In November, Claudia Walpole, a textile conservator came to ZSR Library and did a conservation assessment of our Philomathesian banner. The Philomathesians were a literary society on the old campus. Claudia discovered the banner was painted by abolitionist David Bustill Bowser (1820-1900) because she found his name was on a small shard of paint that... Continue reading “Philomathesian Banner Finds a Cozy Home” ›
Special Collections & Archives at ZSR was recently awarded a Preservation Assistance Grant for Smaller Institutions from the National Endowment for the Humanities. This grant will fund a visit by nationally known facilities consultant, Thomas Wilsted, in 2015. Continue reading “ZSR Receives Preservation Grant” ›
If you were a holiday shopper in the 1830s, one item on your list might well have been an annual gift book—an anthology of illustrations, poems, stories, and essays, in an affordable but decorative binding. Several examples of 19th century holiday gift books are now on exhibit in the ZSR Library Special Collections & Archives... Continue reading “A Token of My Affection: 19th Century Christmas Annuals” ›
Modern cooks have it easy. If our Thanksgiving preparations go awry, we have shelves of books to consult for advice, not to mention Google, or, as a last resort, the Butterball hotline. Preparers of the original 17th century feast would have had to rely on oral traditions and perhaps a few handwritten “receipts,” which tended... Continue reading “Modern American Cookery, by Prudence Smith (1835)” ›
You asked me to tell you about my theory of poetry. Really I haven’t got one. I like things that are difficult to write and difficult to understand; I like “redeeming the contraries” with secretive images; I like contradicting my images, saying two things at once in one word, four in two words and one... Continue reading “18 Poems, by Dylan Thomas (1934)” ›
Special Collections & Archives is teaming up with Global Programs & Studies (GPS) to host “Wake Up The World: An Archival Journey.” This event will take place in the Special Collections & Archives Research Room (ZSR Room 625) on Thursday, October 23 from 4-5. Join us as we celebrate National Archives Month and the history... Continue reading “Wake Up The World: An Archival Journey” ›
Mark your calendars! Special Collections & Archives is hosting an Artist’s Talk with University Photographer Ken Bennett on Wednesday, October 15th from 4:15-5:30. As part of the “Worth a Thousand Words: Ken Bennett’s Photographs of ZSR” exhibit in Special Collections and Archives (Room 625, Z. Smith Reynolds Library), University Photographer Ken Bennett will share about his experiences documenting... Continue reading “Artist’s Talk with Ken Bennett, University Photographer” ›
The first ever Piedmont Triad Home Movie Day will be held on Saturday, November 8, 2014 from 1:00–5:00 p.m. in the auditorium (Room 404) of Z. Smith Reynolds Library on the campus of Wake Forest University. This year’s event is sponsored by Wake Forest University’s Z. Smith Reynolds Library, Davidson College’s E.H. Little Library, and A/V... Continue reading “Save the date! Piedmont Triad Home Movie Day” ›
Banned Books Week is observed each September by librarians, publishers, authors, educators, and readers to show “support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.” By calling attention to various attempts to restrict access to books and other materials, Banned Books Week reminds readers that freedom of... Continue reading “Dialogus de Systema Cosmicum, by Galileo Galilei (1635)” ›
We are happy to announce that the first ten years of The Wake Forest Student is now available as a digital collection via DigitalNC. Begun in 1882 by the Euzelian Society, The Wake Forest Student is a fascinating slice of Wake Forest history. Read more about the DigitalNC project in the Digital North Carolina Blog. We plan on... Continue reading “Early Issues of The Wake Forest Student now on DigitalNC” ›