The A.M. Todd Rare Book Room at the Kalamazoo College Library proudly announces the opening of its Fall 2024 exhibit, Witch: A Label and Its Repercussions, running from September 23 through November 20, 2024, Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. in the A.M. Todd Rare Book Room (ULC 326).

“Witch” is a term that shows up throughout pop culture, from books to movies we see examples of witches as old crones or beautiful young women, from scary and harmful to protectors or healers. This exhibit hopes to show some of the history of the label of “witch,” how it has been used to harm during the early modern European witch hunts and how it was then integrated into literature through works like Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Hansel and Gretel.

The Rare Book Room is also auctioning off a model of Baba Yaga’s hut for students who visit the exhibit! Baba Yaga is a Russian and Slavic folk tale about an old witch woman who lives in the forest in a hut that walks around on chicken feet. Baba Yaga is an ogress who kidnaps children to cook and eat them. She is often used by parents to encourage their children to behave. Her mythology is complex, and she can be found in many tales across Russian and Eastern European culture.  

The Rare Book Room is putting this model of Baba Yaga’s chicken hut up for RAFFLE for K students during the duration of the Fall 2024 exhibit. To enter the raffle, simply come into the Rare Books Room to see the exhibit and sign in as a student on your way in! The results will be decided during week 10 using a random number generator.  

The Kalamazoo College Library’s rare book collection contributes to the educational program of the college by introducing students to unique primary source materials in the context of their academic course work and through regularly scheduled public exhibitions.

Questions? Contact rarebookroom@kzoo.edu.

The A.M. Todd Rare Book Room at the Kalamazoo College Library proudly announces the opening of its Black History Month exhibit, Black Stories – Black Voices – Black History, running from February 2 to March 3, 2024, Mondays and Fridays from 1:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. in the A.M. Todd Rare Book Room (ULC 326).

This captivating showcase delves into the rich literary contributions of Black authors, featuring a curated selection from the Rare Book Room collection. Among the remarkable works on display are rare first edition prints of Maya Angelou’s On the Pulse of Morning, Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Poems of Cabin and Field, Joseph T Wilson’s The Black Phalanx, and William A. Sinclair’s The Aftermath of Slavery, as well as autographed first editions of James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain and Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon. A limited edition reprint of Jean Toomer’s Cane is on display, as well as the first edition print of The Cushite by Rufus Perry, the first Black student enrolled at Kalamazoo College.

Spanning from 1888 to 2000, these influential texts offer a profound exploration of the African American experience, making this exhibit a compelling journey through the diverse voices that have shaped the landscape of Black literature.

The Kalamazoo College Library’s rare book collection contributes to the educational program of the college by introducing students to unique primary source materials in the context of their academic course work and through regularly scheduled public exhibitions.

Questions? Contact rarebookroom@kzoo.edu.

Come visit the A.M. Todd Rare Book room and see our Fall exhibit, Censorship through the Centuries.

The exhibit runs from September 12 – December 1, 2023. The Rare Book Room will be open Tuesday: from 10:00a.m.-12:00p.m., and Friday: 1:00p.m.-4:00 p.m. Other times are available by appointment by contacting Lisa Murphy, College Archivist, at Lisa.Murphy@kzoo.edu or 269-337-7151.

The A.M. Todd Rare Book Room is in Upjohn Library Commons, Room 326.

The A.M. Todd Rare Book Room at the Kalamazoo College Library is hosting Play and Poverty: Childhood in the A.M. Todd Rare Book Room, an exhibit curated by Meaghan Kelly ’23!

Date: March 18 – June 9, 2023

Day/Time: Tuesday: 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Friday: 1 p.m.-4p.m., other times by appointment

Location: Upjohn Library Commons, room 326

The A.M. Todd Rare Book Room at the Kalamazoo College Library is hosting Judging a Book By Its Cover, an exhibit featuring decorative bindings in the A.M Todd Rare Book Room.

Come check it out in ULC Room 326!

Dates: January 10 – March 17, 2023

Days/Times: Tuesdays: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., Fridays: 1 p.m. – 4p.m., other times by appointment

The rare book collection contributes to the educational program of the college by introducing students to unique primary source materials in the context of their academic course work and through regularly scheduled public exhibitions.

Questions? Contact rarebookroom@kzoo.edu.

Come visit the A.M. Todd Rare Book room and see our Fall exhibit, Tall Book, Small Book, Round Book, Bound Book: Books of All Shapes and Sizes.

The exhibit runs from September 13 – December 2, 2022. The Rare Book Room will be open Tuesday: from 10:00a.m.-12:00p.m., and Friday: 1:00p.m.-4:00 p.m. Other times are available by appointment by contacting Mallory Heslinger, Rare Book Room Curator, at Mallory.Heslinger@kzoo.edu or 269-337-5762.

The A.M. Todd Rare Book Room is in Upjohn Library Commons, Room 326.

The A.M. Todd Rare Book Room at the Kalamazoo College Library is hosting an exhibit curated by by Indigo Corvidae ’24 and Meaghan Kelly ’23. The exhibit features items from the life and works of William Morris, a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement.

Come check it out in Room 326!

Date: March 29 – June 3, 2022

Day/Time: Tuesday: 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Friday: 1 p.m.-4p.m., other times by appointment

The rare book collection contributes to the educational program of the college by introducing students to unique primary source materials in the context of their academic course work and through regularly scheduled public exhibitions.

Questions? Contact rarebookroom@kzoo.edu.

The A.M. Todd Rare Book Room at the Kalamazoo College Library is hosting an exhibit of women writers for the Winter 2022 term. The exhibit features works from Toni Morrison, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Virginia Woolf, Rita Dove, Emily Dickinson, and Louisa May Alcott.

Come check it out in Room 326!

Date: January 4 – March 22

Day/Time: Tuesday: 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Friday: 1 p.m.-4p.m., other times by appointment

The rare book collection contributes to the educational program of the college by introducing students to unique primary source materials in the context of their academic course work and through regularly scheduled public exhibitions.

Questions? Contact rarebookroom@kzoo.edu.

Come visit the Rare Book room and see our Fall exhibit, Off the Beaten Path: Historical Travel Literature.

The exhibit runs from September 14 – December 3, 2021. The Rare Book Room will be open Tuesday: from 10:00a.m.-12:00p.m., and Friday: 1:00p.m.-4:00 p.m. Other times are available by appointment by contacting Mallory Heslinger, Rare Book Room Curator, at Mallory.Heslinger@kzoo.edu or 269-337-5762.

The Rare Book Room is in Upjohn Library Commons, Room 326.