The Avian Archives of Iowa Online is Live!

In 2016, the Iowa State University Library received a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) through their Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives program supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The grant funded a two-year effort (May 2017-May 2019) to digitize and describe nearly 10,000 objects related to ornithology and bird study…

National Wildlife Week with Frederic Leopold

Sometimes when digging through the archives, we find amazing connections from the past. While sorting through materials in the Frederic Leopold Papers collection for the AvIAn project, a letter written to Frederic Leopold from a student was found, discussing the day he had spent with the Sperry Elementary students during National Wildlife Week in 1973. Fortunately for…

Celebrating Women’s History Month With Mary Bailey

Women’s History Month has officially begun! Women’s History Month originated as “Women’s History Week” in 1982, and continued to be a week-long celebration until 1987, when the National Women’s History Project petitioned for a month long event. From then on March has officially been known as Women’s History Month. Here in Iowa, we have had…

History of the Great Backyard Bird Count

Are you looking for a last minute Valentine’s Day date idea? Why not bird watching? This year’s Great Backyard Bird Count falls on February 15th-18th, perfect timing for a late Valentines Day date! The Great Backyard Bird Count was started in 1998 by the Cornell Ornithology Lab and the National Audubon Society. The count was…

Flying into our history: How the American Goldfinch became the state bird of Iowa

When it comes to state symbols, Iowa has its fair share. From the geode being the state rock, to the oak tree being the state tree, we have just about everything covered. Something one might not realize however, is that the state of Iowa did not have a state bird until 1932, when members of…

Activist Agriculture: Farm Protest in Iowa, 1929-1969 (digital version)

As Rachel posted last week on Cardinal Tales, the library has just launched a new exhibit on agricultural activism in Iowa. You can see the physical version of the exhibit on the fourth floor of the library from now until January 2019. The digital version will be available in the long term. Check out the…

Project Launch: Digital Collection of Agricultural Machinery Product Literature

A new digital collection is in the works: the Agricultural Machinery Product Literature Collection. If agricultural machinery is not of interest to you, why might you want to check out this collection?  Illustrations throughout the collection are often eye-catching (both on the cover and inside the material).  The various design and marketing techniques used provide…

Iowa 4-H Youth Conference: Identifying Prairie Plants from the Ada Hayden Digital Collection

What do you do when the prairie is teaming with blooming plants, 4-H’ers are on campus, a new digital exhibit has been completed, and an expanded digital collection is finalized?  Conduct a workshop, of course! Last week, digital collections staff (Kim Anderson, Lori Bousson, and Laura Sullivan) were able to team up with Deb Lewis,…

A Glimpse of the Past Through the Eyes of Ornithology.

The history of photography can be traced back much farther than one might imagine. During the 17th century, “magic lanterns” were a frequent pastime for many members of society. Hand painted images on glass plates could be held in front of a candle or other light source, and would result in the image being projected…

Project Launch: Ada Hayden Online Exhibit & Digital Collection

May 29th of this year marks 100 years after Ada Hayden graduated as the first woman to receive a PhD from Iowa State. Who was Ada Hayden?  She was a botanist, educator, ISU faculty member, ISU alumna, ecologist, illustrator, photographer, and, as she may be best known for: staunch advocate for prairie preservation. The list…