UW Libraries Blog

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February 3, 2023

Black History Month 2023

UW Libraries

While Black History Month provides a focused platform for collective reflection and celebration of Black History, the responsibility to self-educate is never-ending.   Making space to read, listen and watch something new – as a continuous practice (well beyond February) broadens our understanding of Black History in support in our collective work as allies, advocates, educators…


February 19, 2021

Priceless, ancient coins find a home at UW Libraries

UW Libraries

Ancient coins, federal agents, mysterious circumstances at an international border…what sounds like a scene out of an Indiana Jones movie is a real-life story of lost artifacts that have now found a home with UW Libraries Special Collections. The story begins in 2017 at the US/Canadian border in Blaine, WA.  When a vehicle was refused…


November 5, 2020

Labor Archives of Washington Spotlight: RIDGE Records Showcase Coalition-Building among Labor and Environmental Activists

Abbey Maynard, Archivist-in-Residence, Labor Archives of Washington

image of RIDGE postcard

This fall, I am working at the Labor Archives of Washington (LAW) in Special Collections at the University of Washington Libraries as their archivist-in-residence. Through a paid internship with Northwest Archivists, I have been processing the RIDGE records remotely from my home in Iowa.  The newly-acquired collection documents land use activism in Kittitas County, WA….


October 16, 2020

Labor Archives of Washington Spotlight: Creating Bilingual Access to Collections Documenting the Latinx Experience

Conor Casey, Head of the Labor Archives of Washington and Crystal Rodgers, Labor Archivist for Processing

This summer, the Labor Archives of Washington (LAW) within the UW Libraries Special Collections, was lucky enough to have Diana Rocha, MLIS student from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, complete their final semester practicum with us. Working remotely, Diana enhanced access to several important collections documenting the histories of the Latinx community in Washington….


August 12, 2020

Special Collections Library Launches New Digital Exhibit on Protest History in Seattle

Abbey Maynard, Archivist-in-Residence, Labor Archives of Washington

For the last few months, I have been working on creating a new digital exhibit: We Are All The Conspiracy: The Day After Protest, Seattle 7, and Community Activism in 1970s Seattle, featuring material about the Seattle Liberation Front (SLF), a political group founded on the University of Washington’s campus in January 1970. Seven members…


February 7, 2020

The Seattle Sound: A Tribute to Kearney Barton

Lizabeth (Betsy) Wilson, vice provost for digital initiatives and dean of University Libraries and John Vallier

Seattle’s Evening show on KING 5 recently visited the UW Libraries to uncover the story behind the soon-to-be released tribute album Kearney Barton: Architect of the Northwest Sound. The album was made possible through the generous donation of Kearney’s masters and support to UW Libraries from Barton’s niece, Patricia Maltsberger (THANK YOU!). This work is…