face of Darwin, by students and people from the community. Presented by the Art-Science Fusion Program. Through July 2, Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center.

MFA First-Year Student Exhibit — The exhibitors: Johanna Barron and Hyung-Mo Chu (installations), Joshua Pelletier (mixed media drawings), Aleksander Bohnak, Jingjing Gong and Christopher Woodcock (photography), Robert Machoian (print work), and Traci Horgen and Linda Miller (sculpture). Through July 5, Pence Gallery, 212 D St., Davis.

Stepping Out: Footwear From Around the World — From the Design Collection. Through July 12, Design Museum. Hours: noon-4 p.m. Monday-Friday, 2-4 p.m. Sunday.

25 Stories from the Central Valley — Photos documenting women’s struggles for environmental justice. Through Aug. 23, Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center.

University Library: Building a Foundation, 1908-2008 — Centennial exhibition. Lobby, Shields Library. Hours through July 31: 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, 1-7 p.m. Sunday.

Visual Sovereignty: International Indigenous Photography — Featuring the works of 35 Native American, First Nations, Inuit, Aboriginal and Maori artists. Through Sept. 4, C.N. Gorman Museum. Hours: noon-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 2-5 p.m. Sunday.

When Bad Things Happen to Good Books — Showing the results of careless handling or deliberate defacing, and how the library's Preservation Department deals with the damage. Through summer, lobby, Shields Library. Hours through July 31: 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, 1-7 p.m. Sunday.

Whilst Dreaming I — Raku-fired ceramics by the Craft Center's Kasha Maslowski, one-time student manager who now teaches silk painting. Through July 31, Craft Center Gallery. Hours: 12:30 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 12:30 to 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.