SCRC Was Abuzz with Spring Events

The Making of the Medieval Book exhibition, on display from January 27-August 15, 2025

SCRC’s spring exhibition, The Making of the Medieval Book, curated by Irina Savinetskaya, SCRC Curator of Early to Pre-20th Century, explores how medieval books were made, used and reused over time, as well as their place in modern imagination and book design. The exhibition showcases the Center’s collection of Western European medieval manuscripts from the 13th to the 16th centuries, alongside examples of bookmaking from the Byzantine Empire, Japan, Ethiopia and Persia. It also highlights early printed books and materials from the eighteenth to the twentieth century that drew inspiration from medieval manuscripts.

“Collecting the Medieval Book in America”: A Keynote Lecture and Panel Discussion

On February 26, 2025, SCRC hosted a hybrid conference, “Collecting the Medieval Book in America” in conjunction with its spring exhibition, The Making of the Medieval Book. The conference featured a panel discussion with library curators, faculty and an antiquarian bookseller, and a keynote lecture titled “Since the Census: A Century of Manuscript Collecting in North America,” by Lisa Fagin Davis, Executive Director of the Medieval Academy of America. The panel’s featured speakers were Brian Brege (SU History, Associate Professor), Juilee Decker (Director of the Museum Studies program, Rochester Institute of Technology), Irene Malfatto (Independent Scholar and Bookseller at Bruce McKittrick Rare Books) and Anna Siebach-Larsen (Director of the Rossell Hope Robbins Library and Koller-Collins Center for English Studies, University of Rochester), with moderation by SU professor Samantha Herrick (History) and SCRC Curator Irina Savinetskaya. Organized by Curating the Middle Ages, a CNY Humanities Corridor Working Group, the event was co-sponsored by the CNY Humanities Corridor, the Bibliographical Society of America, the Global Premodern Studies Faculty Working Group, as well as SU’s Department of History and Department of Music and Art Histories.

Frederick Douglass Pop-Up Display

In honor of Douglass Day, SCRC hosted a pop-up exhibition showcasing materials by and about Frederick Douglass from its collections on February 14, 2025. The event was organized in conjunction with the Syracuse Humanities Center’ National Douglass Day “transcribe-a-thon.” Douglass Day celebrates Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), a leader of the American abolitionist movement, on his chosen birthday. The pop-up exhibition featured a selection of materials pertaining to Douglass and his life, including his three autobiographies, an issue of Frederick Douglass’s paper, his speeches and a selection of letters in Douglass’s own hand from the Gerrit Smith Papers.

Black Student Activism on campus and Beyond Pop-up Exhibition

On February 19, students, faculty and staff attended SCRC's pop-up exhibition, "Black Student Activism on Campus and Beyond," in celebration of Black History Month. The display featured historical materials related to Black activism, particularly among college students both nationally and at Syracuse University, in the 1960s and 1970s. On display were photographs, manuscripts, printed materials, posters and rare books documenting the rise of Black educational initiatives within higher education, such as Black Studies departments. Visitors were also able to view primary sources created by organizations and coalitions such as the Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) as well as publications produced by students at campuses across the United States. Alongside these items were historical materials from the University Archives about Black student activism on Syracuse University’s campus that resulted in the establishment of the African American Studies program and Martin Luther King Jr. Library, as well as the Syracuse 8's boycott of the Syracuse University football program.

Rematriation Symposium

Rematriation, a non-profit organization—dedicated to supporting the movement of Rematriation across Turtle Island by uplifting Indigenous women's voices and raising human consciousness toward living in balance with Mother Earth—hosted a Haudenosaunee & Indigenous Matrilineality Symposium February 28 – March 2, 2025. The symposium fostered a critical and extraordinary multi-day event on SU's campus through three days of engaged learning with Indigenous traditional leaders, scholars and allies. As one of the campus co-sponsors of the event (in addition to the Center for Global Indigenous Cultures and Environmental Justice), SCRC and SU Libraries had several staff members attend various tracks of learning such as "Archival Silence," "Clearing the Path," "Rematriation Is" and more. Additionally, SCRC staff members Jim O'Connor (Audio Producer) and Nicolette Dobrowolski (Director) co-presented "Acknowledgment as Responsibility: Rematriating the Institution," which dove into the actions and projects that the SCRC and the Libraries’ have embarked on to move beyond Land Acknowledgment statements.

The symposium sparked knowledge and learning around Haudenosaunee matrilineality, which Michelle Shenandoah, Rematriation's founder, describes as a "praxis to address critical global challenges matrilineality." Through knowledge sharing around Haudenosaunee beliefs, traditions, history, culture, views, laws and more, the symposium facilitated an open and welcoming space of deep learning for attendees to learn directly from the people who have lived here since time immemorial. Of the symposium, Courtney Hicks (SCRC Lead Curator) said: "By immersing attendees in the worldview of the Haudenosaunee through active dialogue, scholarship, creativity, research and so much more, this remarkable convening filled a gap and critical need on campus: Haudenosaunee Women-led educational initiatives and programming. The symposium's impactful education from a multitude of Haudenosaunee leaders, elders, scholars and artists was transformative to experience as an attendee—it elevated my understanding and awareness of Haudenosaunee pathways for a more sustainable future.”

The Keynote event was filmed by PBS affiliate WCNY for an hour-long program to be aired in 2025.

Me and Molly: The Importance of an Audience

On March 18th, the Special Collections Research Center partnered with the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications’ Goldring Arts Journalism Program on a Humanities Center’s Syracuse Symposium series event titled “Me and Molly: The Importance of an Audience” in connection with the symposium’s theme of “Community.” During this event, Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Emily Nussbaum discussed fans’ parasocial relationship with Gertrude Berg, whose papers are available for research and access at the SCRC. Nussbaum referenced archival letters from SCRC’s Papers in her talk, and during the event SCRC staff displayed a small selection of letters. Courtney Hicks, SCRC Lead Curator, facilitated the coordination and curation of Nussbaum’s selection of Berg’s fan letters; David Stokoe, SCRC Conservation Librarian, prepared the items for display at the event; and Max Wagh, SCRC Administrative Coordinator, assisted in the coordination of event details and logistics.

Joan of Arc Throughout the Centuries: Pop-Up Exhibition in Celebration of Women’s History Month

To celebrate Women’s History Month, SCRC partnered with the SU Art Museum to host two pop-up exhibitions about the life and legacy of Joan of Arc on March 25, 2025. Through a selection of printed and archival materials, including books, prints, photographs, newspaper clippings and advertisements, the SCRC display explored how writers and artists in Europe and North America reimagined Joan of Arc and her legacy from the eighteenth century to the present. Featured items included a comic book based on the 1948 movie with Ingrid Bergman, a 1784 edition of Voltaire’s scandalous poem La Pucelle d’Orleans, photographs of Joan of Arc sculptures from the Anna Hyatt Huntington Papers and a poem by Patti Smith.

Senior Alumni Pop-up Exhibition

On April 4, SCRC was part of welcoming alumni returning to campus for their Senior Alumni Reunion, which included members of the classes of 1950 through 1975. This was a particularly special time for alumni from the classes of 1965 and 1975 who were celebrating their 60th and 50th reunions, respectively. The University Archives was pleased to present members of these milestone classes with a pop-up exhibition featuring materials from their time on campus, with a focus on the student experience. Collection items including freshman beanies, nostalgic photos of campus and dorm life, posters of concerts at The Jabberwocky, images of the organized chaos of registration at Archbold Gymnasium, memorabilia from legends of Orange athletics and photographs and news coverage of student activism were on display to spark conversation. Visitors were also greeted by tables of yearbooks and freshman handbooks to peruse. This was the largest pop-up exhibition the Archives has prepared thus far. SCRC staff always enjoy these opportunities to hear firsthand stories from those with personal connections to the collections and materials we care for and provide access to.

Brodsky Series for Advancement of Library Conservation

SCRC welcomed Jennifer Hain Teper, Velde Professor and Preservation Librarian at the University of Illinois Libraries, as the 2025 Brodsky Series for Advancement of Library Conservation speaker. Teper gave a lecture, “Historic Scrapbooks in Libraries and Archives- the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” to 139 attendees on site in SU’s Bird Library and all over the world via Zoom on April 2. On April 3, she provided a day long workshop, “Understanding Historic Scrapbooks and Their Preservation.” She also met with SCRC staff to provide guidance on best practices for our own scrapbook conservation and preservation. This year’s event marked the 20th anniversary of the series, which began in 2005. You can view all past lectures in SURFACE.