Several exciting new collections have joined MWDL in the past few months and we’d love to share more about them. Read on to learn more!

Oregon Digital

University of Oregon Libraries & Oregon Historical Society recently contributed the Joel Palmer Papers. Palmer began his political career in Indiana, where he served as a state legislator before moving to Oregon in 1847. Shortly after his arrival, Palmer became Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Oregon Territory, a post he held until 1857. He also served as an Oregon state representative and senator, and was a losing candidate in the 1870 governor’s race.

This digital collection combines items from the University of Oregon Special Collections and University Archives’ Joel Palmer Papers (1851–1879) and the Oregon Historical Society’s Joel Palmer Papers (1783–1982). The collection includes correspondence; official records of the Oregon Superintendency and U.S. Office of Indian Affairs, including documents relating to the Siletz Indian Reservation; photographs; typescript copies of diaries, including travel diaries for trips throughout the northwestern United States; letters sent to Palmer’s wife, Sarah Ann Derbyshire Palmer; and letters from Palmer’s descendants. The collection also includes the 1847 publication of Palmer’s Journal of Travels over the Rocky Mountains, an account of his 1845 journey to Oregon.

University of Utah Marriott Library

A unique hybrid of textile craft and data visualization, the Let Freedom Read Dress Collection created by Kirby Gene Anderson and Rachel Jane Wittmann celebrates the American Library Association’s 2023 Banned Book Week’s theme “Let Freedom Read.” Using the American Library Association’s top 13 most frequently challenged books in 2022, book titles were appliquéd to the dress with differing letter sizes to reflect their ranking on this list. For the 13 book titles there are 241 letters appliquéd and embroidered onto the dress, which is made of 13.5 yards of silk taffeta. In opposition to these book challenges, especially the focus on challenging books with LGBTQ+ content, the Let Freedom Read Dress was modeled by Salt Lake City drag artist Gia Bianca Stephens, in conjunction with Banned Book Week 2023.

As always, please let us know if your institution has new collections to share through MWDL!