American University Library Special Collections is pleased to announce the opening of its newest exhibit, 18th and 19th Century Illustrations of Flora and Fauna from the Artemas Martin Collection. This exhibit features illustrated botanical and zoological works. Though the primary purpose of these works is scientific, the works on display showcase their aesthetic value. This exhibit will be on display on the third floor of the library though the end of the spring semester.
Crowdsourcing the Herbert E. Striner Collection
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Herbert Striner is a former Dean of the Kogod School of Business at American University. As an amateur photographer, Striner took photos of a variety of subjects in the United States and abroad including the Washington Monument, National Cathedral, Eiffel Tower, Buckingham Palace, plants, and animals.
The collection includes over 8,000 images taken by Herbert E. Striner beginning in the 1940s and ending around 1998. Due to the sheer number of images in the collection, we need your help to correctly label and identify the subjects of each photo, negative, and slide. By lending a hand, you will enable the AU Archive and Special Collections to complete image metadata, which is necessary to make the collection easier to search and use. Not only will you provide valuable assistance, but you’ll also have a chance to view some pretty incredible images from around the globe.
Help us out. Employ your knowledge and expertise of people, places, plants, clouds, animals, events, and general history.
Ready to begin? Here’s how to get started:
1. View the Herbert Striner collection on Flickr.
2. Use the “Comment” box to add information about location, event, people, and dates. You will have to log in, or create an account, to leave a comment.
Thanks for helping us build useful metadata for this collection.
New Online Exhibit -Eagle Lore: Windows into American University History
Are you curious about the history of American University? Have you ever wondered which U.S. Presidents have connections to our campus? Or what issues rallied students to protest for change?
All of those questions can be answered in a new digital exhibit. The AU Archives and Special Collections recently unveiled an online exhibit exploring American University’s history. The exhibit uses images from the collection to illustrate the University’s unique history. Included in the exhibit is information about the physical campus, political protests, student activities, and AU in war time.
Although a great place to start learning about American University’s past, the digital exhibit is far from complete. Instead, the exhibit will continue to evolve as new images and interpretation are added in the future about campus.
By checking out the exhibit, you’ll gain an understanding of American University’s history while also learning about resources available in the University Archives.
Currently on Display – News Reporting and Editorial Cartoons by American University Students and Alumni
Come learn about five American University alumni who went on to distinguished careers in journalism and cartooning as well as the history of campus news media outlets. This exhibit will be on display on the third floor of Bender Library through the end of the fall semester.
Currently on Display – Who Is That Building Named After?
Are you curious about the people for whom campus buildings are named? Ten key figures in American University’s history are featured in a new exhibit on the first floor of the library. Find out about their backgrounds and their role at AU. The exhibit will be up through the end of the fall semester.
On Display: 19th Century Publishers Bindings
American University Library is pleased to announce the opening of Judging a Book by its Cover: 19th Century Cloth Bindings from the Liman and Martin Collections which showcases examples of the different styles of publishers’ bindings from American University Library’s Les A. Liman and Artemas Martin Collections. Come learn about book history and test your book IQ. Try to match the decorative techniques listed in the caption to the books on display. This exhibit will be on display through mid August on the third floor of Bender library.
Cataloging Complete of AU’s Mathematical Ciphering Books
Archives staff just completed cataloging AU’s mathematics copy books also known as cipher books. These manuscripts come in two types:
- Instructions on mathematical principles, including arithmetic, square roots, and financial calculations which are followed by exercises and answers;
- Mathematical problems, calculations, and answers including arithmetic and financial calculations.
AU’s collection contains manuscripts from twenty-two students from the United States and five from England. They were created between 1763 and1850. Several include hand drawn figures and illustrations. Though the bulk of the cipher books in our collection feature arithmetic problems, we have several with algebra, geometry and navigation problems as well. Over half of these manuscripts were donated to AU Library as part of the Karen D. Michalowicz Collection.
The cipher books were cataloged individually. For a complete list, search our online catalog (ALADIN) using the following search term (Call Number): “Ciphering Book”
Northwest Washington, DC Real Estate Brochures
Here are a couple of new items that we acquired at last month’s Washington Antiquarian Book Fair:
When AU’s founder, Bishop John Fletcher Hurst, purchased the land for American University, northwest Washington, DC was the country. Over the intervening years, a number of communities were built in the neighborhood. We have had a photocopy of a brochure produced by the developers of American University Park in the archives so we were excited to see the real brochure and purchased a copy. The brochure is titled “The American University Park, Washington, D.C.” and was distributed by the developers, J.D. Croissant and David D. Stone Trustees, around 1897. The brochure includes photographs of the area, existing houses, and a map. The developers were selling lots and included information on lot prices and restrictions. We also picked up a copy of W.C. and A.N. Miller’s 1927 promotional brochure for Wesley Heights – “Wesley Heights: The Garden Spot of Washington – A Miller-Built Community.” Unlike with AU Park, W.C.& A.N. Miller were selling houses. The illustrated brochure includes information on lot sizes, house types, landscaping, community features, and prices.
Last Chance to See Spring Semester Exhibits
If you haven’t already done so, check out Archives and Special Collections spring exhibits. They will be up through the end of May.
The Peace Corps Experience in the 1960s: Colombia and Nigeria
Featured in this exhibit are two volunteers who taught in Nigeria in the early 1960s and four health and community development volunteers in Colombia who served as an instructor in a school of practical nursing; provided architectural services; worked with community leaders; provided health education information; set up libraries; and distributed food. The exhibit is on display on the third floor of the Library.
To Foster College Spirit and Promote the Common Welfare: Student Government @ AU
In honor of the upcoming elections for Student Government officers this spring, the University Archives is featuring documents, flyers and photographs that provide a glimpse into student governance at American University and highlight some of the key functions of the first Student Council and its successors. This exhibit is on display on the first floor.
Peace Corps Community Archive
On Thursday March 21st, University Librarian, Nancy Davenport, announced a new initiative, the Peace Corps Community Archive, to collect, preserve and make available materials that were created and acquired by Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) during their service such as correspondence, diaries, film, photographs, reports, scrapbooks, and sound recordings. The archive will also collect organizational records of member groups of the National Peace Corps Association and oral histories and memoirs of RPCVs and host country nationals. This initiative builds on materials held in American University Library Special Collections such as the records of the National Peace Corps Association and the archives of the Friends of Colombia and Friends of Nigeria which include information on and materials from RPCVs. The purpose in developing the Peace Corps Community Archive is to support student and scholarly research, create exhibits, and provide educational and public programs that document the experiences and impact of individuals who served in the Peace Corps and illuminate peace diplomacy.