special collections Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Jabba the Hutt figurine from the Nicholas A. Salerno Star Wars Collection at Arizona State University

By the Numbers: Literary Phoenix

By Megan Bennett | January 2, 2025

American Library Association’s LibLearnX Conference in Phoenix will take place Jan. 24–27. 28,000 Number of Indigenous artists represented in the Billie Jane Baguley Library and Archives (BJBLA), located within the Heard Museum in Phoenix. Like the museum, BJBLA’s holdings include traditional and contemporary American Indian artists’ art, written works, and biographical information. $500 Amount that … Continue reading By the Numbers: Literary Phoenix →

Caelin Ross, performing arts librarian at Arizona State University Library in Tempe, poses with items from its Theatre for Youth and Community Collection.

Bookend: Curtains Up

By Megan Bennett | January 2, 2025

“You can learn so much … from plays written for, with, and by youth,” says Ross, performing arts librarian at Arizona State University (ASU) Library in Tempe, noting that young imaginations allow for more “interesting and experimental” presentations. Ross oversees ASU’s Theatre for Youth and Community Collection. Founded in 1979, the university says it is … Continue reading Bookend: Curtains Up →

Librarian Corinne Wolfson wearing several buttons from Harvard University's political button collection, surrounded by a collage of buttons reading, "Wearing buttons is not enough," "Teddy is good enough for me (alongside a photo of Teddy Roosevelt), McKinley and protection, Draft beer not people, It's a man's world unless women vote, Boycott non-union lettuce, Proudly for Brooke - a creative Republican, Viva LBJ, Rocky has never lost an election, and an illustration of black and white hands cradling a dove of peace.

Bookend: Put a Pin in It

By Megan Bennett | November 1, 2024

From the iconic to the incendiary, political messages like these have emblazoned buttons and pins since the start of US elections. Since 2012, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government (HKS) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has been archiving political buttons. The collection now includes thousands of items spanning a century’s worth of campaigns and causes. “Pre-internet, this … Continue reading Bookend: Put a Pin in It →

Photo of the bronze Dr. Seuss and Cat in the Hat statue outside Geisel Library, the main library of University of California San Diego

By the Numbers: Literary San Diego

By Megan Bennett | June 3, 2024

The American Library Association’s 2024 Annual Conference and Exhibition will be held June 27–July 2 in San Diego. 4 Number of crown-shaped chandeliers designed by author L. Frank Baum for the Hotel del Coronado, located on San Diego Bay. The hotel, where Baum frequently stayed as a guest, is said to have inspired the Emerald … Continue reading By the Numbers: Literary San Diego →

Kelley Woolley poses with items from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance library collection

Bookend: From A to Zoo

By Megan Bennett | June 3, 2024

“I’ve been a huge animal person my whole life,” Woolley says. Today, she oversees the library and archive for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA), the nonprofit that runs the zoo and park. Her workplace is one of a handful of zoo libraries across the US that employs a full-time librarian. SDZWA’s 16,000-item library comprises … Continue reading Bookend: From A to Zoo →

A photo of a piece of sheet music from University of Michigan's collection of Thomas Edison's sheet music.

By the Numbers: Inventors

By Megan Bennett | May 1, 2024

May is National Inventors Month 135,850 Number of items in the Edison Sheet Music Collection, housed at University of Michigan Library in Ann Arbor. Thomas Edison, who invented the phonograph in 1877, spearheaded this collection as a way for his phonograph company to select vocal and instrumental scores to record. 44 Number of agricultural bulletins … Continue reading By the Numbers: Inventors →

Call Number Podcast: Preserving History

April 15, 2024

First, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski speaks with Indigenous author Traci Sorell, the honorary chair of this year’s Preservation Week. Sorell, a former attorney who worked on Native Nations policy, discusses preservation’s part in telling stories. Next, American Libraries Associate Editor and Call Number host Diana Panuncial speaks with Kathleen Monahan, special collections public … Continue reading Call Number Podcast: Preserving History →

By the Numbers: Literary Baltimore

By Megan Bennett | January 2, 2024

ALA’s 2024 LibLearnX conference will be held January 19–22 in Baltimore. 1882 Year that Enoch Pratt Free Library (EPFL) in Baltimore was founded. Six years after ALA’s founding, EPFL received its initial funding from local businessman and philanthropist Enoch Pratt. The system now has 22 locations across the city. 1992 Year that Atomic Books—an independent … Continue reading By the Numbers: Literary Baltimore →

Anna Kresmer, holding a title from the B&O Railroad Museum research library, poses in front of a 19th century locomotive.

Bookend: Keeping Track

By Megan Bennett | January 2, 2024

“It really [was] a seismic culture shift,” Kresmer says. “We call it the moonshot. We liken it to the internet, how it had that kind of change on people.” Kresmer analyzes and catalogs materials, supports exhibit development, and oversees BORM’s research library, home to more than 5,000 titles. Locomotives aside, BORM’s collection—including its archives, library, … Continue reading Bookend: Keeping Track →

A catalog from the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play

By the Numbers: Toys

By Megan Bennett | November 1, 2023

230,000 Number of volumes available at the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, located at Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. The museum is also home to the National Toy Hall of Fame. The library houses books, catalogs, personal papers, design documents, oral history projects, and other research material relating to … Continue reading By the Numbers: Toys →

World War I–era peace pins housed at the Hoover Institution Library and Archives at Stanford (Calif.) University. The pins belonged to pacifist and feminist activist Alice Park.

Keep the Peace

By Megan Bennett | September 1, 2023

Lucy Biddle Lewis, a fellow peace activist, walked in on this happening. Lewis told her contemporaries that she saw Addams and begged her to stop because scholars could learn from her life and work. There’s no record of when this interaction took place, but in 1930, Addams began donating her materials to Swarthmore (Pa.) College, … Continue reading Keep the Peace →

Call Number Episode 85: The Colorful World of Comics

Call Number Podcast: The Colorful World of Comics

July 17, 2023

First, American Libraries Associate Editor Megan Bennett speaks with Jenny Robb, head curator of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum at Ohio State University in Columbus, which houses the world’s largest collection of print cartoon art. Then, American Libraries Associate Editor and Call Number host Diana Panuncial hits the halls of ALA’s 2023 Annual … Continue reading Call Number Podcast: The Colorful World of Comics →

Latest Library Links

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Gavin Damore writes: “As you’re busy planning for your various programming and activities to keep kids and tweens engaged during school break, be sure to check out the Association for Library Service to Children’s (ALSC) 2025 Summer Reading Lists. Every year, ALSC’s Quicklists Consulting Committee compiles and annotates these lists. They provide an easy way to share recommended reads with parents and caregivers during the busiest time of year. We know that summer reading programming and recommendations aren’t one-size-fits-all. That’s why the committee compiles four summer reading lists based on age group.”

ALSC Blog, May 12
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Brittany Allen writes: “On May 8, 1925, one of the country’s largest collections of Black arts, literature, and history was born out of a Harlem brownstone. Now called the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in honor of the late curator, Arturo Schomburg, this branch of the New York Public Library is home to a staggering archive. So it’s only fitting that the library observe its centennial in style.” The year-long celebration includes a major exhibition, a series of programs, a limited edition library card, and more. The exhibition opening included several fireside chats featuring Director Joy Bivins, current and former Schomburg staff, and noted authors.

Lit Hub, May 7; New York Public Library, Apr. 22; Schomburg Research Center, May 8
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Elissa Malespina writes: “Something big just happened—and not enough people are talking about it. The US Copyright Office has released a sweeping three-part report series on artificial intelligence (AI), covering everything from deepfakes to AI-generated content to whether AI companies can legally use copyrighted materials to train their models. It’s the most important government action we’ve seen yet on AI and copyright—and it directly affects educators, librarians, students, and creators. Let’s unpack what this report says—and why the sudden dismissal of Copyright Office Head Shira Perlmutter matters more than ever.”

The AI School Librarian, May 13; US Copyright Office, May 9
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Becky Spratford writes: “Everyone is interested in the conclave right now, no matter what their religion. And they are going to stay that way [even after the new Pope was elected]. This will have a long tail of interest. Keep the displays up until books are not being checked out. Many of these are great backlist titles that deserve a moment to shine on your displays. And you need these displays up to show readers that you know they are interested in the topic but appreciate that they may not have made it in during the actual conclave itself.”

RA for All, May 8
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Matt Witkos and Kallista Cory write: “Patmos Library in Jamestown Township, Michigan, gained national attention for facing tension over books featuring LGBTQ+ topics. And it faced potential closure because of a lack of funding. It took three separate millage votes for funding to finally be renewed. Now the local community spot is closed” temporarily after five of eight staff members resigned last week. “The five shared with FOX 17 that they felt limited by the board in doing the jobs they were hired to do.” The majority of residents who attended the library’s board meeting May 12 expressed support for the staff.

WXMI-TV (Grand Rapids, Mich.), May 9, May 13; Holland (Mich.) Sentinel, Nov. 8, 2023
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Lolita C. Baldor writes: “The Pentagon has ordered all military leaders and commands to pull and review all of their library books that address diversity, anti-racism or gender issues by May 21, according to a memo issued to the force on May 9. It follows similar efforts to remove hundreds of books from the libraries at the military academies [and schools]. The memo says that educational materials at the libraries ‘promoting divisive concepts and gender ideology are incompatible with the department’s core mission.’ By May 21, the memo says, additional guidance will be provided on how to cull that initial list.”

Associated Press, May 9; Apr. 1; ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office and American Association of School Librarians, Feb. 14
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Anne Ford writes: “With total earnings of $426,600, Adriana Harmeyer, archives and special collections assistant professor and archivist for university history at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, is the winningest library professional ever to have appeared on Jeopardy! On May 14, she seeks to further cement that title, as she aims for the quarterfinals of the 2025 Jeopardy! Masters Tournament. Harmeyer—who holds the 11th longest consecutive winning streak of any player on the show—spoke with American Libraries about her longtime love of the game, her least favorite category, and how she blazed her path to the Masters.”

American Libraries Trend, May 12

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