Ruthann

End of day 1 at Rare Book School: we talked papermaking, paged through the Nuremberg Chronicle, and admired the typographic flex of Aldus Manutius. It's like summer camp, but with more watermarks and fewer mosquitoes. 😆

First day @rarebookschool.bsky.social I'm thrilled to be in Charlottesville this week taking The Printed Book in the West to 1800. Let the bibliographic deep dive begin! 📚✨

#rarebooks #bookhistory #specialcollections

🌤️ Feeling energized at #ALAAC25 today after some excellent conversations!

Tomorrow, I’m sharing work on how generative AI can amplify, not replace, the labor of primary source instruction, while still honoring the intellectual and emotional labor of our field.

I’ve spent 2 years trying to track down a primary source book. Only about 5 surviving copies exist in the world.

Then I finally reached out to my librarian and she was able to track down a copy within a week.

For every of historian, there are librarians making our work possible. 🗃️

Trump Administration to resume collections on student loan borrowers in default The Education Department says millions of borrowers in default will have a chance to make a payment or sign up for a repayment plan. But on May 5, those who don't will be referred for collection.

The Education Department says millions of borrowers in default will have a chance to make a payment or sign up for a repayment plan. But on May 5, those who don't will be referred for collection.

Designing public programs around historical board games has shown me how play can create meaningful, critical engagement with special collections.

🎲Play isn't a distraction - it's an invitation, a method, a way in.

#specialcollections #publicprogramming #rarebooks

Excited about my public program on historical board games! 🎲 It's all about bringing special collections to new audiences.

Catch me at #RBMS2025 and #ALAAC25 this summer!😎

#specialcollections #rarebooks

Tyranny requires your fear, your silence, and your compliance.

Democracy requires your courage.

🚨 Lost & Found! A 19th-century Irish translation of Paradise Lost by poet Tomás ‘an tSneachta’ Ó Conchubhair has been rediscovered in the University of Illinois collection! 🎉 Believed lost for decades, it's now live on ISOS. 📜 🌍 👉 Explore: www.isos.dias.ie/collection/u...

Ó Conchubhair’s Irish Paradise Lost was microfilmed by the National Library in the 1950s but went missing. Special thanks to Peadar Ó Muircheartaigh @pomuirch.bsky.social & Ruthann Mowry
@illinoisrbml.bsky.social

View the manuscript here: 👉 www.isos.dias.ie/UNIVERSITY%2...

One perk of working in special collections: you never know what you’ll find. Sometimes it’s an old map; other times, it’s a rabbit riding a snail...

😬...just be cool! 😎

Yes! Finding my people!