ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


38 /  C&RL N ew s ■ Ja n u a ry  1999

th e  late 19th a n d  early 20th cen tu ries, w h ic h  
b e c a m e  k n o w n  a s  t h e  S t r α t e m e y e r  
S y n d ic a te . T h is c o rp s  o f  w rite rs  p r o d u c e d  
s u c h  m e m o r a b le  s e r ie s  as th e  R o v e r B oys, 
T o m  Sw ift, B o b b s e y  T w in s, H a rd y  B oys, 
a n d  N a n c y  D rew .

T w o  h u n d re d  C hinese la n g u a g e  books
w e re  d o n a te d  to  th e  U niversity o f S o u th  
C arolina fro m  th e  E m bassy o f  th e  P e o p le ’s 
R ep u b lic o f C hina. T h e  m aterials w ill s u p p o r t 
th e  u n iv e rsity ’s p ro g ra m s fo r stu d e n ts in 
b u sin e ss, scien ces, lib eral arts, la n g u a g e s, 
a n d  literatu re. T his is th e  s e c o n d  g ro u p  o f

m aterials th e  C h in ese E m bassy h a s p re s e n te d  
to  th e  u n iv e rsity  in  r e c e n t y ears.

Several books w r itt e n  in th e  1600s w e re
d o n a te d  to  T ex as A&M. T h e  v o lu m e s d o n a te d  
in c lu d e d  a first folio p rin tin g  in  th re e  v o lu m es 
o f The H istory o f  th e  R ebellion a n d  C ivil W ars 
in  E ngland, B e g u n  in  th e Y ear 1641 b y  E dw ard 
H yde, earl o f C larendon, a n d  a first e d itio n  o f 
The Life o f  th e  E a rl o f  C la ren d o n . H y d e w a s a n  
ey ew itn e ss to  th e  ev e n ts h e  re c o rd e d . His 
b o o k s  are c o n s id e re d  th e  “m o st v a lu a b le  o f all 
th e  c o n te m p o ra ry  a c c o u n ts” o f th e  E nglish 
civil w ar. ■

T
h e  U n iv e rs ity  o f  Illin o is  a t U rb a n a - 
C h am p aig n  (UIUC) C o m m u n icatio n s Li­
b ra ry  o w n s tw o  ad v ertisin g  co llectio n s 

are  a rich re so u rc e  o f in fo rm atio n  o n  p ro d ­
ucts advertised b y  nu m ero u s advertising ag en ­
cies. T h e  D ’Arcy C ollection is a co llectio n  o f 
alm o st o n e  m illion original ad v ertise m en ts 
pub lish ed  b e tw e e n  1890 a n d  1980. T h e W ood­
w a rd  C ollection o f A dvertising is a  co llectio n  
o f fo u r m illion original ad v e rtise m e n ts p u b -

A n ad fro m  th e  D 'A rcy A d v e rtis in g  
Collection, a collection a t th e  University 
o f  I llin o is  a t U rb a n a -C h a m p a ig n  
Communications Library.

th

lish ed  b e tw e e n  1880-1984. T h e  m ajority o f 
these advertisem ents a p p e a re d  in n ew spapers, 

at m agazines, a n d  tra d e  journals.
T he collections are u n iq u e  in that they co n ­

sist o f ad v e rtise m e n ts fro m  a v ariety o f  p ro d ­
u c t an d  service categories including m edicine, 
autom obiles, electronics, agriculture, clothing, 
fo o d  a n d  bev erag es, h o u s e h o ld  a n d  p e rso n a l 
p ro d u c ts, a n d  tech n o lo g y .

T h e  collections re p re se n t prim ary research 
m aterials v a lu a b le  to  stu d e n ts, re se a rc h e rs, 
a n d  e d u c a to rs in  advertising, history, cultural 
stu d ie s, w o m e n ’s stu d ies, a n d  m e d ia  s tu d ­
ies. T h e ir v a lu e  e x te n d s  far b e y o n d  a re c o rd  
o f  th e  h isto ry  o f  ad v ertisin g . T h e  co llectio n s 
are  a visu al arch iv e o f th e  p ro g re s s io n  a n d  
d e v e lo p m e n t o f  te c h n o lo g y , a n d  th e  v a l­
u e s , li f e s t y le s , a n d  m a t e r i a l c u l t u r e  o f  
A m erican s.

In te re st in th e  c o lle c tio n  h a s o rig in a te d  
fro m  UIUC s tu d e n ts  a n d  faculty, re s e a rc h e rs 
fro m  o th e r  in stitu tio n s, p riv a te  c o rp o ra tio n s 
a n d  b u sin e sse s , as w ell as in d iv id u als in te r­
e s te d  in th e  c o lle c tio n  fo r p e rs o n a l u se . Re­
q u e s ts  fo r in fo rm a tio n  c a n  v ary  fro m  s p e ­
cific a d v e rtise m e n ts o r b ra n d s  to  m o re  g e n ­
e ra l re q u e s ts fo r item s o r s u b je c t m aterial.

T h e C o m m u n icatio n s Library a n d  th e  Col­
leg e o f  C o m m u n icatio n s Library h a v e  h ig h ­
lig h te d  se le c te d  a d s from  th e s e  co llectio n s in 
a n  e x h ib it available o n  th e  W eb at: h tt p :/ / 
w w w . l i b r a r y . u i u c . e d u / a d e x h i b i t . — L is a  
Rom ero, a c tin g  c o m m u n ic a tio n s  lib ra ria n , 
U niversity o f  Illinois a t  U rb ana-C ham paign, 
l-ro m ero @ u iu c.e d u . ■

FOCUS ON COLLECTIONS

http://www.library.uiuc.edu/adexhibit.%e2%80%94Lisa
mailto:l-romero@uiuc.edu


C&RL N ew s ■ J a n u a ry  1999 /  39