Over the last few days at the archives, I have spent some time working on reference questions and I have also put some of the finishing touches on the Ruth Engs finding aid.
One patron I assisted asked for some information about the history of the Lilly Library. The patron asked for a list of previous directors as well as some information about George A. Poole and C. Lindsay, two collectors of rare books and manuscripts whose collections were essential to the development of the Lilly collection. Here is a brief biography of Poole from the Encyclopedia of Chicago. Poole, who was born in Chicago, also served as a trustee on the boards of both the University of Chicago and the Newberry Library. The Gutenberg Bible New Testament that is held at the Lilly Library came from the Poole Collection, as did many examples of early printing held at the Lilly Library that can be found in this guide. The Ricketts collection, which also contains many of the Lilly's most treasured items, is documented here on the Lilly Library Manuscripts Collection site.
As for the Ruth Engs finding aid, I have spent some time adding detail to the scope and content note in order to best describe the organization and nature of the collection in a way that best communicates its structure and usefulness to the patron. This step is one of the final steps in the processing of the collection, and it should be entirely complete relatively soon.
I have also begun to plan and brainstorm for the outreach video I will be creating. This video will be used to help persuade student groups to donate their records to the IU Archives. Stay tuned for a forthcoming post that will describe the plans for the project in greater detail!
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