Explore the extensive collections of the Rare Books & Manuscripts Library (RBML), including materials ranging from ancient Babylonian tablets and medieval manuscripts, to Renaissance drama, modern fiction, literary archives, artists’ books, historic photography, maps, astronomy and more.
Potential projects include (but are not limited to):
- The Rare Books & Manuscripts Library has an excellent collection of cookbooks, including more than 8,000 printed volumes and several handwritten recipe books. A variety of projects could be done with this collection, with possible topics including: exploring the evolution of cooking and food preparation; gender and cooking; African American cookbooks; images and artwork of cookbooks; diet and nutrition; regional cookbooks, etc.
- The Rare Books & Manuscripts Library has a growing collection of zines, with strengths including LGBTQ, punk, Riot Grrrl, personal zines, and quarantine / COVID-19. Many projects could be done with them, with some possible topics including: exploring the zines of a specific community or subculture; zines and activism; the art and aesthetics of zines; the evolution of zines as a medium, etc.
- Working with the Highlights for Children Archive to research the fiction and artwork created by twentieth-century children and, possibly, develop a public youth-outreach program.
- Using any of the many modern literary archives at RBML to explore the life and work of a particular author (such as Jessica Mitford, Chester Himes, Raymond Carver, William S. Burroughs, James Thurber, etc.).
- Creating an interactive digital map and/or timeline tracing the geographic and temporal origin and distribution of RBML’s medieval manuscript collections (or our collection of 15th-century printed books).
- Working with our extensive military history archives to explore the life and service of particular US military veterans in different places and at different times throughout our nation’s history.
Location: Thompson Library, Columbus campus
Faculty Librarians:
Eric J. Johnson, Associate Professor / Curator of Rare Books & Manuscripts, is interested in all aspects of Book History (ancient to modern), particularly medieval manuscript studies, early printing, fragmentary texts, medieval preaching and pastoral theology, religious society book distribution in 19th-century America, pulp fiction, military history, and military propaganda for children.
Contact info:
(614) 688-8795
Jolie Braun, Assistant Professor / Curator of Modern Literature and Manuscripts. Research interests include women writers and publishers, book history and print culture, zines and self-publishing, and literary archives.
Contact info:
(614) 688-4980