home Special Collections and Archives, Support the Libraries Samir Husni Magazine Collection Donated to MU Libraries

Samir Husni Magazine Collection Donated to MU Libraries

Samir Husni, a leading expert on magazine publishing, has donated his archives to the University of Missouri Libraries Special Collections and Archives division. These wide-ranging research materials will be available to scholarship as the Samir Husni Magazine Collection.

Dubbed “the planet’s leading expert on new magazines” by the Chicago Tribune and “a world-renowned expert on print journalism” by CBS News, Samir “Mr. Magazine™” Husni, Ph.D., has studied magazine launches for over forty years. Husni received his undergraduate degree from Lebanese University in Beirut, where he was top of his class, earning a scholarship to work on advanced degrees in the United States. He went on to earn a master’s degree in journalism from the University of North Texas in 1980 and a Ph.D. in magazine journalism from the University of Missouri in 1983. He is the founder and director of the Magazine Innovation Center at the School of Journalism and New Media at The University of Mississippi, where he served as a professor of journalism from 1984 to 2021.

The Samir Husni Magazine Collection represents a lifetime of research in media history and magazine publishing. Husni’s yearly publication, Samir Husni’s Guide to New Magazines, was in print from 1985 to 2011, and is published electronically to date. The Guide documents more than 40,000 first issue magazines published in the United States in the twentieth century, all of which are contained in the collection. A significant percentage of first edition magazines in the U.S. never published a second issue, so much of the content of the collection is extremely rare. The collection also includes longer or near-complete runs of other periodical titles from the early twentieth century, as well as merchandise and marketing kits created by magazine publishers, and Husni’s professional papers. Taken as a whole, the Husni Collection provides a detailed view of the landscape of American periodical publishing for a large span of the 20th century.

Dr. Earnest Perry, associate dean of graduate studies and research at the Missouri School of Journalism said, “The collection is a history of our pop culture from the 20th century and beyond and a snapshot of what has happened in America from news, to war, to culture and entertainment, to science and beyond.”

The Special Collections and Archives Division is home to a diverse collection of rare, unique, and historic materials across many formats: manuscripts, papers, rare books, maps, posters, comic art, architectural plans, photographs, and film. The collections are a highly used resource that support a busy program of reference, instruction, and outreach to the University of Missouri community and beyond. More information about the Samir Husni Magazine Collection is available on the Special Collections website. Researchers are encouraged to contact Special Collections librarians with questions.

home Events and Exhibits, Special Collections and Archives New Digital Exhibit: Masks, Hells, and Books

New Digital Exhibit: Masks, Hells, and Books

Special Collections has a new digital exhibit: Masks, Hells, and Books: The Nuremberg Schembartlauf (1449-1539), curated by John Henry Adams. The Schembartlauf (literally, “the running of the masked men”) was a traditional Carnival parade held in Nuremberg, Germany. It started as a small honor guard for a troop of dancers but rapidly grew to include giant mechanical parade floats, political commentary, and dozens or hundreds of masked participants. Unfortunately, sometimes the exuberance would also spill over into riots. The most memorable of these riots was probably the one in 1539, when the Schembartlauf was banned, a ban that has yet to be officially revoked.

Masks, Hells, and Books takes the reader through the different aspects of the Schembartlauf: the origins of the parade, the costumes of the runners, the parade floats, the 1539 disaster that resulted in the Schembart’s ban, and the manuscripts that have preserved the memory of this strange festivity. We hope that it inspires you to think about some of our own traditions and how strange they might seem after several centuries of inactivity, though we would like to ask that you not follow the example set by the Schembart in 1507 and 1539. No riots, please!

The exhibit is made possible by the generosity of a private collector who has loaned three medieval manuscripts to Special Collections.

John Henry Adams

John Henry Adams is a librarian in the Special Collections and Rare Books department. He provides instruction and reference for the history of the book in general, but especially for medieval manuscripts, early European printing, the history of cartography, and English and German literature.

home Resources and Services, Special Collections and Archives Twentieth-Century Political Pamphlet Collection now available online through JSTOR

Twentieth-Century Political Pamphlet Collection now available online through JSTOR

The Twentieth Century Political Pamphlet Collection in Special Collections is now available as an open-access digital collection in JSTOR. The collection consists of ephemeral political materials distributed by and for members of national organizations and political committees. The majority of the materials relate are concerned with civil rights, anti-war protest, feminism, and economic policy. The collection offers primary source material to researchers interested in the various social protest movements of the 1960s. Browse the Twentieth-Century Political Pamphlet Collection in JSTOR.

This collection was digitized as part of Reveal Digital’s Student Activism Collection. Overall, the Student Activism Collection will contain approximately 75,000 pages drawn from special collection libraries and archives around the country. The collection will capture the voices of students across the great range of protest, political actions, and equal-rights advocacy from the 20th and early 21st century United States. The primary sources intended for inclusion will be broad-based across time, geography, and political viewpoint — from the conservative to the anarchist. Explore the Student Activism Collection.

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Kelli Hansen

Kelli Hansen is head of the Special Collections and Rare Books department.

home Resources and Services, Special Collections and Archives Life Among the Shelves: A MU Libraries Podcast

Life Among the Shelves: A MU Libraries Podcast

What do you think of when you hear special collections and archives? Old books? Decades old letters? You’d be correct, but there’s so much more that happens on the 4th floor of Ellis Library!

Join Macy Love and John Henry Adams in an exploration of what we do in Special Collections, Libraries, and Archives. They showcase treasures from our collections, guide you through our services, and show you all the work it takes behind the scenes to answer all your questions.

New episodes drop every Tuesday

Episode 9: Exhibits: The Display Window
One of the ways that librarians and archivists share their collections with the public is through exhibits. In our final episode, Macy and John Henry explore the considerations and work that go into exhibit design and display. Macy interviews Gary Cox from the University Archives.

Episode 8: Preservation: Climate Control
Part of keeping rare books and archival materials safe involves keeping temperature and humidity under control. In this episode, Macy and John Henry explore the challenges of maintaining a good environment in the stacks. Macy interviews Michaelle Dorsey from Special Collections and Anselm Huelsbergen from the University Archives.

Episode 7: Stacks Projects: Everything Has To Go Somewhere 
Rare books and archival materials are kept on shelves in a special area called the stacks. In this episode, Macy and John Henry explore the work that goes on behind the scenes to organize and maintain the stacks. Macy interviews Kelli Hansen from Special Collections and Kris Anstine from the University Archives. 

Episode 6: Acquisitions: How It Gets Here
There are a lot of things in Special Collections and the University Archives. Where do they all come from? In this episode, Macy and John Henry explore how items are acquired and become part of the collection. Macy interviews Kelli Hansen from Special Collections and Anselm Huelsbergen from the University Archives. 

Episode 5: Scanning and Uploading: Digital Repositories
Thanks to the Internet, many people can use rare and archival materials without coming in to see them in person. But how are those digital copies made? In this episode, Macy and John Henry explore the question of digitization. Macy interviews Steven Pryor and Britany Saunders from Digital Services. 

Episode 4: Fixing What’s Broken: Book Repairs and Enclosures 
Repairs and maintenance are an important part of preserving rare and archival materials. In this episode, Macy and John Henry explore some of the ways in which librarians and archivists repair and protect books on the shelves. Macy interviews Michaelle Dorsey from Special Collections and Anselm Huelsbergen from the University Archives. 

Episode 3: Pay Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain: Teaching Prep
Many patrons first encounter special collections or archival materials in a classroom. In this episode, Macy and John Henry discuss the work that goes into setting up a class session. 

Episode 2: Books and Records Don’t Circulate: Running A Reading Room
Patrons at rare books libraries and archives have to use the materials in special reading rooms. In this episode, Macy and John Henry explore why reading rooms exist and how they are run. Macy interviews Kris Anstine from the University Archives and John Konzal from Special Collections.  

Episode 1: I’d Like Some Information Please: Reference Questions
In this episode, Macy and John Henry explore how librarians and archivists answer reference questions. Macy interviews Kelli Hansen from Special Collections and Gary Cox from the University Archives. 

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

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Taira Meadowcroft

Taira Meadowcroft is the Public Health and Community Engagement Librarian at the Health Sciences Library at the University of Missouri.

home Resources and Services, Special Collections and Archives Celebrating Preservation Week with Digital Services!

Celebrating Preservation Week with Digital Services!

April 24-30, 2022 is Preservation Week!  

 

Digital Services is committed to ensuring long-term preservation of resources. We utilize and promote good preservation practices.

 

What preservation programs take place in Digital Services?
 Two major programs: 

  • Digitization for preservation: We protect fragile and rare materials by creating a digital version of them and providing online access. 
  • Long-term preservation of digital resources: We follow national standards to make sure our digital files remain accessible into the future.  

What formats of materials does Digital Services digitize for preservation purposes?  

We primarily work with books and paper-based materials, including but not limited to maps, posters, manuscripts, scrapbooks, and photographs. Microfilms and slides are digitized from time to time. Currently, we do not digitize audiovisual materials.  

What digital formats does Digital Service preserve in MOspace and MU Digital Library?  

Images, text documents, datasets, and audio and video files.  

Where do the digital items live/get preserved? Are they free to use? 

Learn more about preservation: 

home Cycle of Success, Special Collections and Archives Partnership Brings Medieval Manuscript Collection into the Digital Age

Partnership Brings Medieval Manuscript Collection into the Digital Age

In Fall 2020, Dr. Brittany Rancour worked with Special Collections to create a digital guide to the Fragmenta Manuscripta collection through a partnership with the Department of Visual Studies. The Fragmenta Manuscripta Collection is a collection of manuscript fragments, most of them from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, but with materials extending as far back as the eighth century and as recently as the seventeenth century. Dr. Rancour’s project involved updating and expanding the finding aid to provide in-depth descriptions of over 200 manuscript fragments, work that was first started by Nicole Songstad, a graduate research assistant in Special Collections.

Dr. Rancour, now a Visiting Assistant Professor of Humanities at Dixie State University, came to Mizzou as a PhD student in medieval art history and was drawn to Special Collections, specifically because of the assortment of medieval manuscripts. “When the librarians wanted to develop an on-line learning experience for the collection, I jumped at the opportunity to work with the fragments,” says Dr. Rancour.

The fragments are parts of completed manuscripts that include bibles, books of hours, legal texts, and poetry. Over the centuries, people tended to cut fragments from the the original bindings as collectors valued parts of the texts rather than the entire product. The history of the collection begins with John Bagford, an English book collector around the turn of the eighteenth century. Bagford had a collection of manuscript fragments and had ambitions to write a history of the development of printing from handwritten manuscripts to the invention of the moveable type. In an essay dated to 1707, Bagford wrote that the collection was, “perhaps the first of that kind that ever was done in any part of Europe.” You can learn more about the collection here.

Before Dr. Rancour’s work on this project, there was no finding aid at all. “It was all digitized and available on Digital Scriptorium, but it was difficult to find groups of materials. This finding aid has helped staff and patrons tremendously in locating specific items according to various themes – poetry, or sermons, for example. In fact, I used it just last week to find materials for a class,” says Kelli Hansen, Head of Special Collections.

Partnerships between the libraries and different departments on campus open up various opportunities for learning and research. Asked for one piece of advice for those interested in working with the library, Dr. Rancour said, “ask a Special Collections librarian what types of objects are in their collection. It is an excellent collection and has so much to offer to students and others interested in history.”

Cycle of Success is the idea that libraries, faculty, and students are linked; for one to truly succeed, we must all succeed. The path to success is formed by the connections between University of Missouri Libraries and faculty members, between faculty members and students, and between students and the libraries that serve them. More than just success, this is also a connection of mutual respect, support, and commitment to forward-thinking research.

If you would like to submit your own success story about how the libraries have helped your research and/or work, please use the Cycle of Success form.

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Taira Meadowcroft

Taira Meadowcroft is the Public Health and Community Engagement Librarian at the Health Sciences Library at the University of Missouri.

home Events and Exhibits, Special Collections and Archives, Staff news New Digital Exhibit: Leaders and Heroes 2

New Digital Exhibit: Leaders and Heroes 2

Leaders and Heroes 2: The Arts is Special Collections’ newest digital exhibit, curated by Courtney Gillie and John Henry Adams. A continuation of the 2020 exhibit Leaders and Heroes, we continue to spotlight art, articles, and monographs by historically excluded people. Starting with the LGBTQIA icon Sappho, the exhibit was created to reflect the openly diverse world we live in now. Explore beautiful, hand-crafted wood engravings in Shall we join the ladies? and then dive into the community and culture that expelled Japanese American families built in Tanforan Racetrack horse stalls in Citizen 13660.

Leaders and Heroes exist in good times and bad. Pulling from Mizzou’s many libraries on campus, our further reading section is full of primary and secondary sources for additional contextual information on the history and identity of each fascinating creator featured in Leaders & Heroes 2. We hope you will be entertained by the wit of William Woo and Zora Neale Hurston, moved by the art of Miné Okubo and the Kiowa 5, then inspired by the poetry of Sappho and relentless writings of Lydia Maria Child to advocate yourself.

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John Henry Adams

John Henry Adams is a librarian in the Special Collections and Rare Books department. He provides instruction and reference for the history of the book in general, but especially for medieval manuscripts, early European printing, the history of cartography, and English and German literature.

Glossary of Rare Book Terms Available

Special Collections staff has prepared an illustrated glossary of rare books terms. If you’ve ever wondered about the difference between engraving and etching, or what exactly a nonce volume is, then this is your chance to find out!

The glossary contains 130 definitions and 112 images of examples drawn from Special Collections’ holdings. The glossary was written by John Henry Adams and photographs were taken by John Henry Adams, Courtney Gillie, and Kelli Hansen.

John Henry Adams

John Henry Adams is a librarian in the Special Collections and Rare Books department. He provides instruction and reference for the history of the book in general, but especially for medieval manuscripts, early European printing, the history of cartography, and English and German literature.

home Special Collections and Archives The Classroom is Open!

The Classroom is Open!

After more than a year of online teaching, we are excited to welcome students and instructors back to in-person sessions in our classroom. A few reminders: 

  • Masks are required in the classroom for all participants. 
  • Thorough handwashing before class is required for all participants.
  • Hand sanitizer may not be used before or during class sessions. Handwashing after class is recommended.  
  • Use our online form to request a session.  

This fall, we are introducing a new online orientation module that students must complete before they visit. This module covers handling guidelines for materials in the classroom and will help students make the most of their time in Special Collections. If you’re teaching a class using Special Collections, please include this module in your syllabus or Canvas site, and require your students to complete it before your class session.

Kelli Hansen

Kelli Hansen is head of the Special Collections and Rare Books department.

home Events and Exhibits, Special Collections and Archives, Staff news New Fall Exhibit: Instagram Favorites

New Fall Exhibit: Instagram Favorites

Since 2016, Special Collections has used Instagram to share our collections with the world. To mark our fifth anniversary on the platform, and to welcome students and faculty back to campus, our fall exhibition celebrates two sets of favorite posts.

One of the exhibit cases highlights your favorites: the posts that were the most liked, commented, and interacted with over the past five years. As you will see, there are wonders to discover in Special Collections, from medieval manuscripts to nineteenth-century publisher’s bindings. These posts are just the beginning!

The other exhibit case highlights our favorites: posts chosen by Special Collections and Archives staff.  As these materials show, we envision a future in which Special Collections and Archives foster, reflect and inform an inclusive, diverse, and engaged community, locally and beyond.

This exhibition will be on view in the Ellis Library North Colonnade through fall 2021. For more, make an appointment to visit us in person, or follow us on Instagram.

Kelli Hansen

Kelli Hansen is head of the Special Collections and Rare Books department.