Special Collections

Milner Library announces Archival Line exhibit

A black and white print of an engraving from the Archival Line exhibit

Located on the second floor just inside the library’s main entrance, Archival Line: Printed Images from 1400 to 1700 is available January 17 through March 15, 2023.

Milner Library accepting applications for Circus & Allied Arts Collection Fellowship

A digital reproduction of a photograph of the entrance of the Ringling & Barnum Bailey circus entrance with people walking in

This $1,500 award is available to scholars external to ISU who are interested in researching any topic that requires the onsite use of the Circus & Allied Arts Collection housed in Milner Library’s Special Collections.

Musselman Family Photographs now available through Milner Library’s digital collections

Image of five aerialists in wardrobe standing in front of a circus tent.

In a recent addition to Milner Library’s digital repository of historical circus materials, a special collection of photographs and ephemera relating to the Musselman family and their trapeze act has been scanned and made available online for public research.

New exhibit highlights portrait photography in Milner Library Special Collections

Black and white photograph of a smiling man in a cap holding the bridles of three horses standing partially under a tent awning. Scratches and dots caused by damage to the emulsion appear over much of the image.]

A new exhibition on display in the Special Collections Reading Room through December 22, 2022, focuses on photographic portraiture from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Graphic design legend Rick Valicenti donates works to Illinois State University

people standing and talking over a program

Famed graphic designer Rick Valicenti is donating more than 100 pieces of his design work to the Wonsook Kim School of Art and Milner Library at Illinois State.

Two new exhibits are on view in the Milner Library Special Collections Reading Room

Exhibit with books and prints laid out along the top of a brown display case. Eight square openings below hold books, photographs, and prints.

Two new exhibits focusing on water , sustainability, and natural resources are on display in Special Collections through June.

Milner Library begins semester with altered hours

A photograph of the north side of Milner Library with the ISU seal and words Illinois State University, and snow at the bottom

Milner Library’s hours will be altered the first two weeks of the spring 2022 semester.

Come one, come all: Help make circus wardrobe collection accessible

a photograph of the shoulders and neck area of a circus wardrobe piece adorned with gold sequins and a floral pattern around the top area

Milner Library is raising funds to help purchase mannequins and accessories to make its one of a kind Ueckert Wardrobe Collection more accessible on campus and beyond.

Milner Library accepting applications for Circus & Allied Arts Collection Fellowship

Milner Library is now accepting applications for its 2022 Circus and Allied Arts Collection Fellowship.

New exhibit highlights rare books, children’s literature, historical textbooks in Milner Library’s special collections

A photograph of an exhibit display in the Reading Room of Milner Library's Special Collections Department with prints and books on display

The exhibit Drawing and Describing Plants: Highlights from the Rare Books and Children’s Literature & Historical Textbooks Collections is now available through December 22, 2021 in Milner Library’s Special Collections on floor 6.