The Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries have opened a new online exhibition, 19th-Century Periodicals: Framing the New American Standard. Curated by undergraduate Buchanan Library Fellows Josanda Addo ’22, Robby Espano ’22, and Hannah Tsaio ’22, during spring semester 2021, the exhibit is the third in a series featuring in-depth interpretations of Special Collections materials.
As Buchanan Library Fellows, the student-curators developed and researched a national magazine—Godey’s Lady’s Book and a local one—the Vanderbilt Austral and their relationship to American readers before and after the Civil War. From Godey’s Lady’s Book, they learned about editor Sarah Josepha Hale, who popularized Thanksgiving and Christmas as we now know them. Reading the Austral prompted one Fellow to digitally map the network of undergraduate newspapers around the United States and abroad in the 1870s.
Since 2012, 134 Buchanan Library Fellows have explored the Libraries’ collections and produced unique, in-depth projects that connect collections and campus assets with the University community. Information about all 2021 Library Fellowships and the application process for the Fall 2021 cohort are posted on the Libraries’ website.