First of a series of three blog posts by Peter Balestrieri highlighting our collections relating to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. “It was a dark and stormy night” in June, 1816 that brought together some of Romantic literature’s shining lights to read ghost stories in the Villa Diodati near Geneva, Switzerland. Diodati had once hosted Milton and wasContinue reading “Frankenstein’s Cousin, The Vampyre – 1 of 3 from Peter Balestrieri”
Author Archives: Colleen Theisen
Unboxing the Hevelin Science Fiction Collection on Tumblr
The time has come! The James L. “Rusty” Hevelin Collection of Pulps, Fanzines, and Science Fiction Books is being unboxed and processed. Special Collections & University Archives is pleased to welcome long-time student worker and avid researcher Peter Balestrieri who is joining our staff as a Processing Librarian and taking on the task of making the collection ready for researchers. Continue reading “Unboxing the Hevelin Science Fiction Collection on Tumblr”
Who Am I?
Do you know this man? Or perhaps you know this lovely girl with her bicycle? This mysterious item has a series of six photographs printed on fabric and bound together on a wooden holder. Based on clothing and hairstyle the photos seem to be from different time periods. Are they all different people? Did oneContinue reading “Who Am I?”
Voices From the Stacks #2: Spine Lining
The second edition of our new series, “Voices from the Stacks” comes from English Department graduate student, Miriam Janechek, who is working as a guest curator for an exhibition that will debut this fall: Filler pages from other books used to bind the spine of an 1856 edition of The Life of Benjamin Franklin demonstrateContinue reading “Voices From the Stacks #2: Spine Lining”
150 Years Later a Civil War Story Unfolds
In celebration of the U.S. Civil War Sesquicentennial, The University of Iowa Libraries is bringing to life the compelling story of Civil War soldier Joseph F. Culver and his wife, Mary, featuring letters held in Special Collections in the J.F Culver Papers. Letter by letter their story will unfold over the next three years published onContinue reading “150 Years Later a Civil War Story Unfolds”
New Acquisitions: KRUI, Oakdale Scrapbook and Artists’ Books
Here are some featured items that have recently arrived in both Special Collections and in the University Archives. Researchers interested in the history of local radio, advertising, tuberculosis, and artist’s books should particularly take note of our recent arrivals. The University Archives now includes additional documents from KRUI. KRUI 89.7, the University of Iowa student radio station, beganContinue reading “New Acquisitions: KRUI, Oakdale Scrapbook and Artists’ Books”
Montgomery Sheet Music Give Cultural Panorama of Early 20th Century America
Donated to Special Collections in March 2012 by Linda Yanney, the Beluah Yanney Montgomery Sheet Music Collection has been processed by our outgoing Olson Fellow Gyorgy “George” Toth and is being added to our Sheet Music Collection (http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/spec-coll/msc/ToMsC900/MsC873/MsC873_sheetmusic.html). Covering the late 19th through middle 20th centuries, the Montgomery addendum complements our current collection of sheet musicContinue reading “Montgomery Sheet Music Give Cultural Panorama of Early 20th Century America”
Voices from the Stacks #1: Special Collections’ “Miseries”
Re-shelving, putting items in folders, boxing, labeling, sorting, shifting, dusting and vacuuming are just a snapshot of what happens behind the scenes everyday in any Special Collections or archives and that means our students and volunteers often have unique opportunities to identify unique items in the collections. From time to time in this space we will featureContinue reading “Voices from the Stacks #1: Special Collections’ “Miseries””
Book Tasting Event Results
Last weekend at the Iowa City Book Festival, Special Collections & University Archives hosted a Book Tasting event in the Old Capitol. As a closed stack library usually researchers and readers already have an item in mind when they come to see us. “Search” will turn up very different results from “browse” as a strategy andContinue reading “Book Tasting Event Results”
Help Document Student Life in the University Archives
The University Archives has two announcements: A new acquisition and an ongoing project, both of which have an embedded call to help document student life here at the University of Iowa. Janet Pease, who earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees (including the Ph.D.) in history from The University of Iowa, donated to the University Archives herContinue reading “Help Document Student Life in the University Archives”