Out of the Map Case and Into the Light pulls together objects from the Rare & Fine, Circus & Allied Arts, Children’s Literature & Historical Textbooks, and H.K. Sage Lincoln collections to highlight the varied ways that Special Collections materials have been used over time in teaching, learning, and engagement across an array of academic disciplines at Illinois State University.
Students in Dr. Saskia Beranek’s Seminar in Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture had a unique classroom experience during fall 2024 when they selected several 16th and 17th century prints for Milner Library Special Collections.
America (or My Country ‘Tis of Thee, as many knew it growing up) is one of those songs that has a vibrant and fascinating history that reaches back to a time before America was America and extends into the present. For American music curricula that aims to support a specific type of character-building ideology, centered around the concept of a national identity, this is a staple—it would be difficult to name a more ubiquitous patriotic song. The reach of the song has also made it a popular tool of (frequently conflicting) propagandistic agendas over the years.
Leveraging linked data and digital humanities tools and methods provided a rich opportunity to showcase Milner digital collections and digital scholarship in a Fall 2024 project completed by an intern in the Special Collections department.
Milner Library at Illinois State University is accepting applications for the 2025 Circus and Allied Arts Collection Fellowship.
Milner Library is proud to announce the publication of the P.T. Barnum Letters and Ephemera, a digital collection drawn from Special Collections’ world-class circus holdings.
Children’s literature offers a window into the social and cultural values of a given time and place by revealing what children were meant to learn. Sometimes the messages conflict with one another, giving us a glimpse into the varying ideals that circulated (and of the adults who were vying to spread their version of ethical behavior to the younger generation). Children’s literature produced during the Abolitionist movement provides an excellent example of these schisms in values.
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show had an extraordinarily diverse cast, including Cody’s friends and family, Native Americans, and immigrants from all over. Instead of focusing on the well-documented Buffalo Bill himself, my supervisor and I decided to find a way to showcase the many other people involved.
Our copy of the novel Zézette is part of the Circus & Allied Arts Collection and is unique in the most incredible ways, including page after page of marginalia in the form of original watercolor illustrations—96 in total.
Images can grip us with differing stories of people, places, and events depending on their content, but also depending on their context and placement. This is a particularly appropriate moment to look at parallels from the past.
