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”
Category Archives: Educational
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”
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”
What the Hectograph?!?!
This past weekend, the Zine Librarian (un)Conference happened here in Iowa City! Amongst the lively discussions and seminars was a Historical Zine Making Technologies Workshop demonstrating and using obsolescent printing techniques including hectography, spirit duplication, and mimeography. You may be asking yourself, at this point, what the heck a hectograph is…and we’re here to showContinue reading “What the Hectograph?!?!”