How’s your German? And are you able to read 19th-century handwriting? If you answered yes, we’ve got a journal for you. In 1886, T. Liebscher delivered a lecture to a branch of the Craftsmen’s Association, recounting his life working in the gold mines of Colorado during the 1860s. An experienced miner and native of Germany,…Continue Reading A Miner’s Manuscript
This news appears in the Winter/Spring 2025 edition of The Bridwell Quarterly. The Spring 2025 edition of The Bridwell Quill, the library director’s thought piece, is available now. Transformative developments underway at Bridwell Library Exciting changes are in the future for Bridwell Library. With the announcement of a $2.5 million Religion and Culture grant from…Continue Reading Building on momentum at Bridwell Library
Considering the centuries ahead A key component of the new Rees-Jones Library of the American West will be a conservation lab, where historical materials will be repaired and protected. To learn more about the painstaking process of safeguarding such treasures, members of the Friends of SMU Libraries Board met with conservator Jesse Hunt for a…Continue Reading A lab in the library: Using science and art to save rare materials
When asked about Rees-Jones Collection items that have recently caught her eye, archivist Christina Wood zeroed in on these fascinating records of the human experience in the early history of our state and our nation. Searching for gold Though W.B. Dilborn’s journey across the Plains to California was not a remarkably easy one, it was…Continue Reading Centuries-old materials impart enduring insights
Devoted supporters of SMU Libraries – and the arts As the SMU community honors the service of Dr. and Mrs. Turner, SMU Libraries recognizes their dedicated support as the Libraries’ longest-standing consecutive donors. In his first year on the Hilltop, Dr. Turner and his wife, Gail, established the R. Gerald & Gail O. Turner Library…Continue Reading Stewards of culture: The Turners’ enduring impact on arts and libraries
In May 2025, SMU Libraries uploaded 224 items into SMU Libraries Digital Collections. Highlights include: 94 film negatives, ca. 1936-1937, from the Robert Yarnall Richie Photographs collection. Highlights include a photograph of a man preparing to seal a keg at the Gulf Brewing Company in Houston and 20 photographs from the Imperial Sugar Company in Sugar Land, Texas,…Continue Reading SMU Libraries Digital Collections Update: May 2025
A true friend of SMU Libraries The Friends of SMU Libraries had another successful year of programming and raising funds to support SMU Libraries. At this year’s Annual Dinner and Meeting, Friends director Amy Carver announced the organization has awarded $45,500 to vital projects and programs at SMU Libraries. The Friends celebrated this achievement and…Continue Reading Friends of SMU Libraries awards $45,500 in scholarships and grants
Fondren and Hamon Arts Library display works of art The Modern Masters Tapestries series, which hung in the DeGolyer Library Reading Room before a renovation of Fondren was completed in 2016, are on display in Fondren’s Collaborative Commons and other areas of the library. Now, Hamon Arts Library plans to install several remaining items from…Continue Reading Art donation on display at Fondren and Hamon Arts Library
Forging ahead to a new frontier in scholarship SMU broke ground on the Rees-Jones Library of the American West on May 1, forging ahead to a new frontier of research, discovery and scholarly impact at the University. The library will enhance SMU’s ability to promote teaching and research on the American West, housing the world-class…Continue Reading Breaking ground on the Rees-Jones Library of the American West
![Queen Mary & Normandie [No. 27], 1936, DeGolyer Library, SMU.](https://blog.smu.edu/smulibraries/files/2025/05/ryr_4383_large-1.jpg)
In April 2025, SMU Libraries uploaded 416 items into SMU Libraries Digital Collections. Highlights include: 115 negatives, ca. 1936-1937, from the Robert Yarnall Richie Photographs collection. Highlights include 5 photographs from Merchants Distilling in Terre Haute, Indiana and a series of 32 images depicting the steamships RMS Queen Mary and SS Normandie, which were the…Continue Reading SMU Libraries Digital Collections Update: April 2025