University of St. Francis Library Archives

The USF Library Archives has been fortunate to receive donations of artwork from current USF students. A selection of art projects from the Spring 2008 semester are now on display in the Library. To view these pieces please visit the Student Artwork Display area on the 2nd floor of the Library. This area is outside the Center for Instructional Delivery (CID) offices, adjacent to the classrooms. Art in this display by: Jackie Marroquin, Robbyn Yuen, Ron O'neal, Ashley Kekelik, Tricia Whybark, Brad Bourg, Jackie Oliver, Matthew Mazurowski, and Kathy High.

The USF Library Archives is working to create a large online collection of items from the Archives' materials called Sharing Our Past, A Visual History . (to see more about the project view this previous post ). Before we share the new digital collection, I wanted to share some other worthy sites for viewing online images and information. National Archives and Records Administration - the Nation's repository for government records. The website is full of information about the holdings and links to databases for searching through electronic records. Library of Congress on Youtube - the Library of Congress video collection includes films dating from the earliest Edison film to the present. Library and Archival Exhibitions on the Web - a one-stop shop database for finding online exhibits created by libraries, archives and historical societies. Updated by the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, it contains over 3,000 links. CARLI Digital Collections - The C onsortium of A ca...

George Bull was a theologian and a defender of the doctrine of the Trinity who lived from 1634 to 1710. He was born in Wells, Somerset, UK and educated at Blundell's School in Tiverton, Devon and then at Oxford University. He was ordained in 1655 and rose successfully to become the Bishop of St. David's in 1705. After his death, his writings were published in the book The Works of the Right Reverend George Bull, D.D., Late Bishop of St. David's: translated into English by F. Holland, M.A. It was a multi-volume work published in London in 1730. The USF Library Archives has a copy of Volume II on display in our Rare Books Collection. If you would like to view the Rare Book Displays or other historical materials in the USF Library Archives, please visit us on the 2nd floor of the USF Library.

Born in London in 1882, John Drinkwater was an English poet and dramatist during the early 20th century until his death in 1937. He was also an actor and a promoter of repertory theatre in England. During his career he published several volumes of verse, critical studies, and historical plays. The John L. Raymond Special Collection in the USF Library Archives has 21 books by Drinkwater including his first full-length play Rebellion (1914). 4 of the books in the collection are signed by the author [ American Vignettes (1931), From an Unknown Isle (1924), Poems of Love and Earth (1912), and Swords and Ploughshares (1915)], and 3 of those 4 are first editions [ From an Unknown Isle (1924), Poems of Love and Earth (1912), and Swords and Ploughshares (1915)]. If you would like to view these books and other rare and exciting editions from the John L. Raymond Special Collection please visit the USF Library Archives on the 2nd floor of the USF Library.

The USF Library Archives has been awarded the Connecting to Connections Bookshelf Award from IMLS (The Institute of Museum and Library Services) and AASLH (American Association for State and Local History) . The IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf is a set of resources selected by conservation and preservation experts throughout the country. It contains informative, practical materials to help institutions sustain the country's heritage by improving the care of their collections. The USF Library Archives will be receiving books, DVDs, and other resources that address such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific conservation issues. The Bookshelf was awarded through a competitive, expert reviewed, on-line application process where applicants demonstrated an urgent need for this permanent resource. The USF Library Archives is excited to add these materials to our resource collec...

The USF Library Archives has been awarded a 2009 LSTA grant to complete the project titled "Sharing Our Past: Digitally Archiving the History of the University of St. Francis". We received word of our acceptance (and our giant check) in 2008 and have been steadily working on finishing the project. We are about 3/4 done and as we near the end, we have prepared a small article that describes the project and gives a quick overview of the history of USF. “Sharing Our Past: Digitally Archiving the History of the University of St. Francis” is a project that will create an online collection of digitized photographs, brochures, newspapers, posters, and other materials related to the history of the University of St. Francis, the City of Joliet , and Will County . This collection will provide access to information and materials that are an important part of the history of higher education in Illinois . It will also greatly increase the USF Library Archives’ current outreach ef...

John Masefield (1878-1967) was the author of the children's books The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights , approximately 35 other novels (including Sard Harker , Gallipoli , and A Tale of Troy ), and numerous memorable poems and poetry anthologies (including Salt Water Poems and Ballads , Midsummer Night and Other Tales in Verse ). He was the Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1930 until his death in 1967. The John L. Raymond Special Collection has 77 of John Masefield's books, a large portion of his complete works. A number of the books are first editions while others are limited editions. Two books in particular are very rare. A copy of Minnie Maylow's Story and Other Tales and Scenes is a limited edition (#203 of 350) and is signed by the author. The JLR Collection also has a copy of Philip the King and Other Poems which is a limited edition (#287 of 375) and is signed by both the author, John Masefield, and the illustrator, Laurence Irv...