If Books Could Talk is a collaboration between Heather Wacha from History Corps, a digital public history project from the History Department at the University of Iowa, Colleen Theisen, Outreach & Engagement Librarian from Special Collections, and Katie Buehner, Head of the Rita Benton Music Library from the University of Iowa Libraries. Heather Wacha researchedContinue reading “YouTube Series If Books Could Talk Finishes Final Episode”
Category Archives: Educational
Meet the Manuscript
By Heather Wacha 28 beaver fur hats. 6 panels of tapestries. Wool from Flanders. Silks, cloths and linens. Furniture, paintings, and sculptures. Gold and Silver. All manner of carriages. If you had been an heir of the estate of Don Francisco Muñoz Carillo, a nobleman from Cuenca, Spain who died in 1687, you mayContinue reading “Meet the Manuscript”
Updates on History of the Book: The Game
By Amy Chen Amy Chen hosted the fifth play test for the History of the Book: The Game. Four library staff played this time: Heidi Wiren Bartlett, the Digital Scholarship and Publishing Studio Designer; Colleen Theisen, Outreach Librarian for Special Collections; Kelly Grogg, senior Olson Graduate Assistant for Special Collections; and Laura Hampton, Digital ProjectContinue reading “Updates on History of the Book: The Game”
Norwalk High School Artists Connect with History to Inspire New Creative Work
By Heather Wacha On Tuesday March 22, 2016 Special Collections welcomed 28 students from Norwalk High School, Norwalk, IA. The students were those of art teacher Maggie Harlow-Vogt. They had traveled all the way from Norwalk to Iowa City seeking inspiration from Special Collections and the Library’s Conservation Lab for their next art projects! TheContinue reading “Norwalk High School Artists Connect with History to Inspire New Creative Work”
The History of the Book: The Game to be used in Fall 2016 curricula
By: Amy H. Chen “The year is 1450. Johannes Gutenberg is printing a book, one of the first in the world. When he is finished, the printed book is born. Follow the history of the book through the next six centuries, through technological advancements, scientific breakthroughs, artistic triumphs, shifts in the socio-political climate, and the fluctuating financialContinue reading “The History of the Book: The Game to be used in Fall 2016 curricula”
Public History Partners Follow the Trail of a Dismantled and Lost Medieval Manuscript
Where are your other leaves? Re-discovering the Wilton Processional Even a single page from a medieval book can hold many secrets. Sometimes there are enough clues to uncover a surprising history. In March 2015, Heather Wacha, a PhD student in the History Department, and a member of History Corps, was assisting Special Collections in identifying aContinue reading “Public History Partners Follow the Trail of a Dismantled and Lost Medieval Manuscript”
Dora Lee and Arthurine: A Story of Two Black Women in 1955-1956
By Jacque Roethler, Manuscripts Processing Coordinator In the firestorm that was the desegregation movement of the nineteen fifties and sixties, the experiences of two women of color makes a nuanced statement about race and its implications. Dora Lee Martin attended the University of Iowa and sixty years ago on December 10, 1955, the seventeen yearContinue reading “Dora Lee and Arthurine: A Story of Two Black Women in 1955-1956”
Henry A. Wallace, Advocate for Peace and Unity of the Americas
By Jacque Roethler, Manuscripts Processing Coordinator On the 50th anniversary of his death, we remember Henry Agard Wallace, the 33rd Vice-President of the United States, who was a man well ahead of his times. An idealist who experimented to the point of dilettantism, these avocations destroyed his political career, but he would not back downContinue reading “Henry A. Wallace, Advocate for Peace and Unity of the Americas”
Aldus Manutius: A man with a plan, a printshop, and a pretty sweet colophon
Aldus Manutius was born in Italy during the Italian Renaissance. He became the leading printer of his time and is responsible for many literary accomplishments, including the invention of italic type for use in a printing press and the semicolon. Most importantly, Manutius was one of the first people to publish small, pocket editions ofContinue reading “Aldus Manutius: A man with a plan, a printshop, and a pretty sweet colophon”
The Boy Scouts: A Cultural History through Handbooks
What follows is a guest post from one of our student workers, Shawn Conley, an Eagle Scout and Boy Scout memorabilia collector. Since its founding more than a century ago, the Boy Scouts of America has striven to turn young men into well-rounded individuals and citizens of our society. Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of theContinue reading “The Boy Scouts: A Cultural History through Handbooks”