Special Collections Center: Donations

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specialcollections@c.ringling.edu

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Janelle Rebel
Digital Curation and Special Collections Librarian 
jrebel@c.ringling.edu
(941) 359-7583

Alexandra Vargas-Fournier, CA
Archivist
avfourni@ringling.edu
(941) 309-4055

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Some visitors may be interested in contributing material resources to the Brizdle-Schoenberg Special Collections Center. We are currently soliciting donations for a History of Illustration teaching collection. We thank you in advance for your support of this endeavor. Our wishlist items include:

• Palm leaf engraving or palm leaf pattachitra from India
• Books and printed matter on non-paper based materials (e.g. parchment, papyrus, tapa) from different geographic regions and cultures
• Illustrated epic literature and tales of national identity
• Japanese prints from Edo and Meiji periods - ghost stories esp., traditional literature also
• Illustrated books from China, Korea, and Japan
• 19th c. natural history books with chromolithograph illustrations
• 19th c. medical atlas with chromolithograph illustrations
• Scientific illustration any era
• 1860s-1880s weekly publications - Harpers Weekly with wood engravings (esp. by Howard Pyle), Frank Leslie’s Illustrated News/Leslie’s Weekly, Munsey’s Weekly/Munsey’s Magazine
• 19th c. cheap print examples - dime novels, penny dreadfuls (British and American), story papers, humor magazines (e.g. Puck)
• 1860s-1920s chromolithographic trade cards - esp. as a collection or in a scrapbook
• 19th c. chromolithographic greeting cards - esp. as a collection or in a scrapbook
• 19th c. popular magazines - Harper’s Monthly, Scribner’s, Century, Godey’s Lady’s Book with fashion plate gatefold intact
• 1890-1920 a single whole newspaper and/or illustrated supplement
• 20th c. popular magazines - e.g. Harpers Monthly with color plates of Brandywine illustrators (1900-1910), Life (before 1936), Vogue (1920s), Saturday Evening Post (1910-1960, but 1940s-50s esp.), Fortune (late 1930s-40s), Cosmopolitan (1920s-1964), McCalls’, Colliers (1900s-50s), Esquire (1930s-1950s), New Yorker (any years), Ebony (1945-1960s)
• Tearsheet collection with a variety of artists and styles from mainstream magazines
• 1900-1930 tearsheets of color comics pages - esp. by Windsor McCay or Rudolph Dirks
• 20th c. cheap print examples - pulp magazines in various genres (detective, western, spicy, science fiction, weird, romance), “art” magazines (nudes and bodybuilding, e.g. Physical Culture), College Humor (1920s-30s), Judge (1930s-40s), “men’s magazines”
• Harlem Renaissance prints by Miguel Covarrubias
• Harlem Renaissance magazines or books - esp. books illustrated by Aaron Douglas or Charles Cullen, Opportunity magazine, The Crisis magazine
• Illustrated books, comics, magazines, and ephemera by African American artists before 1980s - esp. by Elton Fax, Jackie Ormes, E. Simms Campbell, George Herriman, Matt Baker
• 1900-1940 high-end Modernist artists’ books/livre d'artiste (e.g. by Picasso, Dufy, Leger, Denis)
• 1960s-70s alternative newspapers - Village Voice ilk, LGBTQ+ newspapers, alternative newspapers with comix in them
• 1965-75 Playboy (commissioner of new editorial styles at the time)
• 1960s-70s Lithopinion
• 1980s punk zines - esp. Riot GRRL

We are appreciative of donations and are selective about what materials are added to the Special Collections Center. Selection decisions are made by the special collections librarian in consultation with the library director, librarians, and/or faculty. Due to space limitations, costs of processing, etc. we are seeking a representative sample rather than a deep dive of items on our current wish list.

For inquiries about donating to Special Collections, please contact Janelle Rebel, Digital Curation and Special Collections Librarian (jrebel@c.ringling.edu or 941-359-7583) with images and a list of items for consideration.

Special Collections will consider accepting materials according to the following criteria and conditions:

• That the materials fall into the scope of the Center’s collection and supports the teaching and learning mission of Ringling College;
• That the items offer significant value to the collection, as determined by selectors;
• That the materials are in good physical condition and can be handled by patrons. Note: The Center will not accept any items exhibiting signs of mold, mildew, insects, water damage; or items that are in need of repair, rebinding, rebacking, or costly conservation treatments;
• That the Center is in a position to accept, process, and maintain the gift;
• That no restrictions be placed by the prospective donor on the disposition and use of the gifts offered.

Upon acceptance, gifts are irrevocable and become the property of the Ringling College Library. Items that we are unable to add to the collection may be donated or otherwise disposed of. When gifts are accepted, an acknowledgment letter of receipt will be sent for the donor's tax purposes. Ringling College does not provide valuation of materials, and it is the donor's responsibility to provide a title list if they wish that information to be attached to the letter.

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For inquiries about donating to the Alfred R. Goldstein Library, please read the Library’s Gift Policy or contact Dr. Kristina Keogh, Director of Library Services (kkeogh@ringling.edu or 941-359-7582).