How to catch a horse

Miniature Monday!

A Brief History of the Ukulele.  By Peter and Donna Thomas.

Santa Cruz, [Calif.] : P. & D. Thomas, 1999. N7433.4.T56 B75 1999 

One day I thought to myself, “I love to make books and I love to play the ukulele. Can I put these two loves together? Can I make a book out of a uke?” - From the artists’ website.

View all of our Miniature Monday posts.

#MiniatureMonday

The flip book of the French Revolution / Edward Rayher

Another little flip book for today! This one is a little less cheery then the flower, but it certainly has "historical poignancy" as the back says.

--Diane R., Special Collections Graduate Student

Despite the red pages, the guillotine has no victims today, perhaps for ease of drawing, or perhaps because of "...That elusive Pimpernel!"

#MiniatureMonday

An Autumn Garden designed, written and bound by Claire Lawson-Hall, illustrated in linocuts by Muriel Mallows. The Alembic Press

It's technically been Autumn for a while now, but the weather and the leaves here in Iowa have finally caught up to what the calendar says these last couple of weeks.

This fun little autumnal "Jacob's Ladder" features alternating journal entries through the fall months, and multicolor linocut images of leaves, fruit and other fall themes.

Hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy the Autumnal colors!

--Diane R., Special Collections Graduate Student

@telltaletypist the “third space” refers to a space between work (or in teens’ case school) and home! Basically it’s a comfortable space that allows you to mentally transition between the mental states of work and home. One of the reason why Starbucks ended up as such a widespread coffee chain is because they heavily modeled their locations on this concept. Libraries are also increasingly trying to make themselves “third spaces” for their respective communities. But capitalism doesn’t really like people just hanging out in spots and not spending money, so third spaces that aren’t commercial are getting increasingly rare. There is also something to be said about the general pathologization and criminalization of teens literally just hanging out. Like teens will hang out in a parking lot and proprietors will put up “no loitering” signs. One more third space eliminated.

Y'know how in older movies and shows, kids always have a spot that's their spot? That's a third space.

It creates an area for play or community gathering that's public (doesn't require invading anyone's private space to use), easily accessible (no entry fee), isn't specifically designated as Working Space (you don't have to be Doing Something to use it), and isn't supervised (or only to a mild degree). Some examples of third-spaces for teens might include:

To some extent, kids' time in third spaces has always been limited. You can go hang out, but be home for dinner and make sure your homework gets done. Certain rules have to be followed (sexual morés, rules about drinking/smoking, etc). You aren't supposed to act in a way that's actually going to disturb other people who might be trying to use the space. Adults face some limitations as well though. The guy who went out to the bar/tavern after work (historically a common third space) and never came home til late at night was violating a social norm about the use of that space.

I'd argue that the internet isn't inherently a bad thing for people to use as a third space. Gaming communities or Twitch chats, Tumblr, some old message board sites, and Discord servers can be healthy spaces to spend recreational time. The problem arises when you have people spending inordinate amounts of time on social media sites that are deliberately geared at parasocial relationships and unhealthy engagement. This chips away at the whole purpose of a third space, which is to facilitate genuine social connection with the rest of your community. Similarly, because online third spaces encourage primary socialization with people outside your physical community, they tend to also erode the formation of in-person community. It used to be that you'd spend a lot of time in third spaces with your co-workers, neighbors, or classmates.* A lot of gossiping happened, but gossip can be a healthy means of easing social tensions and resolving disputes without a direct confrontation.

Online third-spaces also, somewhat by their nature, tend to start invading private spaces (different topic, but this may also go hand-in-hand with the misconception of internet sites being private). Because of that, I don't think that limiting kids' screen time is necessarily a negative thing. Separation of home and third space is, imo, as important as separation of work and home.

Anyway, third space fulfills a genuine human need, not only for teenagers who are learning social skills and finding their niche in a community, but for adults to maintain and strengthen their existing social connections. Getting rid of them or splitting your social interactions in third space completely from your interactions in physical space puts strain on communities.

*Yeah, I know that this has always been different for people who were forced out of the social circle.

And why did the value plummet, Marissa? Why did it plummet?

Would like to know how exactly she wouldn't fuck up Netflix or Hulu

Yahoo thought Tumblr would be the next PDF

What does that even mean? PDF as in Portable Document Format?

i cannot stress enough that i dont think yahoo even knew what a pdf was

Preserving Leaf Paintings in an Anglo-Indian Commonplace Book, 1822-1825

Hello, I’m Alexa Machnik, a third-year graduate student at the Conservation Center, Institute of Fine Arts, NYU. I first came to the Barbara Goldsmith Preservation & Conservation Department in Fall 2022 as a student in the graduate course, Conservation in Context, taught by Laura McCann, Director of Preservation. During this course, we delved into the world of library conservation, exploring the value systems that guide preservation decision-making and treatment action in academic research libraries. One of my class projects involved rehousing delicate leaf paintings from an early 19th-century commonplace book, or friendship album, part of the Fales Library holdings in the Special Collections at NYU Libraries (figs. 1-2) [1]. In honor of Preservation Week, I will share the intriguing history of the book and discuss the decisions that were made to preserve the leaves.

The book in question was compiled by Jane Harriet Blechynden (1806-1827) in England between 1822 and 1825. It holds her personal collection of handwritten and acquired materials, with contributions from her sisters, Emma and Sarah, who wrote original poems about sisterhood, separation, and their Anglo-Indian ancestry. The three women were the daughters of a British merchant residing in Calcutta, and while born in India, they were educated in England [2]. There is not a great deal known about Jane Harriet’s life in England, but her impending return to India in 1825 is documented in an emotional verse by Emma (fig. 3):

Jane Harriet’s book offers insights into her personhood, social connections, and sensibilities as an artist and collector. In addition to written entries, she inserted a compendium of acquired materials–pressed flowers, her own original drawings, and numerous paintings–between pages of the book (figs. 4-6).

Notably, six of these paintings are executed on the dried leaves of the Bodhi tree, a sacred plant indigenous to Asia with distinct spade-shaped, long-tipped leaves (fig. 7) [3]. Although leaf painting has origins in Buddhist traditions, by the time Jane Harriet collected her leaf paintings, it had already evolved into a form of Chinese export art in Europe. Her leaves depict secular scenes of contemporary life in China and botanical subjects, which are typical of the export genre (fig. 8). Their inclusion in the book implies that Jane was among the many people who partook in the avid collecting of China trade goods during the first few decades of the 19th century, a time when European fascination for Chinese culture and art was at its peak. 

The initial rush of excitement that I felt at finding the leaf paintings soon turned to concern as I gave thought to their long-term preservation at NYU Libraries, where researchers are expected to handle the book. The leaf paintings were loose in between the pages, which raised a series of “what ifs” about the potential dangers they could encounter. What if the leaves slip from the book? What if they bend or break as the pages are turned? What if the painted surfaces become abraded? The paintings were made with opaque pigment-based watercolors on exceptionally delicate, skeletonized leaves that have been primed with a thin organic coating. Despite being intact, their inherent fragility means that they are vulnerable to even the slightest touch. After considerable discussion, the Conservation Unit decided that in order for the leaf paintings to be preserved and safely accessed by researchers, they should be housed separately from the book. 

I thoroughly examined the condition of the leaves and the painted surfaces in order to make a housing recommendation. Despite some minor damage, all were in stable condition. Thus, the ideal housing would provide support to prevent any further damage, such as paint loss and leaf breakage, and at the same time allow the leaves to maintain their translucency. To achieve this, I opted to mount them in double-sided window mats with a support made from clear polyester film, or Mylar® [4]. The addition of the Mylar® would not only create a stable surface for the leaf paintings but also enable the viewing of both sides (fig. 9).

My next challenge was to figure out how to mount the leaves onto the Mylar® support without the use of adhesive [5]. After consulting with conservation staff and creating mock-ups, short, discreet Mylar® tabs were selected as the best option to secure them into place (figs. 10-11). For this process, I positioned a single leaf painting onto the support and selectively placed the tabs around its perimeter, making sure the tabs did not overlap any areas of paint. I then used a handheld spot-welding pen to fuse the tabs to the support. Since this process was done in-situ, near the leaf, it required lots of precision practice and encouragement from colleagues before I felt confident enough for the task.

At the time of writing this post, I successfully housed the six leaf paintings in their double-sided window mats (figs. 12-13). This housing project, while complete, is just one part of the ongoing effort to preserve the commonplace book, and the Conservation Unit is continuing work on other elements of the book to ensure its safe return to Special Collections.

Though my involvement in the project has come to an end, I have gained a very special appreciation for the commonplace book and the preservation challenges it presents. The experience of learning directly from NYU Libraries Special Collections was especially invaluable, providing me with opportunities to participate in complex decision-making processes unique to large research libraries driven by user needs. Before signing off, I’d like to extend my gratitude to my supervisors, Laura McCann, Director, and Lindsey Tyne, Conservation Librarian, and the entire team at the Barbara Goldsmith Conservation Lab for their unwavering support and enthusiasm throughout this project. Thank you all very much!

Notes:

[1] A commonplace book is a centralized place for an individual to record information, whether it be their personal thoughts or quotes from outside literary sources. Friendship albums, by contrast, contain handwritten entries from the family, friends, or acquaintances of the owner (often female). Both forms of commonplacing sustained popularity in Europe and America throughout the 19th century. To learn more about this fascinating literary genre, see Jenifer Blouin, “Eternal Perspectives in Nineteenth-Century Friendship Albums,” The Hilltop Review, Vol. 9, Issue 1 (2016) and Victoria E. Burke, “Recent Studies in Commonplace Books,” English Literary Renaissance, Vol. 43, No. 1 (2013), 153-177.

[2] Much of what is known about Jane Harriet (also known in her family as Harriet) comes from the Blechynden papers in the British Library (Add. Mss. 45578-663). This large holding contains the diaries of her father, Richard (Add. Mss. 45581-653), and older brother, Arthur (Add. Mss. 45654-61). For a secondary account of the Blechynden household, see Peter Robb, Sentiment and Self: Richard Blechynden’s Calcutta Diaries, 1791-1822 (New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2011).

[3] Michele Matteini, “Written on a Bodhi tree leaf,” Anthropology and Aesthetics, Vol. 75-76 (2021), 45-58. 

[4] The design of the double-sided mats is based on an instructional guide made available by the Library of Congress. “Double-Sided Mat,” Library of Congress, accessed 1 February 2023. 

[5] We chose not to use adhesives or traditional paper-hinging techniques to mount the leaf paintings for several reasons. As noted, the paintings are on fragile, non-paper-based supports that have an organic coating, which may be derived from plant gum. The leaf supports are thin, translucent, and highly vulnerable to breakage, so applying hinges directly with adhesive might permanently alter their appearance or risk further damage to the leaves over time, especially if they need to be removed from the housing in the future.

Photographs: Alexa Machnik

Coinage

Introducing the Samir Husni Magazine Collection

We try to use our social media to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what’s happening in Special Collections. But we have to admit, we’ve been keeping a secret. There’s a little project we haven’t told you all about.

Okay, maybe it’s a big project.

In October, three semi-trucks rolled up to Ellis Library laden with the archive of Dr. Samir Husni, a.k.a. Mr. Magazine™, a.k.a. “the planet’s leading expert on new magazines.” Inside was an incredible gift to the Libraries, the University of Missouri, and future researchers: the Samir Husni Magazine Collection.

Dr. Husni’s career has focused on magazine launches, and he assembled this collection over the course of more than forty years of studying the magazine industry. The collection contains around 40,000 first editions of magazines published from 1985 to date. A high percentage of new magazines don’t survive to produce a second issue, so that’s a lot of content that can’t be found anywhere else.

In addition to those 40,000 first editions, Dr. Husni collected widely across a large span of the 20th century. The result is a collection that represents as complete a picture of the American magazine industry as possible, including longer or near-complete runs of periodical titles from the early twentieth century, merchandise and marketing kits created by magazine publishers, and Dr. Husni's professional papers.

The University of Missouri is a natural home for this collection. Dr. Husni received his Ph.D. here from the Missouri School of Journalism, the first professional journalism school in the United States, and a top-ranked program to this day. We’re thrilled to be able to make the Husni Collection available to this community of researchers and journalists. Last week we met to celebrate Dr. Husni and the dedicated crew of librarians and students who have been working on this amazing collection over the last six months.

Get ready for lots of magazine photos coming your way in the coming months. We’ve only processed a fraction of the collection so far, and with tens of thousands of magazines to organize, we’re going to be busy for a long time!

A imgur collection of hundreds of images of 90’s Malls and Stores

Edwardian Hairstyles

Pompadour - aka Gibson Girl style. Usually only used for formal or ballroom styles in the 1900’s before the Great War

it definitely was an everyday style, too! you can see plenty of examples in Linley Sambourne’s hidden-camera street photos of London, taken between 1905 and 1908

^ Click that link. It's wonderful.

“The Kesh temple hymn, Liturgy to Nintud, or Liturgy to Nintud on the creation of man and woman, is a Sumerian tablet, written on clay tablets as early as 2600 BCE.[1] Along with the Instructions of Shuruppak, it is the oldest surviving literature in the world” Pre- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kesh_temple_hymn

A tree fell on my fence. Making the best of it while I negotiate the repair.

Pareidolia in houses 🏡

‘Pareidolia is the tendency for perception to impose a meaningful interpretation on a nebulous stimulus, usually visual, so that one sees an object, pattern or meaning where there is none.’

~ Pottery bowl containing paint, once belonging to a fresco painter.

Period: Roman

Date: A.D. 1st century

Place oforigin: Egypt

michelle yeoh becomes the first asian and only the second woman of colour to win best actress at the oscars

LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE THE WiiU AND 3DS ESHOPS GET SHUT DOWN FOREVER

That means all digital only games as well as DLC cannot be purchased or downloaded. Also all games that have both physical and digital releases, will become physical only if not downloaded before.

All virtual console games also suffer the same fate so get to it!

howdy!

edit: of course they said howdy back!

its payment for every weeb who goes to japan and thinks anime is real

I got fined for forgetting to scan my ticket while riding a train in france, and after the officer left, the guy sitting across from me got very serious and said "shit... happens" then looked so proud of himself when I smiled at that.

im proud of him too