University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections & Archives

06/05/2026

Stop by the third floor to see our newest Reading Room exhibition, curated by Olson Research Graduate Assistant Anne Moore. "The World Says No To War: Protest, Politics, and Art in the Aughts" showcases protest art of the 2000s and features artist's books, photography, political buttons, magazine articles, and even some CDs. Anne, thank you for your hard work as our Olson GA!

05/29/2026

This register of a Venetian confraternity has entries from 1556 to 1708 - that's over 150 years of record keeping! You can see the changes in handwriting and style as you look through the entries; some scribes chose cursive, some chose humanist miniscule, and some chose an italic hand. Each scribe also chose different decorations and capital letters; some used gold text, others used solid red caps, and others made ornamental designs with black ink. Which style is your favorite?

05/27/2026

Happy Iowa Women Wednesday! These photos are from the Harris Scheer Berg family papers, which are part of the Jewish Women in Iowa project. In these photographs, Hannah Scheer is being confirmed during Shavuot at Temple Judah in Cedar Rapids. The confirmation ceremony in Reform Judaism is only about 200 years old and likely originated in Germany. It would have been brought to Iowa by German-Jewish immigrants like the Scheer family in the late 1800s...
Material from IWA1040

05/22/2026

New on the blog: Student employee Whitney Jensen rounds up her top 10 Civil War documents held in Special Collections and Archives, from diaries that rode in the breast pockets of soldiers as they marched into battle to letters sent between loved ones over the course of the war. Click the link to read more about these fascinating pieces of American history.

Students Investigate: Special Collections’ most accessible Civil War documents Posted byElizabeth RiordanApril 30, 2026May 6, 2026Posted inCollection Connection, Students Investigate, Top 10Tags:civil war, student workers, students investigate, Top 10, Whitney jensen This series features the work ...

05/11/2026

Happy Mini Monday! Do you like English pangrams (phrases that use every letter of the alphabet at least once)? Are you tired of ‘the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog’? Have we got the book for you!

“The Quick Brown Fox: A Chap Book” compiled and arranged by Richard H. Templeton

Smith Miniatures Collection Z253 .Q5 1975

05/06/2026

It‘s Iowa Women Wednesday! Here’s a snapshot of the life of Ayako “A. Mori” Costantino, a Japanese American human rights activist.

In 1942, Mori and her family were interned at the Tule Lake Japanese American internment camp. In 1943, students were permitted to leave the camps to attend college, and Mori moved to Chicago, eventually working for the U.S. Civil Service in St. Louis. After the end of World War II, Mori worked as a stenographer in Japan where she met her husband Tony Constantino, a military serviceman. In 1950, they returned to California where Tony taught at a university, later accepting a professorship at the University of Iowa in 1956. Here in Iowa City, Mori helped found the Iowa City Human Relations Commission in 1963, opened her house to meetings, recruited supporters, and assisted in drafting the Human Rights Ordinance that passed the Iowa City City Council. She served on the Commission as chairwoman and vice chairwoman, leading investigations into employment discrimination, affirmative action, and housing discrimination in partnership with the League of Women Voters.

Material from IWA0905

05/04/2026

Dearest Gentle Reader,

Spring has sprung in Iowa City, and this writer is watching closely to see what this new season will bring for the University of Iowa. As the weather warms, promenades and formals are on the rise. You don’t want to be caught off guard, so this writer recommends keeping The Little Flirt by A. J. Fisher close by to keep from committing any egregious faux pas.

Published in 1871, this little handbook will give any reader information about the symbolic meanings of specific actions related to the use of handkerchiefs, gloves, handheld fans, and parasols. If you would like to gift your paramour a bouquet of flowers, fret not! The Little Flirt also includes information on the language of flowers. It is perfectly sized to slip into the pocket to keep as reference as it measures in at 58 x 77 mm.

Smith Miniatures Collection GT2650 .L58 1871