Special Collections Student Showcase Today

Join the University Libraries today at 3 p.m. in the Special Collections Reading Room for a student showcase presented by Amanda White and Laine McGinty.

Amanda White is White is in her third semester of the U of A English Department's master's degree program with a concentration on Medieval literature and culture. After taking the History of the Book course with assistant professor Joshua Smith, Amanda took an interest in book materiality, and she pursued an academic internship within the Special Collections department. Last semester, she curated and gave a presentation on the exhibit "Celebrating the Works of William Blake."

On Thursday, Amanda will present "Unraveling the American Bible through Book Materiality." The presentation will cover using book materiality, or history of the book studies, to examine the 19th- and 20th-century American Bible as a cultural artifact. She will discuss the ways families and individuals of the time used the Bible, as well as material form, typography, methods of printing and distribution, cost and use.

"This project was prompted by my past interest and research in book materiality — that is, my previous "History of the Book" intercession taught by Dr. Joshua Byron Smith," she said. "This field of study is ideal for work in the Special Collections department, where we have materials perfectly suited for this type of scholarship."

Laine McGinty is an undergraduate student serving as a Special Collections intern this semester. She is expected to graduate next month with degrees in History and English and will be attending the U of A for her master's degree in Communication beginning fall 2018.

Laine will be presenting her work as an intern with Special Collections, which included processing the personal papers of Thelma Mothershed Wair, one of the Little Rock Nine. She will be discussing the methods for processing, her experience as an intern, and what she would recommend for students seeking similar professional opportunities.