#ColorOurCollections February 1-5

Posted on: January 27, 2016

Written by Brianna Melchione, Special Collections Graduate Intern

Download the PDF here and start coloring now! ColorOurCollections_JMU_SpecialCollections1

Mark your calendars! February 1st – February 5th, 2016 is #ColorOurCollections week. This week-long coloring fest featuring images from Special Collections is a movement initiated by the New York Academy of Medicine, in partnership with the Biodiversity Heritage Library and other libraries around the world. A few years ago, The New York Academy of Medicine shared images from their collections by creating a coloring book. This time around, they are asking libraries and archives worldwide to join in and share! Read more about the origins of #ColorOurCollections at the New York Academy of Medicine here.

JMU Libraries will host coloring stations with print-outs of images from JMU Special Collections February 1st – February 5th. These will be located in the lobbies of Carrier and Rose Libraries, and outside the Special Collections Reading Room on the second floor of Carrier Library. Additionally, Special Collections will display a selection of printed materials that have been digitized for #ColorOurCollections inside the Reading Room. All are encouraged to come by and see the original items!

Look back to this space for links to downloadable pdfs of our images, we’ll make them available online as soon as they are ready.

So, how are we getting ready? Here at JMU Special Collections, we’ve spent the last few weeks scouring our collections for unique and fun images to digitize and make available for #ColorOurCollections week. We found the majority of the images within rare books in our Juvenile collection, including a 1910 illustrated copy of Alice in Wonderland,

and A Nursery Rhyme Picture Book by L. Leslie Brooke.

Other images come from an 1896 edition of The Savoy, a periodical published in London featuring literature and art, and St. Nicholas, an early American children’s magazine. A special treat in the digitized material includes images unique to JMU, with delightful 100 year old drawings from the 1916 yearbook!

We are getting excited for #ColorOurCollections week, and can’t wait to see what you create! Don’t forget to share your coloring creations on social media with the #ColorOurCollections hashtag! And don’t forget to stop by the Reading Room to see the originals for more inspiration!

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