Three special, smaller-scale exhibitions are being presented at the University of Delaware this spring by Special Collections and Museums in Morris Library, in addition to the four exhibitions on view this semester in the UD Library, Museums and Press galleries.

Within these displays, viewers can discover one man’s lasting Lincoln legacy, four American women’s sensitive and unflinching poetry, and books that use fonts and typefaces as marketing tools.

All exhibitions are free and open to the public. Visitors must use their UD ONEcards or state-issued IDs to enter Morris Library.

A Life with Lincoln: An Exhibition in Honor of Donald A. Rydgren
On view through June 8
Lincoln Exhibit Case on the Second Floor of Morris Library

Donald A. Rydgren, Delaware native and longtime curator of the Lincoln Collection of the University of Delaware, passed away on Oct. 26, 2017.

In celebration of his passion for promoting the life and career of the 16th president of the United States through presentations, tours and research consultations, this exhibition showcases material acquired during the 45 years Rydgren served as curator and host of the collection at UD’s Goodstay Center. Rydgren also served as president of the Lincoln Club of Delaware, of which he had been a member for more than 50 years.

Four Poets: Brooks, Rich, Brown, Trethewey
On view through March 30
Four-Case Exhibit on the First Floor of Morris Library

Gwendolyn Brooks, Adrienne Rich, Fleda Jackson Brown and Natasha Trethewey—the four women who are the focus of this exhibition—are celebrated American poets, and Brown is a professor emerita of English at UD. Through a variety of poetic forms, they explore African-American life, gender, nature and other topics.

This exhibition coincides with both Black History Month in February and Women’s History Month in March. It will include several of the poets’ major works.

The Menagerie of Fonts: Specimen Books in the University of Delaware Library
On view through March 16
One-Case Exhibit on the First Floor of Morris Library

In type specimen books—around since the earliest years of printing history—readers encounter a wide array of typefaces and fonts, proving them interesting artifacts on the material history of texts.

The samples of this unique genre of commercial publishing on view will highlight how these books have been used as marketing tools for print shops and type foundries, and the insights they provide on the material history of texts.

Special Collections and Museums

Special Collections and Museums is part of the University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press. An interdisciplinary collection of rare and unique materials can be accessed for study and research, and is also featured in exhibitions in the Special Collections Gallery in Morris Library, Old College Gallery, Mechanical Hall Gallery and the Mineralogical Museum in Penny Hall. All Special Collections and Museums events and exhibitions are free and open to the public.

The collection has particular strengths in the subjects of history and Delawareana; science and technology; art and literature; primary source material such as political papers and ships’ logs; American art of the 20th century, especially prints, photographs and work by African American artists; European prints; Inuit art; Pre-Columbian art; and minerals. In addition, the Mark Samuels Lasner Collection, gifted to UD in 2016, strengthens the collection’s focus on British literature of the 19th and early 20th centuries.