Today in History: World Beard Day
Post by Jayne Ptolemy, Reading Room SupervisorIn honor of the upcoming celebration of World Beard Day on Saturday, September 7, Clements Library offers up this small sampling of the luxuriant beards found in our extensive Graphics Division. For example, amidst the thousands of photographs in the David V. Tinder Cabinet Card Photograph Collection, one can find beards of every type.We have pious beards and devilish beards.We have fancy beards and full beards.We have partial beards and people who...
Today in History: the Perseid Meteor Shower
Post by Jayne Ptolemy, Reading Room SupervisorIn the early morning hours of August 12th, the Perseid Meteor Shower will be at its peak for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. As we pass through the trailing dust left by the Swift-Tuttle comet, we should witness a beautiful demonstration—if the weather permits. In 1866 James Edwards Oliver watched a similar meteor shower in Lynn, Massachusetts. He did not have the benefit of a modern alarm clock, but he assured his correspondent, “We shan’t...
Latest Quarto: Renovation
The Spring-Summer 2013 Quarto is out! The Quarto is a semi-annual magazine published by the William L. Clements Library and sent to members of the Clements Library Associates. This issue of The Quarto focuses on the current Clements Library move and renovation. "Interesting Times," by J. Kevin Graffagnino, Director of the Library. "A Makeover for the Clements," by Brian Leigh Dunnigan, Associate Director & Curator of Maps. A brief history of our renovation plans, with details of the...
Afternoon with the Curators, June 27, 2013
Afternoon with the CuratorsThursday, June 27, 2013, 4:00 p.m.Main Room, Clements LibraryPlease join the Clements Library staff for a lecture on the current exhibit, Recent Acquisitions: Building on the Clements Collection and an update on the Library's renovation. Highlighting acquisitions to the collections since 2007, curators from the map, manuscript, books and graphics divisions will discuss the diversity of media and subject matter that researchers can draw on from the Clements...
From the Stacks: Rachel and Andrew Jackson in the Lamb-Sykes Family Papers
Guest post by Katelyn JedroKatelyn Jedro, former graduate student at Wayne State University's School of Library and Information Science (grad. Spring 2013), completed her 2013 winter semester practicum at the William L. Clements Library. She confronted the challenging task of arranging and describing the papers of the prominent Lamb and Sykes families of Philadelphia. The collection revolves around the 19th century financial and business activities of Margaretta Lamb née Carswell, her...
Ann Arbor Antiquarian Book Fair, May 19, 2013
Thirty Fifth Annual Ann Arbor Antiquarian Book FairSunday, May 19, 11:00 - 5:00Admission: $5.00Michigan Union Ballroom, 2nd Floor530 S. State (S. State & S. University), Ann Arbor, MICome see some 40 booksellers, map and print dealers gathered in one location. You will find first editions, old and collectible books, literature, children’s books, Americana, prints and more. Your $5 admission fee benefits the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan.For more...
Congratulations to Naomi Herman-Aplet for Best Graduate Student Poster at MAC
Naomi Herman-Aplet, a School of Information work-study student in the Manuscripts Division, won the best graduate student poster at the Midwest Archives Conference (MAC) last weekend.She says, "My MAC poster was entitled, "Constructing K-12 Learning Activities in Archives," and focused on the Family Day I planned for the Proclaiming Emancipation Exhibit.""The core of my presentation focused on the new National Common Core Standards, which call for the use of primary documents in the classroom....
Current Exhibit: From My Collection to Yours: Provenance of Treasures in the Clements Library
Now on display in the center cases of the Main Room:From My Collection to Yours: Provenance of Treasures in the Clements LibraryMany of the rare books and pamphlets in the Clements Library have provenance trails to great collectors, dealers, bibliographers, and auctioneers. Bookplates, ownership signatures, dealer and auction invoices, and other evidence tie individual titles here to a long list of noteworthy Americanists -- White Kennett, Isaiah Thomas, John Carter Brown, James Lenox, William...
In the News: “Clements Library to Receive $17M Interior Renovation”
Last week, the Michigan Daily featured an article by Stephanie Shenouda on the Clements Library renovation, including quotes from library director Kevin Graffagnino. "Clements Library to receive $17M interior renovation" describes the library's plans to move the reading room and add an underground addition for collections storage.This summer, the library will move staff and collections to a temporary location on Ellsworth Road, where reader services will resume in the fall. Please check our...
Online Exhibit: The Geometry of War
The Clements Library is pleased to offer a new online exhibit, The Geometry of War: Fortification Plans from 18th Century America, curated by Brian Leigh Dunnigan, Associate Director and Curator of Maps. This exhibit was originally on display from October 15, 2012 - February 15, 2013, in the Great Room of the Clements Library.Fortification is as old as human conflict, and secure defensive positions have played an important part in warfare. Of course, their design and construction have changed...