Beyond the Reading Room

Rhymes that identify book owners, warn or threaten book thieves, and extol the virtues of learning appear in interesting variations, particularly on the pages of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century school books.

The class, German 386 / Fairy Tales, is devoted primarily to the tales collected by the Brothers Grimm just over 200 years ago, while also exploring the structural elements of fairy tales and the stories’ ongoing influence in contemporary society. Mary Gell brought her class of 32 students to the Special Collections Library in June to give students a sense of the role illustrations have played in the reception and popularization of fairy tales.

The Midwest Victorian Studies Association (MVSA) held its annual conference in Ann Arbor this year in April, presenting a prime opportunity for us to showcase some of the University of Michigan Special Collections Library’s relevant materials. The Librarian for English Language and Literature, Sigrid Cordell, and student University Library Associate Ikumi Crocoll worked together to create an exhibit that related to this year’s conference theme, Victorian violence.

This Wednesday's watermarks feature: crown-star-crescent motifs in papers of Isl. Ms. 564

The Lee Walp Family Juvenile Book Collection is a trove of children’s literature, representing authors and illustrators throughout the 20th century both through published works and through correspondence, clippings, and original artwork. The collection is now completely cataloged and can be requested in Mirlyn for use in the Reading Room.

The Alfred Rodman Hussey Papers have arrived at Special Collections! Alfred Rodman Hussey played a very important role in drafting the new Japanese constitution and restructuring the Japanese government during the Allied occupation of Japan post-WWII. This blog post discusses the processing of these papers that has led to the increased discoverability and improved storage of the materials, added experience for the student University Library Associate, and a finding aid and catalog record.

This month’s recipe is out of a WWII food conservation pamphlet, A Guide to Wartime Cooking, by Meredith Moulton Redhead and Edith Elliott Swank, part of a box of war-related culinary ephemera.

Welcome to our blog! We will take you into the stacks, behind the scenes, and well "Beyond the Reading Room" with stories about the collections, services, programs, and activities of the Special Collections Library.