*This is an archived version of a newsletter previously sent to subscribers*
Fall 2022
Welcome to our first newsletter!
We’re so excited to share a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in St. Olaf’s Special Collections & Archives. The stories featured here are just a fraction of what we do!
Now on Display
What’s in a Name? The People Behind St. Olaf’s Residence Halls
Inspired by the Ole Avenue Project (which includes a new residence hall and several townhouse-style residences), this exhibit (and virtual exhibit) looks at the people behind the names of St. Olaf’s residence halls and has some examples of archival objects and photographs from Ole life. Librarian for Public Programming Support, Alicia Zachary-Erickson, curated both the physical and virtual exhibits and incorporated items from Breanna Teynor’s Preview of the Residential Life Exhibit. The physical exhibit is on display on the third floor of the Rølvaag Memorial Library outside the Reference Room.
“Cooperation Cats” Print Set
A print portfolio, titled “Cooperation Cats”, is on display on the second floor of the Rølvaag Memorial Library on our gallery wall opposite the PR classed books and near the elevator. Special thanks to Steve Zubik for designing the frames to display our beautiful prints!
The creator of the print set, Meredith Stern, writes, “When images of people are used in artwork, it’s easy to attribute a specific ethnicity, age, gender, sexual identity, or other cultural associations to the person in the image. Through the use of animals, all these identities are vague, and the reader can instead allow themselves to be transported into the activities being presented in a fantastical and playful way.” Read more about Stern’s use of cats in her artwork on her website.
Conserving the Felland Glass Negatives
Librarian for Public Programming Support, Alicia Zachary-Erickson, curated an exhibit about the Libraries’ partnership with a variety of organizations to conserve St. Olaf’s collection of glass negatives that were taken by the College’s first librarian, Ole G. Felland. The exhibit is on display in the case opposite the entrance to the College Archives. There is also a complementary virtual exhibit that goes into greater detail about the conservation work and contains some fun images from the Felland Collection.
Virtual Exhibits
Did you miss some of our exhibits last year? Get to know our collections better and catch up on the latest virtual exhibits through our virtual exhibits page. See a visual summary of our accomplishments over the last few years in Sophia Hayes’ ‘25 “The St. Olaf College Archives: A New Era.” Learn a bit more about St. Olaf’s history in Anders Cotes’ ‘24 “Evolution of the Hill” and Courtney Kleftis’ “1920 St. Olaf Choir Tour.” You can also explore our last physical exhibit curated by Bre Teynor ‘24 “Artists’ Books at St. Olaf” in which Bre recreates the experience of reading these works.
Alicia Zachary-Erickson | Librarian for Public Programming Support
Greetings, and welcome to Cami’s Corner! A series where I–Cami–serve as your miniature tour guide, showcasing the new and notable items entering our collections at the St. Olaf College Special Collections & Archives.
For our first newsletter, I thought it fitting to revisit St. Olaf’s early years with an item from the family of Rev. Thorbjorn N. Mohn (1844-1899), the first president of St. Olaf College (1874-1899). In April 2022, a direct descendant of Rev. Mohn generously bestowed the Mohn Family Tapestry to the College Archives. The vibrant textile depicts a knight on horseback slaying a dragon, bordered by scenes from favorite family anecdotes, classic Norwegian folklore, and German motifs. In the lower left-hand corner of the border, one may spot Old Main, a blazing sunset behind the ancient schoolhouse. Rev. Mohn and his young family resided in the southeast half of Old Main. His children grew up alongside the infant college.
Anna E. Mohn (1888-1963), the only daughter of Rev. Mohn, embroidered the tapestry after a cartoon by her brother, Sigvard M. Mohn (1891-1972). Anna completed the tapestry in 1961. Her signature is visible near the bottom right-hand corner, decorated with a Telemark rose, a rosemaling design from Telemark, Norway––her father’s birthplace. In 1964, Sigvard compiled a booklet about the tapestry, dedicating it to Anna, who passed the year before. He recounts the inspiration behind the tapestry and the family stories memorialized in its animated images. I recommend a read, for it is a vibrant homage to one’s beloved family heritage.
To learn more about the Mohn Family Tapestry and its accompanying booklet, contact the Student Associate for Archival Support at college_archives@stolaf.edu.
To donate to the Special Collections or College Archives, contact the Student Associate for Collection and Donor Support at librarycollectiondonor@stolaf.edu.
Cami Stokes ’24 | Student Associate for Donor & Transfer Support
Fall 2021 through Spring 2022 was our biggest teaching year yet! Thank you to all of our partners in Art & Art History, Asian Studies, English, German, History, Kinesiology, Latin, Religion, Sociology & Anthropology, and the First Year Seminar and Writing programs for collaborating with us! Together we were able to connect over 1,000 students to our Special Collections and Archives materials!
Here are the numbers!
Fall 2021: 28 classes, 594 students
Spring 2022: 24 classes, 500 students
From digitally annotating scrapbooks (History of Photography with Christina Spiker) to chatting with an activist-artist (Making Ecology Personal with Mary Trull) to curating an entire exhibition for us (Italian Renaissance with Nancy Thompson), students last year were able to complete creative assignments with our collections! Thank you for using us as a lab space for your classes and imagining new ways to connect your students to our materials.
We are excited to work with you all again this Fall! We’re looking forward to introducing more students to the joys of researching material objects. Curious to know more about our collections or what a class in special collections and archives could look like? Don’t hesitate to reach out!
Jillian Sparks | Distinctive Collections Engagement Librarian
So what is a VAULT anyway?
Greens wilt, meats rot, fruits dry out and blacken. But did you know books and paper also deteriorate and degrade? All natural materials degrade over time, especially when exposed to heat and light.
The Libraries’ Special Collections are home to medieval manuscript fragments, books from as far back as the 15th century, and – even more fragile – a huge collection of Nordic-American Imprints published during the industrial era. The College Archives holds the record of our institution, captured on paper produced during that same industrial era. Nearly a century later, we discovered the revolution in inexpensive publishing carried a hidden downside: the acids in paper made from wood pulp slowly eat away at the paper itself, and the iron in iron gall ink rusts on – and through! – the page. Books and papers produced from about 1850 through about 1960 are turning to dust at a rate much faster than those hundreds of years old.
So how do we make artistic and historical treasures last as long as possible? We keep them cool, dry, and dark, just like when you put food in your fridge! In our profession, these specially designed spaces are called vaults, and add an additional layer of protection: a lock to keep these rare (and often quite valuable) items secure.
We’re completing construction of our own new 48,000 cubic foot vault for the Libraries’ Special Collections, and College Archives. It’ll also store and protect the archival materials of the Norwegian-American Historical Association. Watch this space in future issues! We’ll be sharing information about this amazing facility (have you ever heard of sniffer pipes?), and the materials it protects. We’ll also be creating virtual “tours”, since, like your fridge at home, best-practice doesn’t allow folks to stand with the doors open, or climb inside!
Mary Barbosa-Jerez | Head of Strategy for Library Collections & Archives
Edited by Shelby Louk ’23 | Student Associate for Project Management & Strategy Support
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