Distinctive Collections news

Rare books

Three of my Favorite Holdings from Rare Books and Manuscripts at Distinctive Collections

I find the physical book to be imperative to my reading experience. The book is always beautiful, connecting us as readers, users, and individuals who will undoubtedly have different experiences and insights; and, we are all brought back together to discuss and engage in our own unique interpretatio...

Reclaiming Indigenous Memory Scapes: The Role of Indigenous-led Archival Initiatives

From an Indigenous perspective, keepers of memory have long played a critical role in Indigenous societies. Before the arrival of European settlers, Indigenous memory keepers were entrusted to steward their tribe’s epistemology/lifeway in order to maintain balance with the natural and spiritual worl...

Designing for Themselves: Architecture for architects

Architectural archives include a wide variety of materials, such as drawings, project files, and photographs. Architects generate these types of records in designing projects for specific clients, keeping in mind the purpose and requirements of the building. Residential design projects, in particul...

Jarid Arraes, A bailarina gorda.

Upcoming Exhibit: Shoestring Productions: Brazilian Storytelling through Contemporary Woodcuts, Artists’ Books, and Small Press Books (1997-2021)

The Arizona State Library Distinctive Collections currently houses more than 150 woodcuts, artists’ books, and small press books from Brazil. In the exhibit Shoestring Productions: Brazilian Storytelling through Contemporary Woodcuts, Artists' Books, and Small Press Books (1997-2021), the ASU Librar...

#AskanArchivist Day

#AskanArchivist Day 2021

October is American Archives Month and it is a perfect time to (re)introduce our collections, our teams, and highlight the day-to-day of archival work. Over the next two weeks colleagues from across Collections will share their insights, collections, and updates! ...

Paradiso

Diving Deeper into ASU’s Rare Books and Manuscripts: Our Incunable of Dante’s Divine Comedy

The subject of our first “Diving Deeper” series is Dante’s Divine Comedy to commemorate the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death on September 14, 1321. “Nel mezo del camin di nostra uita” — the Florentine poet, Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), tells his readers at the beginning of the first canto of Infe...

Art on the flyleaf next to the title page of “Bomb”

An Homage to Terror: Simon Redington and The Impact of “Bomb,” Fifty Years Later

Simon Redington’s Bomb, published in 2008, is an homage to the strikingly beautiful language of “Bomb,” by Gregory Corso, re-conceptualized for the poem’s fiftieth anniversary. In collaboration with The Kamikaze Press, Redington breathes new life into this paramount, Beat piece through an artistry t...

ASU Committee on Cultural Diversity poster

Documenting Campus Events: Promotional Posters from the University Archives

Over the decades, Arizona State University has been the setting for a great breadth of artistic talent and diverse cultural perspectives. From providing a stage for student talent in athletics, fine arts and more, to hosting nationally known performing artists, to the traditional rites of a universi...

View by Julie Chen

Graduation and Distinctive Collections

As I prepare for graduation and life beyond college, I can't help but think back on my college experience and all the aspects of it that fostered the person that I am today. Part of my learning experience as a student these four years at ASU includes working with distinctive collections. The many re...