Every year at the ICON Science Fiction convention in Cedar Rapids the organizers collect fan created artwork, crafts, and donated memorabilia which are auctioned off to support charities and projects. Last fall, the chosen project was The University of Iowa Libraries’ initiative to digitize the James L. “Rusty” Hevelin Science Fiction collection, an especially meaningful choiceContinue reading “Science Fiction Fans Raise $1,955 To Support Hevelin Collection Digitization”
Author Archives: Colleen Theisen
Margaret Gamm Featured as “Bright Young Librarian” by Fine Books & Collections Magazine
Margaret Gamm, Special Collections Acquisitions and Collections Management Librarian, was featured as a “Bright Young Librarian” by Fine Books and Collections Magazine. Please join us in congratulating her on this recognition from the wider community. You can read the feature here.
Colleen Theisen honored as a “Mover and Shaker” by Library Journal
NEWS RELEASE : 03/15/2015 COLLEEN THEISEN, UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS “MOVER AND SHAKER” AWARD FROM LIBRARY JOURNAL (Iowa City) Colleen Theisen of The University of Iowa Libraries has been named a “Mover and Shaker” in the library industry by the national publication, Library Journal. In its March 15, 2015 issue, Library Journal namedContinue reading “Colleen Theisen honored as a “Mover and Shaker” by Library Journal”
Video Series Visiting Bauman Rare Books
Over the summer members of the University of Iowa Special Collections team visited Las Vegas for the American Library Association and stopped by Bauman Rare Books to chat with Rebecca Romney, who you also might recognize as the rare book appraiser on the History Channel series “Pawn Stars.” While there they let the cameras rollContinue reading “Video Series Visiting Bauman Rare Books”
Spring Break Class Solving Research Mysteries
Today a team of librarians, archivists, and museum professionals from around campus including University Archivist David McCartney again begin teaching a week long Spring Break class, “The Continuing Role of Real Collections.” The students have been researching mystery items as part of the class and often come up with very surprising revelations! What follows isContinue reading “Spring Break Class Solving Research Mysteries”
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”
Sign Up Now to Attend “Documenting Conscience: Preserving the Stories of Iowa Civil Rights Workers”
In 1964, a significant turning point in the U.S. Civil Rights movement occurred in what became known as the Freedom Summer. With the 50th anniversary of that momentous time approaching, the UI Alumni Association (UIAA) has organized a public discussion about those events and current work to safeguard the memory of Iowans who participated inContinue reading “Sign Up Now to Attend “Documenting Conscience: Preserving the Stories of Iowa Civil Rights Workers””
New from the International Dada Archives
Three major new acquisitions from Dada’s transitional period of 1919-1920 document that movement’s spread beyond its World War I origins in neutral Switzerland to the key cultural centers of Europe during the early postwar era. Francis Picabia was one of the chief agents for the propagation of the Dada movement, and his periodical 391 wasContinue reading “New from the International Dada Archives”
Identifying our 4mm Miniature Book
The University of Iowa Special Collections and University Archives is home to the Charlotte Smith Collection of miniature books with more than 4,000 tiny tomes. Most perplexing has been this microscopic Bible that remained unidentified, likely because we lacked the tools to adequately magnify the page with the publisher’s information. Highlighting this tiny book yesterday on our social media pages brought itContinue reading “Identifying our 4mm Miniature Book”
Book /Archival Collections and Light Exposure
Exposing an object to light, whether it is a book or flat item, causes damage that is cumulative over the lifetime of the object. The damage done by light cannot be restored and the item is permanently altered. By keeping the light levels as low as possible while still allowing for adequate viewing of theContinue reading “Book /Archival Collections and Light Exposure”