Amana Heritage Society
The Amana Heritage Society is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and interpreting the history of the Amana Colonies. This collection is a sample of the smany historic and current photographs of people, places, and events relating to the history of the Amana Colonies

 

Stewart Memorial Library: Coe College Student Humor
Coe College is a private, four-year co-educational liberal arts college that was founded in 1851 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "Coe College Student Humor" is a digital compilation of resources housed in the collections of Stewart Memorial Library's George T. Henry College Archives. At present, the Student Humor compilation focuses on a series of student-produced broadsides announcing the arrival of Flunk Day, a campus skip day that has been an annual occurrence since 1911. Much to the dismay of college officials, broadsides announcing that first event were clandestinely distributed at a chapel service, and the bulk of the student body subsequently abandoned campus for a day of leisure. Although a number of the Flunk Day broadsides are no longer extant, those that survive illustrate the changing nature of undergraduate humor. The last known Flunk Day broadside dates from the mid-1970s.

 

Drake University Photographs
Drake University's Digital Heritage Collection is an effort to capture and preserve the rich heritage of Drake University. Individual projects are linked from the Homepage. Included are projects pertaining to such famous Drake alumni as Verona Johnston, Drake's oldest graduate, who passed away on 1 December 2004.

 

Drake University Documents
Drake University's Digital Heritage Collection is an effort to capture and preserve the rich heritage of Drake University. Individual projects are linked from the Homepage. Included are projects pertaining to such famous Drake alumni as Johnny Bright. The racially motivated slugging of Drake halfback Johnny Bright in a football game at Oklahoma A&M in October 1951 was historically caught on film by The Des Moines Register, and caused repercussions throughout the intercollegiate athletics world. The NCAA made changes in rules and equipment, and the photographs won the Des Moines Register a Pulitzer Prize the following year.

 

Historic Des Moines
Take a glimpse of Des Moines, Iowa as it entered the 20th century. The Historic Des Moines Collection features photographs of homes, parks and public places taken between 1904 and 1914. The collection is made up of about 200 images taken from sources held in the Cowles Library Special Collections. Each image has been researched, described and indexed. Current images are linked for structures that still stand. Use the Search/Browse page to view images by address, business name, or subject. Accompanying the collection is the article From the Real to the Ideal; Images of Des Moines in the Progressive Era.

 

Billly Robinson
Grinnell Public Library maintains a small, but rich, archive containing many photographs of its earlier days. The Billy Robinson collection presents a glimpse into the Grinnell aviation industry during the 1910's. Robinson designed and developed one of the first air-cooled radial engines, which he successfully flew, flying from Des Moines to Kentland , Indiana in 1914, thus setting an American record for a nonstop flight. Robinson was killed in a 1916 plane crash while attempting to set an altitude record.

 

During World War II the State Historical Society of Iowa staff collected, sorted, and filed about 800,000 Iowa newspaper clippings documenting Iowa's war efforts both at home and on foreign soil. More than 30 topics are covered by the clippings, including business and labor, casualties, education and training, farming, food, production and rationing, public health, life and activities, women's military activities, farming and food, prisoners of war, and warships. The original clippings are closed to the public due to their deteriorating condition. Several of the topics are now available through ILL or purchase. A portion is being digitized and added to the IHDC.

 

ISU Barns
Michael Harker has been a fine arts photographer since 1973. In 1993 he began a series of photographs of barns in Iowa. In the course of researching this subject he discovered that close to a thousand Iowa barns were being destroyed each year due to various causes, and he decided to embark on a serious documentary of the barns. His collection of seventy-six master silver gelatin photographs were taken in various locations in Iowa between 1993 and 2001. The Special Collections Department at Iowa State University was founded in 1969, and collects papers, records, rare books, and other items that relate to Iowa State University, agriculture and rural life, and science and technology.

 

The Historical Department of the Mason City Public Library has an impressive photographic collection of over 100,000 images, dating back to the earliest days of Mason City. The collection consists of both photographic negatives and prints. A significant part of the collection comes from three local photographers: Walter Burton Wright, Safford Lock, and Elwin Musser.

 

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML)
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the foremost American institution collecting, preserving and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. Our featured digital collection presents a cache of 40 letters written in Czech by John Pospishil, a Czech immigrant to Iowa. Pospishil was a soldier in the American Civil War from 1862 to 1865 in the 22nd Iowa Volunteer Infantry. His letters were addressed to his father back home in Banner Valley, Linn County, Iowa. Scholars are being sought to help provide a typed Czech-language transcript and an English-language translation, which will be added to the digital collection as they become available.

 

St. Ambrose University: The Work of Father Edward M. Catich
Fr. Catich, son of a Croatian immigrant, orphaned at age 11, supported himself as a sign painter before he entered St. Ambrose, graduating in 1934. After earning a master's degree at the University of Iowa and becoming an ordained priest in Rome, he returned to St. Ambrose to teach in 1938. During his 40-year teaching career at the university, Fr. Edward M. Catich not only founded the university's art department, but also almost single-handedly elevated it to international status through his definitive contributions to calligraphy and revolutionary art theories. Catich advocated making the medium the message with the use of everyday materials to create this more "accessible" art.

 

During the mid-1800's photography became a popular hobby and natural tool for scientists. Samuel Calvin, Professor of Natural Sciences at the University of Iowa (1873-1911) and State Geologist, took more than 5,000 photographs, which he used to illustrate specific geological features for class instruction, public lectures, and publications. In addition to geological landscapes and features, Calvin and his colleagues documented mines, quarries, mills, and other buildings. The collection, held by the University of Iowa Department of Geoscience, also contains portraits of Calvin's family, colleagues, and classes in the field.

 

At the beginning of the twentieth century many Iowa communities sought and received funding from the Carnegie Corporation, resulting in the building of 101 public libraries. The Carnegie Libraries in Iowa Project (CLIP), a partnership between the University of Iowa's School of Library and Information Science and Iowa's librarians, is charting changes in Iowa's Carnegie libraries through digital images, documents and statistical data.

 

Iowa Women's Archives: Evelyn Birkby Collection
On May 15, 1950, Evelyn Birkby took her weekly Shenandoah Evening Sentinel "Up a Country Lane" column on the air with KMA radio station, changing its name to "Down a Country Lane." The radio program was a forum to share her observations about her own experiences and those of her neighbors. The program was broadcast over KMA until 1952. Birkby took a hiatus until 1955, when she began working for Kitchen-Klatter as a writer and broadcaster. The Evelyn Birkby Collection of Radio Homemaker Materials date from 1927 to 1999 and measure 3 linear feet. The bulk of these papers are in the form of publications.

 

Iowa music
The University of Iowa Historic Sheet Music Collection gathers together all sorts of music that creates a snapshot of the music Eastern Iowans played and sang in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  A significant portion of the collection was originally housed at the Cedar Rapids Public Library and then dispersed to area colleges and universities upon its withdrawal from that library.  The collection is somewhat generic in its scope although it preserves images of music that were popular for the day.  Not only is the music of interest, but the cover art work and photographs, along with advertisements, provide a picture of society, fashion, and important moments in history.  There are also a number of songs about Iowa, including “Way Down in Iowa,” the “Iowa Corn Song,” and “I’m From Iowa (That Beautiful Iowa Song).”

 

University of Iowa: Libraries Map Collection
Until this time, of the two most widely used early Iowa atlases, the 1875 Andreas Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Iowa has been the most readily available in digital format.  With this in mind, the University of Iowa Libraries Map Collection has undertaken and completed the digitization of the 202 maps and photographic plates comprising the 1904 Huebinger Atlas of the State of Iowa, complete with zoom and pan capability.  Subsequent additions to this collection include early Iowa county landownership atlases.

 

The School of Music at the University of Northern Iowa is recognized as one of the finest college music programs in the Midwest . Offering programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, the School of Music offers many ensemble performance opportunities for students including marching and symphonic bands, numerous choral ensembles, orchestra, and jazz ensembles. The jazz studies program has been recognized at the national and international level for the quality of its graduates and for the many outstanding performances and recordings of the jazz band. This audio collection showcases the artistry of the UNI jazz band in recordings made in the 1980's, 1990's, and today.

 

UNI: Grundy Center Concert Band
Iowa has long recognized the importance of music education in its public school curricula. Most former high school band members will recall practicing for marching band in the hot summer sun and the rewards of a job well done when hearing the applause of the audience after a concert band performance. Included in this performance from 1965 of the Grundy Center High School Band, conducted by Mr. Charles Lehr, are pieces that feature the trumpet and woodwind sections of the band.

 

UNI: Jazz Band One
The School of Music at the University of Northern Iowa is recognized as one of the finest college music programs in the Midwest . Offering programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, the School of Music offers many ensemble performance opportunities for students including marching and symphonic bands, numerous choral ensembles, orchestra, and jazz ensembles. The jazz studies program has been recognized at the national and international level for the quality of its graduates and for the many outstanding performances and recordings of the jazz band. This audio collection showcases the artistry of the UNI jazz band in recordings made in the 1980's, 1990's, and today.

 

UNI: Sinfonian Dimensions in Jazz
The Beta Nu Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a national music fraternity, began sponsoring an annual jazz concert at UNI in February 1951. The first show consisted of several musicians gathered in the student union, called the Commons, and jamming. By 1953, the show, called "Dimensions in Jazz", had gained such popularity that two shows were scheduled. Performing at the concerts were jazz band ensembles and choruses. The clips of music in this collection are from recordings made of number of those lively concerts.

 

UNI: We Love Iowa
The Beta Nu Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a national music fraternity, began sponsoring an annual jazz concert at UNI in February 1951. The first show consisted of several musicians gathered in the student union, called the Commons, and jamming. By 1953, the show, called "Dimensions in Jazz", had gained such popularity that two shows were scheduled. Performing at the concerts were jazz band ensembles and choruses. The clips of music in this collection are from recordings made of number of those lively concerts.

 

--Coming Soon--

African American Historical Museum and Cultural Center of Iowa Collection
The African American Historical Museum and Cultural Center of Iowa is dedicated to promoting, publicizing, and educating the public on the heritage of Africans and African-Americans in the United States, with an emphasis on Iowa. In the collection of the AAHMCCI are many photos, both historic and modern of African Americans in Iowa.

 

Iowa Public Television Video Collection

 

Contributor: University of Iowa Libraries