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.