Fall/Winter 2023 No. 21

Seeing Race

Centuries before the term “race” came into use, people categorized each other through distinctions like language, dress, geography, and religion.

Seeing Race Before Race

Explore the roots of race from the Middle Ages to 1800

Exhibition open through December 29, 2023

Seeing Race in the Newberry Archives

by Yasmine Hachimi

The Newberry’s latest exhibition draws on the pathbreaking work of scholars of color working on issues of race in premodern literature, history, and culture. Seeing Race Before Race shows that the history of race-making is much older and more complex than once thought. 8 16 21 26 From Antarctica to the

Newberry

Marine archaeologist Mensun Bound grew up in the shadow of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his doomed Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-1917. Bound recently visited the Newberry to explore our collection and share what it took to locate “the world’s most unreachable shipwreck.”

CPScholars Program Sets Sail

by Kara Johnson

Engaging directly with letters, photographs, and other documents is reshaping some teachers’ views on historical topics like the Great Migration, educational segregation, and post-World War II Chicago. Teaching Black History through the Archives invites educators to grapple with the questions these items raise.

In Conversation:

Author Toya Wolfe and Historian D. Bradford Hunt

Toya Wolfe, recipient of the 2023 Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award at the Newberry Library, reflects on her experiences in the Robert Taylor Homes, dealing with loss, and developing the dynamic characters in her debut novel, Last Summer on State Street

The Newberry’s seventeenth-century copy of the Tarih is a rare example of an outsider’s perspective on early modern European colonialism and its dependence on race-making. The book is a translation and adaptation of Spanish and Italian sources from the previous century, and includes descriptive texts, maps, and images of the plants, animals, and people in the Americas as imagined through Ottoman eyes.

The pages on the magazine cover—which are displayed in the Seeing Race Before Race exhibition— show an image of the mountain of Potosí in what is now modern-day Bolivia. In the foreground of the image, two figures with different skin tones interact with one another, which might refer to the use of enslaved laborers from Africa to mine silver from Potosí. The abundant use of gold in the sky and the river of silver descending from the mountain clearly alludes to the wealth that this mountain provided for Spanish colonizers.

MAGAZINE STAFF

Editors Bob Dolgan and Vince Firpo

Designer Andrea Villasenor

Photographer Catherine Gass

To make a gift and become a member, visit newberry.org/support or call (312) 255-3581.

The image helps understand why race-making was so important for Spanish colonizers. The racial diversity recognized by the Ottoman artist here had to be controlled in such a way that ensured the Spaniards would benefit from the resources of the colony instead of Indigenous people or Black Africans, which led to the creation of legal and social categories based on visible differences like skin color, religious practices, and language.

The Center for Renaissance Studies hosted an international symposium about the Tarih in June 2023 and intends to develop a collaborative interdisciplinary research project devoted to the manuscript over the coming years.

The Newberry Magazine is published semiannually. Every other issue includes the annual report for the most recently concluded fiscal year. A subscription to The Newberry Magazine is a benefit of membership in the Newberry Associates, President’s Fellows, or Next Chapter.

Unless otherwise credited, all images are from the Newberry collection or from events held at the Newberry.

Detail of the view of Potosí and world map, Tarih-i Yeni Dünya, el-musemma be hadis-i nev (A history of the India to the west), Turkey, ca. 1600?

From Gail Kern Paster

...what struck me forcibly was what I can only call Chicago attitude, or maybe it’s Chicago heart.

It was a sultry Saturday afternoon in July, midway through my Newberry tenure as Interim President and Librarian.

Surrounded by hundreds of others, I was comfortably ensconced in Ruggles Hall waiting to award the second annual Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award to Toya Wolfe—a celebration preceded by a series of Chicago storytellers.

As I listened rapt to each speaker, what struck me forcibly was what I can only call Chicago attitude, or maybe it’s Chicago heart. All the speakers—one of whom was a bird puppet reminiscing about some bitter brew called Malört—had lived in the city, had been educated in the city, now lived and worked in the city. They had begun as a shampoo girl, an Asian American college professor, a girl too shy to face her public baptism, an amateur local historian, and—I guess—a baby bird puppet. But they all seemed to subscribe to the mantra of historian Sherman Dilla Thomas (“Call me Dilla”): “Everything dope about America comes from Chicago.” Embedded within the personal pride of each speaker was the good fortune of belonging to this city, a sentiment evidently shared by the audience who understood narrative arcs filled with neighborhoods, church and street names, jazz clubs, food. The names—it seemed—were new only to me.

My decade-long service on the Newberry Board of Trustees had already introduced me to Chicago civic pride, but taking up temporary residence has given that pride nuance and specificity. The Chicago flag is everywhere here. I recognize it easily now, even as I confess to having a less clear image of Washington DC’s flag—the city where I have lived, worked, and raised a family since

the 1970s. And I am beginning to understand the wry Second City bravado of Chicago’s self-portraiture—a gritty mixture of teams, weather, traffic, historical corruption, bold architecture, music, mercantilism, art, and philanthropy, all of it cooler by the lake. What I have learned is that the public-spirited ethos of the Newberry—epitomized by a policy of giving readers’ cards to anyone over age 14 and a myriad of free public offerings— is deeply reflective of the city’s open-hearted spirit. It is the Newberry’s pride in being in and of Chicago that has led to a series of upcoming exhibitions in 2024 and 2025: A Night at Mister Kelly’s , Chicago Style: Mike Royko and Windy City Journalism , Indigenous Chicago , and a show that examines immigrant printing in Chicago. The stories told by these exhibitions proclaim the city’s diversity—past, present, and future—and highlight the extraordinarily rich archives that are indispensable for such storytelling.

I am indebted to the Newberry staff and the Newberry public for this experience, with its deep rewards of insight into the workings of a world-class library and its Chicago roots. As I look at the small bust of Carl Sandburg sitting on a windowsill in the President’s office, a familiar line from his poem “Chicago” comes to mind—“show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive.” And now I understand why.

Notable happenings around the Newberry. We are always growing and changing. Grounded in history, engaged with the present, looking to the future.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Astrida Orle Tantillo Named President and Librarian

Astrida Orle Tantillo. Photo by Anne Ryan.

The Newberry Library is pleased to announce the appointment of Astrida Orle Tantillo as its tenth President and Librarian. Tantillo was named following an international search that employed the executive search firm Isaacson, Miller. She joins the Newberry from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), where she served as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) from 2012 to 2022 and is currently Professor of Germanic Studies and History. As Dean, Tantillo oversaw a budget of $100 million, 25 academic departments and programs, approximately 700 tenure and non-tenure track faculty members, and more than 200 staff members. She was recruited to the Newberry’s Board of Trustees in 2022 due to her extensive experience in academic administration in Chicago.

During her tenure, LAS supported a variety of new centers and initiatives, including the Freshwater Lab, an interdisciplinary freshwater policy and research initiative; the Inter-University Program for Latino Research/UIC Mellon Fellows Program; and the Center for LatinX Literature of the Americas. She raised

$50 million as part of IGNITE: The Campaign for UIC, while strategically investing in faculty hiring, recruitment and retention, and expanding the number of endowed chairs and professorships. She strengthened and expanded collaborations with cultural institutions including the Field Museum and Chicago Humanities.

“Astrida is a proven leader, fundraiser, and scholar with a wealth of experience managing a complex organization,” said Robert A. Holland, Chair of the Newberry’s Board of Trustees. “She is well-positioned to lead this next chapter in the Newberry’s history.”

Tantillo is a humanities scholar, having authored three books on Goethe, including Goethe’s Modernisms , The Will to Create: Goethe’s Philosophy of Nature , and Goethe’s Elective Affinities and the Critics. Tantillo earned her PhD from the University of Chicago’s Committee on Social Thought and her BA from the University of Oregon Honors College.

Tantillo will join the Newberry on December 1, 2023, succeeding Gail Kern Paster, who has led the library on an interim basis since April 2023.

Alice Schreyer retires as Vice President of Collections and Library Services

Alice Schreyer, who joined the Newberry in 2015, has retired as Roger and Julie Baskes Vice President for Collections and Library Services. Among Alice’s many successes was the acquisition of the Curt Teich Postcard Collection, which prompted the library to make postcards one of its core collections. Additionally, Alice has been recognized for her focus on digital initiatives, from overseeing improvements to the online catalog to launching a new digital asset management system that will improve accessibility for researchers. Alice’s leadership of the Collection Development Steering Committee brought teams and disciplines together to identify acquisitions that align with the Newberry’s collection. Prior to joining the Newberry, Alice had a lengthy tenure at the University of Chicago Library serving in a number of roles including Curator and Director of Special Collections.

In honor of Alice’s retirement, the Newberry acquired a rare book to add to its collection. The bound volume contains eleven eighteenth-century print and manuscript items, assembled by their original owner in Spain. Although outwardly unassuming, it includes controversial and forbidden items relating to the spread of French Revolutionary ideas to the Spanish empire. Chief among these is a very rare and ephemeral (but very important) printed leaflet in Spanish in support of the French Revolution from 1792— almost certainly the first such item printed in France for Spanish readers. Additionally, an early manuscript translation into Spanish of the 1789 Déclaration des droits de l’Homme et du citoyen (Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen) is one of the fundamental texts for the development of ideas of human rights and democracy around the world. Both texts had been immediately banned and furiously suppressed by Spanish officials.

Additional contents include a manuscript treatise on agricultural reforms and wine grape cultivation by a well-known Spanish poet, Felix de Samaniego; two important and lengthy letters from economist and Enlightenment thinker Valentín de Foronda; and a rare 1790 pamphlet describing methods of combating airborne diseases. The original compiler of the volume has not been definitively identified but was almost certainly from the Basque country in northern Spain.

The purchase of the volume was funded by a group of generous donors and the Newberry’s Society of Collectors as a fitting tribute to Alice’s storied career.

Alice Schreyer. Photo by Anne Ryan.

Call for Nominations for The Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award

Nominations are now open for The Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award, presented annually to a book that transforms public understanding of Chicago, its history, or its people. The annual award, established in 2021, recognizes fiction or nonfiction works that resonate with the Newberry’s collection strengths. The award includes a prize of $25,000, which has quickly placed it among the most coveted local literary honors. Nominations must be submitted through the Newberry’s website by January 31, 2024.

Matt Rutherford Receives 2023 Filby Award for Genealogical Librarianship

Matt Rutherford, Curator of Genealogy and Local History, has been selected as the 2023 recipient of the National Genealogical Society’s Filby Award for Genealogical Librarianship. The award honors Matt’s “leadership and service to the genealogists, family historians, and library patrons at the Newberry Library and throughout [his] career.” The highest honor for librarians whose primary focus is genealogy and local history, the Filby Award has been granted annually since 1999. Matt became the Newberry’s Curator of Genealogy and Local History in 2009, having previously served as Reference Librarian for Local and Family History since 2004. With Jack Simpson, he co-authored A Bibliography of African-American Family History at the Newberry Library in 2005. Matt has helped thousands of Newberry readers with their genealogical research at the library and thousands more via email and other correspondence, as well as in his teaching Newberry classes on genealogy and the writing of research guides and blog posts.

The Newberry Promotes Two Longtime Staff Members

Will Hansen has been named the Newberry’s Roger and Julie Baskes Vice President for Collections and Library Services following a lengthy tenure at the library as Director of Reader Services. In addition to his role as Curator of Americana, Will’s responsibilities as Vice President include oversight of the Newberry’s Collection Development, Collection Services, Conservation, Digital Initiatives and Services, Maps, Modern Manuscripts, and Reader Services departments. Will began his career at the Newberry from 2003 to 2007 and returned to the organization in 2014 after a seven-year tenure at Duke University’s David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Instruction and Outreach Librarian Lisa Schoblasky recently became Director of Reader Services after more than 20 years at the Newberry. As part of her role, Lisa is responsible for reading room operations and Reference Services. Additional duties include revising and expanding instruction services at the library, diversifying instruction offerings for class visits, and promoting the library’s holdings alongside the Research and Education and Public Engagement divisions. Lisa serves as co-chair of the library’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

Matt Rutherford

Will Hansen, Vice President of Collections and Library Services

Lisa Schoblasky, Director of Reader Services

Remembering John Aubrey

“Between staff and researchers he worked with before—and even after—his retirement, John’s career intersects in some way with nearly the entire 136-year history of the Newberry.”

At a summer staff party in the early 2010s, Newberry employees were encouraged to play a round of a new game: Stump John Aubrey. John Aubrey, then Ayer Librarian at the Newberry, sat before his colleagues as they asked him question after question about the library’s immense collection. True to lore, it was nearly impossible to land on a corner of the archive that was unknown to John. For he, as staff and readers often remarked in awe, “knew everything.”

The Newberry lost a beloved and exceptionally knowledgeable member of our community in May when John passed away at the age of 89. John served as the Ayer Librarian for an incredible 45-year run, from 1969 to 2014. His contributions to the Newberry, its readers, and the scholarship that grows from our collections are nearly impossible to summarize. His name appears again and again in the acknowledgments of at least two generations of scholarship in American Indian history from the 1970s to 2010s. He made immense contributions to the strength of the Edward E. Ayer Collection as curator. His knowledge of the Newberry and service-oriented spirit live on in the current Ayer Librarian, Analú López, and the many current Newberry staff members whom John helped to train. But even those facts do not entirely convey the extent of his impact at the Newberry.

“Between staff and researchers he worked with before— and even after—his retirement, John’s career intersects in some way with nearly the entire 136-year history of the Newberry. To this day we have researchers who mention a man who showed them a book 20 or 30 or 40 years ago that they hope to find again. They are almost always referring to John,” recalls Will Hansen, Roger and Julie Baskes Vice President for Collections and Library Services.

This broad and deep knowledge of the collection stemmed from John’s real interest in all manner of inquiry and his willingness to help readers, fellows, and staff deepen their understanding of a particular topic. He truly listened to those who came to him for guidance, and found great pleasure in helping them navigate the Newberry’s vast holdings.

“John never lost his curiosity or interest in pursuing topics from the obscure to pop culture and everything in between,” recalls his wife, Karen Aubrey, whom he met while they both worked at the Newberry. “He liked asking folks where they were from and when they replied, he usually had knowledge of their place of origin—whether a small town in Russia or a neighborhood in a large city. When I asked him how he knew these things, he’d smile, glance down and say, ‘I read a lot.’”

The Newberry’s long history is peopled with legendary characters that exemplify the curiosity, openness, and intellectual rigor of the library. John Aubrey, with his gentle nature and unmistakable knit cap, sits near the top of that list.

“We will miss John’s presence at the Newberry,” says Hansen. “We miss seeing him at a computer in the reading room, chasing down a citation, or printing out an archaeological report. I also miss him asking after my family, or chatting about Midwestern potato chip brands, or helping me track down an obscure illustration in a 300-year-old book. But John’s presence will always be felt here at the Newberry, in ways big and small.”

Top to bottom: John in front of the Newberry, 1968; Employee ID card; Discussing a manuscript with Bob Karrow (left); John and Karen at the Newberry Holiday Party; “Stump John Aubrey” at the Newberry summer barbeque.

By Yasmine Hachimi

Seeing Race in the Newberry Archives

An exhibition and aspiration toward a more just future

Race—how it’s made, figured, mapped, and performed—is at the center of Seeing Race Before Race, a new exhibition at the Newberry Library that explores the roots of race from the Middle Ages to 1800. While in recent years there have been exhibitions focused on the African presence in Europe, Seeing Race is one of the first exhibitions at a cultural institution in the United States to examine the origins of race through the visual and material culture of this period. Centuries before the term “race” came into use, people categorized each other through distinctions like language, dress, class, geography, and religion, in addition to traits like skin color or facial features. Drawing on the Newberry’s vast collections, as well as items loaned courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago, Adler Planetarium, and the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation, the exhibition features maps, manuscripts, printed books, paintings, woodcuts, and even a clockwork automaton—all dating from 1100 to 1800. While the exhibition presents histories from various parts of the world, it focuses primarily on “Western” perspectives because the system of race that we experience today largely developed through the decisions, ideas, and actions of premodern Europeans. Furthermore, the Newberry’s collection is largely comprised of materials from Europe and the Americas.

A “Jewish woman” from Nicholas Nicolay’s travels through Turkey, 1576.

“My hope is that this exhibition will help broad publics discover a history of race-making that is much older and more complex than they thought, and that seeing how race was made might help them imagine a world otherwise.” — Noémie Ndiaye

I joined the Newberry’s Center for Renaissance Studies (CRS) last fall as Public Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow to work on the exhibition. I had just finished graduate school and was eager to learn the ins and outs of curation, while also exploring how race and racial thinking are represented in the material culture of the past. I knew that the Newberry had extensive archives, but I was excited to find out that their collections included such rich materials about race-making in the premodern period.

Seeing Race Before Race draws on the pathbreaking work of the RaceB4Race research collective, an ongoing conference series and professional network community created by and for scholars of color working on issues of race in premodern literature, history, and culture. The partnership between the RaceB4Race collective and the Newberry began when Rebecca L. Fall, co-curator of the exhibition and Program Manager of the CRS, reached out to RaceB4Race Executive Board Member Kim F. Hall to inquire how the Newberry could lend its resources and support the collective’s important work. Hall suggested connecting with Noémie Ndiaye, Associate Professor of Renaissance and Early Modern English Literature at the University of Chicago, then a fellow Executive Board Member of RaceB4Race.

As Ndiaye connected with staff at the Newberry, an idea began to take shape. The exhibition would not tell just one story about race—the concept was too complex for that. Instead, the goal was to use Newberry materials to help visitors see multiple definitions of race and understand how they changed in different times and places. The exhibition would not only show the violence of premodern racial oppression, but also moments of resistance, especially from communities of color. Describing her goals for the project, Ndiaye says, “My hope is that this exhibition will help broad publics discover a history of race-making that is much older and more complex than they thought, and that seeing how race was made might help them imagine a world otherwise. I also hope it will signal to Premodern Critical Race scholars that the Newberry and Chicago more generally are emerging as a key center for our field.”

One of the reasons I was interested in working on this exhibition is the partnership between the Center for Renaissance Studies and the RaceB4Race collective—a collective of which I have been a part for several years. The intense collaboration at the heart of the Seeing Race Before Race exhibition aligned with my own values and practices as an academic, and intersected with my expertise in Premodern Critical Race Studies and translating academic research for a variety of publics. The process of curating an exhibition is collaborative by nature, and we found ways of making that process even more inclusive and expansive in order to meet our goal of centering the work of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) scholars. This included reaching out to a diverse body of graduate students, early career scholars, and senior scholars to contribute to the exhibition catalog; soliciting readers outside of the

Newberry and academia to read and provide feedback on our wall text and labels; and creating learning resources for teachers relating to recently unearthed materials on premodern race-making in the Newberry’s collection. We estimate that over one hundred people have worked on this exhibition in some way, shape, or form.

Prior to my arrival in Chicago, the curatorial team had already completed the painstaking work of selecting the items that would be on view in the galleries. When I asked about that process, I learned that they began looking at collection materials in early 2020, when the world was shut down due to the

An “enslaved Moor” from Nicholas Nicolay’s travels through Turkey, 1576.

Hearing about this challenging process, I was struck by the contrast my co-curators described: encountering vivid moments of contact in the past during a period of isolation in the present.

While the world was grappling with the pandemic, the horrific murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd prompted a national reckoning over racial injustice. This greatly impacted public conversation on race and racism and prompted a resounding call for social change. How daunting it must have been for the curatorial team to examine materials showing early examples of racial profiling at the same time that national discussions about racial profiling and police brutality against the Black community were increasing. As Lia Markey, Director of the Center for Renaissance Studies and co-curator of the exhibition, has said, “The events of that summer confirmed that the team’s work on an exhibition dealing with the early foundations of today’s racial system was both urgent and necessary.”

The curatorial team kept up their work in the face of the pandemic and civil unrest in order to open Seeing Race Before Race in the fall of 2023. The exhibition is organized into four sections: Making Race, Figuring Race, Mapping Race, and Performing Race . Each section was designed to guide visitors through the different ways that premodern people imagined, interpreted, and experienced race and racial difference. Making Race provides an overview of the exhibition and how race was made in the premodern period; Figuring Race focuses on racialized bodies and appearances; Mapping Race shows how space is used as a way of exerting power; and Performing Race allows us to think about how race affects our behavior.

The intro gallery sets the stage for the concepts behind Seeing Race Before Race. The case in the foreground includes the beautifully illustrated manuscript, Le miroir de humaine salvation (The mirror of human salvation) ca. 1455. A detail of one illuminated scene appears below.

A detail from the Mirior. Medieval Europeans would have recognized the Wise Man in red as non-European based on his clothing, head covering, and dark beard.

Making Race

Race is a social construct that emerged from decisions that artists, authorities, and ordinary people made—sometimes unknowingly and sometimes intentionally—to define themselves in relation to others. They creatively combined ideas, images, and customs to imagine new social categories and practices that validated their place in the world. Medieval and early modern Europeans made these decisions over and over again. Over time, they produced widely shared assumptions about different groups of people that were used to give certain communities legal, social, and economic advantages over others. In other words, they made race.

Before entering the exhibition gallery, visitors will notice two figures on the glass doors of the entrance. One is an “enslaved Moor” and one is a Jewish woman. They look as though they’ve been plucked straight out of the pages of an early printed book. As the doors to the gallery open, one can see the Moor alongside four more figures, each outlined and tinted with a bold color. Our designers used figures from Nicholas de Nicolay’s travel narrative to emphasize the humanity of the figures and the vibrancy of the past. I like to think of them as an artistic expression of going from black and white to color; from “race didn’t exist in the past” and “I don’t see color” to a myriad of figures highlighted in vibrant colors not only to ensure that we see them, but also to remind us that race did indeed exist in the past.

The introductory gallery of Seeing Race Before Race shows examples of how premodern people made race. The earliest example of race-making is a Franciscan Bible printed in Paris, France, in the mid-thirteenth century. The Bible mentions Black figures like the “Ethiopian man” who was converted to Christianity by the apostle Philip in the Book of Acts. The Franciscan Bible is encased alongside a beautifully illuminated manuscript of Le miroir de humaine saluation (The mirror of human salvation), made in 1455. The pages of this luxury manuscript are open to a colorful scene of the Three Wise Men visiting the Christ child. According to co-curator and Assistant Director of the Center for Renaissance Studies Christopher Fletcher, “These two books help remind us that recognizing differences between people goes back a long way. The Bible shows that racial diversity, even just the idea of it, was always present in the European imagination through Christianity, and the Miroir proves that medieval artists often chose to represent it for European audiences. Each time they did, those choices remade race all over again.”

Figuring Race

The second and largest room in the exhibition opens with Figuring Race. “Figuring” has a dual meaning here. It refers to how bodies are drawn and to how people figure themselves and the people around them in society. The materials in this section show how premodern people understood and visualized the concept of race through depictions of the human body in drawings,

Albrecht Dürer’s The Four Books of Human Proportion, an instructional manual designed to aid artists in drawing different human figures, displays the profiles of several male figures, each with different exaggerated features, 1577.

paintings, printed images, and poetry. Figures were copied, reproduced, and circulated widely, which helped standardize the ways people saw and understood racial difference over centuries.

Art was one vehicle through which ideas about race and race-making circulated across premodern Europe. For example, Albrecht Dürer’s The Four Books of Human Proportion , an instructional manual designed to aid artists in drawing different human figures, displays the profiles of several male figures, each with different exaggerated features. Dürer notes that European faces are more beautiful than African faces. Together, the images and texts emphasize the idea that facial and cranial measurements were supposed to be indicative of personal character and ethnic origin. First published in German in 1528, this book was translated into five languages, and issued in more than 15 editions (including the French, Italian, and German editions in the Newberry collection). The popularity of Dürer’s work shows how images about people of color are repeated or reconfigured across time, reinforcing harmful stereotypes.

Dürer’s manual is displayed next to Nicholas de Nicolay’s travel narrative of voyages to Turkey—the same work featured on the exhibition’s doors. Printed in 1576 with letterpress and engravings, the travel narrative uses clothing as an example of racial identity. We chose images from Nicolay’s book for promotional materials for the exhibition because the highly illustrated text features a variety of people from different countries labeled with information about their socio-economic backgrounds and religions.

While writing labels for the exhibition, we realized there were several items, like the Dürer manual, that we wanted to discuss in greater detail. How could we give these items the attention and context they deserved without overwhelming exhibition visitors? We produced a digital interactive “StoryMap” called Seeing Race Before Race: A Closer Look in collaboration with the Newberry’s Digital Initiatives and Services team; it can be found in our exhibition gallery and online at digital.newberry.org/rb4r

This enormous map created in 1730 by Nicolas de Fer depicts the continent of Africa and its inhabitants, showcasing the diverse dress, skin tones, crafts, and resources of Africa for elite European viewers in order to inspire consumption and colonization.

Mapping Race

Another way that race was made in the premodern period was through maps. Historical maps, a major strength of the Newberry’s collection, often reveal ongoing contests for power and influence. Through maps, atlases, and travel narratives, medieval and early modern cartographers familiarized a wide range of audiences with what seemed like a rapidly expanding world. But what may have appeared as a simple means of sharing new information was also a way for white Europeans to claim political and economic control over lands that were not their own. In doing so, they often established exclusionary borders and represented non-Europeans on the maps as wild or exotic.

Our first public program to support the exhibition, “Understanding Race: Past & Present,” featured a dynamic conversation between award-winning scholars Olivette Otele, Distinguished Professor of the Legacies and Memory of Slavery at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, and Noémie Ndiaye. While discussing the exhibition, Dr. Otele mentioned that one of her favorite items in the exhibition is the enormous and colorfully painted map of Africa dating to 1730 and produced by Nicolas de Fer. In addition to mapping the continent of Africa, it also displays inhabitants from different regions through text and image along the outer edges of the map. These vignettes showcase the diverse dress, skin tones, crafts, and

resources of Africa for elite European viewers in order to inspire consumption and colonization. The map had always been on view in a hallway outside the Newberry’s Special Collections Reading Room, but its journey to the galleries allows even more visitors to see it—and in an entirely new way.

The de Fer map shares the north wall of the large gallery with an Indigenous map of the Tultepec and Jaltocán regions in Mexico. This map was used in the sixteenth century by Indigenous Nahua farmers to win a legal dispute about the boundaries of a community in colonial Mexico. The farmers were protecting Indigenous food supplies that were being destroyed by the livestock of a Spanish rancher named Juan Antonio Covarrubias. The map, which combines Native glyphs and Spanish writing, was painted on amatl , a paper made from tree bark using Indigenous traditions practiced long before the Spanish invasion. We put an Indigenous map next to a European map to show how Europeans thought about places and people beyond their own country, as well as how Indigenous people viewed themselves and the land in relation to colonizers—and to show that the Nahua people who created the map understood that mapping represented a key form of power to European authorities. While the de Fer map was a tool to encourage colonization, the map of the Tultepec and Jaltocán regions was a form of resistance that helped the Indigenous farmers to win their case against Covarrubias.

This map, painted on amatl paper and combining Native glyphs and Spanish writing, was used by Indigenous Nahua people to win a dispute about the boundaries of a community in colonial Mexico. Map of lands in the Tultepec and Jaltocán regions adjacent to the Hacienda de Santa Inés, Mexico, 1569.

Performing Race

When we think about how race is performed, we often think about how it is performed under the bright lights of a stage. The Performing Race section of the exhibition highlights how ideas about race affect the way we act in the world both on and off stage. The materials in this section focus on how medieval and early modern people, primarily Europeans, learned to “perform” racial identity—including whiteness. Whether on stage, at court, or in everyday social settings, people learned not only how to behave according to evolving beliefs about race, but also how to ascribe cultural value and power to different behaviors. In time, these behaviors were practiced so often that they started to seem natural, like a product of inherent difference rather than careful performance.

Since Seeing Race Before Race opened to the public, visitors have been drawn to the case featuring William Shakespeare’s Othello and its afterlives. Othello is one of the best-known representations of Blackness in early English theater. The play has long prompted debates about how—and if—Blackness should be performed on stage. As the books we have chosen to accompany the Second Folio edition of Othello suggest, debates about the nature of Othello’s Blackness and heroism have been raging since the play was first published. Seventeenth-century literary critic Thomas Rymer rails against Othello as a sub-par tragedy because Shakespeare deigns to give “the Moor” a name, unlike the Italian source-text, let alone cast him as a tragic hero. Meanwhile, an early eighteenth-century French translation of the play deliberately lightens Othello’s Black skin to avoid offending women in the audience.

Othello has inspired powerful responses from Black artists, like Keith Hamilton Cobb, whose own play American Moor talks back forcefully both to Shakespeare’s work and a theater industry that does not seem to love its BIPOC practitioners back. Cobb has graciously lent us clips from his show to play in the gallery. “It is the greatest honor to have the opportunity to showcase American Moor in the gallery alongside so many canonical materials,” says co-curator Rebecca L. Fall. “Cobb’s play should be required viewing for all Shakepeareans and Bardolators. In achingly beautiful language, it tells the story of a Black actor auditioning for the title role in Othello while demanding to be seen and understood by the white director and the audience alike.” Throughout the exhibition we’ve included items that show moments of resistance, and with Cobb’s performance we also hear a voice of resistance.

The first pages of Othello in Shakespeare’s Second Folio (1632). The play’s full title, The Tragedy of Othello, the Moore of Venice, immediately casts the Black title character as a tragic hero.

Scenes from Keith Hamilton Cobb’s American Moor (2019) play in the gallery. Thomas Rymer’s Short View of Tragedy (1693) includes harsh criticism of Othello

One of the challenges in curating Seeing Race Before Race was summarizing the complex history of race and race-making for a general audience, especially when the stakes are so high and we can only tell a fraction of the story. Although working on this exhibition has been challenging at times, being able to learn from and work alongside the curatorial team, as well as across several departments within the Newberry, has been an invaluable experience. At the time of writing this, the exhibition has only been open to the public for one week and we have already received an overwhelmingly positive response from visitors, staff, and fellow academics. This affirms the importance of creating opportunities for people to think about and to discuss difficult histories.

For so many of us, the conversations Seeing Race Before Race evokes are not abstract; they are our family histories, the stories we hear from friends and co-workers, the experiences we have every day. A reflection wall at the end of the exhibition asks visitors to consider what they have seen and learned about how race was made in the past. We provide notecards and pencils for visitors to write down and share their responses to two questions: What are your hopes for future generations? How can understanding the past help us envision a more inclusive and equitable world? My hope is that this exhibition helps us understand the powerful histories of race-making that shaped our world today so that we can create a more just future.

Yasmine Hachimi is Public Humanities Fellow at the Newberry’s Center for Renaissance Studies.

Seeing Race Before Race is generously supported by the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, and Pam and Doug Walter.

The exhibition will be open through December 29, 2023.

Seeing Race Before Race curators: Christopher Fletcher, Rebecca L. Fall, Lia Markey, Noémie Ndiaye, Yasmine Hachimi.

The reflection wall at the end of the exhibition showing visitor responses.

From Antarctica to the Newberry

Renowned Marine Archaeologist Dives into the Newberry’s Collection

The ship S.A. Agulhas II, surrounded by pack ice at night.

Photo: Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust/James Blake

In 2019, renowned marine archaeologist Mensun Bound was Director of Exploration on an expedition to the Weddell Sea off Antarctica to locate Endurance, the lost ship of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1917 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. That 2019 expedition failed. Undaunted, Bound returned to Antarctica three years later with the Endurance22 Expedition, and they discovered the infamous shipwreck on March 5, 2022.

Bound spoke about his adventures with the Endurance22 Expedition at a free public program this fall. During that visit, he and his wife, Joanna Yellowlees, along with Timothy Jacob, Education & Outreach Coordinator for the Endurance22 Expedition, got a special look at items from the Newberry’s Gerald F. Fitzgerald Collection of Polar Books, Maps, and Art. The Newberry acquired the collection in 1994 as a gift from Mr. Fitzgerald, a Trustee of the library and avid collector of polar material and many other subjects.

Included in the collection are a pair of reindeer skin mukluks once owned by explorer Richard Byrd. A collection of postcards depicting Arctic and Antarctic expeditions included one written by Ernest Shackleton himself. In it, he praised Plasmon biscuits—a sort of early twentieth century energy bar laden with a type of milk albumen—as an “indispensable” food in the polar regions. Among the other items was The Antarctic Book: Winter Quarters, 1907-1909, a book printed in Antarctica during an earlier Shackleton expedition.

While he was visiting the library, Bound shared stories of his adventures in a brief Q&A with the Newberry.

Watch the recording of “The Ship Beneath the Ice: The Discovery of Shackleton’s Endurance ” at youtube.com/user/thenewberrylibrary

Renowned marine archaeologist Mensun Bound and Timothy Jacob stand on the pack ice in front of the ship S.A. Agulhas II. Photo: Frédéric Bassemayousse.

Newberry Magazine (NM): You’ve been exploring shipwrecks all over the world for decades. What prompted you to seek out the Endurance after so many years?

Mensun Bound (MB): The discovery of the Endurance was two years in the making. It wasn’t actually my idea, but that of a close friend. It all began in August 2012, when he and I were meeting in a coffee bar on the Old Brompton Road, in South Kensington. At that time, I was interested in Captain Scott’s Terra Nova , the ship that took him on his fatal expedition to Antarctica in 1911. It was the centenary of his death, and the Natural History Museum was mounting a special exhibition to commemorate his life and deeds. They asked me if I could find his ship. But the very morning we were meeting in the coffee shop it was announced in the press that the Terra Nova had been found. I showed my friend the article and he said, “Well, what about the Endurance ?” That was the moment of inception. Not only was he the one who came up with the idea, but he was the single driving force behind both expeditions to find her—the first in 2019, and the second last year.

NM: Shackleton described the Endurance ’s location as “the worst portion of the worst sea in the world.” Does the Weddell Sea live up to its reputation, or are there other places you’ve experienced with more challenging conditions?

MB: Shackleton wasn’t exaggerating. The pack [ice] is out to get you and squash you like a bug. The times we got caught felt as if we were within the coils of a boa constrictor. But I have experienced worse in the Drake Passage, which sweeps under Cape Horn and the Falklands. They really are the most consistently savage seas on Earth. Back in 2014, I spent five months at sea southeast of the Falklands in an old Cold War submarine chaser that used to masquerade as a fishing boat. We were looking for Admiral Von Spee’s flagship, the Scharnhorst, that had gone down fighting in the Battle of the Falklands in 1914. On one occasion, we got hit by a freak wave (or, as the Mate described it, a “wall of water”) that whacked us over

From Antarctica to the Newberry

The expedition carefully makes its way through the ice towards the location of the sunken ship Endurance. Photos: Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust/Nick Birtwistle

Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance. Photos: Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust / National Geographic. Shackleton’s gravesite. Photo by Timothy Jacob.

on our beam ends. You then felt the ship falling away into the hollow behind the wave. We just lay there in a pile at one side of the bridge waiting for the follow-up wave to roll us under. To this day, I remember the voice of the bosun who had been at the wheel praying in Spanish. But the second wave never came, and slowly we righted ourselves. It shouldn’t have happened but, just like Shackleton’s Endurance expedition, we all lived to tell the story.

NM: The discovery of the Endurance took place after your 2019 expedition had to be cut short due to the loss of a submersible. How much was good luck involved in 2022?

MB:: Luck, good and bad, certainly played its part. In 2019 we were unlucky. The Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) that was conducting the search was doing well. I had drawn up a search box that was 107 square nautical miles and the AUV had covered over half the area before it malfunctioned and disappeared without a trace. Now that we know the position of the Endurance, we can see that, had the AUV completed its mission, we would have found the wreck in 2019.

Last year was very different. The ice was not nearly as thick and aggressive as it had been in 2019, but we were into winter, conditions had deteriorated, and on the back deck temperatures had plummeted. The Captain had told me that neither man nor ship could take much more of it. Our backs were against the wall. And then we just got lucky. At the moment when we most needed it, we had two days of brilliant weather, and it was during that window that we discovered the wreck. But it was very tight. In fact, after we found the wreck, we only had time for two dives on her. The first to secure the data and the second was the archaeological inspection dive—the highlight of my life as an archaeologist. And that was that. The weather came back with a vengeance, and we had to get out of there post-haste.

Mensun Bound and his wife, Joanna Yellowlees, viewed postcards from the Gerald F. Fitzgerald Collection of Polar Books, Maps, and Art. All photos on this page by Nuccio DiNuzzo

David Weimer, left, Director of the Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography and Robert A. Holland Curator of Maps, shows the 1595 map of the Arctic by Gerhard Mercator, Septentrionalivm Terrarum descriptio

The Newberry’s collection includes a pair of reindeer skin mukluks once owned by polar explorer Richard Byrd.

By Kara Johnson

CPScholars Program Sets Sail

From the Archive to the Classroom

Ayoung African American man in a Navy uniform stands at attention. He looks straight at the camera, his face stoic, his eyes penetrating. A posed salute and the elaborate staged backdrop suggest he stands in a photography studio. A horizontal crease of the blackand-white photo not only reminds the viewer of the materiality of this photograph, which has miraculously survived decades of wear and tear, but also suggests that it was folded in half and held close for safekeeping by a loved one—perhaps in uncertain times of the sailor’s whereabouts or wellbeing. One can imagine a loved one stashing this photograph in a pocket, wallet, diary, or purse as a memento of one American—of many—who participated in the war effort.

This is a 1942 photograph of fifteen-year-old Leonard Ferguson. With his mother Idalia Spivey Gould’s permission, he enlisted in the Coast Guard. His enlistment paperwork reflects his age as seventeen, the minimum age requirement to enlist with parental consent. Ferguson’s daughter, Patricia Olsson-Prescott, shared with the Newberry recently, “He was begging to go in and serve.” His mother gave permission for him to join the Coast Guard because it seemed the safest option. She did not want him to go into a branch that would be in direct combat, and in the effort to protect him she guided this decision. Ferguson’s enlistment brought his high school career, at DuSable High School in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, to an abrupt and early end. Despite Gould’s hope for an uneventful enlistment, Ferguson was at the center of action during the Second World War, including the D-Day invasion at Normandy on June 6, 1944.

It is no surprise that this photograph elicited comments of disbelief from the participants of the Newberry CPScholars Professional Development seminar for Chicago Public School (CPS) teachers, Teaching Black History through the Archives: “He’s a baby!” “Look at that face.” “He’s fifteen?!” One can presume that these educators, representing schools all over Chicago (including

Lincoln Park High School, Prosser Career Academy, Simeon Career Academy, and Kenwood Academy) could not help but connect Ferguson, barely a “young adult” heading off to war, to their own teenaged high school students. This archival photograph brings Ferguson and his family’s wartime experiences to life in the way only a research library like the Newberry can.

Leonard Ferguson enlists in the Coast Guard in 1942. He is fifteen years old.

The Newberry’s collection reveals the vastness of everyday materials (letters, photographs, family and institutional records) that reflect a larger historical narrative. Access to these items can assist teachers in bringing these individual stories to life, for both themselves and their students. The Newberry’s approach in creating opportunities to explore these items in-person—to experience how it feels, or even smells—encourages exploration in a way few other organizations can. In doing so, these seminars prioritize the teachers’ professional learning and growth and afford the literal time and space with which to explore history at their fingertips.

Designed and facilitated in March 2023 by Stanford University’s Dr. Michael Hines, a historian of American education, Teaching Black History through the Archives invited participants to engage directly with the Newberry’s diverse selection of archival sources focused on topics such as the Great Migration, the 1919 Race Riots, educational segregation, and the impact of the Second World War on Black communities in Chicago. This seminar explored how History and Social Studies educators might enrich Black history by utilizing local archives and mining them for the personal stories that are often buried in the sweeping historical narratives featured in K-12 textbooks. Other collection items highlighted in this workshop included Chicago Defender and Chicago Tribune coverage of the 1919 Race Riots and the recently acquired, and exceedingly rare, Negro in the City lantern slides.

The Coast Guard photo belongs to the Newberry’s newly acquired Prescott Family Papers. The collection dates all the way back to 1848, and chronicles, among others, the Baumann, Prescott, and Carrington families, which came from Switzerland, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and several African

Patricia Olsson-Prescott reviews materials from the Prescott Family Papers that she recently donated to the Newberry. The collection includes everyday documents dating back to 1848.

countries. They eventually settled in New Orleans and Austin, after trailblazing their way from Virginia over several generations. These families then migrated throughout the Unites States, living in Los Angeles, Boston, New Hampshire, and Hawaii before arriving in Chicago as a part of the Great Migration.

Everyday documents, including letters and photographs, vividly depict the lives of this expansive family tree. Patricia Olsson-Prescott, a living descendant of this family and Leonard Ferguson’s daughter, consulted with Dr. Hines and Dr. Kara Johnson, Director of Teacher Programs at the Newberry, to curate collection materials and provide additional biographies and anecdotes for the CPScholars Professional Development seminar. The library is currently processing and digitizing this monumental collection, thus creating worldwide access to these materials. The participants of Teaching Black History got a sneak peek at the Prescott Family Papers through high-quality facsimiles and take-home “teaching kits” they could bring back to their classrooms. It is serendipitous that these materials are featured in a CPScholars seminar, because many Prescott family members attended CPS schools, and three Prescott sisters—including Patricia Prescott’s mother, Lavinia— moved on to become educators.

With a grant from the Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation, the CPScholars program launched in 2022. This idea for creating a program specifically for CPS teachers began to germinate in 2019, after the Newberry noticed a drop in attendance by local Chicago teachers at other Professional Development (PD) programs. Research into this absence revealed challenges to participant access, including a lack of PD funding at the school or district level; a nationwide substitute teacher shortage; and the residual effects of working in public education during and after the disruptive events of the COVID-19 lockdown. Not surprisingly, teachers were exhausted, in constant survival mode, and thus PD had to take a necessary backseat. Additionally, all teachers—regardless of their school district or where they teach—struggle to enliven their classroom teaching with new perspectives and ideas, particularly when preoccupied with meeting frequently changing curriculum standards and mandates.

It felt urgent for the Newberry, a Chicago-based institution, to work with the teachers of the country’s fourth-largest school district to alleviate at least some of these stressors and create a culture of collaborative inquiry focused on the Newberry’s unique historical materials. Uninterrupted time in an archive like the Newberry’s encourages engagement with primary sources and a necessary practice in the skills of historical analysis and thinking—identifying an author’s perspective; exploring the larger historical context for the source; as well as uncovering underlying messages, perspectives, and purposes for the document. Freda Brown, a librarian from Kenwood Academy, reflects on her experience with CPScholars as “deeply inspiring,” with topics that are

Dr. Michael Hines in discussion with a participant in the Teaching Black History through the Archives seminar.

A seminar participant examines a replica of the Chicago Defender’s front page reporting on the 1919 race riots.

“rich, timely, and relevant to my curriculum and teaching style.” She continues, “I gained new insights into the history of education in Chicago” by examining the Newberry’s archives, including newspapers and yearbooks during Teaching Black History

One such yearbook is the Purple and White , from Englewood High School in Chicago. The Newberry’s series of Purple and White from the Second World War provides a vivid glimpse into life in an interracial high school. It also reflects the cultures of education and social life during wartime, featuring poems, tributes, and numerous references to the war that fluctuate in tone between hopeful and heartbreaking. The Purple and White also provides some provocative material for historical contextualization and analysis. “A Soldier’s Prayer,” authored by student Arthur McCoo in June 1943, features six stanzas of moody poetry, told from the perspective of a soldier at war. It concludes with the lines, “I pray, dear God, by all that’s right— / By all the stars that shine on High, / The world may soon see freedom’s light, / I pray the day of peace be nigh.” As a genre of “self-published” text resembling late twentieth century zines, school yearbooks are vivid reflections of students’ day-to-day experiences and hopes for the future. McCoo’s poem is a historical as well as literary relic of the 1940s: an attempt to document the tensions of this fearful time and the hope—a prayer—for a victorious end to the war.

At the same time Leonard Ferguson fought overseas, his future wife (and Patricia Prescott’s mother), Lavinia Prescott, attended Englewood and graduated in 1943, at the height of the Second World War. In 1947, Lavinia Prescott became an elementary teacher at Forestville Elementary, a CPS school in the Grand Boulevard neighborhood on the South Side.

The same yearbook featuring Lavinia’s graduation portrait (January 1943) includes a collage “by Jim McDonaugh” depicting

some of the graduating class as vegetables in Principal Joseph Thompson’s “victory garden,” with Assistant Principal John Kriewitz represented as a “Dude” (or farmer) tending the fields and a crossdressed teacher, “Mother Nature” Charles Burnham, overseeing the agricultural operation. This bizarre depiction lends itself to close reading, historical analysis, and provocative questions.

This strange historical artifact may raise some eyebrows, but it also raises some terrific historical questions—proving that sometimes, the weirder the primary source, the more inviting for student discussion and analysis. For instance, someone encountering this for the first time might ask, “What in the world is going on?” But, as all historians know, one does not stop there. After some additional time with the source, the questions become more complex: How does the creator use visual cues and language of the Victory Garden to reference the “home front” effort to support the war? How does this source differ in tone from the poem “A Soldier’s Prayer”? How might these sources help us understand how students of different races defined patriotism during the war?

These historical primary sources may also help students see reflections of themselves and their world in the past. There are more similarities than differences between the Purple and White and today’s high school yearbooks. As a keepsake with student contributors, the authors showcase their own high school experiences and perspectives, but with a heightened awareness to capturing the moment for future readers—including their own children and grandchildren. Like the students at the editing table for the Englewood yearbooks eighty years ago, students today also collaborate to tell their own stories; how they place themselves in larger contemporary events happening in their local communities, nation, and world; and what they choose to preserve as important memories of their school experience in these keepsake texts.

Lavinia Prescott’s yearbook photo from Englewood High School, 1943.

“The Victory Garden,” from Englewood High School’s yearbook Purple and White, 1943.

“Archival materials like these can serve as a point of entry for wider conversations about the Black experience. They provide a starting point for students and teachers to tackle big themes like migration, racism, economic opportunity, and citizenship.” — Dr. Michael Hines

A session on teaching Black history necessarily grapples with the role of race, both in war and “at home.” The Second World War era is one of the most divisive times in American history concerning race, and Leonard Ferguson is a way into that conversation, for both teachers and students. What was it like for men and women of color, like Ferguson, whose wartime patriotism was undoubtably complex, fighting the war against fascism alongside a war against racism at home? Whose additional stories can we mine in the archives for the African American wartime experience? The Prescott Papers, which are artifacts of both wartime and interracial Chicago-based schools of the time, invite a textured, nuanced story about war and education, centered on stories from everyday life. This encourages learners of all kinds to connect these historical themes to real people and lived experiences that help them resonate beyond the histories found in traditional textbooks.

With these opportunities to practice “doing history,” it becomes more second nature to actively search out these rich stories in the archives. Dr. Hines reflects on the opportunity to work with the Prescott Papers, and other Newberry collections, in Teaching Black History: “Archival materials like these can serve as a point of entry for wider conversations about the Black experience. They provide a starting point for students and teachers to tackle big themes like migration, racism, economic opportunity, and citizenship. It has been awesome to see how educators have responded to the materials thus far.” Other teacher participants commented on the seminar’s “effective discussion and strong resources” which could be brought back to their classrooms; the ample time to conduct research in the Newberry’s collection; and the opportunity to discuss classroom application.

Teaching Black History is just the beginning of the Newberry’s collaborations with Chicago Public Schools. Upcoming 2023-24 CPScholars seminars will feature such insightful and relevant topics as Media Literacy in Chicago Public Schools, Primary Sources for Native History, and Managing Teacher Wellness in Times of Crisis. Several seminars will feature interactive collection workshops in the Newberry’s reading rooms. Additionally, Dr. Hines is currently at work on digital education resources based on the Teaching Black History seminar, in collaboration with historian Dr. Tikia Hamilton (Loyola University Chicago) and Freda Brown, the 2023-24

Chicago Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution Teacher Fellow. These digital modules, which will go live on the Newberry’s Digital Collections for the Classroom website in 2024, will focus on Chicago and the Great Migration, using the Negro in Chicago lantern slides as a gateway into examining these topics.

Social studies and history teaching is most effective when an educator has an archival experience. The Newberry’s collections enable us to do this for, and with, teachers. These programs reflect the Newberry’s commitment to helping teachers develop their skills—and inviting them to have some fun in the process. Patricia Prescott describes how her family’s “experiences have gone full circle” in these teacher programs by “passing on living history for the future, from the Newberry archives to CPS teachers and educators, who will pass their stories on.” These experiences also show the Newberry’s mission in practice: to inspire research and learning in the humanities to diverse audiences. One participant put it simply: “I appreciated seeing the archives today. That was special.” Fewer statements can capture more concisely what the Newberry Library is all about.

Kara Johnson is Director of Teacher Programs at the Newberry.

Participants in Teaching Black History examine Englewood High School yearbooks from the 1940s.

By Haku

In Conversation

Author Toya Wolfe and Historian D. Bradford Hunt

Toya Wolfe is the recipient of the 2023 Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award at the Newberry Library for her debut novel Last Summer on State Street, which tells the riveting and heartbreaking story of adolescent girls growing up on Chicago’s South Side in the 1990s. Toya recently sat down with D. Bradford Hunt, Professor and Chair of the History Department at Loyola University Chicago and author of Blueprint for Disaster: The Unraveling of Chicago Public Housing. They discussed Toya’s work as a writer and how her novel reflects her own childhood living in the Robert Taylor Homes, a public housing development that stood in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago from 1962 to 2007.

Robert Taylor Homes, Chicago, 1964.

D. Hunt (DH): I’m very interested in how you came to think of yourself as a writer, a novelist, a short story writer. Can you walk us through that arc?

Toya Wolfe (TW): When I was an undergrad, I studied at Columbia [College] as a fiction writing major. But I feel like I latched on to the identity of “writer” very early, even in childhood. And for me, it wasn’t about who had published you or blessed you with the title. I felt like I was writing, and that made me a writer. That is very bold because I would go on to realize that people really struggle with psychologically calling themselves a writer. For me, I’m writing things and whether they’re good or not, I’m putting in the time to put words down that did not exist before. And so, I think even going into formal education, I didn’t struggle with that title. And I think it helped me later when I started publishing things because once you publish a novel, then you must wrestle with this identity, and you could get tangled up in reviews and book sales and things like that. But if you already have a grasp on your identity as a writer who writes because you have talent and because you have something to say and because you enjoy it, then you don’t get tangled up in the politics.

DH: Who are some of your heroes as novelists? Let’s start with Gwendolyn Brooks. How did she influence your thinking?

TW: She was one of the first Black women writers from Chicago that I was introduced to. She’s writing about my neighborhood, but decades before. There’s this paper trail of a conversation that we’re both having about the same neighborhood. And that’s so fascinating to me. If someone had ever accused me of being a history buff, I would have denied it. But I’m working on my second book and already I’m steeping myself in Chicago history again. So, I think reading Gwendolyn Brooks, to me, feels like taking a trip back to her Bronzeville.

“The places in this book, they’re all ripped from my life. I created these characters, I put together this plot, but these places are very real.”

—Toya Wolfe

She was the first, and then I have my two Toni’s—Toni Morrison and Toni Cade Bambara, who unfortunately is a little bit lesser known to a lot of people. Toni Morrison was Toni Cade Bambara’s editor at Random House. When I was in undergrad, I read her short story called The Lesson , and it was the first time I actually heard the voices of little Black kids who spoke the way that kids spoke, the way we spoke growing up. And it gave me permission to play around with dialect and to actually capture voices the way you hear them, and to not be ashamed to put them down because they’re not eloquent English.

So, I’ve got the two Tonis, and, of course, Zora Neale Hurston. It’s a name I want to keep in the conversation because she’s been gone for a long, long time. But I think she’s also someone who tried to capture a neighborhood and the voices and the culture and how community interacts. She really laid that down in her books in this beautiful, authentic way. There were these women who were taking their slice of society and writing about it. And they kind of inspired me to go and do what they did.

Robert Taylor Homes, Chicago, 1966.

Toya Wolfe and D. Bradford Hunt

Toya Wolfe

D. Bradford Hunt

DH: In Last Summer on State Street you are playing with how the characters process the events that have happened to them. Am I right in thinking that’s something that you centered on as you were writing this novel?

TW: Yeah, I think eventually I figured out that this was a book about characters who hadn’t dealt with the things that happened to them. I’m always very interested in works where characters are wrestling with their feelings or what they know or how much they’re going to share their feelings. And so, it doesn’t surprise me that my first book has these characters who are wrestling. Memory is very tricky, and it can’t always be trusted. It was fun to give this character all of these events that she would have to recall. And then she’s wrestling with how she processed them as a child, but also with what she knows now as an adult. And then she must wrestle with what she’s going to do with all these feelings because she has some big decisions to make regarding redemption and forgiveness.

Memory is super important in this book. And it’s not just memory of the events that happened that summer. You have characters like Mama Pearl who talk about the things she remembered as she becomes this oral storyteller. And then you have characters who don’t talk a lot about their past and their history. They could, but they choose to hold it close to the chest or they choose to reveal their memories in more secret ways. There’s a lot of reflection and characters thinking about what happened and deciding how they will share that.

DH: This idea of having to unburden oneself. It struck me as a theme, but I also wondered whether this novel was a way for you personally to unburden your memories of your own childhood and the Robert Taylor Homes.

TW: I actually think these characters had it much worse than I did. I think for me, the most traumatic part was revisiting these buildings. When I think about my childhood in the Robert Taylor Homes, I see it as less eventful than what these girls encounter. And this is the power of imagination and playing around with worst-case scenarios. There’s a lot of truth in this book. Those police sweeps were very, very real. I definitely encountered things like that. You could be hanging out with your friends and then you hear gunshots and whatever you were doing is not important anymore. You need to fall on the ground. I just think revisiting that lifestyle was pretty heavy. And as much as I would love to tell people that writing this book was such a catharsis for me, I actually think it was harder to throw myself back into this world as an adult. Because sometimes when you live in a situation, it’s troubling and it’s traumatic, but it is your existence. But imagine if you are a few decades removed from that, you’ve been living a life that is nothing like that world. And now I spent all day, every day in this story world that is very—honestly, the places in this book, they’re all ripped from my life. I created these characters, I put together this plot, but these places are very real. And so, I cannot say that writing this book gave me some wonderful release. I think it’s a little bit of the opposite. There’s a little bit of shock that happened after it was done. But I think it’s totally worth it. It’s worth it because there were so many people who wrote to me or came up to me and said, “I had no idea that people had to live this way. I had no idea. These buildings that I drove past on the Dan Ryan, this is what was happening inside.”

I had a really wonderful childhood. I grew up in a terrible place, but I just think my mother was so intentional about making sure that my siblings and I had joy in our lives and that we knew we could do anything we wanted when you grow up. My apartment was such an insulated, wonderful place. As much as you can have joy and peace in a neighborhood like that.

DH: Did you actually go back to the Robert Taylor Homes site now that it’s gone?

TW: I did because I worked on this manuscript for about 15 years. And in the time that I was polishing these pages, I probably went back two or three times. Sometimes it was an accident. I was going somewhere and the GPS took me straight down State Street, and I was like, “Whoa, okay.” And then after I wrote one of the final chapters, I intentionally went just to re-acclimate myself with what the space looked like now. And I was just really struck by what it looked like. Everything seemed so much bigger when I was younger. And also, the tragedy of how many humans lived compacted into that half block that’s across the street from DuSable High School. And so, I think going back to this whole idea of the writing process, if this was my story, if this was actually what happened to me, then maybe it would’ve been helpful. But even going back to visit was really shocking. I lived in these conditions as a child, lived there until I was 18 and went away to college and a dorm. How in the world did I live like this?

DH: When I was doing my book on the history of the Chicago Housing Authority, I got to tour a Robert Taylor Homes building. It had just been renovated in 1996, and they thought maybe they were going to save it, and ten years later they tore it down. Most white Chicagoans never set foot in the Robert Taylor Homes. And I think one of the brilliant elements of this book is your ability to capture the building as a character with the stairwells, the elevator. Is that a fair statement?

TW: I’m not surprised that you feel that way because in my educational upbringing there was so much emphasis on place. And I’m also a Chicagoan. We love our skyscrapers and our special places. I teach Master’s creative writing students, and I’m always talking about building a world, and that’s language for science fiction writers usually. But it’s because people sometimes forget to lean into the places where their characters are running around. It actually helps you build character. So, it’s the beautiful effect of a person getting to know a different place they’ve maybe never traveled to, but they also get to see how their characters move around in this space and how you could let a place sort of antagonize the character or give them a safe space to be. I really enjoy building these homes for characters to run around in and do the crazy things that they’re up to. So, this building was a no-brainer because I grew up there and I knew about all the crevices, the way that different groups of people use the space in certain ways.

DH: And that is one of the several real strengths of this book. You paint such an incredible portrait of housing, the Robert Taylor Homes at its nadir, at its worst. This book is about loss, including the loss of one’s home. It’s about pain. How do you get your characters to deal with loss?

TW: Writing this book was about letting 12-year-olds have feelings, putting them on display. And I think one of the earliest seeds of this story—I was working at a community center that was across the street from the Robert Taylor Homes. My sister was in high school, and my mother had probably just received a letter stating that the Plan for Transformation, all this relocation business, was happening. I just thought about these kids and how at 12 years old they’re going to have to deal with leaving their friends, their school, their neighborhood. And when you’re 12, that’s really all you care about. Think about The Wonder Years and how you’ve got these kids running around the sidewalk in the suburbs. And imagine if someone said to them, “We’re bulldozing this entire neighborhood of homes, and we’ll figure out later where you’re going to go. Also, you probably won’t see your friends anymore. And you’re going to have to leave your school where your beloved teachers are.” And I just kind of ran with that. I just think that we don’t oftentimes think of young people as humans. They’re kids, and kids aren’t fully grown humans. I just really wanted to show these kids falling apart and choosing to get back up or not choosing to get back up. Or not having the opportunity to get back up. It’s a book about loss, and it’s also a book about the choices people make and how they’re going to deal with loss. Or not deal with that at all.

DH: You’re describing life in the Robert Taylor Homes in the late 1990s. It’s pretty grim on some levels. Were you ever concerned about telling a version of a poor Black community? Did you ever feel that you were going to perpetuate stereotypes?

TW: I think as a writer, you cannot fall into those ideas. You can’t. I’ve also learned censorship is the antagonist of creativity. And I think when you write about your people and you love them, it’ll come through. When I sit down to write, I’m just really trying to pull out what’s inside. And I spend a lot of time revising. I have very smart writers who read my stuff, and we talk about it. I really want to make sure that I’m putting things out into the world that are true to what I’m seeing. I love my people. And I think even though I write about alcoholics and crack addicts, there are all these different kinds

of people. I want to be honest about how the way we interact with them in our neighborhood is that they’re not just these things. For some of us, we remember that they are whole beings who have fallen into disrepair, and there’s always this hope that you’re going to get these people back. There are all kinds of characters in this novel, and I want to focus on their humanity.

DH: I noticed you mentioned the Newberry Library in your acknowledgements. What was the connection between the Newberry and this book?

TW: There were a few really great institutions that I utilized for research. I do research at the very, very end because research is candy to writers, we could just fall down a rabbit hole sucking up information and not actually writing anything. And so, at the very end, I always go and do research just to make sure that my memory is correct. I knew the Newberry would have some really cool things about Bronzeville and high-rises, and I was correct. I went in and looked through the collections and it just layered things for me.

DH: You won The Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award for Last Summer on State Street. What did you do to celebrate?

TW: Well, I spent the weekend with my mom and my best friend. I invited a few people who were just so instrumental in the manuscript coming together, so it felt like a little reunion. We spent the weekend in the city, we stayed in a hotel. I got to do some of the fun Chicago things I love to do.

This is a big deal. When someone says they are trying to choose the best book written about Chicago this year, and you won, that’s such a huge honor. Do you know how many talented writers there are in Chicago? Yes, there’s this huge monetary piece of it. But I just think about the honor of someone saying to you, “You really did our city. You wrote our city. Even though you’re writing about these very tough things, we recognized ourselves in some part of what you wrote, and we’re proud of you as a Chicagoan.”

The Recent Past

The 2023 Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award

The Newberry recognized author Toya Wolfe as the 2023 winner of The Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award on Saturday, July 15. Wolfe wrote Last Summer on State Street, a novel the New York Times Book Review called “tragic, hopeful, brimming with love.” The award honors books that transform public understanding of Chicago, its history, and its people. Last Summer on State Street features the story of four preteen girls as they navigate their friendship with the Robert Taylor Homes as the backdrop. “Applause to [Toya] for a wonderful book which does exactly what we hoped this award would do,” said Lisa Pattis of The Pattis Family Foundation. “It immerses us in Chicago’s story, and we emerge with a better understanding of our city.”

The award presentation took place as part of the Newberry’s Chicago Storytelling in Bughouse Square 2023: Chicago Forward, an afternoon of storytelling, music, and entertainment. The event was emceed by legendary journalist Rick Kogan and featured stories by Shermann Dilla Thomas, Chad the Bird, and others. Guests were also treated to a rousing double Dutch performance by Chicago’s Jumping Juniors.

Author Toya Wolfe discusses her award-winning book, Last Summer on State Street, with Gail Kern Paster, Interim President of the Newberry. Photos by Anne Ryan.

Rick Kogan

Shermann Dilla Thomas

Chicago’s Jumping Juniors

Newberry Collection Items Focal Point at Annual Gathering

Select items from the Newberry’s holdings provided a conversation starter and relationship-building opportunity at the annual Gathering of Potawatomi Nations in Michigan this past summer. Kabl Wilkerson, a research fellow in the Newberry’s D’Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies, joined Dr. Blaire Morseau, Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Michigan State University, to showcase collection items and interact with member of the Potawatomi Nation, encompassing 11 bands across the United States and Canada. The gathering included a Potawatomi language conference, crafting classes, ceremonies, and opportunities for connection among nation members.

Shakespeare’s First Folio at 400

We kicked off our fall programming series—and celebrated the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio—on September 5, 2023, with an evening of theater anecdotes and printing history. Greg Doran, esteemed director and former Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, stopped by Chicago on a personal worldwide expedition to see copies of the First Folio.

After spending time with the Newberry’s Folio, Doran was joined in conversation by Barbara Gaines, founder of Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Program attendees were also treated to a brief printing history of the First Folio by our own Jill Gage, Custodian of the John M. Wing Foundation on the History of Printing and Bibliographer for British Literature and History.

Kabl Wilkerson, center left, and Blaire Morseau greeted attendees of the annual Gathering of Potawatomi Nations that took place in July near Battle Creek, Michigan.

Barbara Gaines and Greg Doran discuss typographic cues for actors intepreting dialogue in Shakespeare’s plays.

Greg Doran examines the Newberry’s copy of the First Folio.

A twentieth-century image of the American Indian Center’s Canoe Club, from the Newberry’s Ayer Collection, was among the items on display.

The Recent Past

Writers on Writing: Lauren Groff and Rebecca Makkai

New York Times bestselling authors Lauren Groff (The Vaster Wilds, Fates and Furies, Matrix) and Rebecca Makkai (I Have Some Questions for You, The Great Believers) visited the Newberry on October 4, 2023, for the inaugural program in our new “Writers on Writing” series. The two entertained attendees with tales of their writing processes (Groff writes all drafts of her novels in longhand; Makkai drafts in her head), the importance of research to the writing process, and the power “writing into your urgency.”

“Writers on Writing” is designed to give a glimpse behind the creative curtain with some of today’s most celebrated and accomplished writers. Join us on March 21, 2024, to hear from Hanif Abdurraqib and Eve L. Ewing. Jericho Brown and Robyn Schiff will join us on May 9, 2024.

“Writers on Writing” is presented in partnership with StoryStudio Chicago and is generously supported by Shanti Nagarkatti and Sue and Melvin Gray.

Chicago Skyscrapers, 1934-1986: How Technology, Politics, Finance, and Race Reshaped the City

What is the first skyscraper? This question and others were explored on October 12, 2023, when Lee Bey, architecture critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, interviewed Thomas Leslie, FAIA, professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The talk centered on Leslie’s new book, Chicago Skyscrapers, 1934-1986: How Technology, Politics, Finance, and Race Reshaped the City. The two discussed the growth of Chicago’s downtown as both a commercial and residential hub under Richard J. Daley, the relationship between public housing and high-rises, and the technological advances in architecture that led to the upward expansion of the Chicago skyline. The talk closed with Leslie making the argument that the first skyscraper is Chicago’s own Fisher Building, located at 343 South Dearborn Street.

Public programs at the Newberry are always free and open to all. Most programs are livestreamed, making it easier than ever to attend a Newberry program from around the country or across the globe. Recordings of our livestreamed programs are available on YouTube at youtube.com/user/thenewberrylibrary.

View a list of all upcoming programs, classes, tours, and much more at newberry.org/calendar.

Lauren Groff and Rebecca Makkai. Photo by Anne Ryan.

Lee Bey and Thomas Leslie

The Newberry Annual Report 2022–23

Letter from the Chair and the President

Dear Newberry Friends and Supporters,

Leading this institution is a great privilege and doing so in our roles as Interim President and Chair of the Board of Trustees has been truly rewarding. Our reverence for this library—its history, staff, collection, and the generosity of its mission—has only grown in recent months. It has also been a pleasure to get to know many of you at our programs and in our reading rooms. The community of loyal “Newberrians” is extraordinary, and we are lucky to have so many friends who care deeply about the library and its well-being.

We are thrilled to be placing the future of the Newberry in the hands of a new President and Librarian this fall. Astrida Orle Tantillo will step into the President’s Office on December 1 (see the announcement on page 4 for more details). Astrida comes to the library with a deep commitment to the humanities as a scholar and an educator, having led the University of Illinois Chicago’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences from 2012 to 2022. She is a proven leader and fundraiser, with a wealth of experience managing a complex organization. We are confident that she is well-positioned to lead the next chapter in the Newberry’s long history.

Astrida will take the reins of a strong, vibrant institution, one firmly dedicated to its mission of encouraging research, learning, and teaching in the humanities. In 2022, we approved a five-year strategic plan that focuses on meeting the needs of current and expanded audiences, and we have already made great strides towards our goals. Perhaps most notably, we established a new Division of Public Engagement in 2023, bringing together the departments of Exhibitions, Public Programs and Adult Education, and Communications and Marketing. This restructuring puts a focus on refining our offerings for the public, building awareness of the library in order to attract new audiences, and pursuing new programming initiatives and strategic partnerships.

Our renewed focus on public outreach has not come at the expense of service to readers and scholars, which remains at the core of the Newberry’s mission. For the first time since the onset of the pandemic, the Newberry’s reading rooms were open without interruption in 2022-23. We were happy to see our patrons’ ongoing

Robert A. Holland, Chair, Board of Trustees, and Gail Kern Paster, Interim President. Photo by Anne Ryan.

enthusiasm for using our collection in person. We welcomed a full class of more than 50 fellows to the library, as well as eager and energetic undergraduate classes from four Chicago-area universities and Colorado College. Our reading rooms, carrels, and seminar rooms are buzzing with conversation and debate once again.

There is no doubt that 2022-23 was a year of transition for the library, another in a series of challenging years we’ve encountered since 2020. Yet the Newberry continues to thrive as an active and interactive center for the exchange of ideas. What has sustained the Newberry during these moments of transition and challenge? Our immediate answer is the excellence and dedication of the Newberry’s staff, and the enthusiasm they exhibit every day working together and serving those who use and love the Newberry. There is a level of commitment—to the collection, to the mission, to each other—that is on display in every corner of the Newberry.

In the following pages you will read more about the impressive work happening across the organization. This work can only happen because of the support of friends like you. Thank you for playing an important role in keeping the Newberry a vibrant home for the exploration of the humanities.

Sincerely,

Robert A. Holland, Chair, Board of Trustees

Gail Kern Paster, Interim President and Librarian

Public Engagement

In March, the Newberry formed the new division of Public Engagement with the goals of improving understanding of our audiences; raising awareness of the library; and continuing to offer the programs, classes, and exhibitions that attract thousands of people to the library each year.

Visitors enjoyed five exhibitions in 2022-23 that brilliantly showcased the breadth and relevance of Newberry collections. A Show of Hands: Handwriting in the Age of Print and Pop-Up Books through the Ages delighted and educated attendees in our main exhibition space. Smaller shows— Handmaidens for Travelers: The Pullman Company Maids ; Celebrating 50 Years of Newberry Research Centers; Surviving the Long Wars: Residues and Rebellions ; and Wheels were no less compelling for their size. Surviving the Long Wars also highlighted the importance of collaboration, in this case with the Veteran Art Triennial. Overall attendance to exhibitions in 2022-23 exceeded 34,000 visitors—and all expectations.

The Newberry’s long tradition of offering relevant, engaging, and entertaining programs and classes continued in 2022-23. Adult Education offered a well-attended hands-on workshop related to Pop-Up Books through the Ages , providing learners a creative connection to the popular exhibition. We also piloted a new premium Master Class series. The inaugural class, “Americans and the Holocaust,” was led by former Newberry President and Librarian Daniel Greene.

In 2022-23, Newberry public programs were routinely livestreamed and recorded, with most recordings posted on the library’s YouTube channel afterward. This allowed us to expand our audience well beyond the walls of the library. A refreshed version of the Bughouse Square Debates program featured a series of storytellers expounding on the pleasures and perils of living in Chicago and culminated in the presentation of the inaugural Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award to Dawn Turner for Three

Girls from Bronzeville. We also launched a new “Writers on Writing” series in partnership with StoryStudio Chicago, with local novelist Rebecca Makkai’s compelling conversation with New York-based and New York Times bestselling author Meg Wolitzer.

A major step in helping audiences navigate all the Newberry has to offer was the rollout of a newly designed website in October 2022. Increased activity on social media and mentions across traditional media outlets such as Crain’s Chicago Business , Chicago Sun-Times , WTTW, and WGN TV, showcase how we are working hard to tell the Newberry story across Chicagoland and beyond.

We are energized by the work done in 2022-23 and the alignment of these important functions of the Newberry under the new umbrella of Public Engagement. We look forward to reaching new constituents and enriching minds through diverse and innovative programs, exhibitions, and classes in the year ahead.

Meg Wolitzer, left, and Rebecca Makkai share anecdotes and insights on the writing process. Photos by Anne Ryan.

Surviving the Long Wars: Residues and Rebellions was a collaborative effort coinciding with the Veteran Art Triennial. Veteran and poet, Carlos Sirah, presents poetry exploring the disparate effects of war and the search for a path toward solidarity.

84,155 people followed the Newberry across all social media channels.

1,670 learners (73% virtually and 27% in-person) participated in 103 Adult Education classes.

7,418 people attended 32 programs (10 in-person, 3 virtual, and 19 hybrid).

34,221 visitors explored 5 exhibitions.

Pop-Up Books through the Ages attracted visitors of all ages.

Public program attendees enjoy the process of making pop-ups guided by experts Shawn Sheehy and Hannah Batsel.

The eclectic exhibition Wheels encouraged visitors to explore the Newberry’s collection using a single word.

Research and Education

The Newberry is an intellectual home for a broad range of users. Teachers, undergraduate students, research fellows, and other academics rely on the library as a place for deep exploration into our collections, insightful conversation, and meaningful collaboration.

We welcomed 12 long-term fellows in 2022-23. They spent an academic year doing in-depth research at the Newberry and arrived from a range of disciplines, including history, literature, art history, musicology, Africana studies, and human ecology. We also hosted 38 short-term fellows. In residence for one month, these scholars worked intensively in the collection to further their projects, which ranged from a study of the Black Mediterranean in the early modern world to a material history of photography and minerals in the nineteenth century.

We were delighted to host “Inventing Mexico: Maps, Manuscripts, and Materiality, 1521-1921,” for the 2023 Newberry Library Undergraduate Seminar. This course brought together 20 undergraduates across four local institutions, affording them the opportunity to dig deep into the Newberry’s archives. The students completed an extensive research paper at the end of the course and presented their work to the Newberry’s staff and scholarly community. We also hosted an undergraduate thesis class from Colorado College, which brought nine seniors to Chicago for research on their individual projects.

Staff continually assess how to best serve teachers, and 2022-23 saw the official launch of our CPScholars program, which brings Chicago Public School educators to the Newberry to grow as classroom professionals and ambassadors of knowledge. Four seminars were offered in this inaugural year, attracting nearly 50

educators to cover such topics as “Native History in the Classroom” and “Teaching Black History through the Archives.” A notable feature of CPScholars programs is the development of take-home facsimile kits, which allow participants to continue their learning through high-quality reproductions of collection materials featured in the seminars.

Our three research centers convened diverse communities of scholars to advance and disseminate their research. Each center engages both scholars and community members in conversation about important and timely research topics. The Center for Renaissance Studies connected with the field of premodern studies through symposia, conferences, workshops, and courses. The year culminated with the final preparations for the fall 2023 exhibition, Seeing Race Before Race . Staff in the D’Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies held a two-day strategic planning event in November that brought together five community partners, six Indigenous Information Science experts, and ten Newberry staff members from across the library to make a three-year plan for Indigenous initiatives at the library. 2022-23 was a time of transition for the Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography, with the retirement of long-time director Jim Akerman and the arrival of Dave Weimer as the new director.

Our collections hold countless stories, and our community of scholars is well poised to help us continue a long legacy of discovery at the Newberry. We are excited by what will learn next thanks to the expertise of staff and the insatiable curiosity of our fellows, teachers, and students.

Newberry Fellows examine and share materials related to their research topics. Photos by Anne Ryan. Spanish Paleography seminar participants engage with primary sources.

50 fellows (12 long-term and 38 short-term) delved into the Newberry’s collections to further their research.

959 participants attended 48 scholarly seminars on topics as diverse as Latino/a studies, premodern studies, and European art.

95,700 unique visitors utilized the Digital Collections for the Classroom site.

1,691 attendees participated in programs presented by the Center for Renaissance Studies, both online and in-person.

Center for Renaissance Studies Assistant Director Christopher Fletcher leads a collection presentation during the workshop “Critical Study of Race in the Middle Ages.”

Baki Tezcan, University of California-Davis, gives the keynote address at the Renaissance Center’s symposium “The Tarih-i Hind-i Garbi: Representing the Americas in the Ottoman Empire.”

Director of Teacher Programs Kara Johnson and Curator of Modern Manuscripts Alison Hinderliter, far right, share primary sources with teachers in the CPScholars program.

Newberry Fellow Toby Yuen-Gen Liang researches European conceptions of northern Africa in the Age of Exploration.

Collection Access and Service to Readers

The Newberry’s collection chronicles both personal stories and historic moments across 600 years of human history. It also lives at the center of all we do at the library. In 2022-23, the care, growth, and use of the collection was once more a major focus for staff.

The collection, though rooted in history, continues to grow and evolve. In the course of the past year, we added more than 2,400 titles, both through gifts from individual donors and purchases by our curatorial team. Acquisitions allow us to bring new and diverse voices into the archive. This year, for example, we acquired a very rare group of images documenting the Great Migration—the migration of African Americans from the South to Chicago and other cities in the North in the early twentieth century. (See images below.)

Our reading rooms continue to be a popular destination for researchers of all levels. 2022-23 marked the first time since 2018-19 that there were no closures to the rooms due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and usage increased substantially. With a robust focus on instruction and outreach, we also saw significant increases in collection presentations to external groups, including those from local high schools and universities. We also relaunched the popular Newberry 101 and Genealogy 101 orientations that had been dormant since the pandemic.

Staff in Digital Initiatives and Services unveiled a new asset management system that went live to the public in October. This new system helped users from all 50 states and 175 countries explore and engage with our digital collections, which continue to grow by leaps and bounds. This year alone, more than 94,000 digital files of Newberry collection items were created.

We are thrilled that our collection continues to see so much use, and its care and upkeep remains a priority for the Newberry. Our conservators monitor climate (and keep an eye out for pests), repair items for safe use, create custom enclosures, and prepare items for display in our exhibition galleries. With their expert care, the collection will be accessible for countless years to come.

Whether visitors encounter the collection in the reading rooms, online, or in our exhibition galleries, staff remain committed to keeping it freely accessible to broad and diverse audiences. Our collection is your collection, and we hope you find inspiration no matter which corners of the archive you explore.

Librarians Jo Ellen McKillop Dickie, left, and Maggie Cusick assist new readers in getting their cards and understanding how to use the collection. Photo by Anne Ryan.

“A Social Service Worker,” Slide 15

This powerful image shows a social worker visiting a family that recently arrived in a city.

“Reading Room, Scott Memorial, Detroit,” Slide 27 Scott Memorial Church, founded in 1909 in Detroit, served the large African American population of the city with classes for men and women as well as the crowded reading room shown here.

4,256 titles were cataloged, making them accessible to researchers.

1,830 protective enclosures were constructed by Conservation staff and volunteers.

2,038 gigabytes of born-digital files were acquired in six new Modern Manuscript collections.

20,418 manuscript pages were transcribed by online volunteers.

4,010 individuals registered as Newberry readers.

3,485 unique readers made 10,687 visits to reading rooms and requested 13,747 items.

3,220 participants attended virtual or in-person Instruction and Outreach activities, of which 155 were collection presentations for 2,235 attendees.

A collection presentation featuring early materials about the City of Chicago.

Photo by Anne Ryan.

Finances and Fundraising

The Newberry continues to benefit from the extraordinary generosity of our community. In 2022-23, more than 2,000 donors contributed an impressive $7.6 million to the library, not including pledged future commitments. The Newberry relies on these contributions to provide the services, programs, and access to our collection upon which countless people rely. We are grateful to each and every person who supports our work.

Donors at all levels contributed more than $1.8 million to the Annual Fund, providing critical operational support. Estate gifts accounted for nearly $2 million, once more proving the impact of deferred gift commitments. We continued to focus on strategic funding priorities: public engagement and exhibitions; digital infrastructure and digitization; and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts. A total of $2.5 million was raised for these areas, including a five-year grant of $1 million from The Grainger Foundation, which supports our digital activities.

The 2023 Award Celebration, honoring filmmaker Ken Burns, was held in May, generating significant funds to support the library. More than 250 guests gathered to celebrate the Newberry, the humanities, libraries, and the power of storytelling. Donors also attended other special events throughout the year—both in-person and online—to learn more about the Newberry and engage with staff and scholars.

There are many ways to support the Newberry, and our dedicated corps of volunteers contributed more than 7,000 hours of service to the library. Volunteers proved invaluable, greeting guests, giving tours, and assisting with programs and events such as Book Fair. Their presence on the first floor helps create a welcoming and engaging environment for all who visit the library.

We are immensely thankful for all who contribute to our mission with their time and their financial gifts. More details on our financial position can be found on the following pages.

182 volunteers contributed 7,424 hours of service.

425 first-time donors supported the Annual Fund.

9 people joined the Blatchford Society, the Newberry’s planned giving donor group.

634 donors and guests attended special events and fundraisers.

Ken Burns accepts the Newberry Library Award from Adele Simmons, the 2023 Newberry Award Celebration Chair. Photos by Anne Ryan.

Top: A volunteer greeter ready to welcome and direct Newberry visitors. Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo. Below: A volunteer docent conducts a tour of the exhibition Pop-up Books through the Ages. Photo by Anne Ryan.

Summary of Financial Position

For the year ended June 30, 2023, and for the year ended June 30, 2022 (000s omitted).

Finances and Fundraising

Summary of Activities

For the year ended June 30, 2023, and for the year ended June 30, 2022 (000s omitted).

Revenues

Expenditures

4,062 996 13,665 $(14,702)

Honor Roll of Donors

THE ANNUAL FUND

The following donors generously made gifts to the Annual Fund and are recognized as members of the President’s Fellows or Newberry Associates.

PRESIDENT’S CABINET

($25,000 AND ABOVE)

Roger and Julie Baskes

Joan and William Brodsky

Jan and Frank Cicero, Jr.

The Crown Family

Robert and Joan Feitler

Alice and Richard Godfrey

Victoria J. Herget and Robert K. Parsons

Celia and David Hilliard

Dr. Elizabeth Amy Liebman

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Cindy and Stephen Mitchell

Ms. Susan Nagarkatti

Janis W. and John K. Notz, Jr.

Dr. Gail Kern Paster

The Pattis Family Foundation

Christine and Michael Pope

Roy and Irene Rettinger Foundation

Sheli Z. Rosenberg and Burton X. Rosenberg

Mr. Joseph B. Rousseau

Mr. Rudy L. Ruggles, Jr.

Karla Scherer

Mr. David B. Smith, Jr. and Ms. Ilene T. Weinreich

Nancy and Richard Spain

Ms. Carol Warshawsky

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE

($10,000 - $24,999)

Mr. Gregory L. Barton

Buchanan Family Foundation

Lew Collens and Nancy Sindelar

Celine Fitzgerald

Julius N. Frankel Foundation

James. J.* and Louise R. Glasser

Dr. Hanna H. Gray

John R. Halligan Charitable Fund

Helen M. Harrison Foundation

Mark and Meg Hausberg

Robert A. Holland

ITW

Professor Lawrence Lipking

Barry MacLean

Mr. Stephen A. MacLean

Professor James H. Marrow and D r. Emily Rose

Andrew and Jeanine McNally

Ken* and Jossy Nebenzahl

Jean E. Perkins and Leland E. Hutchinson

Mr. John P. Rompon and Ms. Marian E. Casey

Mrs. David Savner

Adele Simmons

Mr. and Mrs. Richard D. Siragusa

Carl W. Stern and Holly Hayes

Liz Stiffel

Yellow-crowned Foundation

Anonymous (2)

PRESIDENT’S SENIOR FELLOWS

($5,000 TO $9,999)

Karen-edis Barzman

Ann Bates Kittle

Tom and Melanie Berg

Ms. Sharon P. Cole

Nancy Raymond Corral

Dr. and Mrs. Tapas K. Das Gupta

Professors Stephen and Verna Foster

Ms. Carla J. Funk

Mr. and Mrs. Christopher B. Galvin

Madeleine and Joe Glossberg

The Gray Family Fund at The Chicago C ommunity Foundation

Daniel Greene and Lisa Meyerowitz

Ted Haffner

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Keiser

Donor Advised Fund

Laura Baskes Litwin and Stuart Litwin

Ms. Laurin Mack and Mr. William Snyder

Magna Hospitality Group, LLC

Ms. Sonya Malunda and D r. E. Charles Lampley

Ms. Carlette McMullan and M r. John J. Gibbons

David E. McNeel

Professor Jean M. O’Brien

Mrs. Mary Louise O’Flaherty

Abby McCormick O’Neil and D aniel Carroll Joynes

Mr. Don Phillips and Ms. Anne Phillips

Martha Roth and Bryon Rosner

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Sheffield, Jr.

Mr. Brian Silbernagel and Ms. Teresa Snider

Laura and Jeff Torosian

Dr. Thomas E. Veeser

Christian Vinyard

Diane and Richard Weinberg

Mr. Robert J. Zarse

Anonymous (1)

PRESIDENT’S SUSTAINING FELLOWS ($2,500 - $4,999)

Edith Rasmussen Ahern and Patrick Ahern

Dr. Ellen T. Baird

Robert Beasecker and Erika King

Dr. William H. Cannon, Jr. and M r. David Narwich

Holly and Bill Charles

Mr. David Dolan and Mrs. Catherine A. Dolan

John and Michele Donley

Dr. William E. Engel

Margarete Gross

Cheryl and Hill Hammock

Hindman Auctions – Silvia and Jay Krehbiel

Janet and Arthur Holzheimer

Mr. Paul R. Judy

Ms. Brie Loskota

Honor Roll of Donors

Ms. Helen Marlborough and M r. Harry J. Roper

Mr. Michael Payette

Ben and Nancy Randall

Dr. Diana Robin

Sahara Enterprises, Inc.

Tom and Nancy Swanstrom

Astrida and Steve Tantillo

Ms. Elizabeth Teich

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Wedgeworth, Jr.

Thomas K. Yoder

Anonymous (2)

PRESIDENT’S SUPPORTING FELLOWS ($1,500 - $2,499)

Mr. and Mrs. Warren L. Batts

Ms. Catharine D. Bell and M r. Robert Weiglein

Joan and John Blew

Dea Brennan

Charles Cullen and Melanie Leonard

Ms. Barbara N. Deloria

Professor Frances Dolan

Eldred-Harland Charitable Fund at T he Chicago Community Foundation

Elizabeth Fama and John Cochrane

Ms. Lynne Fisher

Dr. Michael P. Fitzsimmons

The Franklin Philanthropic Foundation

Ms. Leigh Gates

Mr. Martin A. M. Gneuhs

Ms. Chloe Grant and Mr. Phillip Grant

Dr. Christopher J. Hagenah

Hjordis Halvorson and John Halvorson

Mr. William M. Hansen and M s. Jaime L. Danehey

Mr. Thomas B. Harris

The Heestand Foundation

Ms. Kay D. Hinn

Edward C. Hirschland

Mrs. Patricia Jahn

Ivan and Kathy Kane

Professor and Mrs. Stanley N. Katz

Gary and Linda Koche

Kovler Family Foundation

Ms. Lou Levine

Erica C. Meyer

Dr. Karole Mourek and M r. Anthony J. Mourek*

The Charles W. Palmer Family Foundation

Joe and Jo Ann Paszczyk

Alan Petrov

Meredith Petrov

Col (IL) Jennifer N. Pritzker IL ARNG (Ret)

Maridee Quanbeck

Dr. James Engel Rocks

Ms. Penelope Rosemont and M r. Paul R. Sievert

Leonard and Arlene Rosenberg

Joyce and David Salsburg

Ms. Alice Schreyer

Susan Schwartz

Stephen A. and Marilyn Scott

Professor Eric Slauter

Stephanie Smith

Ms. Maureen Talbot

Ms. Sharon Walton

Robert Williams

Anonymous (3)

SCHOLARS ($1,000 - $1,499)

AMSTED Industries Foundation

Margaret S. and Philip D. Block, Jr. Family Foundation

Miss Kathleen Boege

Mr. and Mrs. Dean L. Buntrock

Mr. Dennis Carlin

Marcy and Greg Carlin

Mr. and Mrs. Will Case

The Chicago Literary Club

Barbara and George Clark

Mr. Christopher W. Cook and M rs. Sharon Cook

Kimberly A. Douglass

Mr. Henry Eggers

Mr. Michael L. Ellingsworth

Mr. Jonathan Enfield

Mr. George E. Engdahl

Evanston Capital

Dr. Marilyn Ezri

Ms. Anne-Marie Fitzgerald

Ms. Eloise C. Foster

Ms. Mary Adrian Foster

Mr. Paul C. Gearen

Virginia and Gary Gerst

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Richard Gessinger

Professor Timothy J. Gilfoyle and M s. Mary Rose Alexander

Ms. Shelley Gorson and Mr. Alan Salpeter

Mr. Russell B. Hall and Ms. Deborah Hall

Neil Harris and Teri J. Edelstein

Elaine and Roger Haydock

Dr. Randolph C. Head

Clark and Carolyn Hulse

Mr. D. Bradford Hunt

Jane and Don Hunt

Mr. and Mrs. Jay Jaffe

K&L Gates LLP

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel P. Kearney

Jonathan and Nancy Lee Kemper

The Lawlor Foundation

LittleJohn & Co. LLC

Ms. Susan A. Manning and M r. Douglas A. Doetsch

Constance and William Markey

Mr. Arthur M. Martin

Ms. Laura McEnaney

Mr. and Mrs. Don H. McLucas, Jr.

Mr. Lloyd Morgan

Chris and Virginia Orndorff

Mr. William Osborn

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Perlow

Mr. Charles R. Rizzo

Mr. and Mrs. Eric Schaal

Ms. Frances Shaw

Ilene and Michael Shaw Charitable Trust

Professor and Ms. Larry A. Silver

Dr. Lynne Simon

Professor Susan Sleeper-Smith and D r. Robert C. Smith

Ms. Barbara A. Smith

Carolyn and David Spadafora

Ms. Sharon Wang

Mr. Ken Warren and Mrs. Maria Warren

Mr. and Mrs. Gerald A. Weiner

Mr. Michael Winkelman

Nora L. Zorich and Thomas W. Filardo

Anonymous (5)

HUMANISTS ($500 - $999)

Rick and Marcia Ashton

Ben Axelrad and Christy Bloom

Mr. Christopher Barer

Bob and Trish Barr

Ms. Julie A. Bauer

Mrs. Deborah H. Baughman

Ms. Rachel Bell

Dr. Heather E. Blair

Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Bowe

Ms. Susan Bowey

Dr. Jay Brigham

Mr. Malcolm M. Brown and M s. Patricia A. Brown

Rob Carlson and Paul Gehl

LaVerne and Waitung Chan

Mr. Donald R. Chauncey

Dr. D. Stephen Cloyd

Leigh and Doug Conant

Ronald Corthell and Laura Bartolo

Mr. Joseph P. Cothrel and Ms. Linda Heban

Mr. Roger M. Dahl

Magdalene and Gerald Danzer

Ms. Nancy Dehmlow

Mr. Gordon R. DenBoer

Mr. Andrew K. Dolan

Eliza and Timothy Earle

David and Susan Eblen

Ms. Anne E. Egger

Dr. Richard H. Ekman and M rs. Caroline Ekman

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Fanning

Kamila Farshchi

Ms. Sharon Feigon and Mr. Steven Bialer

Vince Firpo

Mrs. Marsha M. Fischl and M r. Kenneth P. Fischl

Mr. Peter G. Fitzgerald and M rs. C. Nina Fitzgerald

Professor Lisa A. Freeman and M s. Heather Schmucker

Ray Frick

Dr. Muriel S. Friedman*

Miss Nancy J. Geitgey

Ms. Mary Go and Mr. Lionel Go

Mr. Elliott J. Gorn

Donald and Jane Gralen

The William M. Hales Foundation

Ms. Lee R. Hamilton

Mr. Arthur R. Hansen

Toni and Ken Harkness

Mr. James A. Harmon

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Harper

Professor and Mrs. Richard H. Helmholz

Ms. Anne Hornung-Soukup

Mrs. Nancy Hunter

Ms. Jan Lisa Huttner

Mr. Craig T. Ingram

International Association for Psychoanalytic S elf Psychology

Ms. Cheryl Iverson

Mr. Mark Johnson

Mr. and Mrs. Norman O. Jung

Dr. Sona Kalousdian and Dr. Ira D. Lawrence

Stephen A. Kaplan

Dr. Suzanne Karr Schmidt and M r. Keith Schmidt

Mr. Wayne T. Kennedy and M s. Lorelei F. Rockwell

Professor Robert C. Ketterer

Chris L. Kittaka

Mr. and Mrs. John W. Ladd, Jr.

Kathleen LaPorte and James Plunkard

Mr. and Mrs. Henry L. Latkin

Mrs. Chase C. Levey

Professor Jonathan Lyon

Jessie MacDonald and Douglas MacDonald

Dr. Ruth F. MacKay

Ms. Eileen Madden

Mrs. Sherry McAllister

Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. McCamant

Dr. Janis Mendelsohn

Mr. Daniel Meyer

Mr. Thomas J. Michalak and M s. Jo-Ann Michalak

Mr. Charles H. Mottier and Mr. Philip J. Vidal

Marjorie and Christopher Newman

Mr. Richard F. Nielsen and M rs. Barbara Nielsen

Dr. Dorothy Noyes and M r. Michael Krippendorf

Ms. Colleen O’Brien

Ms. Joan L. Pantsios

Dr. Pat and Lara Pappas

Dr. Joseph A. Parisi

Dr. Mary S. Pedley

Mr. David Perry

Mr. and Mrs. David Petrov

Janet Reece

Mr. Charles F. Regan, Jr.

Ed and Diana Ruthman

Mr. Roy Schreiber

Ms. Debra F. Siegel

Alyce K. Sigler

Ms. Rebecca Sive and M r. C. Steven Tomashefsky

Ms. Beth A. Smetana

Honor Roll of Donors

Dr. Courtney Smotherman

Mr. Steven F. Soltes, M.D. and M rs. Anna Soltes

Mr. Gerald R. Southern

Dick and Judith Spurgin

Mr. Randy Streicher and M rs. Cheryl Streicher

Mr. Lawrence E. Strickling and D r. Sydney L. Hans

Mr. Tod N. Tappert and Mr. John Gallagher

Mr. James E. Thompson

Mrs. Clea Van Voorhis and M r. Dan Van Voorhis

Ms. Hedy Weinberg and Mr. Daniel Cornfield

Ms. Ann Wilson Green

Dr. Mary Witt and Dr. James Weinstein

Ms. Renee A. Young

Sherwin and Sheri Zuckerman

Anonymous (4)

LITERATI ($250 - $499)

Mr. and Mrs. Paul H. Adler

Tony and Nancy Amodeo

Mr. and Mrs. Paul F. Anderson

Ms. Roberta Arnold

Ms. Rosanne C. Arnold

Ms. Carolyn Arnolds

William O. Autry and Sarah E. Leach

Dr. Donna M. Avery and Dr. James Andrews

Mrs. Jennifer Baker

Mr. Robert Balzekas

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bates

Dr. Susan Bazargan

Professor Roger B. Beck

Susan and Gary Beckner

Mr. and Mrs. Francis Beidler

Mr. Albert J. Beveridge

Ms. Margaret Bjerklie

Pete Blatchford

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Block

Mr. Robert W. Blythe and M s. Madeline Baum

Ms. Catherine S. Bosher

Mrs. Norma M. Braude

Mr. Todd Brueshoff

Ms. Moira B. Buhse and M r. Howard E. Buhse, Jr.

Pat and David Buisseret

Professor Cathleen Cahill and P rofessor Andrew K. Sandoval-Strausz

Professor Richard Candida Smith

Ms. Mary Anne Cappelleri

Mrs. Jean Carey

Mr. Douglas R. Carlson and M rs. Susan F. Carlson

Mr. and Mrs. Walter S. Carr

Mr. Glenn Carter and Mrs. Barbara Carter

The Chicago Chamber Music Society

Mr. Gary M. Childers

Professor Kevin J. Christiano

Mr. Thomas A. Clancy

Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Colburn

Mr. Jerome W. Conlon

Professor Edward M. Cook, Jr. and M rs. Elizabeth P. Cook

Mrs. Louise B. Costello and Mr. John Costello

Susan E. Cremin

Laura de Frise and Steven Rugo

Janet Wood Diederichs

Ms. Sally Dilgart

Ms. Catherine J. Dolton

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Donnelley II

Mr. Kevin Donnellon

Mr. Philip Dougherty

Dr. and Mrs. James L. Downey

Ms. Mary Pat Doyle

Mr. Robert P. Doyle

Mrs. Tessa Dratt

Rich and Ingrid Dubberke

Jon and Susanne Dutcher

Mrs. Anne Erickson

Mrs. Susan S. Ettelson

Mr. James R. Fancher

Mrs. William Faulman

Ms. Megan I. Fellman

Ms. Annalise Fischer

Mr. Douglas W. Fitzgerald and M s. Karen Clausius

Ms. Marcia L. Flick

Meg and Joe Flippin

Mr. Brendan Fox

Arthur L. Frank, M.D.

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Freehling

Mr. and Mrs. John E. Freund

Ms. Gwyndolyn Friend

Ms. Sally J. Frostic

Professor Martha Garcia

Mr. James P. Goodridge and Ms. Joan R. Riley

Professor Suzanne Gossett

Mr. Marc B. Grayson

Mr. Mark Greeley

Thomas and Constance Guardi

Ms. Helen W. Gunnarsson

Mr. and Mrs. John C. Gurley

Mr. Roberto Gutierrez

Dr. Jane Hagstrom and Dr. Ray Hagstrom

Professor Evelyn H. Haller

James Hanson

Mr. William B. Hauslein

Arlene E. Hausman

Judy and Larry Hedges

Mr. and Mrs. Frederic W. Hickman

Mr. Brian Higgins

Mr. Roger C. Hinman

Mr. Allan G. Hins

Mr. Edward L. Hoffman

Ms. Ruth Holst

William and Vicki Hood

Mr. Robert Horowitz and Ms. Amy B. Levin

Mr. and Mrs. Paul J. Houdek

Professor and Mrs. Frederick E. Hoxie

Mr. Dennis M. Hughes and Ms. Rose Kelly

Mr. and Ms. Michael D. Hughes

Mr. William O. Hunt, Jr.

Barbara A. Huyler

Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Jacob

Ms. Emily Troxell Jaycox

Ms. Nadine N. Jennings

Janet and Martin Kalin

Robert D. Karpinski, Ph.D. and Gregory S. Weiland

Mr. Jeremy Kazan and Ms. Kendra Thulin

Anne M. Kern

Professor and Mrs. Christopher Kleinhenz

Ms. Mary Sue Kranstover and M r. Mark Davis

Anne and Paul Krauss

Dr. Nancy Krippel

Ms. Diane R. Laff

Ms. Barbara Lanctot

Dr. Della Leavitt and Mr. Roy Bossen

George Leonard and Susan Hanes-Leonard

Professor Carole B. Levin

Susan and Donald Levy

Ms. Kristin E. Lipkowski

Mr. Michael Litt

Mr. Craig Long

Mrs. Dianne C. Luhmann

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Madden

Mrs. Julianne Maggiore

Mr. William Malik

Ms. Sandra Mallory

Ms. Cynthia S. Mark-Hummel and D r. John Hummel

Ms. Laura McVey and Mr. Kevin McVey

David and Arlene Mehlman

Dr. Timothy Mennel and M s. Colleen Frankhart

Mr. Robert C. Michaelson

Ms. Kathleen Miles

Mr. James A. Miller

Ms. Virginia E. Miller

Mr. Norman Moline and Mrs. Janet Moline

Mrs. Beverly J. Moody

Jackie and Tom Morsch

Dr. Jeffrey Mueller and Ms. Eileen Klein

Mrs. Susan T. Murphy

Mr. James Myers and Ms. Marion Myers

Ms. Shanti Nagarkatti

Mr. Brandon Neese

Dr. Sarah Nelson

Dr. Courtney Noble

Mr. and Mrs. James N. Nowacki

Mr. James E. Nugent

Ms. Susan O’Brien

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence A. Osterberg

Mr. and Mrs. David Oxtoby

Mr. Frederic C. Pearson

Ms. Kathleen M. Perkins

Marianne and Bernard Phelan

Ms. Patricia Pippert and Mr. Steven Redfield

Mary and Joe Plauche

Ms. Laura Prail and Mr. John L. Cella

Mallory Price

Dennis and Judy Reinhartz

Ms. Alicia Reyes

Tony and Amy Rieck

Mr. and Mrs. George Ritzlin

Mr. Chauncey Robinson

Ms. Sandra Rodaligo

Ms. Patricia M. Ronan

Mr. Bruce D. Rosenberg

Mrs. Rachelle Rosenberg

Professors Barbara and Thomas Rosenwein

Ms. Doris D. Roskin

Mr. David Rosso and Ms. Christine H. Rosso

Mr. and Mrs. James W. Ryan

Dr. James J. Sack

Mr. Michael J. Saxton

Mr. Robert P. Scales and Ms. Mary Keefe

Mr. and Mrs. David M. Schiffman

Mrs. Ellen Schnepper

Mr. Barry A. Sears and Ms. Kathy Rice

Mrs. Julianna Segura

Brad and Melissa Seiler

Mr. Thomas C. Shields

Ms. Jill Shimabukuro and Mr. Adam Brent

Colonel Stetson Siler and Ms. Katherine Siler

Mr. and Mrs. O. J. Sopranos

Stanley and Kristin Stevens

Marvin Strasburg

Mary and Harvey Struthers

Mr. G. Thomas Tanselle

Mr. John Tielsch and Ms. Deborah Garber

Ms. Alice A. Tucker

Ms. Elizabeth Turley

James Grantham Turner

Mr. and Mrs. David Turpin

Ms. Cindy Vanina

Rachel and Jose Vidal

Jacqueline Vossler

Professor Mara R. Wade

Mr. and Mrs. Clark L. Wagner

Dr. Ann Wambeke

Mr. Edward R. Ward

Mr. Robert F. Ward

Robert and Susan Warde

Professor Elissa B. Weaver

Ms. Suzann M. Weekly

Mr. Wayne Wendling

Ms. Christina Woelke and Mr. John Coats

Ms. Mary B. Young

Miss Mary Zeltmann

Mr. Gerald A. Zimmerman

Anonymous (3)

Honor Roll of Donors

RESTRICTED GIFTS

The following donors made restricted gifts to the Newberry’s endowment, book funds, exhibitions, fellowship programs, and other projects.

$25,000 AND ABOVE

Roger and Julie Baskes

Builders Initiative

Chicago Free For All Fund at The Chicago C ommunity Trust

Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation

The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation

The Grainger Foundation

Dr. Hanna H. Gray

Sue and Melvin Gray

Helen M. Harrison Foundation

Rowena McClinton

Mr. John Monroe

Monticello College Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

National Endowment for the Humanities

Ken* and Jossy Nebenzahl

Jerome and Elaine Nerenberg Foundation

The Pattis Family Foundation

Rand McNally Foundation

Mr. David B. Smith, Jr. and M s. Ilene T. Weinreich

Harold B. Smith Foundation

Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation

Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation

Anonymous (1)

$10,000 - $24,999

The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation

Fuller and Moskovits Family

Samuel H. Kress Foundation

Mr. Stephen A. MacLean

The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust

Shanti Nagarkatti

Dr. Scholl Foundation

Adele Simmons

The Siragusa Family Foundation

Anonymous (1)

$5,000 - $9,999

Dr. Richard H. Brown*

Laura F. Edwards and John P. McAllister

Janet and Arthur Holzheimer

Professor James H. Marrow and D r. Emily Rose

Christine and Michael Pope

Seth and Dana Singerman

Dr. Christine M. Sperling

$1,500 - $4,999

Chicago Map Society

Hoellen Family Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. McCamant

Movable Book Society

Jack L. Ringer Family Foundation

Society of Colonial Wars in the St ate of Illinois

Sulzer Family Foundation

Robert E. Williams

$250 - $1,499

Sarah Barringer Gordon

Caxton Club

Chicago Calligraphy Collective

Deborah A. Cohen

Professors Kathleen N. and M ichael P. Conzen

Facebook

The Friday Club

Mr. Lawrence Green

Celia and David Hilliard

John W. McAllister

Mordine & Company Dance Theater

Edward W. Muir

The National Society of Sons of the A merican Colonists

Dr. Gail Kern Paster

Hannah Rosen

Ms. Ellen G. K. Rubin

Karla Scherer

Mrs. Carolyn M. Short

Larry A. Silver

Professor Susan Sleeper-Smith and D r. Robert C. Smith

Carl and Jane Smith

Society of Mayflower Descendants i n the State of Illinois

Astrida and Steve Tantillo

Jacqueline Vossler

Elizabeth R. Wright

THE 2023 NEWBERRY LIBRARY AWARD CELEBRATION

The following donors supported the 2023 Newberry Library Award Celebration, which was held on May 5, 2023 in honor of filmmaker Ken Burns.

PRESENTING SPONSOR

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Roger and Julie Baskes

Daniel A. Boehnen and Jennifer Knopf, Ph.D.

Ms. Susan Bowey

Joan and William Brodsky

Bulley & Andrews LLC

Lew Collens and Nancy Sindelar

John and Rosemary Copeland

Crown Family Philanthropies

Dr. and Mrs. Tapas K. Das Gupta

Fitzgerald Family Foundation

Ginny and Peter Foreman

Mimi Frankel

Ray Frick

Arthur Garwin

Carol and Larry Gelber

Alice and Richard Godfrey

Sue and Melvin Gray

Alan and Carol Greene

Dr. Gary G. Gunderson

Thomas Hackett

Donald Haider and Patricia Peterson

Cheryl and Hill Hammock

Celia and David Hilliard

Robert A. Holland

Mr. and Mrs. R. Thomas Howell, Jr.

ITW

Abby McCormick O’Neil and D aniel Carroll Joynes

Robert D. Karpinski, Ph.D. and Gregory S. Weiland

Jonathan and Nancy Lee Kemper

Gary and Linda Koche

Professor Lawrence Lipking

Ms. Laurin Mack and Mr. William Snyder

Constance and William Markey

Lia Markey

Professor James H. Marrow and D r. Emily Rose

Rowena McClinton

Janet McEnaney

Andrew and Jeanine McNally

Karen Mellow

The Minow Family

Cindy and Stephen Mitchell

Morgante Wilson Architects

Mr. Robert Nauert and M s. Heidi Heller Kiesler

Janis W. and John K. Notz, Jr.

Dr. Gail Kern Paster

The Pattis Family Foundation

Jean E. Perkins and Leland E. Hutchinson

Alan Petrov

Christine and Michael Pope

Roy and Irene Rettinger Foundation

Sheli Z. Rosenberg and Burton X. Rosenberg

Martha Roth and Bryon Rosner

Karla Scherer

Alyce K. Sigler

Adele Simmons

Mr. David B. Smith, Jr. and M s. Ilene T. Weinreich

Nancy and Richard Spain

Ms. Penelope R. Steiner

Liz Stiffel

Astrida and Steve Tantillo

TAWANI Foundation

Laura and Jeff Torosian

Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Underwood

Mr. and Mrs. Peter E. Van Nice

Howard S. White

Curtis and Haywood Wright

Anonymous (1)

PARGELLIS SOCIETY

The following corporations contributed $2,500 or more to the Newberry and are recognized as members of the Pargellis Society.

Bulley & Andrews LLC

The Grainger Foundation

ITW

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Magna Hospitality Group, LLC

Rand McNally Foundation

Sahara Enterprises, Inc.

Anonymous (1)

SOCIETY OF COLLECTORS

The following donors contributed $5,000 or more for the acquisition of materials for the Newberry’s collection.

Roger and Julie Baskes

Rob Carlson and Paul Gehl

Celia and David Hilliard

Robert A. Holland

Janet and Arthur Holzheimer

Professor James H. Marrow and D r. Emily Rose

BLATCHFORD SOCIETY

The following individuals have included the Newberry in their estate plans or life-income arrangements. The Newberry recognizes them for their continued legacy to the humanities.

Ms. Elizabeth Agard

Mrs. L. W. Alberts

Mr. Adrian Alexander

Rick and Marcia Ashton

Dr. David M. and M rs. Susan Lindenmeyer Barron

Karen-edis Barzman

Roger Baskes

Ann Bates Kittle

Pete Blatchford

John C. Blew

Michelle Miller Burns and Gary W. Burns

Dr. William H. Cannon

Rob Carlson

Reverend Dr. Robert B. Clarke

Mrs. David L. Conlan

Mr. Charles T. Cullen

Susan and Otto D’Olivo

Magdalene and Gerald Danzer

Mr. Gordon R. DenBoer

Mr. Andrew K. Dolan

Laura F. Edwards

Mr. George E. Engdahl

Dr. Marilyn Ezri

Ms. Eloise C. Foster

Ms. Carla J. Funk

Susan and Vincent Furman

Kathryn Gibbons Johnson

Louise R. Glasser

Mr. Donald J. Gralen

Dr. Hanna H. Gray

Honor Roll of Donors

Margarete Gross

Dr. Gary G. Gunderson

Hjordis Halvorson and John Halvorson

Neil Harris and Teri J. Edelstein

Mark and Meg Hausberg

Trudy and Paul Hawley

Celia and David Hilliard

Mr. John M. Holden

Robert A. Holland

Mrs. Judith H. Hollander

Janet and Arthur Holzheimer

Louise D. Howe

Dr. Victoria Kirkham

Dr. Martha C. Knack

Karen Krishack

George Leonard and Susan Hanes-Leonard

Larry Lesperance

Professor Carole B. Levin

Joseph A. Like

Professor Lawrence Lipking

Nancy J. Lynn

Mr. Stephen A. MacLean

Carmelita Melissa Madison

Ms. Suzette Mahneke

Dr. Debra N. Mancoff

Dr. Guy A. Marco

Heidi Massa

Ms. Valerie S. Mathes

Virginia E. Miller

Mary Morony

Mrs. Susan T. Murphy

Mrs. Milo M. Naeve

Ms. Shanti Nagarkatti

Jossy Nebenzahl

Ms. Audrey A. Niffenegger and M r. Eddie Campbell

Janis W. Notz

Joan L. Pantsios

Joe and Jo Ann Paszczyk

Francisco Javier Perez

Jean E. Perkins

Christine and Michael Pope

Dominick S. Renga, M.D.

Mr. Perry Sartori

Ms. Alice Schreyer

Helen M. Schultz

Stephen A. and Marilyn Scott

Cynthia Shewan

Alyce K. Sigler

Dr. Ira Singer

Mr. and Mrs. Richard D. Siragusa

Susan Sleeper-Smith

Ms. Louise K. Smith

Rebecca Gray Smith

Zella Kay Soich

Carolyn and David Spadafora

Mr. Angelo L. and Mrs. Virginia A. Spoto

Joyce L. Steffel

Tom and Nancy Swanstrom

Don Marzec and Marianne Tadish

Mrs. Sara D. Taylor

Tracey Tomashpol and Farron Brougher

Jim Tomes

Diane Weinberg

Mr. Willard E. White

Robert Williams

Mr. and Mrs. Peter S. Willmott

Drs. Richard and Mary Woods

James and Mary Wyly

Anonymous (12)

IN MEMORIAM

With gratitude, the Newberry remembers the following deceased members of the Blatchford Society for their visionary support of the humanities.

Constance and Liduina Barbantini

Mr. W. Lloyd Barber

Ann Barzel

Mr. George W. Blossom III

Dr. Edith Borroff

Professor Howard Mayer Brown

Mr. Richard H. Brown

Joan Campbell

Robert P. Coale

Natalie H. Dabovich

David W. Dangler

John Brooks Davis

Mrs. Edison Dick

Donna Margaret Eaton

Professor Carolyn A. Edie

Ms. Rita T. Fitzgerald

Dr. and Mrs. Waldo C. Friedland

Dr. Muriel S. Friedman

Esther LaBerge Ganz

Lyle Gillman

Mr. Wallace H. Griffith

Mrs. Anne C. Haffner

Rita K. and Ralph H. Halvorsen

Mr. Chalkley J. Hambleton, Sr.

Adele Hast

Mrs. Harold James

Corinne E. Johnson

Mr. Stuart Kane

Lucia Woods Lindley

Mr. William Locke

Arthur B. Logan

Mr. Walter C. Lueneburg

Dr. Audrey Lumsden-Kouvel

Ms. Louise Lutz

Ms. Lorraine Madsen

Mrs. Agnes M. McElroy

Andrew W. McGhee

Mr. and Mrs. William W. McKittrick

Marion S. Miller

Ken Nebenzahl

Piri Korngold Nesselrod

Bruce P. Olson

Charles W. Olson

Professor David S. Peterson

Mr. T. Marshall Rousseau

Rosemary J. Schnell

Marian W. Shaw

G. Shiman

Mr. Morrell M. Shoemaker

Professor Robert W. Shoemaker

Lillian R. and Dwight D. Slater

Harold B. Smith

Peggy Sullivan

Cecelia Handleman Wade

Professor Sue Sheridan Walker

Lila Weinberg

James M. Wells

Mrs. Erika Wright

Anonymous (10)

ESTATE GIFTS

The Newberry acknowledges gifts received from the estates of the following individuals between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023.

Diana L. DeBoy

Lyle Gillman

Ms. Marcia Slater Johnston

Professor David S. Peterson

G. Shiman

Mr. Morrell M. Shoemaker

Robert L. Tree

TRIBUTE GIFTS

The Newberry acknowledges the following gifts made in tribute.

HONOR GIFTS

In honor of Adult Education

S eminar Instructors

Ms. Beth A. Smetana

In honor of James R. Akerman

Mr. John Docktor

Vince Firpo

D r. Mary S. Pedley

In honor of Mrs. L.W. Alberts

Nicholas Adams and Laurie Nussdorfer

In honor of Ruth and Jim Ballowe

Kathleen and Dean Yannias

In honor of Margaret Brenneman

Tony and Nancy Amodeo

In honor of Martha Emma Burgett

Ms. Allison West

In honor of Lester Cappon and Barbara Bartz Petchenik

Ms. Brenda Berkman

In honor of Rob Carlson and Paul Gehl

J on W. Finson

Mr. Paul A. Kobasa

In honor of Father Edw. Catich

Mr. Lawrence Stamets

In honor of the Center for Renaissance Studies

P rofessor Mara R. Wade

In honor of Steven Diedrich

Ms. Catharine D. Bell and Mr. Robert Weiglein

In honor of Rev. Dr. George Dole

Mrs. Karen Feil

In honor of Grace Dumelle

Mrs. Dorothy J. Dumelle

In honor of Laura F. Edwards

P rofessor Sarah Barringer Gordon

Mr. J. W. McAllister

In honor of Kristin Emery

Martha Roth and Bryon Rosner

In honor of Hans H. Frankel

Ms. Emma Frankel

In honor of Bernard Friedman

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Perlow

In honor of Glisola Gray Gates

Ms. Joselyn Stewart

In honor of Paul Gehl

Professor and Mrs. Charles Shulkin

In honor of Daniel Greene

Ms. Anne-Marie Fitzgerald

In honor of Dr. Della Leavitt and M r. Roy Bossen

Anonymous

In honor of Graham Greer

Mr. Cary A. Boggs and Ms. Jeanne Greer

In honor of Hamilton Wood Type and P rinting Museum

Ms. Barbara Dufford

In honor of Will Hansen

Toni and Ken Harkness

In Honor of Celia and David Hilliard

Erica C. Meyer

In honor of Edward Hirschland

Mr. Richard M. Holbrook and Mrs. Shirley Holbrook

In honor of Robert A. Holland

Mr. Tod N. Tappert and Mr. John Gallagher

In honor of Arthur Holzheimer

D r. Alfred E. Lemmon

In honor of Suellen Hoy

Ms. Ellen Skerrett

In honor of D. Carroll Joynes

Ms. Nancy C. Lighthill

In honor of Clay Judson

Mrs. Martha Greene Young

In honor of Alyce Keliher

Mr. Matthew J. Kelleher and Mrs. Mary Kelleher

In honor of Barbara Kerr

D r. Elizabeth Poklinkowski

In honor of Paul A. Kobasa

Ms. Clare Kobasa

S tephen Vincent Kobasa

In honor of Barbara Koren

Mr. Paul C. Gearen

In honor of John Loesch

Mr. Brian Higgins

In honor of Nancy Ludmerer

Mr. Malcolm B. Spector

In honor of Thomas Madden

Mr. David E. Staplin

Honor Roll of Donors

In honor of Rowena McClinton

Vince Firpo

In honor of Helen Long McGettrick

Ms. Roberta Long

In honor of Peter McLennon

Mr. Michael R. Miner

In honor of David E. McNeel

Mr. Richard A. Hoskins

In honor of Edna McRae

Mr. James J. Dybas

In honor of John Monroe

Ms. Katherine Hamilton-Smith

In honor of Harland S. Nelson

D r. Sarah Nelson

In honor of Jeff Nigro

Mr. James D. Drury

In honor of Jan Notz

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Block

Virginia and Gary Gerst

Li z Stiffel

In honor of Jean E. Perkins

Ms. Shelley Gorson and Mr. Alan Salpeter

In honor of Karen M. Risinger

Robert Christiansen and Karen Risinger

In honor of Burton X. Rosenberg

Mr. Dennis Carlin

Marcy and Greg Carlin

Madeleine and Joe Glossberg

Mr. and Mrs. Jay Jaffe

Leonard and Arlene Rosenberg

Mrs. David Savner

In honor of Sheli Z. Rosenberg and Burton X. Rosenberg

B en and Nancy Randall

In honor of Pat Ryan

Anonymous

In honor of Karla Scherer

D aniel Greene and Lisa Meyerowitz

D avid E. McNeel

S heli Z. Rosenberg and Burton X. Rosenberg

Ms. Alice A. Tucker

In honor of Suzanne Karr Schmidt

Ms. Ellen G. K. Rubin

Nancy and Richard Spain

J acqueline Vossler

In honor of Lisa Schoblasky and Catherine Grandgeorge

J udaica Library Network of Metropolitan Chicago

In honor of Alice Schreyer

Roger and Julie Baskes

Vince Firpo

Neil Harris and Teri J. Edelstein

C elia and David Hilliard

Mrs. Judith Nadler

D r. Gail Kern Paster

Martha Roth and Bryon Rosner

Karla Scherer

Adele Simmons

Mr. David B. Smith, Jr. and Ms. Ilene T. Weinreich

Allison Sugiyama and Charles Kelly

Astrida and Steve Tantillo

Mr. James M. Vaughan and Mrs. Deborah Morrow Vaughan

J acqueline Vossler

In honor of Marilyn Scott

Lisa and Don Jaburek

In honor of Lilah Shapiro

Mrs. Heather Patay

In honor of Alyce Sigler

S tephen A. Kaplan

In honor of Liz Stiffel

Mr. and Mrs. R. Thomas Howell, Jr.

In honor of Stephanie Svarz

Mr. William Arquilla

Mrs. Barbara Svarz

In honor of George B. Swift

Ms. Jennifer Just

In honor of Cheryl Tunstill

Vince Firpo

In honor of Stacy Yusim and Karen Boyd

Ms. Liese Ricketts

MEMORIAL GIFTS

In memory of John Aubrey

D r. Carrie Forbes

Carolyn and David Spadafora

In memory of Jenny Barrett

P rofessor James R. Barrett

In Memory of Ann Barzel

Mr. Henry V. Eggers

In memory of Madge Bennett

D eborah D. Dixon

In memory of Ralph L. and Jean (Campsie) Boosel

Dr. Brian Boosel

In memory of Lee Braude

Mrs. Norma M. Braude

In memory of John A. Bross

D r. Christopher M. Straus

In memory of Richard H. Brown

P rofessor Hans Bak

P rofessors Stephen and Verna Foster

In memory of Denis D. Carlson

Rob Carlson and Paul Gehl

In memory of Elizabeth Christensen

Ms. Mary E. Hughes-Cowling and Mr. Robert W. Cowling

In memory of Eric Cochrane

P rofessor Constantin Fasolt

In memory of James W. Cook

Mr. Christopher W. Cook and Mrs. Sharon Cook

In memory of Maria Vittoria Del Vecchio-Coen

Ms. Clara Coen

In memory of Jim Fannin

Rob Carlson and Paul Gehl

In memory of Rita Fitzgerald

Ms. Emily Troxell Jaycox

In memory of Richard Forstall

William Butz

J ames Nealis

In memory of Gareth J. Foster

P rofessors Stephen and Verna Foster

In memory of Anthony Grosch

Lawrence Berman and Brenda Berman

S andra Binder and Howard Binder

Mrs. Kristin Danzinger

Mrs. Ethel C. Gofen and Mr. William H. Gofen

Mrs. Kerry Kuzmich

Tekla Labovsky and Nicholas Labovsky

Ms. Bobbi Matlin

Margery Nieder

Linda N. Smentek

Lolli Zarlin

In memory of Lori Holland

Mr. Curtis Wright

In memory of Helen Hornbeck Tanner

Mary Janzen Quinn

In memory of Ellen “Tina” Howe

Mrs. Carolyn M. Short

In memory of Kenneth Keller

Ms. Janet Mark

In memory of Walter Kraemer

Ms. Jean Lamberty

In memory of Edwin and Evelyn Kuzdale

D r. Ann E. Kuzdale

In memory of Alice Logue Lawler

Ms. Kelsey Lawler

In memory of Allyn Joseph Lepeska

Mr. Jon Grinde

In memory of John William Locke

Mrs. Judith Locke

In memory of Charles W. Lofgren

Mr. and Mrs. John W. Ladd, Jr.

In memory of Roberta Lundin

Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Hughes

In memory of Dawn Boholano Mabalon

a nd Mr. Ron Salazar

P rofessor Lily Ann Villaraza

In memory of Eileen R. Mackevich

Mr. Robert Balzekas

In memory of Robert McCrary

Mr. and Mrs. James G. Barnes

In memory of Rita McElroy

Ms. Christine L. Sundt

In memory of Andrew McGhee

Mrs. Carol H. Graham

In memory of Jo Anne Moore

Ms. Betty Jo Moore

Mr. Jerome C. Yanoff

In memory of Milo M. Naeve

Mrs. Milo M. Naeve

In memory of Larrance O’Flaherty

Vince Firpo

Mrs. Mary Louise O’Flaherty

In memory of Dr. Stanley M. Pargellis

Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Bowe

In memory of Joseph J. Pava

Ms. Karen P. Randall

In memory of Nancy Parker Petrov

Mrs. Susanne Bayer and Mr. Edward Bayer

Mr. Scott DeShetler and Mrs. Joanne DeShetler

Ms. Julie Dimitrov

Ms. Kristin Doebler

Mrs. Carol Dorer and Mr. Doug Dorer

S allie and Robert Eddy

Mrs. Mary Lou Eppers-Caperton and Mr. Overton Caperton

Vince Firpo

Mr. Timothy Fitzgerald

Mr. William H. Fulton and Mr. Jeffrey B. Duber

Ms. Wendy Geisen

Ms. Abby Glick and Mr. Marc Glick

Mr. and Mrs. Eric Harris

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Huckelbridge

Mr. Jacob Kronenberg

Ms. Cynthia Lammert and Mr. Andre Lukez

Mrs. Martha Matuska

Ms. Colleen Mountcastle and Mr. James Conway

Mr. and Mrs. David Petrov

Ms. Judy Ray

Ms. Hilary Rossen

Mr. Chuck Sabetta and Mrs. Susan Sabetta

Mr. Randy Streicher and Mrs. Cheryl Streicher

In memory of George Amos Poole and Ellen Stuart Poole

Anonymous

In memory of Cotton and Helen Poque

Ms. Polly Warren

In memory of Father Peter J. Powell

D r. Joe Cialdella

Ms. Barbara N. Deloria

Vince Firpo

Ms. Lynne M. Flanagan

P rofessors Stephen and Verna Foster

Ms. Sandra Fuggiti

D aniel Greene and Lisa Meyerowitz

Hjordis Halvorson and John Halvorson

Ms. Alison A. Hinderliter

Ms. Rhonda Holy Bear

Mrs. Kathy H. Israel and Mr. Earl R. Israel

In Memory of Edward Quattrocki

Caxton Club

Ms. Susan A. Manning and Mr. Douglas A. Doetsch

In memory of Janice L. Reiff

D r. Dorothy Wiley and Mr. Robert F. Wiley

In memory of T. Marshall Rousseau

Mr. Joseph B. Rousseau

In memory of Norma B. Rubovits

Randi Rubovitz-Seitz

In memory of Paul Ruxin

Mr. Michael Bartels

In memory of Allison Sherman

Karen-edis Barzman

Honor Roll of Donors

In memory of Michael Silverstein

Ms. Mara Tapp

In memory of Junie L. Sinson

Mr. Josh Bressler

Caxton Club

Mr. Roman Drewniak

Ms. Dana C. Ellerbrock

J ackie and Tom Morsch

Mr. James Schumacher

J acqueline Vossler

In memory of Magda Slowik

Mr. Jonathan Enfield

In memory of Gerard C. Smetana

Ms. Beth A. Smetana

In memory of Harold B. Smith

Mr. John J. Aylward and Mrs. Dorothy W. Aylward

Mr. Malcolm M. Brown and Ms. Patricia A. Brown

Ms. Jennifer Choo-Tomimoto

T he Honorable and Mrs. Jim Edgar

Evanston Capital

Mr. Peter G. Fitzgerald and Mrs. C. Nina Fitzgerald

Ms. Chloe Grant and Mr. Phillip Grant

D aniel Greene and Lisa Meyerowitz

Mr. Russell B. Hall and Ms. Deborah Hall

Lake Geneva Country Club

LittleJohn & Co. LLC

Magna Hospitality Group, LLC

Ms. Mary O’Neil Sido

Mr. William Osborn

Ms. Barbara A. Smith

Mr. David B. Smith, Jr. and Ms. Ilene T. Weinreich

Carolyn and David Spadafora

Mrs. Clea Van Voorhis and Mr. Dan Van Voorhis

Anonymous

In memory of Rudolf Soukup

Ms. Anne Hornung-Soukup

In memory of Dr. Thomas J. Stafford

D r. Thomas J. Stafford

In memory of Dr. Ronald J. Temple

Anonymous

In memory of Charles R. Vik

Burlington Route Historical Society

In memory of Wayne Weber

C hicago Genealogical Society

In memory of Arthur and Lila Weinberg

Ms. Hedy Weinberg and Mr. Daniel Cornfield

In memory of Ernest Weis

Mrs. Penny Weis

GIFTS OF LIBRARY MATERIALS

The Newberry acknowledges the generosity of the following donors who contributed books, manuscripts, and other materials to enhance the library’s collection.

Dominic Agsaway

James Akerman

Susan Arnold

Aset Books Library Services

Steven and Gloria Backman

Bril Barrett

Roger and Julie Baskes

Robert Bernstein

Robert Biggs

Helga Binder

John Williams Bliss, Sr.

Norman Bobins

Joseph Boley

Bookish Book Club

Jean R. Brink

Marilin Brown

Mary Brugliera

Ellen K. Bryant

Pat and David Buisseret

Amiel Cain

CARLI Last Copy Program

Matthew Carter

Sandra Carter Duff

Center for Native American and Indigenous Research, Northwestern University

Margo Chambers

Nikola Charakchiev

Robert Christensen

Marsha S. Collins

David G. Conklin

John Conroy

Contemporary Club of Chicago

James W. Cortada

Rosemarie D. Courtney

Kim Coventry

Sarah Curtis

Magdalene and Gerald Danzer

Tom and Cathy David

Rey E. de la Cruz

Daniela D’Eugenio

Jan Edmiston

Elizabeth L’Estrange

Loretta Evans

Eve L. Ewing

Linda Farroh Eder

Frances Ferguson

Filipino Association of University Women

Theresa Fitzsimmons

Fontana Public Library

David Freund

Peter T. Gayford

Candice Goldstein

Anne Gometz

Larry Green

John Gregg

Growing Community Media

Katharine Hannaford

Mr. William M. Hansen and M s. Jaime L. Danehey

Molly Hardy

Robert Harris

William Heine

Robert Hellyer

Nicholas Hill

Alison Hinderliter

Judy Holstein

Professor and Mrs. Frederick E. Hoxie

John Irwin

Jacques Offenbach Society

Cheryl Jensen

Louise Jewett

Annette Johnson

Bette Wendt Jore

Joseph Vick Family of America, Inc.

Suzanne Karr Schmidt

Arthur L. Kelly

Christian Kerns

Kenneth Kirkland

Mr. Bruce Kirkpatrick

Julius Kirshner

Amy Kohout

John Thomas Kruse, Sr.

Lake County Forest Preserve

Gregory Laski

Jonathan Lear

Theresa Leininger-Miller

Allen V. Lentino

Dolores Lipinski Long

Analú María López

Mark D. McGarvie

Margot McMahon

Judy Beatman Marcus

David Marienthal

Jesse Markow

Carmela Matza Su

Enriqueta Cartagena Mayuga

Estate of Theodore C. Mercer, Jr.

Christopher and Kristin Meyer

Ann B. Michael

Christen Mucher

*Deceased

Justine Murison

Katherine Nathan

David Nathan-Maister

David F. New

Newberry Library Undergraduate Seminar

Anna M. Nogar

Estate of Margaret Nuckols

Dennis P. Ocampo

O’Gara & Wilson

Douglas Dean Ostlund III

Linda Parr

Beth Parrocha-Doctolero

Audrey Pastos

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Pinacoteca de Sao Paulo

Mike Pocius

Father Peter J. Powell*

James Price

Merrilee Redmond

Scott Reynolds Nelson

Elizabeth F. Rice

David Joseph Riley

Jim Risinger

Gary Boyd Roberts

Andrea Aldo Robiglio

Bernice L. Rocque

Benjamin Rose

Jason Rosenthal

Jeffrey Rovner

Donald Rubovits

Judith F. Russell

Anna K. Sagal

Melanie Sainz

Vicki Satovitz

Wayne Schulz

M. Christine Schwartz

Stephen A. and Marilyn Scott

Brian Seel

Marc Selvaggio

Theodore Shrady

Banda Sifuentes

Sinai Temple, Champaign, IL

Jacqueline Sinclair

Rebecca Sive

Skokie Heritage Museum

Mark Addison Smith

O. J. Sopranos

Laura Elena Sotelo Santos

Ruy Souza e Silva

State Historical Society of Iowa

Alan Steffen

Mike Stelnicki

St. Louis Mercantile Library

Christine Sundt

Mihoko Suzuki

Anthony Tamez-Pochel

Pablo Tariman

Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico

University of Manitoba Linguistics Department

University of Missouri-Kansas City

Lorli Villanueva

Jacqueline Vossler

Stephen Watts

Richard Wendorf

Laura Wiegand

Bethany Williston

T. Bradford Willis

Michelle Wilson

Cynthia Winter

Mr. Curtis Wright

David Wrone

Mattia Zangari

The Newberry makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of our honor roll of donors and we apologize if we have made any errors. Please notify the Development Office at (312) 255-3581 or contributions@newberry.org regarding any changes, corrections, or omissions. Thank you.

Board of Trustees

TRUSTEES OF THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY, 2022-23

Robert A. Holland

Chair

Lisa J. Pattis

Vice Chair

Karla Scherer

Secretary

David B. Smith, Jr.

Treasurer

Edith Rasmussen Ahern

Gregory L. Barton

Joan Brodsky

Frank Cicero, Jr.

Lewis Collens

Celine Fitzgerald

Richard C. Godfrey

David C. Hilliard

Carroll Joynes

Robert D. Karpinski, PhD

Javier Laguna

Lawrence Lipking

Laurin Mack

*Deceased

Sonya Malunda

James H. Marrow

Andrew McNally IV

Mary Minow

Cynthia E. Mitchell

Janis W. Notz

Jean M. O’Brien

Jean E. Perkins

Michael A. Pope

John P. Rompon

Burton X. Rosenberg

Martha T. Roth

Rudy L. Ruggles, Jr.

Adele Simmons

Harold B. Smith*

Nancy Spain

Astrida Orle Tantillo

Jeffrey S. Torosian

Kenneth Warren

LIFE TRUSTEES OF THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY

Roger Baskes

T. Kimball Brooker

Anthony Dean

Louise R. Glasser

Hanna Gray

Neil Harris

Victoria J. Herget

Stanley N. Katz

Barry L. MacLean

David E. McNeel

Alyce Sigler

Richard D. Siragusa

Carol Warshawsky

Robert Wedgeworth, Jr.

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT AND LIBRARIAN

• G ail Kern Paster, Interim President and Librarian

• Kristin Emery, Director of Governance and Strategic Initiatives

COLLECTIONS AND LIBRARY SERVICES

• A lice D. Schreyer, Roger and Julie Baskes Vice President for Collections and Library Services

• Claire Dapkiewicz, Administrative Coordinator

Acquisitions

• Emma Morris, Acquisitions Manager

Cataloging

• Jessica Grzegorski, Head of Cataloging

• Patrick A. Morris, Map Cataloging Librarian

• Cheryl Wegner, Cataloging Librarian

Cataloging Projects

• Megan Kelly, Head of Cataloging Projects

• Tina Saenz, Cataloging Project Librarian

• Ash Wolfe, Cataloging Project Assistant

Collection Development

• Jo Ellen McKillop Dickie, Selector for Reference

• Jill Gage, Custodian of the John M. Wing Foundation on the History of Printing and Bibliographer for British Literature and History

• Will Hansen, Curator of Americana

• Alison Hinderliter, Lloyd Lewis Curator of Modern Manuscripts and Selector for Modern Music

• A nalú María López, Ayer Librarian and Assistant Curator

• Suzanne Karr Schmidt, George Amos Poole III Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts

• Alan Leopold, Selector for Library Science

• Matthew Rutherford, Curator of Genealogy and Local History

• David Weimer, Robert A. Holland Curator of Maps

Collection Services

• Alan Leopold, Director

Conservation Services

• Kimberly Nichols, Director

• G abriel Hamer, Conservation Technician

• Barb Korbel, Exhibition Prep Specialist

Digital Initiatives and Services

• Jennifer Thom Dalzin, Director

• Allison DeArcangelis, Digital Asset Manager

• Catherine Gass, Photographer and Digitization Specialist

• Leo Godoy, Digitization Technician

• Ashlyn Lazor, Metadata Assistant

• John Powell, Digitization Projects Developer

• Quinn Sluzenski, Digital Initiatives Assistant

• Nicolas White, Digital Initiatives Web Developer and Librarian

• Jennifer Wolfe, Digital Scholarship and Outreach Librarian

Maps

• David Weimer, Robert A. Holland Curator of Maps

• Patrick A. Morris, Map Cataloging and Reference Librarian

Modern Manuscripts and Archives

• Alison Hinderliter, Lloyd Lewis Curator of Modern Manuscripts and Archives

• Catherine Grandgeorge, Manuscripts and Archives Librarian

• Emily Richardson Keeler, Digital Archivist

Reader Services

• Will Hansen, Director

• Lisa Schoblasky, Instruction and Outreach Librarian

General Collections Services

• Keva Kreeger, Reading Room Librarian for Public Service

• Kristin Morrison, Library Assistant

• Rachel Mulick, Library Assistant

• Elynnor Sandefer, Library Assistant

• Ben Weinstein, Library Assistant

Reference and Genealogy Services

• Jo Ellen McKillop Dickie, Reference Services Librarian

• Grace Dumelle, Genealogy and Local History Library Assistant

• Graham Greer, Reference Librarian

• A nalú María López, Ayer Librarian and Assistant Curator

• Helen McGettrick, Reference Librarian

• Matthew Rutherford, Curator of Genealogy and Local History

Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections Services

• Emma Lipkin, Reading Room Librarian for Collection Management

• Kinsey Major, Library Assistant

• Dalia Mills, Library Assistant

• Megan Ryan, Library Assistant

DEVELOPMENT

• Meredith Petrov, Vice President

• Caroline Carter, Grant Writer

• Adele Dillon, Development Operations Manager

• Natalie Edwards, Director of Major and Planned Giving

• Rebecca Haynes, Manager of Volunteers

• Rob Onorato, Director of Individual Giving

• Jennifer Shulman, Development Events Manager

FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

• Sharon Walton, Vice President

Bookshop

• Jennifer Fastwolf, Manager

• B ecca Garcia, Sales Associate

Business Office

• Toni Matthews, Controller

• Dena Shadlow, Staff Accountant

Facilities Management

• Michael Mitchell, Facilities Manager and Chief Security Officer

• Verkista Burruss-Walker, Facilities Coordinator

Staff

• Chris Cermak, Senior Building Maintenance Worker

• Pete Diernberger, Building Maintenance Worker

• Jason Ulane, Internal Services Coordinator

Human Resources

• Brandon Brooks, Director

• Diane Burkholder, Payroll and Finance Coordinator

Information Technology

• Kamila Farshchi, Director

• Hafiz Banire, IT Support Technician

• Erik Esquivel, Systems Administrator

Office of Events

• C hayla Bevers Ellison, Director

• M artina Schenone, Assistant Director

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

• Vince Firpo, Vice President

Adult Education and Public Programs

• Karen Christianson, Director

• Emily Ponchelle, Public Programs Manager

• Catherine White, Program Coordinator

• Sarah Wilson, Adult Education Manager

• Alicia Zeimet, Program Coordinator

Communications and Marketing

• Bob Dolgan, Director

• Haku Blaisdell, Communications Coordinator

• Mary Kennedy, Graphic Designer

• Andrea Villasenor, Senior Graphic Designer

Exhibitions

• Sarah Alvarez, Director

• Patrick Kepley, Assistant Registrar and Exhibitions Specialist

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

• Laura McEnaney, Vice President

Fellowships and Academic Programs

• Keelin Burke, Director

• Emily Altman, Program Coordinator

• Caroline Sharp, Program Assistant

Center for Renaissance Studies

• Lia Markey, Director

• Rebecca Fall, Program Manager

• Christopher Fletcher, Assistant Director

• Yasmine Hachimi, Public Humanities Fellow

D’Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies

• Rose Miron, Director

• Sarah Jimenez, Program Coordinator

Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography

• D avid Weimer, Director

Teacher Programs

• Kara Johnson, Director

• Dylan Bingham, Program Coordinator

• Sophia Croll, Program Manager