{"id":6317,"date":"2019-05-09T18:52:38","date_gmt":"2019-05-09T18:52:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/?p=6317"},"modified":"2023-08-06T21:52:18","modified_gmt":"2023-08-06T21:52:18","slug":"olson-graduate-assistant-acquisitions-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/2019\/05\/09\/olson-graduate-assistant-acquisitions-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Olson Graduate Assistant Acquisitions Project"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Olson Graduate Assistant Acquisitions Project<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every year, Special Collections hosts two Olson Graduate Assistants who have chosen to specialize in the field of Special Collections Librarianship or Archives for a two-year assistantship. These prestigious positions supplement knowledge gained in the classroom with experience gained from real-world application, balancing theory with practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The H. John and Florence Hawkinson Libraries Acquisition Endowment has introduced an exciting new element to this experience: in the second year of their assistantship, the Olson Graduate Assistant can now be given a budget for material acquisitions. The Graduate Assistant chooses a curatorial area of interest in alignment with collection strengths, and works with the Curator in that area to learn about the material selection process. They may attend meetings with book artists and book dealers, peruse catalogs, and search online for the right item(s). They then formally recommend items for purchase and, once the Curator approves of the recommendation, are looped in on the relevant communication. This is a spectacular learning opportunity for them, and a valuable way for Curators to remain in touch with how the next generation of librarians is approaching the work of acquisitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, Olson Graduate Assistant Micaela Terronez selected four items that will be purchased for the Special Collections department using the Hawkinson Endowment. Working with Head of Special Collections, Margaret Gamm, Micaela located materials that would either develop or fill in gaps within the collections. Below, Micaela has provided a brief description of the selected works and why she was interested in them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forming Common Threads <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Mari Eckstein Gower<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Redmond, Washington: Mari Eckstein Gower, 2018.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My eyes were immediately drawn to the vibrant colors and structure of Mari Eckstein Gower\u2019s Forming Common Threads. <\/em>The artist\u2019s book features beautiful watercolor paintings by the artist, as well as silk and paper threads attached to a series of words such as \u201cinspire,\u201d \u201csupport,\u201d and \u201cheal.\u201d Gower\u2019s work links the many stories of strong women from history in contrast to the toxic and misogynistic rhetoric she grew up with.  From the Japanese Tarasen patterned papers to the modified stitched drumleaf format, I was also interested in this book because of the multitude of materials and techniques utilized in its creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vamp and Tramp description<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chronicles of a Coleopterists Strikingly Curious Swarm<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Chronicles<\/a>
Images of Gabrielle Cooksey’s book courtesy of Vamp and Tramp website<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

By Gabrielle Cooksey<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tacoma, Washington: Gabrielle Cooksey, 2018.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyone that knows me well knows I absolutely hate bugs. Spiders, flies, beetles \u2013 I squirm at the sight of them all. Gabrielle Cooksey\u2019s Chronicles of a Coleopterists Strikingly Curious Swarm <\/em>has officially changed my mind about the beauty of these tiny creatures. Included in the artist\u2019s book are twelve aluminum beetles with stories from the author, as well as Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Darwin, Hans Christian Anderson, and Aesop. The book, bound in Cave Paper, was meant to mirror a research field guide. Perhaps one day I\u2019ll have the courage to do my own research on insects. Until then, I think I\u2019ll stick to examining and admiring them from afar with the help of Cooksey\u2019s work. The book will certainly be an enchanting addition to the artists\u2019 books collections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vamp and Tramp description<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One Day \u00b7 Un D\u00eda <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Alex Appella<\/strong>
San Antonio de Arredondo, C\u00f3rdoba, Argentina: Alex Appella, 2018.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am not a native Spanish speaker, but the language certainly carries an emotional connection to my roots and upbringing. Some of my earliest memories of Spanish, for example, originate from daily experiences with my grandparents. One Day \u00b7 Un D\u00eda<\/em> by Alex Appella utilizes bilingual text (Spanish, English) and a collage of family photographs to document the last day of her grandfather\u2019s life and the last days of her mother\u2019s life. By interweaving family and language, Alex Apella\u2019s work recalled memories of my childhood with my grandparents \u2013 both living and passed. When I first arrived at Iowa, I had a difficult time locating bilingual, visual works in Spanish and English. Now, I hope that this work will supplement research, teachings, and emotional reunions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vamp and Tramp description<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enumerations <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Stephanie Gibbs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Los Angeles: Stephanie Gibbs, 2018. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a humanities-focused graduate student, I rarely have the opportunity to truly explore the sciences. Mathematics, in particular, has never been my strongest point. Anyone else still count with their hands, or is it just me? Whether you are a science enthusiast or not, Enumerations <\/em>by Stephanie Gibbs will allow you to consider the interesting intersections between the sciences and humanities. Designed within a clamshell box, the artist\u2019s book includes different forms of memory and computing. A slide rule, memory diagram, diskettes, and Trigonometry screenprints are just a few of the interesting components. Enumerations <\/em>also includes Ada Lovelace\u2019s description of Charles Babbage\u2019s Analytical Engine. I\u2019m incredibly excited to add another bookwork representing women in science to the collections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vamp and Tramp description<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you to Margaret Gamm and Micaela Terronez for sharing this experience with us. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Olson Graduate Assistant Acquisitions Project Every year, Special Collections hosts two Olson Graduate Assistants who have chosen to specialize in the field of Special Collections Librarianship or Archives for a two-year assistantship. These prestigious positions supplement knowledge gained in the classroom with experience gained from real-world application, balancing theory with practice. The H. John andContinue reading “Olson Graduate Assistant Acquisitions Project”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":219,"featured_media":6319,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,79,7],"tags":[69,501,28,516],"syndication":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6317"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/219"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6317"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6317\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7599,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6317\/revisions\/7599"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6317"},{"taxonomy":"syndication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/speccoll\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/syndication?post=6317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}