The Science Library now has brand new compact shelving to hold periodicals, books, and archival materials. With the growth of our collections, we’ve been scrambling for space for years, so the new shelving is much appreciated! As always, the archival material is in an enclosed area off limit to patrons, but just as before, any collection can be requested for use by filling out a request form available in Special Collections & Archives. It may take 24-48 hours to retrieve a collection, so please request items ahead of the time you actually want to use them.
Wondering what we have? Take a look at our Collections Listing, and check our list of Finding Aids for more detailed descriptions. Still not sure? Contact us–we can help you find what you’re looking for!
On January 18, the PBS program History Detectives visited Special Collections & Archives and Olin Library to investigate a book that was found in the open stacks of Olin this summer.
The book, August Spies’ Auto-Biography, appears to have the stamp of Lucy Parsons, a famous anarchist and the wife of one of the men executed in 1877 for alleged crimes related to the Haymarket Riot in Chicago. Because her books were confiscated at the time of her death, the book seemed especially rare. We called in the History Detectives to do more investigation, and were delighted when they decided to film a segment about it.
We won’t give away any secrets, but what they found out is surprising! The program will be shown some time in July, so check your PBS stations this summer.
On October 24, noted book artist Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. visited Wesleyan University for a Friends of the Wesleyan Library event. He gave a talk titled, “Put the Message in the hands of the people and move on: a TIRADE by Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.” Kennedy’s provocative, powerful, and humorous lecture touched on his career as a book artist and the political messages in his works.
Special Collections & Archives has an extensive collection of Kennedy’s books, posters, and postcards, and offered an “open house” with these items before and after the lecture.
Deborah Muirhead examines materials at the open house.
(Photo by Janet L. Pritchard)
Dozens of visitors browsed the collection and spoke with Kennedy. Special Collections & Archives also received additional donations from the author during the evening.
In the 19th century, many students at Wesleyan made class albums. These were like yearbooks, but entirely comprised of photographs. Each student would choose the images of classmates, faculty, campus buildings, and Middletown scenes of their liking.
This image of the class of 1886 is only one image of thousands in our over 150 album collection. Recently, a person cleaning out a relative’s home found a beautiful album from 1882, with winter scenes of Middletown and photographs from the inside of the original library (now the Patricelli ‘92 Theatre). The generous donation of this class album to Wesleyan gives us a glimpse back in time to a campus at once familiar and foreign.
We have started this blog to provide news and information about the archival and rare book collections at Wesleyan University. This site will keep you updated on events, exhibits, and new acquisitions, as well as glimpses of some of our holdings. Welcome to SC&A!
