News for Archives And Special Collections
Behind the legend
Daryl Richard Lawrence, 2026-27 Chair of the Library Senate Committee, shares more about his in-progress biography on American actress Myrna Loy and how he has utilized UMN Libraries resources in his research process.
A year of libraries and Loy
Daryl Richard Lawrence, 2026-27 Chair of the Senate Library Committee, kicks off a blog series sharing his experiences with UMN Libraries as well as his favorite resources, collections, and spaces.
Cataloging the tangled web of serialized novels
We all know the anticipation of waiting for the next episode of our favorite show to be aired. Or the next book in our favorite series to be published. This phenomenon is nothing new, and at the University of Minnesota Libraries (UMN Libraries), the Archives and Special Collections’ Cataloging Unit is making sure that the next story is at your fingertips.
Contesting Control: Labor Certification, Civil Rights, and the Making of U.S. Immigration Policy
Spotlight on Research: Guest author Jian Gao was awarded a 2025 Grant-in-Aid Award at the Immigration History Research Center Archives (IHRCA). He visited Andersen Library for five days to study sources on the transformation of US immigration laws in the second half of the 20th century from overt racial classifications to more subtle, birthplace-based systems. Jian Gao is Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at Arizona State University.
Painting on the Art Speak Machine: CBI acquires the collection of Computer Artist Maureen A. Nappi
Renowned computer artist Maureen Nappi's archive and personal papers — containing decades of computer, sketches, and teaching materials — were recently donated to the Charles Babbage Institute Archives and will soon be available to researchers.
Both positive and negative: a closer look at microfilm in 2026, and the IHRCA’s holdings
Microfilm is often touted as a thing of the past – has the average person even used it? Does anyone from Gen X and Alpha even know what it is? While microfilm actually is very much a format of the past (microforms have been around since the mid-1800s!), it has still managed to keep one foot in the door of the present, especially for those working in libraries, archives, and museums.
Restoring the Sexual Violence Program: A new oral history project documenting feminist student activism
When the University of Minnesota abruptly closed the Sexual Violence Program’s peer counseling service in 1989, students and staff sprang into action. “We were the program, and it was ours to fight for,” said Stacy Sorenson, one of the many dedicated students who campaigned to preserve the program.
Sequins, feathers, and fringe: The world’s largest ice show archive comes to the Tretter Collection
“Roy Blakey’s collection is the largest collection in Tretter. Full stop,” said Aiden Bettine, curator of the Tretter Collection. “It’s truly a treasure. It’s a gift.” Why is the world’s largest ice show archive in an LGBTQ archive? For Bettine, there’s a large intersection between the ice skating history and LGBTQ history, and Blakey stands in the center of it.
The Daily and ‘Beyond the Page’ online
In 1996, The Daily Online was named the best collegiate online newspaper in the country by the College Press Service.
‘I feel like I’ve grown up here’: These three outstanding student employees are creating a community at the Libraries
This year’s outstanding student library employees all have the same thing common: what they love most about the Libraries is the people.
Three new initiatives center innovation at the Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine
The Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine has partnered with colleagues across the Libraries and the University to advance three strategic initiatives, thanks to internal funding from the Libraries. Each of these projects tell the story of the global reach and impact of this renowned collection, and the expertise that makes the collection shine.
Creating poetry and community: Women writers in UMN Libraries’ archives
Starting a family in times of political crisis. Changing the bullies who rule the world. Living with an external bladder. The catalog of women writers at the Upper Midwest Literary Archives (UMLA) runs the full range of the human experience.