It may seem early, but we’re already booking classes for Fall! Right now is the best time to let us know when you want to schedule sessions – just fill out our instruction request form: http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/forms/speccoll_class/ – Amy Chen, Instruction Librarian
New video series Historical Crushes
Have you found love in the archives? Do you have a historical crush? Special Collections’ Graduate Assistant Kelly Grogg has debuted the first episode of a five episode series. A new episode will be posted every Thursday in June.
Special Collections Librarians on Snapchat this Summer
Follow Department Liaison Lindsay Moen and Outreach & Engagement Librarian Colleen Theisen this summer for behind the scenes snaps of exhibitions, collection items, and the day to day workings of Special Collections.
If you had been an heir of the estate of Don Francisco Muñoz Carillo, a nobleman from Cuenca, Spain who died in 1687, you may have received some part of these items. However, before you get too excited, you would have also inherited the many debts that Don Francisco’s left his heirs.
In the past two weeks, graduate students from the University of Iowa have been participating in a paleography workshop entitled “Meet the Manuscript” and working intently on the transcription and translation of Don Francisco’s last will and testament, held in the University of Iowa’s Special Collections Library (xMMs.Doc2).
But this is not a simple project. Students have been working on multiple levels: transcribing, translating and TEI encoding each page of the document, with a view to providing an online digital edition and resource tool for a broad range of viewers who might benefit from using this document, as well as making a historic model of the document with which they are working. Thanks to the UI Center for the Book’s Tim Barrett, Melissa Moreton and Cheryl Jacobsen, eleven new books were born, filled with hand-made paper, held together with a tacketed binding with alum taw laces (case paper replaced the original parchment cover), and sporting examples of an Italic script.
Additionally, students from three Iowa high schools are interacting with the manuscript either through digital images and translations or through their visit with the original document in UI Spec Coll.
The work from both UI graduate students and high school students will be available on the Meet the Manuscript website.
What a wonderful collaborative experience with much thanks to UI Spec Coll, UI Studio, UI Center for the Book, Ana Rodriguez and Amber Brian from the UI Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and the multiple UI departments and divisions that sponsored the fellows! Muchas gracias from all of us and all of Don Francisco’s predecessors and successors.
Curator of Science Fiction and Popular Culture, Peter Balestrieri is featured in the Cover Story of the May/June issue of Archival Outlook from the Society of American Archivists.
“Archivists are artists,” Balestrieri remarks, reflecting on his punk rock gig with the Violent Femmes and how a life with music and libraries intertwined eventually led him to Special Collections.
The UI Libraries hosted Nicholas Meyer, who made an appearance as a guest speaker in conjunction with the Main Library Gallery exhibition 50 Years of Star Trek.
English Department Shakespeare Professor Adam Hooks joined us for an episode of Staxpeditions. Can you guess where his favorite call number range might lead?
New Acquisition:
Helen Hiebert’s Interluceo arrived recently, at the request of several UICB faculty members. Interluceo is a collaborative work, blending Helen’s paper and watermarks with papercut illustrations by Beatrice Coron and a binding by Claudia Cohen. It’s a beautiful example of how the talents of multiple artists can come together to tell a fascinating story using the form of the book itself. Photos and video really don’t do it justice! – Margaret Gamm
Curator of Science Fiction and Popular Culture, Peter Balestrieri is featured in the Cover Story of the May/June issue of Archival Outlook from the Society of American Archivists.
“Archivists are artists,” Balestrieri remarks, reflecting on his punk rock gig with the Violent Femmes and how a life with music and libraries intertwined eventually led him to Special Collections.
The University of Iowa School of Library and Information Science and the Center for the Book made a video advertising their dual program called BLIS. Special Collections staff members Peter Balestrieri and Lindsay Moen, both graduates of SLIS, are featured in the video along with Andrea Kohashi, a former Olson Graduate Assistant, and many other familiar faces from around the UI Library system. You can even get a peek into one of our class sessions in action!
Upcoming Events:
Nicholas Meyer on set with Leonard Nimoy
Nicholas Meyer
Friday, May 20 at 6:30pm to 8:00pm, University of Iowa Main Library, Shambaugh Auditorium 125 West Washington St. Iowa City
Meyer will deliver a brief talk, titled The Last Man To Understand Anything.
Kelly Grogg, Laurel Rhame, Ella von Holtum and Amanda Rasmussen, graduate student employees from Special Collections and the Iowa Women’s Archives, presented their posters last week as part of their Masters in Library Science. Both Amanda and Ella received ‘distinguished poster’ awards. Congratulations to Kelly, Laura, Ella, Amanda, and to all of the students graduating this month from the School of Library and Information Science.
Laurel Rhame
Kelly Grogg
Amanda Rasmussen
Ella von Holtum
Congratulations also to Heather Wacha who successfully defended her doctoral dissertation in history this morning.
Upcoming Events:
1. Iowa Bibliophiles Book Club Meeting
Wednesday, May 11th, Snacks at 6:30pm, Discussion from 7-8pm in the Special Collections Reading Room, 3rd Floor Main Library.
Find a copy of “The Millionaire and the Bard: Henry Folger’s Obsessive Hunt for Shakespeare’s First Folio” and join us for a book club.
2. Stong Minded Men Make Music For Strong Minded Women: A Fundraiser for the Iowa Women’s Archives
Thursday, May 12, 6:30PM at The Mill
Music performances featuring Tom Mason and Homebrewed. Suggested donation: $10 a the door, $20 with a “Strong Minded” t-shirt
Students $5 (or $15 with “Strong Minded” t-shirt)
1. Making Tribbles at “Break from Busyness” in the UI Main Library Learning Commons:
The Break From Busyness was an event in the Learning Commons everyday giving students a chance to do something creative to take a break from studying for final exams. Colleen Theisen was there with tribbles the students could stuff and stitch to add to the 50 Years of Star Trek exhibition. Students making a tribble received an “I’m a tribble maker” button and an entry to win the life size Captain Kirk cutout that is slowly being overcome by tribbles in the front case of the exhibition. Watch for more tribble making opportunities throughout the summer months!
2. Peter Balestrieri’s Report from the DemiCon Science Fiction Convention:
It was my pleasure to attend the 27th DemiCon Science Fiction Convention in Des Moines last week. The UI Libraries had a table in the hotel lobby that was seen by everyone in attendance. I gave out our coveted retro robot and rocket ship squeeze toys and dozens of our self-made zines that advertise our Star Trek and Doctor Who collections, along with a zine explaining the Hevelin Fanzine Digitization Project. I also spoke on a panel (one that fans called the “best panel in years”) on Victorian Horror with Artist Guest of Honor, Alan M. Clark. Finally, I delivered our annual, “State of the Hevelin Collection,” presentation to people who knew Rusty Hevelin and loved him. All the news regarding digitization of fanzines and the progress made cataloging pulp magazines and books from the collection was very well-received. All in all, it was another great opportunity to reach out to the people of Iowa to let them know what we do in Special Collections (and have some fun).
Special Collections’ table
Zombie cosplay
Social Media & Online Community:
New Acquisition Vine Videos Pass 1.5 Million Views
Acquisitions & Collections Management Librarian Margaret Gamm’s 6 second Vine videos opening new acquisitions have been viewed over 1.5 million times total. Congratulations to Margaret Gamm and Colleen Theisen on their continuing work to deliver information about our holdings in online communities.
Seen below is Deep in the Yellow Woods from 2015. It is a carousel format book hand sewn by the artist, Lois Morrison, and featuring a fantasy poem also written by the artist and is one of 20 copies.
https://vine.co/v/iUYlxuOj7hq
This Week’s New Video:
This week we posted a new episode of Staxpeditions exploring the F850 call number range requested by our follower Dana Gerber-Margie.
How I Teach by Dr. Adam Hooks, English Department, University of Iowa.
ACRL Library Marketing & Outreach Group interview with Outreach & Engagement Librarian Colleen Theisen
Launched this week:
1960’s Digital Exhibition Uptight & Laid-back: Iowa City in the 1960s, an ongoing collaborative project developed by University Archivist David McCartney and The Digital Scholarship & Publishing Studio, brings to life a dynamic and turbulent decade for the University and for Iowa City. The curated topics pages and interactive map invite the public to explore an array of material associated with the campus and the community. The public is also welcome to contribute materials! We’ll be adding to the site over the coming months. Stay tuned!
Deadlines:
May 1, 2016: The Olson Graduate Assistant
The Olson Graduate Research Assistant position in Special Collections is a two year 50% position for incoming or current graduate students at the University of Iowa to join the department and support reference, instruction, outreach, processing, and exhibitions, while having opportunity pursue individual projects.
June 3, 2016: Proposals for RBMS Seminars for the 2017 Conference in Iowa City
Seminars are 90-minute sessions, given in a variety of formats. They constitute an important educational component of each conference and are a valuable forum for the exchange of ideas and information on particular topics of relevance to rare book and manuscript librarians. Read more.
Upcoming Events:
Break from Busyness (Become a #tribblemaker)
Monday-Friday, May 2nd-5th, 12-3pm
This finals season we challenge you to find time for breaks in your studying. To help, librarians at Main Library have set up a handful of challenge activities designed to help take your minds off of finals, just for a bit. Special Collections staff will be on hand with fur fabric and supplies if you want to become a tribble maker and add to the Star Trek exhibition! Get an “I’m a tribble maker” button and an entry to win the life size Captain Kirk cutout currently in the front case of the gallery. More info.
Guest Speaker: Author Michael Blanding
The Friends of the University of Iowa Libraries will host Michael Blanding, author of bestseller The Map Thief, the gripping story of an esteemed rare-map dealer who made millions stealing priceless maps.
Thursday, May 5, 2016 in the Main Library’s Shambaugh Auditorium. Blanding’s presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m., with a reception and book signing to follow at 7:30 p.m.
This event is free and open to the public. More info.
Iowa Bibliophiles Book Club Meeting
Wednesday, May 11th, Snacks at 6:30pm, Discussion from 7-8pm in the Special Collections Reading Room, 3rd Floor Main Library.
Find a copy of “The Millionaire and the Bard: Henry Folger’s Obsessive Hunt for Shakespeare’s First Folio” and join us for a book club.
Stong Minded Men Make Music For Strong Minded Women: A Fundraiser for the Iowa Women’s Archives
Thursday, May 12, 6:30PM at The Mill
Music performances featuring Tom Mason and Homebrewed. Suggested donation: $10 a the door, $20 with a “Strong Minded” t-shirt
Students $5 (or $15 with “Strong Minded” t-shirt)
This week we had ten classes in to special collections. Just because it’s close to the end of the semester doesn’t mean we’re slowing down!
While you may be more focused on ending the academic year strong, if you are an instructor, this is the right time to start thinking about requesting class dates and times for summer or fall 2016. Please use our instruction request form to request your upcoming sessions: http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/forms/speccoll_class/. It’s especially important to be the early bird if you work with early materials, as our medieval manuscripts are limited to five class uses per semester on a first come-first serve basis.
Also note that Instruction Librarian Amy Chen will be out on vacation for three weeks from May 9 through May 27. During this time, the instruction request form will be forwarded to the Olson Graduate Assistants, John Fifield and Kelly Grogg. They will handle the booking of your courses until Amy returns. Other questions or correspondence to Amy will be answered as soon as possible upon her return to the office at the end of May.
Social Media & Online Community:
You can revisit our third annual Shakespeare Livestream:
This bit of ephemera, this flattened Cellophane envelope, with its cheerful “Good Morning!” greeted me as I opened to page 41. I love that this colorful advertisement served as a book mark in Print, a journal of the graphic arts, for a library reader investigating “Lasansky and the Iowa Print Group,” by Roy Sieber. This article about University of Iowa printmaker, Mauricio Lasansky, was published in January 1952.
Lasansky studied at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York under a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1943. The grant was renewed the following year, allowing him to study intaglio printing, a printing process for which he became famous. In 1945 Lasansky joined the faculty at the University of Iowa School of Fine Arts, where he founded the renowned Iowa Print Group. Professor Mauricio Lasansky retired in 1986 and died in 2012.
A clue to the age of this advertisement is found at the website of the Chock full 0’ Nuts Company. They charged $0.35 for a cup of coffee in 1955, while this bit of advertisement offers a cup for $0.10. This wrapper may have been put to use as a book mark shortly after the publication was bound in 1953, where it has made its home for more than 60 years.
May 1, 2016: The Olson Graduate Assistant position in Special Collections is a two year position for incoming or current graduate students at the University of Iowa.
Celebrate 50 years of Star Trek with the University of Iowa Libraries, featuring an exhibition of rare materials documenting the history of Trek and Trekkers. With a focus on the Original Series cast on television and in film, the exhibition highlights the early years of the franchise and illustrates the key role fans played in shaping its future.
1. Stong Minded Men Make Music For Strong Minded Women: A Fundraiser for the Iowa Women’s Archives.
Thursday, May 12, 6:30PM at The Mill
Music performances featuring Tom Mason and Homebrewed. Suggested donation: $10 a the door, $20 with a “Strong Minded” t-shirt
Students $5 (or $15 with “Strong Minded” t-shirt)
2. The next Iowa Bibliophiles meeting is a BOOK CLUB!
Find a copy of “The Millionaire and the Bard: Henry Folger’s Obsessive Hunt for Shakespeare’s First Folio.”
Read it, and join us Wednesday May 11th!
Instruction:
Two weeks ago, we supported seven classes, including Johnna Sturgeon’s class from Cornell College. Sturgeon is teaching a course on the transition from manuscript to print. Her students wanted to see medieval manuscripts, incunabula, and early printed books. During their visit, Sturgeon’s students also tried out our new book analysis curricula jointly designed by Acquisition Librarian Margaret Gamm and Instruction Librarian Amy Chen. This curricula teaches students to identify features in rare books. We were happy to host their visit and we look forward to using this curricula with more book history classes in the future!
With double digit class sessions scheduled this week, we are sprinting to the end of the semester. In the next few weeks Instruction Librarian Amy Chen will be compiling data about our blockbuster 2015-2016 academic year.
Event Recap:
Iowa Bibliophiles met on April 13, 2016.
Jane Murphy and Mark Brookfield, 36 year partners in Murphy-Brookfield Books, talked to a crowded room about the enormous changes brought on by Internet bookselling in the last 20+ years.
Jane Murphy and Mark Brookfield
Speaking to a crowd
An example of a type of book that has lost value
New Acquisition:
This Folio Society reproduction lavished attention on the Kelmscott Press’ News from Nowhere.
University of Iowa Libraries’ staff this year donated to a new Libraries’ Student Employee Scholarship fund to support competitive scholarships open to students working in the University of Iowa library system. Special Collections’ own Stacy Garrard was awarded one of the two scholarships.
Stacy is a freshman majoring in Speech and Hearing Sciences and works in Special Collections where she loves looking at the historical pieces of art, literature, and letters as well as assisting patrons with general inquiries and more in-depth research.
Stacy has been invaluable to us in Special Collections. Stop by the Reading Room on the third floor to join us in congratulating Stacy!