Library Blogs

This Wednesday's watermarks feature: hand / glove motifs in papers of manuscripts from the Islamic Manuscripts Collection.

Since we are now “celebrating” Banned Books Week, I thought that readers of our blog would be delighted to know that the Special Collections Library holds an important selection of early-printed editions of the justly infamous Index librorum prohibitorum (List of Forbidden Books).

So for awhile there, we thought we had a ghost in the archive. Or since it was a rogue television that kept turning off on its own, maybe we should refer to it as a ghost in the machine.

The last visual refresh to the DLPS Image Class environment updated the layout and styles, but mostly worked the same way. Starting this year, we've been making more drastic changes. These updates were based on what our analytics showed about browser use (larger, wider screens and of course, mobile use) and conversations with collection managers.

Many finding aids for our archives and manuscript materials are online, but some are not (yet). When a Special Collections catalog record says “Unpublished finding aid available in repository,” these are what we’re talking about.

We are elated to announce that the Tom Hayden Papers are now part of the Special Collections Library's Joseph A. Labadie Collection.

Although it is not widely known today, the Margarita Philosophica helped shape the world view of Renaissance Europe's movers and shakers. Educated men learned that science and mathematics were inextricably tied to the world as a creation of God; philosophy in Reisch's text has as much to do with the Christian Bible as the works of Aristotle.

A singular bird’s last breath is not often met with sadness, nor does it necessarily signify the emphatic end of an era. However, on September 1, 1914, the last living passenger pigeon, Martha, passed away at the Cincinnati Zoological Gardens. In the course of a century, the passenger pigeon went from being the most abundant land bird in North America to an extinct species. As September 1st, 2014 marks the centennial of Martha’s passing, the University of Michigan’s Special Collections Library and Museum of Natural History remember this native bird.

How much do people actually read on the web? Not much. UX Myths presents the evidence.

Welcome back, students! Here is our list of most popular games from last month. Quite a few newer games as well as a few fan favorites.