“What is an artist’s book?” Leatherby Libraries Special Collections & Archives Librarian Rand Boyd asked Professor Elizabeth Bedford’s Art 123 class. The class fell silent for a moment. “You guys know this,” prompted Professor Bedford, “What is it?” One hand crept up tentatively. “An artist’s book is, well, anything,” the student offered. “Exactly,” Rand replied,
In early November, Chapman University’s Leatherby Libraries Special Collections and Archives division helped organize the first Orange County Archives Bazaar. The event was comprised of over 30 history organizations in the county including libraries, historical societies, and institutions coming together to share their collections. The Archives Bazaar was hosted by the Bowers Museum in Santa
This year, the Leatherby Libraries at Chapman University is hosting the Orange County Archives in Action where the Libraries, along with other institutions, will exhibit their collections, share stories, and answer questions about Orange County history. This countywide, daylong event will also include several presentations from community members dedicated to preserving and increasing awareness and access
At the Leatherby Libraries, we have an interview series highlighting the work our amazing librarians accomplish each day. These interviews help inform the community about all the different areas of the library and all the services we have! Annie Tang, our Coordinator of Special Collections & Archives, was kind enough to answer some questions for
Designed not only to honor the brave but to memorialize the fallen, the Center for American War Letters Archives preserves the narratives of families, loved ones, and heroes. This year, the Archives has the honor of commemorating one of the most heroic, and also most tragic, events in world history. The exhibit is called The
Have you ever heard the phrase “an orange a day keeps the doctor away”? The health benefits commonly associated with oranges today became widely known as a direct result of the booming citrus industries in California. Before then, oranges were considered a luxury item only available to the wealthy. The unlikely story behind the orange’s
On Wednesday, April 18th, the Leatherby Libraries was proud to host the inaugural lecture of the new John and Margaret Class Lecture Series. This talk, presented by Margaret Class, addressed the history of pop-up and movable books, and showcased some of Class’ own collection of these unique books as well. The event incorporated remarks by
The Bard on Campus is a new display in the Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections and Archives that commemorates the long history of Shakespeare on the Chapman University campus. On display are photographs and programs highlighting the work of Henry Kemp-Blair, who started the Henry Kemp-Blair Shakespeare Festival in the 1960s and Tom
We’re often told that we “cannot judge a book by its cover”, but that’s not always true. Especially not when it comes to the elaborate book jackets created by Professor Rachelle W. Chuang’s graphic design students. These students participated in a rigorous process to research, redesign, and physically produce two conceptually different book jackets for
On Saturday, October 14, 2017, Orange County celebrated Fiesta Mendez, a day-long celebration of equality and freedom. Among a number of events, Fiesta Mendez hosted a screening of the episode “Manzanar” from Huell Howser’s television show, California’s Gold. The screening was followed by a discussion about the relationship between Japanese American incarceration and the landmark Orange