Getting Spooky with Special Collections: A Collaborative Outreach Event
By Francesca Marini | 11-23-2020
In mid-August 2020, Cushing Memorial Library and Archives colleague Leslie J. Winter put me in touch with Meagan May, Special Collections Public Services Librarian at the University of North Texas. Meagan and her team, Julie Judkins and Jaimi Parker, were organizing a Halloween-themed event, and wanted to know if we were interested in participating. Of course, we said yes! This was the beginning of a very successful outreach collaboration. The Getting Spooky with Special Collections virtual event took place on October 30th and saw the participation of six Texas institutions: the Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University Libraries; the University of North Texas (UNT); Southern Methodist University (SMU); Texas Christian University (TCU); The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), and The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). The event showcased a wide range of items and collections relevant to the Halloween theme.
It was fascinating to see what our colleagues chose to highlight in their presentations. Each institution presented three items or collections. Kerri Menchaca (TCU) discussed “coulrophobia,” the fear of clowns, and highlighted the Ricardo Bell vaudeville collection. Moira MacKay (UTSA) discussed the Nightmare on Grayson scrapbook (1996-2001), documenting a famous haunted house in San Antonio, so terrifyingly realistic that one audience member got scared to the point of punching one of the performers. Abbie Weiser (UTEP) talked about the 1966 independent horror movie Manos: The Hands of Fate, shot in the El Paso area; considered “one of the worst movies ever made,” the film still has a cult following. Samantha Dodd (SMU) gave a moving presentation about a collection of nineteenth-century “post mortem photography.” Professional photos of loved ones, taken after their death, provided a way for family members to grieve and remember. The presentation showed some especially heartbreaking photos of a mother posing with her baby; an accompanying letter described how these photos enabled the mother to grapple with her loss. All the other presentations were very engaging and can be viewed in the event recording (the Cushing Memorial Library and Archives’ segment starts at 46:47).
The Cushing Memorial Library and Archives partnered with the Texas A&M University Libraries’ Medical Sciences Library/Historical Veterinary Collection. I moderated our presentation, and my colleagues Jeremy Brett (Curator of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Collection) and Nancy Burford (Veterinary Collections Curator) discussed three items.
Nancy narrated the story of the cat, Murner, his untimely death—which turned him into a ghost—and his quest for proper burial. Murner in der Hölle. Ein scherzhaftes Heldengedicht (Murner in Hell. A humorous heroic poem; Rostock: Koppe, 1757) was written by Friedrich Wilhelm Zachariae. Nancy explained that one of the purposes of the poem was to educate people on properly burying pets.
Jeremy discussed two books, starting with a 1901 edition of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Westminster: Archibald Constable and Company, 1901), featuring, on its cover, the first-ever image of Bram Stoker’s character (Cushing Library/Science Fiction/Call Number: PR6037.T617 D7 1901). The cover image depicts Dracula as he climbs the castle’s outside wall, “as a lizard.” The exaggerated feet really emphasize the lizard comparison made by Stoker in the text. Jeremy discussed the history of the book and the significance of the illustration. The second book presented by Jeremy was De occulta philosophia libri tres by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim (Cologne: Johannes Soter, 1533. Cushing Library/Rare Books/Call Number: BF1598.A3 O4 1533). Agrippa was one of the greatest occultists in early modern Europe and De occulta philosophia is a very influential text on magic. The Cushing Memorial Library and Archives’ copy is one of our most requested books, for one reason: on the last page, there is an inscription in Old French, written in blood (we do not know whether animal or human), calling to “Beelzebus.” The inscription roughly translates into: “When you have done all that is pointed out in these contents, I will obey the command.” Basically, the inscription is a pact with the Devil stipulated by the owner of this volume. Patrons often ask to “see the blood book.”
At the Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, we love to reach diverse audiences and work with colleagues at other institutions. Getting Spooky with Special Collections was a successful and well-attended event. We look forward to more collaborative outreach events in the future!
Tags: Getting Spooky with Special Collections; Halloween; Outreach; Special Collections; Archives; Coulrophobia; Bell, Ricardo; Vaudeville; Nightmare on Grayson; Manos: The Hands of Fate; Post-mortem photography; Murner in der Hölle; Dracula; De occulta philosophia libri tres; Zachariae, Friedrich Wilhelm; Stoker, Bram; Agrippa von Nettesheim, Heinrich Cornelius; Cushing Memorial Library and Archives; Collaborative events.
Cushing Memorial Library and Archives Collections: Rare Books; Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Collection.
Contact Us: cushingcollective@library.tamu.edu
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Dr. Francesca Marini is Associate Professor, Programming and Outreach Librarian at the Texas A&M University Libraries, Cushing Memorial Library & Archives. In her role, she makes collections and ideas available to the public, through in-person and online talks, exhibitions, tours, fairs, and more. She holds a Ph.D. in Library and Information Studies (UCLA), a Master’s degree in Archival Studies (Modena State Archives), and a Bachelor’s Degree in Film and Theatre Studies (University of Bologna). Her research focuses on performing arts archiving, as well as on special collections and archives outreach. |