As Illinois heads to the Final Four this weekend, we celebrate the beginning of National Poetry Month with an unexpected basketball icon: Carl Sandburg.
Here in Champaign, we're celebrating the Day of the Mushroom with some technicolor champignons! While we wouldn't necessarily recommend eating any of those pictured here, April is prime morel season in Illinois.
Morel of the story? Whether you're on the hunt or just in need of some visual interest, the five volumes of the 1919 Iconographie des champignons supérieurs from @illinoisrbml.bsky.social are sure to satisfy. Check them out in the Digital Special Collections: go.library.illinois.edu/DayOfTheMush...
The curious can find it and other beetles, butterflies, and more in "An epitome of the natural history of the insects of China" (1798) from @illinoisrbml.bsky.social: go.library.illinois.edu/InsectsOfChina
It may be #PreservationWeek, but we're all about preservation all year long!
Rachael Johns, Senior Digital Imaging Specialist, recently presented at digiTIPS on the process of digitizing color negatives.
We're preparing for the @illinoisfunk.bsky.social Invasive Species panel on April 21 by looking at some insects in the Digital Special Collections!
Luckily for the entomophobics among us, the ocellated shield bug has not been found in the United States.
Digital representations of color photographs created from analog color negatives offer room for subjectivity and interpretation as we consider the photographer's intent and the degradation of the negative and any existing prints.
This example from the Gwendolyn Brooks collection showcases two different interpretations of a color negative against a print made from that negative near its time of creation (at right), each showing distinct color differences. Which do you prefer?
No jokes here; Carl Sandburg really did once serve as the captain of the Lombard College basketball team, where he apparently gained a reputation for his throwing skills. He is seen in this 1898-1899 team photograph on the far left of the first row. We think it's time to bring back the uniforms!
See more of the Carl Sandburg Collection from @illinoisrbml.bsky.social in the Digital Special Collections: go.library.illinois.edu/SandburgBask...
