Malgorzata Schaefer retiring at the end of March 2020
I am sad to announce that Malgorzata Schaefer will be retiring at the end of March after working for Stanford Libraries for 30 years.
Special Collections Unbound
Stanford University Libraries receives Andrew W. Mellon Foundation funding for ePADD phase three development
We are excited to announce that the ePADD project has been awarded a grant by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support the planning and future development of the ePADD software!
ePADD is free and open-source computational analysis software developed by Stanford University Libraries Special Collections & University Archives and partners that facilitates screening, browsing, and access for historically and culturally significant email collections.
Jose Antonio Burciaga and Notions of Chicanismo by Lucayo Casillas
Guest post from Manuscripts processing assistant Lucayo Casillas
Highlights from the Gary D. and Myrna R. Lowe collection on the Big Tree of California
Last year, I had the pleasure of processing one of the most fascinating collections I’ve had the opportunity to work on: the Gary D. and Myrna R. Lowe Collection of Big Tree materials. As the title suggests, the Lowe Collection by and large consists of photographs, prints, postcards, ephemera, pamphlets, government reports, periodicals, and souvenirs related to ‘Big Trees’ -- the original vernacular term for the awe-inspiring redwoods we know today as giant sequoia trees.
New cuneiform tablet acquired by Special Collections
The Stanford Libraries recently acquired its second cuneiform tablet. The acquisition was in response to the high level of use of the first tablet held by the Libraries, a Sumerian cuneiform tablet from 2056 B.C.E. which was a gift of David C. Weber in 1990 (https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/4083797).
Rosa Parks' Stanford press conference recording now accessible online
The Archives is excited to share that an audio recording of a Rosa Parks press conference, held at Arroyo House at Stanford University on February 18, 1990, was recently digitized and is now accessible worldwide via Stanford Libraries' discovery platforms.
Volvelles: the rotating diagrams with some assembly required
A recently cataloged 16th century astronomy book provides fascinating insight into how a particular kind of diagram was printed and constructed. These rotating diagrams, called volvelles (from the Latin volvere, to turn), were used in both manuscripts and printed books to calculate data related to calendars, tide tables, astronomy, astrology, and more. They typically consist of one or more circles surmounted by other graduated or figured circles or pointers which rotate from a central axis. The circles could be made of paper, cardboard, or vellum, and the pivots were typically made of string or thread. The most common were printed with woodcuts.
Special Collections and Stanford Historical Society bid fond farewell to Daniel Hartwig
“We are talking about tens of thousands of documents, photographs, audio records, video records, and university records generally. That’s a lot to deal with, and that deserves a round of applause.”