F&M Student Newspaper Collection Updated

Franklin and Marshall College has now digitized 116 years of its student newspapers. Click on the link to view College Days (1873-1879); F&M Weekly (1891-1915); Student Weekly (1915-1964); College Reporter (1964-2001).

F&M Student Newspaper Collection, 1873-2001

WWI Poster Acquisitions

The Archives and Special Collections recently added two unique "homefront" posters to our WWI poster collection. The two posters highlight the important roles young women played in WWI stateside causes. Please learn more about our WWI poster collection by linking here. Additional information relating to WWI poster values and conservation can be found here.

The above poster is by noted artist Edward Penfield, ca. 1917.

Napoleon Collection Exhibition

One of the largest and most distinct rare book collections held by Franklin and Marshall is the 1,890 volume Watts de Peyster Collection: Napoleon Buonaparte assembled by General John Watts de Peyster (1821-1907).

Originally gifted to the Smithsonian Institution, the collection was transferred to Franklin and Marshall College in 1957 in recognition of General de Peyster's historical relationship as a major benefactor to the College Library. The collection consists of books, pamphlets and maps focusing on the Napoleonic era in Europe from the French Revolution of 1789 until the death of Napoleon in 1821. General de Peyster collected many of the items while traveling in Europe conducting research for his own biography of Napoleon, entitled Napoleone di Buonaparte (1896).

The exhibit will run through October 31, 2008. Enjoy, and please post your comments!

New A&SC Widescreen Display

The Archives and Special Collections is pleased to announce the installation of a 37" LCD display in the Reading Room. The new display will assist with seminar-level instruction sessions, and can be used to illustrate web sites, conduct database searching, deliver PowerPoint presentations, and show archival video clips and digital collections. When not in use for classes and research appointments, the display will be used as digital signage emphasizing patron registration and Reading Room rules of use.

Tales of True Crime Exhibition

Now open on the main level of Shadek-Fackenthal Library is our latest exhibit: Tales of True Crime from the Special Collections. Featuring true crime books, pamphlets, and broadsides from the Special Collections, the exhibit follows the history of true-crime publishing in the United States from the late-18th to 20th centuries. Most items involve chapbook (inexpensively printed, paper-covered pamphlets) tales of murders that occurred in 19th-century Pennsylvania. Of particular interest are items printed in the German-language that became part of the German-American community's folklore, such as the case of Susanna Cox, executed in 1809 for murder. This exhibit runs through May 2008.

Gift of Francis Bailey Newspapers

Dr. Russell and Judith Eaton of Mount Joy, PA recently gifted a significant collection of the Freeman's Journal newspaper to the F&M College Library. The newspapers are contained in a single, period-bound volume and cover the years 1789-1792. The collection consists of 173 consecutive four-page issues, plus 536 tax related broadsheet supplements, and three unique New Year's broadsheets. The Freeman's Journal was printed and published in Philadelphia by renowned 18th-century printer Francis Bailey. The volume is Francis Bailey's personal copy, containing ink annotations, corrections, and marginalia throughout. 

New F&M Institutional Repository

Scholars Square is a new, web-based institutional repository service that collects, preserves, indexes, and distributes the intellectual output of the college. Faculty, professional staff, and students are encouraged to submit scholarly research in the form of Article pre-prints and post-prints, Technical Reports, Working Papers, Conference Presentations, Honors Theses, and Audio/Visual materials. To learn more, go to the library's Scholars Square information page.

Miniature Books Exhibition

The latest Archives and Special Collections exhibition features an overview of miniature books with examples from the F&M Rare Books collection. Examples include miniatures of varying genres including bibles, bibliographies, literature, poetry, and artist's books. Displayed miniatures range in size from standard U.S. miniatures (3-2 inches) to ultra-micro miniatures (less than 1 inch).

Please enjoy this two case exhibition on the first floor of the library.