Browse Exhibits (9 total)
In the National Interest: The Founding and Early Growth of Indiana University's African Studies Program
Beginning in 1961, when the University was awarded a 5-year Ford Foundation grant to develop a program of African Studies, Indiana University has steadily built a reputation for excellence in research and teaching related to Africa. One of the most influential of its kind in the country, the African Studies Program (ASP), through the activities and roles of its affiliates, has been one of the principal ways the university has engaged with the rest of the world since the middle of the last century.
The aim of this exhibit is to understand, through the use of material from the Indiana University Archives, when and how Indiana University came to be a leading institution in the second wave of US African Studies. Specifically, the exhibit looks at the influence of the geopolitical context on ASP's founding and early development.
NB: This is an adaptation of a physical exhibit on view at the IU Bloomington University Archives, E460 Wells Library, 1320 E 10th Street, Bloomington, from September 7 - December 17, 2021.
Degrees of Inclusion: International Students at Indiana University
The international student population has rapidly grown at Indiana University over the years, an achievement that is a source of pride for the institution. But how did we get here? This exhibition examines the history of international student involvement at IU Bloomington, while focusing on the challenges and progress of promoting an inclusive environment. Some of the first international IU graduates, clubs, photographs, handbooks, programs, and personal stories are among the items featured. These materials provide the viewer with a variety of perspectives, ranging from the 19th to the 21st centuries, to help demonstrate the journey of the international student experience at Indiana University.
This was originally a physical exhibit at the IU Libraries University Archives from August 1-October 31, 2017. It was converted to a digital exhibit in 2021 and was expanded at that time.
Tombstones, Folklore, and Material Culture
Grave and cemetery site mapping is a popular tool for genealogical research. Websites such as Find A Grave, Billion Graves, and Names In Stone serve a mass public’s interest in locating individuals’ and families’ final resting places. As primarily genealogical tools, these projects center on the personal data inscribed on tombstones (names, birth and death dates, etc.). Folklorists, however, often shift the focus of grave and cemetery research to the tombstones themselves—as objects of material culture. This exhibit combines cemetery mapping and a material culture perspective on tombstone design and craft.
The core of this exhibit is the Pauline Montgomery Cemetery and Tombstone Photograph Map. This interactive feature locates the Indiana cemeteries that educator and folklorist Pauline Montgomery documented in the 1960's. The map combines photographs from Indiana University Image Collections Online, data from the Indiana University Archives Pauline Montgomery Indiana tombstone photographs and records collection (C386), and additional location and geneology information from Find A Grave.
As an alternative to using the map, users can also browse Pauline Montgomery tombstone photograph galleries--these are separated by Indiana counties. Clicking tombstone images on the map and in the galleries will retrieve individual item records.
Harrellmen and Yannigans: Baseball at I.U. During World War II
The advent of World War II significantly altered the lives of Americans across the country. Unable to avoid the conflicts befalling Europe and Asia, the nation was now a key partner in defeating the Axis powers.
Indiana University and the surrounding Bloomington community were not immune to the effects of global conflict brought by the war. Student lives changed as academic years were extended to three semesters to provide maximum education in a minimum time. To provide war weary civilians a break from the stresses of conflict, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared baseball essential to preserving morale on the home front. Wartime travel restrictions forced teams to curtail their spring training trips to warmer climates and practice closer to home. As a result, nine professional teams trained in Indiana from 1943 to 1945, with the major league Cincinnati Reds and minor league Indianapolis Indians both training on I.U.'s campus.
The impact of World War II on professional baseball has been well documented, with little emphasis on the collegiate level. Using an assortment of materials from Indiana University Archives, including photographs, Arbutus yearbooks, files from Herman B Wells' presidential collection, and manager's books containing newspaper clippings and box scores, this exhbit aims to detail an aspect of the war's impact on I.U.'s campus.
Student Demonstrations at IU in 1970
Student unrest was at a high point in 1970 after nearly a decade of student protests at Indiana University, especially towards the end of the 60's. It was no surprise, then, that this unrest reached a boiling point when President Nixon announced U.S. involvement in Cambodia.
This exhibit documents the events of the I.U. Cambodia Strikes of 1970, including the initial response to Nixon's announcement of U.S. involvement in Cambodia; campus reactions to the Kent State shootings; and the days following the rally. Most of the archival materials in this exhibit come from the Indiana Daily Student newspaper and the Arbutus, IU's student yearbook.
IU Student Traditions
This exhibit hightlights some of the important student traditions at Indiana University. All but one of these traditions (the Well House) have died away. A few of these traditions lasted only a few years (Book Nook Commencement) or one or two decades (Panthygatric Dance), but most survived for many decades, and in their time and while they thrived, all of these IU traditions were important activities in many students' lives. In this exhibit we strive to provide you with some basic historical information on each tradition, and then by means of photos and documents to offer some glimpses and insights into the very nature and character of the tradition. We have attempted to present these traditions in chronological order. Because it is sometimes difficult to pinpoint exactly when a tradition began (the first time a tradition is engaged it is hardly thought of as a tradition, and perhaps given even less consideration in terms of being worth documenting) the order presented here is a rough estimate.
IU and World War II
What was it like to be a student at IU shortly before, during and immediately after World War II? In this exhibit, we attempt by means of short narratives and photographic images to partially answer this question. The exhibit is divided into 4 sections: Preparing for the War, Reactions to Pearl Harbor, IU During the War Years, and Post War IU. In the course of the narrative, we address the following questions about the impact of WWII on Indiana University: What changes occurred in the curriculum? Was there a strong military presence on campus before and after the war? How did IU enrollment change during the war years, and what impact did those changes have on student life? How did IU respond to the bombing of Pearl Harbor and to the declaration of war by the United States? How did civilian IU faculty and students contribute to the war effort? What was the impact of the G-I Bill on IU enrollment? Where did IU house all these new students after the war? After reviewing the exhibit we hope you will have a better understanding of the tremendous impact WWII had on IU, and of how the University responded to the challenges associated with educating its students and, at the same time, with preparing them to support the war effort.
IU Student Life and Culture in the 19th Century
What was it like to be an IU student in the 19th century? What courses were available? How much did tuition cost? What did students do outside of class? Where did students live? What did the campus and the town of Bloomington look like? This on-line exhibit was created to provide some answers to these questions.
The exhibit is divided into 9 sections. The first 4 sections - location of campus, student and faculty popluation, women at IU, and traveling to IU - offer insights into the infrastructure and the size and composition of the campus. The section on curriculum focuses on class content, and the section on tuition and other expenses provides information what it cost a student to attend IU. Finally, the last 3 exhibit sections focus on the life of the student outside the class, including involvement in social clubs and intramural sports.
The records displayed in the exhibit come from the Indiana University Archives and consist of photos and various types of textual records, including newspaper articles, broadsides, catalogs, programs and publications. Of course, this exhibit includes only a sample of the records relating to student life available in the IU Archives. Links to collections that provide more detail on 19th century student life can be found in the exhibit pages listed below. If you do not find references to what you are looking for, please contact the Archives at archives@indiana.edu or at (812)-855-1127.
Student Demonstrations at IU in the 1960s
The mention of "student demonstrations" is most likely to bring to mind schools such as UC Berkeley, Columbia University, and Kent State University, where some of the most well-known protests have taken place. In reality, schools all across America have had significant student protest movements. From the mid-1960's onward a number of Midwestern schools became embroiled in protests over civil rights, the Vietnam War, women's liberation, and the rights of students. Among those schools was Indiana University.
This exhibit showcases archival materials related to major demonstrations, strikes and protests at Indiana University during the 1960s. It presents the rich history of student activism that is an integral part of what IU is today. This exhibit was created in conjunction with the Fall 2011 Themester, Making War, Making Peace.