This week Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, is joined by Will Hansen, who is the Director of Reader Services and Curator of Americana at the Newberry Library in Chicago.
Will and Maureen discuss several collections at Newberry Library, including their 1.6 million books, 600,000 different maps, and one collection with 44 glass lantern slides that document the great migration of African Americans from the South to the North.
The two also discuss a fan favorite – postcards! They examine what acquiring a collection looks like, how the library goes about it, and how there are currently 600,000 unique postcard images within the library.
This episode is a fascinating look at how libraries work and how the Newberry Library can help those working on their family history and family photo collections. The Newberry Library is a treasure trove of collections that all of Maureen’s listeners can benefit from.
Related Episodes:
Episode 99: Finding Photos on the Smithsonian Learning Lab
Episode 183: History Galore: The Maine Memory Network
Links:
- Newberry Library on CBS News
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About My Guest:
Will Hansen is Director of Reader Services and Curator of Americana at the Newberry Library in Chicago. In his dual role, he directs the Department of Reader Services, which serves researchers at the library’s reference desks, in the reading rooms, and outside the Newberry’s walls via email and other communications; manages the Newberry’s collections in its 10-story stacks building; and coordinates hands-on instructional activities with the Newberry’s collections. As Curator of Americana, he collects current monographs, rare books, and other materials for U. S. history, American Indian and Indigenous Studies, and the history of the Americas for the Newberry.
Mr. Hansen holds a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Mr. Hansen has published articles on Herman Melville, active learning with primary source materials, archives of “born-digital” materials, and other topics. His curated exhibitions at the Newberry include “Hamilton: The History Behind the Musical” in 2017; “Melville: Finding America at Sea” in 2019; and “¡Viva la Libertad! Latin America and the Age of Revolutions” in 2021, in addition to many smaller-scale exhibitions of materials.
About Maureen Taylor:
Maureen Taylor, The Photo DetectiveÒhelps clients with photo-related genealogical problems. Her pioneering work in historic photo research has earned her the title “the nation’s foremost historical photo detective” by The Wall Street Journal and appearances on The View, The Today Show, Pawn Stars, and others. Learn more at Maureentaylor.com