The Library is Looking For

Die Eisenbahn, der Lebensnerv des Heeres. [The railway, the lifeblood of the army.] for the Map Library

NEW! Rare German propaganda poster, showing the extensive German railroad lines connecting to the Western Front and the allied railroads destroyed during the German spring offensive of 1918.

Wonderful World of Oz for the Map Library

NEW! This colorful and oversized pictorial map titled “Wonderful World of Oz” is a fantastic piece for serious collectors of Oz memorabilia. Measuring a generous 24 x 34 inches, this 1988 map is much larger than the typical Oz Club maps. The map was expertly designed by Dick Martin, whose incredible graphics bring the magical world of Oz to life.

Map of online communities and related points of interest (2007) for the Map Library

NEW! Randall Munroe’s innovative imaginary map of online communities, from the early days of social media.

Wyld’s Military Map of the United States (1861) for the Map Library

NEW! Published at the start of the United States Civil War in Great Britain for British readers. Great Britain was an important United States trading partner, in particular with the South. An important item to understand how the United States was being represented overseas during a period of great turmoil. Intended for scanning and addition to a new digital collection of Civil War maps.

Aurora, Ill. 1875 from Jennings Seminary (birds eye) (1875) for the Map Library

NEW! Panoramic birds eye view of Aurora 30 years after incorporation. Some important/landmark buildings are identified in the margins. Possibly published to promote Aurora to companies. Very rare, only 1 other copy is known (in Aurora Historical Society, Aurora Public Library). Important image of an Illinois city; would add an example of a not yet represented Chicago publisher to the collection.

Highway Map from Canada to Mexico (1931) for the Map Library

NEW! Gigantic (202 inches long) strip map illustrating the west coast of North America from Vancouver, British Columbia to Tijuana, Mexico. Accordion-folded into 50 segments and still in the original envelope; each segment has photographs and descriptive text printed on the verso. Item also includes instructions for how to use the map while on the road! An important piece of American motoring history.

Deutchslands Schicksal in einem zukunftigen Kriege wenn Belgien die Basis englischer Luftangriffe ist! [Germany’s fate in a future war if Belgium is the base for English air attacks] (ca. 1918) for the Map Library

NEW! Persuasive map/poster published near the end of the First World War illustrating dire consequences to Germany if Great Britain was to station airplanes in Belgium. Intended for scanning and addition to the Library’s digital collection of World War One maps.

Palestine: Land of Dispute (1947) for the Map Library

NEW! Issued in Great Britain by the Bureau of Current Affairs eight months before Israel became an independent nation. Intended to educate readers about the partition of Palestine after World War II. Map speaks to the difficulty of this time period supported by contextualizing text.

1929 Soviet Flyers (1929) for the Map Library

NEW! Map postcard illustrating 1929 flight from Moscow to New York made by 4 Soviet aviators. A wonderful addition to our other maps about aviation during the 1920s. Intended for scanning and addition to a new digital collection of maps from the 1920s.

African News Map of Central Africa with Powell’s Radial Key (1889) for the Map Library

NEW! Map of Central Africa published 8 years after Henry Morton Stanley established Leopoldville (Kinshasa) as a trading post. Although the United States did not hold any colonial possessions in Africa, missionaries were sent from United States churches. A small inset map titled “Bishop Taylor’s Missions on the Lower Congo” refers to stations in the mission of William Taylor, who was elected “Missionary Bishop of Africa” of the Methodist Evangelical Church in 1884. Possible addition to Maps of Africa digital collection.

Map Exhibiting routes by which the Navigation of the Mississippi River may be Connected with the Navigation of the Lakes (1840/1846) for the Map Library

NEW! Map showing canals proposed for connecting the Great Lakes with the Mississippi River. Important for understanding Illinois’ economic geography and history. Intended for scanning and addition to the digital collection of River maps.

Dog Map of the World (1943) for the Map Library

NEW! Created by Joseph P. Sims, artist/cartographer of the Horse Map of the World already in the collection. A delightful tribute to “man’s best friend.”

The Golden Road to Unlimited Devotion (1994) for the Map Library

NEW! A Grateful Dead Tour Poster! A snapshot of music life during the second half of the 20^th century. Shows locations of 92 venues played by the Dead 1965-1993.

Image of Research Competitions Support hosted by the Scholarly Commons

The annual multidisciplinary event, open to graduate and undergraduate students, showcases images that represent the entrants’ research in concrete or abstract form. This year is the 11th anniversary of the Image of Research. Contributions of any amount are welcome and would provide funding for cash prizes and reception costs. Please visit grad.illinois.edu/news/congratulations-2023-image-research-winners to view stunning imagery from the 2023 Image of Research.

Angling in Troubled Waters (1899) for the Map Library

NEW! This is a rare and vividly colored piece by the renowned British artist Frederick W. Rose, a monumental figure in the field of satirical and persuasive maps. Rose portrays Europe on the brink of the 20th century, with the predatory interests of various nations, drawn as personages, depicted as they “angle” or fish for external conquest. Four European powers particularly stand out—France, England, Tsarist Russia, and the Ottoman Empire—while the entire map bursts with detailed references to current events and presciently forecasts the turmoil of the early 20th century. Unusual in that it has never been folded, this article stands as a signature piece for any collection; the Map Library believes it would add a great deal to its trove of World War I maps.

College Blue Book (2023 ebook edition) for the Social Sciences, Health and Education Library

NEW! This six-volume set covers nearly 12,000 institutions of higher learning, occupational and technical schools, and distance learning programs in the U.S. and Canada. The Social Sciences, Health and Education Library would like researchers and students to be able to consult this comprehensive guide to help locate and compare degree programs—particularly those of an emerging nature—offered by academic institutions.

Stress-Free Finals Week Support for the Communications Library

NEW! In the past, our Stress-Free Finals Week event has become very popular with students who use the Communications Library. From 10-3 during finals week, the Library provides, cookies, tea, and coffee for students. For approximately $200/semester, the Library is able to make a warm and caring connection with students at a time during the semester when their lives can be extremely stressful.

A Thing Well Begun is Half Done (Nicaragua Canal) (1899) for the Map Library

NEW! This item is part political cartoon, part persuasive map promoting the construction of the Nicaragua Canal and late 19th century U.S. expansionism. The item pictures President William McKinley, with sleeves rolled up and pickaxe in hand, standing astride the landscape, ready to start hacking an intercontinental pathway across Central America. Nearby, Uncle Sam holds a handful of helpful tools, with his message at the bottom: “Finish the canal, McKinley, and make our national expansion complete in your first administration.” Expansionist interests are reflected with the inclusion of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Alaska, the Philippines, and Hawaii. Support of the Nicaragua Canal eventually lost out to the construction of the Panama Canal.

Educational Foundations (2023) for the Social Sciences, Health and Education Library

NEW! This six-volume item is an authoritative state-of-the-field mapping of the foundational disciplines—philosophical, historical, sociological, policy, economic, and legal—detailing the ideas, methods, theories, and approaches that each contributes to the field of education.

Chess Board and Puzzles for the Communications Library

NEW! Students use libraries for a variety of reasons. In an effort to create a welcoming and relaxing environment for patrons, the Communications Library wants to set up a chessboard and provide jigsaw puzzles of media/educational themes (e.g., Star Wars films, Marvel Comics, Superheroes, world flags, map of the world, historical films, etc.). Jigsaw puzzles have become very popular with Communication Library patrons (most 1000-piece puzzles are completed within a week!) with patrons requesting more puzzles and access to a chessboard.

Carte Générale des Provinces Européennes et Asiatiques de l’Empire Ottoman (sans l’Arabie). Kiepert, 1892 for the Map Library

This is an important and detailed map published near the end of the Ottoman Empire. It is considered to be the best map of the Ottoman Empire published during the 19^th century.

Oxford Encyclopedia of Educational Administration, 2021 for the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library

This encyclopedia will benefit users of the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library by offering a global view of research in educational administration and leadership. To effectively guide schools, leaders must consider topics such as government mandates, community members, educators, unions, students, and others

Print issues of Pack-o-Fun magazines for the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library

First published in 1951, this scrap-crafting publication served as a springboard for youth clubs and troops to engage children (and adults!) in craft projects, made all the more fun and easy by repurposing common household items. The Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library currently holds volumes 11-22, 1961-1972 of the magazine thanks to a generous donor, and is looking for more to complement its children’s and young adult literature collection. Vintage issues (1950s to 1960s and 1973+) are of particular interest—check your bookshelves and attics! For more information, contact Nancy O’Brien at npobrien@illinois.edu.

Chairs for the Communication Library

$1,700 to $8,500 is needed to replace decades-old chairs in the Communication Library’s International News Lounge. The library seeks up to six such chairs (at $1,700 apiece) to expand the inviting atmosphere of the lounge, where students collaborate, study, and watch news feeds from around the world.

New tables for public computer workstations for the Music and Performing Arts Library

While the technology at the Music and Performing Arts Library has continued to evolve, its furniture remains somewhat archaic. These funds would help create flexible space for patrons as they write papers, scan scores, or watch DVDs at the library’s computers and scanners.

Personnel to digitize Special Collections items for the Music and Performing Arts Library

Extra assistance is needed to digitize unique score and text holdings (as allowed by copyright), which can then be included in the Library’s Digital Collections platform for use by scholars worldwide.

Personnel to access digitization needs for MPAL's Special Collections

These funds would allow the Music and Performing Arts Library to hire personnel to identify unique score and text holdings that have not yet been digitized so that the library may eventually do so.

Tōkyō kangyō hakurankai jimu hōkoku jōkan [Tokyo Industrial Exposition Report, Vol. 1] for the Ricker Library of Architecture and Art

This is an extremely scarce governmental report on the 1907 Tokyo Industrial Exposition. Replete with maps and plans for everything from architecture to engineering to pavilion elevations, the 331-page volume is richly illustrated with black-and-white reproductions of exposition photographs as well as more than two dozen folding plates. Exposition organizers hoped to display a modern, industrial Japan, with the event featuring a Ferris Wheel, foreign products, and 35,000 light bulbs. This item is sought by the Ricker Library of Architecture and Art.

Megalithic Software for the Ricker Library of Architecture and Art

Part I: England (1975) ; Part II: Europe and the Near East (1982) ; Part III: The orient Sec. A Japan (1988). These three volumes comprise a complete set of the noted physicist author’s detailed analysis of ancient megalithic stone circles, city plans, and cathedrals at sites around the world and is illustrated throughout with tipped-in maps, diagrams, photographs, illustrations, and mathematical tables. A little known and under-appreciated contribution to contemporary understandings of ancient pagan mathematics and cybernetics, Megalithic Software remains institutionally scarce, with only a handful of institutions recordings copies of all three volumes in their online catalogs. This acquisition allows the Ricker Library of Architecture and Art to strengthen its holdings which document connections between art and science—showing that creativity and curiosity can be fostered throughout disciplines.

Rotating Exhibit(s) for the Library Exhibitions Committee

Sponsor a rotating exhibit within the Marshall Gallery and the north-south corridor of the Main Library highlighting the Library’s rich and vast collections for one month. Support would cover printing for cases, as well as supply refurbishment in order to ensure that exhibitors can continue to have the preservation-grade materials on hand to safely display collections materials. Interested Library Friends may support exhibits programming for one month…or several!

Communications Library Stress Free Finals Week Fund for the Communications Library

Gifts to this fund support student-related library activities that reduce Finals Week stress. The Communications Library is a very popular place during Finals Week and a great place to help them when their stress is greatest. The Library provides healthy snacks and a sympathetic ear for an environment that really makes a difference.

Communications Library Tech Fund for the Communications Library

Gifts to this fund help the Communications Library provide much-needed technology support for students. Library users own cell phones, laptops, music players, and more that require regular charging and security. This Fund enables the purchase of equipment like charging stations, cables, and secure lockers that make students’ lives easier.

Communications Library PR/Promotion Internship for the Communications Library

This paid internship is for an undergraduate student to put their public relations classroom skills to use while promoting the Communications Library. The student manages this library’s Twitter and Facebook accounts, creates content for digital signage, and creates handouts and brochures for New Student Week events and library tours in an effort to help students learn about the Communications Library.

“Don Balon” for the International and Area Studies Library

Don Balón was a prominent sport magazine published in Chile during the 1990s. Originally published in Spain, the magazine currently has online editions throughout Latin America and has become a hallmark of Ibero-American soccer. The Library is interested in acquiring a collection of 477 issues from its founding in 1992 to 2000. This time period is particularly important for Chile as it covers their re-democratization process after August Pinochet’s dictatorship. No other sport magazine existed in Chile during this entire period, making Don Balón a unique source to study Chilean soccer. The acquisition of Don Balón would be the first Chilean sport magazine in a growing and unique Latin American and Caribbean Sport Collection.

Charging Station/Locker for the Communications Library

To purchase a secure charging station/locker to revitalize devices carried by tech-savvy users. While current students are positively aglow with electric possibility, they do need a boost now and then. “Our students are immersed in the greatest flood of information any generation has ever experienced,” says Head Librarian Lisa Romero, who adds that the library and its staff are “all about service. We try to keep up with all our students’ needs. Every student has mobile devices and laptops that need to be recharged. Making it easier for students to rely on technology is one way the library can contribute to the student experience. The charging station/locker enables us to meet a very real need.”

Digitizing “The Alumni Quarterly and Fortnightly News” for the University Archives

Transfer and Digitize Photographs for the University Archives

To transfer and digitize thousands of hard-copy photographs painstakingly accumulated by the University of Illinois Alumni Association communications department in its 100+ years of coverage of campus, students, and alumni. Containing items not previously seen by Library staff, the collection will find a new home in the Archives, where it will be scanned and tagged for use by students, researchers, and the public. Funding would support additional personnel to digitize materials, create records, and organize metadata.