{"id":2655,"date":"2024-05-09T09:46:33","date_gmt":"2024-05-09T14:46:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/archives\/?page_id=2655"},"modified":"2024-05-09T09:46:33","modified_gmt":"2024-05-09T14:46:33","slug":"spring-2024-newsletter","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/archives\/spring-2024-newsletter\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring 2024 Newsletter"},"content":{"rendered":"
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* This is an archived copy of a previously released newsletter*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Spring 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Welcome to our newsletter!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re so excited to share a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on at St. Olaf\u2019s Special Collections & College Archives. The stories featured here are just a fraction of what we do! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Behind the Spine: Revealing the Art of Bookbinding<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now on display! Curated by Briar Bell \u201824 and Charlie Knieff \u201826<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Books surround our lives no matter where we are. They populate our libraries, schools, workplaces, and homes, to the point that we hardly notice them at all. But where do these books come from? How are they made? What hides behind their perfect, rectangular exteriors?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Behind the Spine explores these questions through examples from the St. Olaf College Special Collection, breaking these books down to their most basic ingredients. By momentarily setting aside the words and ideas held inside these books, we can fully appreciate them as visual objects. Through close looking, we can start to understand the numerous steps that go into their creation.The processes involved in the craft of bookbinding date back hundreds of years. The techniques and visual styles developed and changed through time, but the core principle remains the same: finding a way to efficiently bundle material together in order to communicate and exchange information and ideas. Come and explore what binding is, how it works, and how it has changed (and stayed the same) throughout time and place. On display on the third floor of the R\u00f8lvaag Memorial Library outside the Reference Room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Briar Bell ’24 and Charlie Knieff ’26
<\/strong>Student Associates for Exhibition and Instruction Support<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Instruction Update<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fall 2023 was another busy and productive semester for us! We had 27 classes interact with our materials and 3 on campus events. Shout out to Briar Bell \u201824 and Charlie Knieff \u201826 for keeping up with our intense schedule and taking the lead on our Homecoming and Spooky Books pop-up exhibits this October!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our class visits in the Fall semester ran the gamut from Biology to Religion. We enjoyed connecting our STEM faculty and students with our 16th-century anatomy books and various 1918 pandemic artifacts. Other highlights included partnering with Kristina Warner in NAHA on a history of U.S. immigration course and sharing new acquisitions with Christina Spiker\u2019s Japanese Woodblock Prints course. As always, it is a pleasure to work with returning faculty and see our partnerships evolve and grow with each semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the Fall numbers!
<\/strong>Number of classes: 27
Number of students in classes: 543
Number of events: 3
Number of people at events: 355
Contact time: 44 hours<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Early this spring semester, Charlie and I attended a zine making workshop led by Aiden Bettine and India Johnson of Late Night Copies Press at the Northfield Public Library. We are excited to not only share Late Night Copies Press\u2019s zines with students, but to also be an institutional repository for their zines. This semester we will engage in zine making with a few classes including those taught by Lau Malaver. We\u2019re excited to partner with our colleague Ezra Plemons to teach those classes in our Rolvaag Makerspace.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jillian Sparks
<\/strong>Distinctive Collections Engagement Librarian<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Celebrating our College Archives Press<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

and the Printing the Bible Letterpress Event<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On December 6th we held our first evening lecture event: \u201cPrinting the Bible: An Interactive Letterpress Workshop.\u201d Many thanks to the Special Collections staff and student staff who helped make our event a success. A special thank you to Dr. Noam Sienna who helped make this event a reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noam and Jillian met last summer to talk about the possibility of using our BookBeetle Press in Noam\u2019s History of the Hebrew Bible classes. The BookBeetle Press was purchased with support from the M.C. Lang Fellowship that Jillian received from Rare Book School. The press is a scale replica of the wooden common press used in early modern Europe. At the same time last summer, our processing archivists Elizabeth Black and Palmer Hittesdorf finished describing the College Archives historic collection of letterpress type and 19th-century press. Looking at the presses and historic type, what began as a small idea to print in the classroom, soon mushroomed into a larger project and event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although newly described, our type and press from the Archives were not usable. The type was jumbled and our press was inoperable and missing rollers. Noam connected us with Jon Drew, a printer in Maple Grove, who was able to clean, sort, and proof our type. He also restored our press and found us a type case to store our type. We began with 9 drawers of dirty jumbled type and ended up with 15 complete fonts, 6 incomplete fonts, and several decorative pieces. Noam researched and identified the different fonts and also rediscovered the history of our little press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The College Archives press is a Chandler and Price Standard No. 2 pilot press manufactured from 1892-97. The No. 2 Standard Job Press was originally manufactured by Henry H. Thorp of the Cleveland Type Foundry (CTF), starting around 1876. The Cleveland Type Foundry was absorbed into the American Type Founders (ATF) in 1892, and the designs for its presses were acquired by Chandler & Price (founded in Cleveland by Harrison T. Chandler and William H. Price in 1886).  Chandler & Price later sold the no. 2 as the C&P pilot press but in their 1892 and 1897 catalogs it\u2019s still listed as the No. 2 Standard placing our press within that date range. The press is small and could have been used for printing small cards or other ephemeral items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Aubrey Connett, 2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At our Printing the Bible event, we used both presses. Participants printed a holiday card on our College Archives press and a broadside with Proverbs 24:3 in 6 languages and historic translations of the Bible: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Text Masoretic) \u05d1\u05d7\u05db\u05de\u05d4 \u05d9\u05d1\u05e0\u05d4 \u05d1\u05d9\u05ea \u05d5\u05d1\u05ea\u05d1\u05d5\u05e0\u05d4 \u05d9\u05ea\u05db\u05d5\u05e0\u05df<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u03bc\u03b5\u03c4\u1f70 \u03c3\u03bf\u03c6\u03af\u03b1\u03c2 \u03bf\u1f30\u03ba\u03bf\u03b4\u03bf\u03bc\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9 \u03bf\u1f36\u03ba\u03bf\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03bc\u03b5\u03c4 \u1f76 \u1f70 \u03c3\u03c5\u03bd\u03ad\u03c3\u03b5\u03c9\u03c2 \u1f00\u03bd\u03bf\u03c1\u03b8\u03bf\u1fe6\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9 (Septuagint)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sapientia aedificabitur domus et prudentia roborabitur (Vulgate)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Durch Weisheit wird ein Haus gebaut und durch Verstand erhalten.
(Lutherbibel, 1545)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through wisdome is an house builded, AND with understanding it is established. (Geneva Bible, 1560)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Woksape on tipi kagapi ece qa wookahnige on sutaya he kta
(Dakota Wowapi Wakan, 1865)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noam sourced the Greek type from an artist and printer in Greece and he provided the type for the Hebrew, German, and Dakota translations. The Latin Vulgate translation was printed with the Latin Antique type from the Archives and the Geneva translation with type that replicates one of the earliest typefaces. Using the laser cutter in the Rolvaag Makerspace, we were able to create an Ole the Lion woodcut to include in our broadside. Over 100 people attended our lecture and workshop. Each person printed a card and a broadside and had the opportunity to explore our rare Bibles in Special Collections. You can read more about the event in the St. Olaf news<\/a> or the Northfield News<\/a>. We hope to offer more printing events in the future. Faculty are also welcome to contact Jillian about incorporating letterpress printing into their special collections instruction sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Aubrey Connett, 2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Jillian Sparks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Distinctive Collections Engagement Librarian<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*photos from the Printing the Bible event were taken by <\/em>Aubrey Connett ’24<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Digitization Update<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prior to 2018, the College Archives had valuable, but limited, assets digitized and publicly available. The College Archives digitized issues of the Manitou and Olaf Messenger<\/a> (years 1887-2020, digitized over time), the Viking Yearbooks<\/a> ( years 1904 to 2007), and the Academic Catalogs <\/a>(years 1875-2008).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2018, a combination of institutional funds and generous grants from the Minnesota Historical Society has meant that the College Archives has been able to make huge strides in our efforts to further preserve and make accessible materials in our holdings. Here is what that has looked like and amounted to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2020: <\/strong>\u201cCataloging Minnesota Treasures at St. Olaf College\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under this grant we described and digitized materials from the the Mohn<\/a> and Boe<\/a> presidential papers, Kelsey Theater<\/a>, Felland photograph*<\/a>, Northfield postcard<\/a>, and panorama<\/a> collections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital products: 
737 GB worth of images derived from 1668 glass negatives from the
Felland photograph collection
Images of the front and back of 1729 postcards
Images of 133 panoramas<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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St. Olaf College Choir, 1934<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2021<\/strong>: “Discovering Musical and Broadcast Stories in the St. Olaf College Archives”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under this grant we described and digitized materials from the music organizations<\/a>, WCAL radio<\/a>, Olaf Christiansen papers<\/a>, and F. Melius Christiansen papers<\/a> collections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital Products: 
238 audio files, amounting to over 56 hours of audio
396 annotated music manuscripts,
equaling 3,500+ pages of annotated sheet music<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2022<\/strong>: “Cataloging the Rise and Development of St. Olaf College through Archival Items”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under this grant we described and digitized materials from the  St. Olaf College Registrar\u2019s Office records<\/a>, St. Olaf College Dean of Students records<\/a>, St. Olaf College alumni scrapbook and photograph album <\/a>, and the Inez<\/a> Frayseth staff papers <\/a>collections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital products: 
221 images of 18 WWII era letters from Inez
Frayseth and 25 letters from the Dean of Men<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2023<\/strong>:”Cataloging Textiles and 3D Objects in the St. Olaf College Archives & Special Collections”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under this grant we described and digitized materials from the St. Olaf College 3D objects<\/a>, paper ephemera<\/a>, button and pin<\/a>, art<\/a>, and photograph collections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital products:
3553 images of 1564 objects<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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L-R: “Office of Civil Defense fallout shelter medical kit-A”, “Gray St. Olaf Department of Classics T-shirt”, “St. Olaf stuffed elephant”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While we are not able to digitize every collection as we describe them, establishing intellectual control of our collections informs our priorities for later digitization projects. These projects are made possible through generous donations and grants. If you would like to contribute to our continued mission of increasing access to St. Olaf College\u2019s history, please contact\u00a0Janine Haidar<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sophia Hayes ’25
<\/strong>Student Associate for Project Management\u00a0& Strategy Support\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Oral History Transcription Internship<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This spring, we hosted the second year of our oral history transcription internship. Our interns Blasius ’24, Paige Ewert ’26, and Elsie Olmstead ’26, have spent the semester creating transcriptions for oral histories gathered through the 2020 Stories<\/a> Project.<\/a> This project focused on gathering oral histories centered around how different people on campus experienced the year 2020. Administration, students, faculty, and staff are represented in these histories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating transcriptions is no easy task. Interns spend many hours on transcriptions, ensuring that they are consistent with a style guide, accurate, and accessible. Interns receive training on this process and their experience is supplemented with education on how to conduct an oral history, major projects in the field of oral history, and exposure to contemporary conversations happening in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are so proud of the work that Blasius, Paige, and Elsie have accomplished. They are working on summative projects that we hope to share with you all in the fall! We will be hosting this internship again next year, so keep an eye out for the application in the fall! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Sophia Hayes, Student Associate for Project Management and Strategy Support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sophia Hayes ’25
<\/strong>Student Associate for Project Management\u00a0& Strategy Support\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cami’s Corner is turning over a new leaf\u2013\u2013I’m graduating! My successor, Paige Ewert ’26, and I will conduct a parting Q&A for my final newsletter entry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paige<\/strong>: Where will you go from St. Olaf? Do you have any future plans?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cami<\/strong>: I’m off to study archaeology at Newcastle University! I intend to focus on physical movement and cultural diffusion around the Near East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paige<\/strong>: What will you miss the most about the job or St. Olaf in general?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cami<\/strong>: I shall miss the supportive atmosphere of the College Archives. Here, the student associates are essential team members, and our contributions do not go unnoticed. I feel sufficiently valued and appreciated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paige<\/strong>: What kinds of things will you take away from this job that you can apply to in your future career?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cami<\/strong>: I continue to learn how to demonstrate my workflows to others. For instance, when I joined the College Archives in May of 2021, the previous cohort of student associates had all graduated, so I operated as the lone Student Associate for Archival Support. During this time, I established new workflows\u2013\u2013I had the autonomy to improve upon old systems. Because these developments applied solely to me, it was unnecessary to broadcast them. I prefer independent work, so I chugged along just fine; however, I had to adjust when new student associates joined the team. Every student position requires specialized knowledge, often gained through experience; thus, the existing student associates train new hires. I had multiple opportunities to train onboarding students\u2013\u2013but I had to explain my job. Theoretically, I understand what I do. In practice, I find it challenging to verbally and physically articulate. Moreover, I recognize that different individuals are receptive to specific learning styles, which may conflict with my preferred method of conveying information: written documentation. The training process is a case-by-case, person-by-person situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paige<\/strong>: If you could give one piece of advice to me, what would it be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cami<\/strong>: Be savvy. Document everything. It’s not worth fighting the printer. Good luck. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about St. Olaf alums, contact the Student Associate for Archival Support at college_archives@stolaf.edu<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To donate to the Special Collections or College Archives, contact the Student Associate for Collection and Donor Support at librarycollectiondonor@stolaf.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cami Stokes ’24 & Paige Ewert ’26
<\/strong>Student Associates for Collection and Donor Support<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here in Special Collections and Archives we aren’t just sending off one senior to do great things, but two! Briar Bell will also be graduating this May. Here is a final message from her and her current colleague and successor Charlie Knieff!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell us about yourself.<\/em>
Briar<\/strong>: I\u2019m Briar Bell, a senior double majoring in studio art and art history. I spend a lot of time doing art and music, but outside of that you can find me at work in the special collection and archive!
Charlie<\/strong>: My name is Charlie Knieff, and I\u2019m a sophomore majoring in Sociology\/Anthropology. I\u2019m really passionate about LGBTQ+ history, and I hope to have a future career in archival science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What kind of duties do you perform in your role
<\/strong><\/em>Briar<\/strong>: Charlie and I work on many things in our role. We assist Jillian Sparks, the Distinctive Collections Engagement Librarian. We help to get information and materials out of the vault and in front of students\u2019 eyes. To achieve this, we bring relevant materials to classes, host events and pop-ups, and create virtual and physical exhibits for the community to explore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What has been exciting about the transition process?
<\/strong><\/em>Briar:<\/strong> Charlie is such an awesome co-worker in the library, it has felt more like teamwork than training! We\u2019ve had a lot of fun collaborating on all our projects this year. The ideas you can accomplish when working with a good teammate are amazing.
Charlie<\/strong>: Getting acquainted with the materials in our collections has been exciting in and of itself, but Briar made the process even better by doing a great job welcoming me and helping me grow more and more confident in my role. I\u2019ve enjoyed working with her, and I think she\u2019s been a really good teammate too! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How has your position at SPARCS impacted your growth in college?
<\/strong><\/em>Briar<\/strong>: I am so grateful to have spent the last year and a half of my college career working at SPARCS. I first learned about the collection as a Sophomore in a course about Medieval books. Jillian visited with some of our amazing manuscripts, launching me into a whole new world of interests. I was incredibly fortunate to eventually work in the collection, and now my love of rare books is completely solidified. After graduating, I hope to make this new passion manifest by eventually working in paper and rare books conservation and preservation.
Charlie<\/strong>: My time here has furthered my passion for archival work, connected me with the awesome people working within SPARCS, and strengthened self-assurance in my ability to realize long-term career goals. I look forward to two more years of helping Jillian make the fascinating materials in our collections accessible to the public!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Briar Bell ’24 and Charlie Knieff ’26
<\/strong>Student Associates for Exhibition and Instruction Support<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Updates from Mary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our last issue, we explored what vaults are and what they\u2019re used for in Special Collections and Archives (as well as museums and other similar institutions around the world). As we approach St. Olaf\u2019s Sesquicentennial, and work on the vault enters its final stages, we\u2019re preparing to move more than 48,000 cubic feet of physically fragile and invaluable material to its shelves where it will remain secure and be preserved for another 150 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also have other changes to celebrate in this anniversary year. The staff of the College\u2019s Special Collections and Archives will for the first time in our history, have a carefully designed space on our campus to both carry out our work, and bring these collections to life in our community. We will be moving into the space that until recently housed the Kierkegaard Library \u2013 on the first floor of the 1942 Rolvaag wing of the Library, and our space will include both monitored  and un-monitored reading rooms, a dedicated classroom, and new spaces for processing collections. What\u2019s more, our historical partners, the Norwegian-American Historical Association (NAHA), will be sharing these spaces with us. This collaboration will be a boon for students, faculty and researchers, because the collections in the care of STO\u2019s Special Collections and the College Archives and the materials in the care of NAHA compliment one another, and are often used by the same researchers. We\u2019re looking forward to the synergy our new proximity to one another will bring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re also thrilled that our new spaces will have a grand entry! The historic side doors of Rolvaag Library will be reopened! Taking the stairs up will lead visitors into Rolvaag Library where they will be greeted by our Special Collections and College Archives exhibitions. The stairs going down will bring visitors to our renewed location, complete with a welcome area, a special classroom, and access to our amazing materials \u2013 old and new. The work on those spaces is slated to begin soon! By the end of our 150th<\/sup> year, Special Collections, the College Archives, and our partners at NAHA will be well-placed to begin another 150 years of exciting work with you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mary Barbosa-Jerez
<\/strong>\u00a0Head of Strategy for Library Collections & Archives<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Edited by\u00a0Sophia Hayes ’25
<\/strong>Student Associate for Project Management and Strategy Support<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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* This is an archived copy of a previously released newsletter* Spring 2024 Welcome to our newsletter! We\u2019re so excited to share a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8081,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2655","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8081"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2655"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2657,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2655\/revisions\/2657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}