Cabinets of Curiosity: Retrieving Minnesota Memories in the University Archives
Thu, Apr 10 2025, 1pm
West Bank of the University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Archives, with its major holdings largely tucked away in two huge underground caverns along the Mississippi River under the West Bank campus, holds the essential records of our University of Minnesota’s past. Official documents from student records to presidential appointments, yearbooks that date back to the late nineteenth century, manuscripts of faculty research and teaching, as well as records of sports and other non-academic activities are safely in acid free boxes stored here. When questions arise about the naming of buildings or about the funds that derived from the sale of Indian lands or a myriad of events, University Archivist Erik Moore, and his staff hunt down the relevant documents. Every year literally hundreds of individual students; classes in history, museology, and more; faculty, and scholarly researchers consult these records uncover explanations relating to medical research, student life, political influence, and more.
If you want to learn more about that amazing collection, plan to join us on April 10 at 1:00 pm in Andersen Library on the West Bank of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Erik will explain the holdings and role of our extensive university archive and bring out a sampling of what it holds, including yearbooks, printed directories, manuscripts, and fascinating artifacts that reflect the persisting yet always changing dimensions of higher education. At the end of our visit, he will conduct a tour of the literally cool caverns (Minnesota Library Access Center), revealing where these precious materials are housed, including the original tapes of KUOM, now Radio K.
After the tour, at about 3 pm, those who wish to continue to socialize will meet at Town Hall.
Registration will open in late February. These Cabinets of Curiosity tours tend to fill, and we maintain a waiting list.
If you have any questions contact Sally Gregory Kohlstedt ([email protected]), Jan Morlock ([email protected]), or Cathy Lee Gierke ([email protected] ).