Do you have Great Expectations?
We do.
In fact, we now have the first incarnation of this Charles Dickens classic as serialized in the weekly journal, All the Year Round, which was also “conducted” or edited by Dickens himself. It is now possible to read about Pip and the gang in the highly anticipated weekly installments that characterized popular story-telling in the 1860’s. Equally engaging are the other stories, articles, and social gossip such as “Cheating at Cards,” “Election Time America,” Chinamen’s Dinners,” and “The Queen of the Blue Stockings” that sandwich each new chapter. And as with Miss Havisham and her wedding dress, this version of Great Expectations will spend the rest of its life in Special Collections Room 314 along with the rest of our premier Dickens collection.

SPCD 805 A416d vols. 4 & 5, 1860-1861

Many have pondered, protested, and embraced DePaul’s Blue Demon name, yet where did it come from? The history of our athletic title and mascot has been a frequently asked question throughout the life of the University and the answer lives in the archives on the third floor of the John T. Richardson Library.

Here is the story:

In 1907 when St. Vincent’s College became DePaul University, the sports teams wore red uniforms with large ‘D’s on the front. During a game, in the early 1900s, an announcer referred to the players as the “D-men”. This name stuck with the team and evolved into the Demon we have today. The ‘blue’ component is thought to have developed from the attempt to distinguish the players from DePaul University from those of the DePaul Academy (a high school a part of the University at the time). It was for this reason that the Academy took to wearing blue uniforms with red ‘D’s and the University adopted red uniforms with blue ‘D’s; thus solidifying their title as the Blue ‘D’-men or what we know them as today: The DePaul Blue Demons!

So next time you are out cheering for the red and the blue remember to cheer for our Demon too!

*Football Team 1912, University Archives. DePaul University Special Collection and Archives.

With titles like Thought Bombs, who wouldn’t be tempted to take a peek and turn a few pages? For those of you interested in taking a walk on the wild side, the Anthony Rayson Zine Collection serves up a bit of contemporary anarchy, a healthy political rant or two, and an impressive collection of writings and artwork created by incarcerated persons from all over the United States. All of these zines are published and distributed by Rayson through his South Chicago ABC Zine Distro. By one of those fabulous twists of fate, the most radical materials in this library now reside side-by-side with all of those very serious rare old books in the Special Collections and Archives, Room 314.

Thought Bombs, Rayson’s personal zine, blends a generous dose of rebellion into articles on every conceivable topic from the Iraq War to racism to the prison system to the safety of toll booth operators (Rayson’s day job) with covers illustrated by his children. Best of all, he is married to a librarian. His devotion to free speech and education drives his mission to distribute materials to prisoners and to support their creative efforts through publication.

As an active collection, we here in the Special Collections department are always surprised by the content and format of materials we continue to receive in this collection. Rayson, well-known for his crop circle protests against the Peotone Airport expansion, immediately took a copy of the finding aid we created for his collection and turned it into a zine. How’s that for a marketing initiative?

There’s a room on the third floor you may not know too much about. You know the one I am talking about, room 314. You’re not sure you are allowed to go in, yet you see other students in there but have no idea why they get to use that space with a whole desk to themselves, getting the materials brought to them instead of hunting through the stacks, and pillows - for their books. Or maybe you have come across a book located: “Lincoln Park Special Collection (3rd fl.) –non-circulating” with a call number that started with the prefix SPC, SPCN, or ARDFAC and asked “what does this mean?” or thought “why bother if I cannot check it out?”

This is why: the Special Collections and Archives, or SpCA as I fondly abbreviate it, is one of the hidden treasures in the John T.  Richardson Library. Special Collections refers to the books with rare or unique content, format, or subject focus. Our Special Collections contains over 21,000 volumes, including unique collections like the Lemke Napoleon Collection, the Bradford Dickens Collections, the Vincentiana Collection, or Faculty Publications. The Archives contain documents and materials from different organizations or institutions- including those of DePaul University- arranged in an orderly manner to aid patrons in their research. 

Now that you know the way to this hidden treasure here is why you should check it out (even though you can not check out the material). The books and materials you find here are great ways to boost your bibliography. There may be information or illustrations that are not found in the circulating collection. You can bring your laptop and digital camera to take notes and photographs of illustrations to insert into your paper. The overall experience of  appreciating books and the work that goes into them is well worth it.

And finally, gone will be the days of aimlessly wondering the stacks thinking “where is this book?” We will bring it to you! 

Priests for Peace: The nonviolent roots of 1968 protests


March 2008 marked the 5th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq and this anniversary saw numerous protests against that war.  Anti-war protests emerge from many attitudes and ideas, including deep religious convictions.  This exhibit (available now until November 1, 2008) from the collection of Daniel Berrigan shows how he developed some of his beliefs of the role of religion.  It highlights the protest of the Catonsville 9 in 1968, burning draft records with the same napalm then in use in Vietnam to burn villages and villagers.

The 1960's witnessed an upsurge of dissidence within the American Catholic church, with religious figures taking part in protests in black ghettos across the country and against the Johnson Administration's pledge to win the Vietnam War.  Rev. Daniel Berrigan, S. J., was deeply committed to political and spiritual activism, and his work as a Jesuit priest, social activist, and author of nonfiction and poetry reflects that commitment.  
 
In 1968, Daniel and his brother Philip (a Josephite priest), along with Tom Lewis and six others, burned the draft records held by the Draft Board in Catonsville, Maryland.  Their subsequent trial and publicity for this nonviolent act of civil disobedience drew attention to the religious and moral objections to the war.

Of particular interest in the exhibit are works annotated by Daniel while in prison or on the run from prison, as well as his copies of works by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Zen Buddhist monk and peace activist.  Thich Nhat Hahn was exiled from Vietnam in 1966 for his relief work and activism, and became an inspiration for nonviolent protest and the anti-war movement in the US, including Daniel Berrigan.