Last Friday, DUSLA visited NYC to take tours of
the American Museum of Natural History and the New York Historical
Society special collections. Both tours were amazing! At the Museum of
Natural History, we were introduced to the library, the photo archive,
and the rare book room. Our tour guide Mai- also an iSchool alum- showed
us some choice rare books from their collection, photos of which can be
seen below the cut. A notable photo shows a scientific collection of ocean
creatures from the 16th century- including a mermaid!
At the New York Historical Society, our
tour guide Maureen walked us through the beautiful book room into the
special collections department and were able to speak with many of the
staff about their positions at the Historical Society. We were also
shown some interesting artifacts from their collection, such as tattoo
flash from the early 20th century, seen in a photo below. Other items
included charming and poignant letters from a WWI solider to friends,
and a very old recipe for eggnog!
All in all, we had a great time. Thanks to
everyone that made it out, thank you to our fantastic tour guides, and
thank you to the Museum and Historical Society for having us. Stay tuned
for future similar events!
