You step out of the second-floor elevator in Fondren Library to claim a window nook. As you turn left to examine the available space, you notice large black frames hanging on the walls, outlining prints of colorful postcards. The postcards are from the George W. Cook collection in DeGolyer Library and highlight Dallas architecture and urban history. These intricately colored photomechanical prints depict parts of SMU and the greater Dallas that both transplants and locals will recognize. Beyond highlighting Dallas urban history, these framed prints also highlight how students can shape library spaces.
The same walls that currently display these colorful postcards from the George W. Cook collection were once decorated with Walt Disney movie posters, such as the Walt Disney Davy Crockett and the River Pirates poster shown here. Most of the movies depicted were released around the 1950s, and while the illustrations were colorful, the movies and their imagery didn’t feel relevant to the 21st century. More importantly, the movie posters failed to reflect SMU and our surrounding community.
In Spring 2024, I decided to tackle these outdated posters, hoping to involve students in the decision. I curated 26 images from the George W. Cook collections, paying specific attention to anything colorful. The images depicted significant places and moments in the DFW Metroplex’s history. Some of this collection and its darker history has been previously discussed by SMU’s Dr. Rick Halperin (please be aware that a trigger warning is advised). We focused on curating postcards of physical places and landmarks that students and library patrons could identify and potentially relate to.
The images were turned into a banner hung in Fondren Library’s Learning Commons. Above the images were the words “Vote for your top 5 favorites!”. Beside the banner were stickers awaiting decisions. After a few weeks, we counted the stickers, now almost completely covering the banner and selected twelve images with the most votes. The result was the posters we see today, staff-curated but student-selected. We hope these images provide comfort, reflecting the city we are in and igniting curiosity about how we got to where we are today.
Learn more about the George W. Cook Dallas/Texas Image Collection, and view more historical images in our Digital Collections.
This post was written by Kaitlin Siebert, patron resource coordinator at Fondren Library. Kaitlin works at the Main Desk in Fondren Library, ensuring students can access the resources they need and helping faculty with course materials. This project was spearheaded by our student success team, which works to make SMU Libraries welcoming for all students.