Special Collections

Do you have a passion for books? Have you seen the treasures that MSU’s libraries hold? HST 475/ENG 475, a seminar course, will examine the history of books, reading, and printing from the late Middle Ages until the present. Created and taught in conjunction with the staff of the Stephen O. Murray and Keelung Hong theSpecial Collections at the Main Library, the seminar will consider the evolution of print culture by using specimens from MSU’s varied collections. Discussions will emerge from readings on book history as well as on interactions with the librarians who investigate, preserve, and organize the collections. The focus of the seminar will be on print in all its forms: From manuscripts to comic books, from early print to newspapers and mass market publishing. Students interested in intellectual and cultural history, library science, and literature are particularly encouraged to take this course. The course is crosslisted in both History and English, serving students in both CSS and CAL and held on Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:20-11:40, Fall Semester, 2018 in 106A Berkey Hall and Main Library.