Morel of the story? Whether you're on the hunt or just in need of some visual interest, the five volumes of the 1919 Iconographie des champignons supérieurs from @illinoisrbml.bsky.social are sure to satisfy. Check them out in the Digital Special Collections: go.library.illinois.edu/DayOfTheMush...
Illustration of five different types of mushrooms from the Boletus family, many of which feature bright pink stems.
Here in Champaign, we're celebrating the Day of the Mushroom with some technicolor champignons! While we wouldn't necessarily recommend eating any of those pictured here, April is prime morel season in Illinois.
See more of the Carl Sandburg Collection from @illinoisrbml.bsky.social in the Digital Special Collections: go.library.illinois.edu/SandburgBask...
No jokes here; Carl Sandburg really did once serve as the captain of the Lombard College basketball team, where he apparently gained a reputation for his throwing skills. He is seen in this 1898-1899 team photograph on the far left of the first row. We think it's time to bring back the uniforms!
Black-and-white group photograph of the 1898-1899 Lombard College basketball team. Carl Sandburg, at far left in the first row, places his hand on a basketball held by the central player. The players wear long pants and short-sleeved shirts emblazoned with the letter 'L.'
As Illinois heads to the Final Four this weekend, we celebrate the beginning of National Poetry Month with an unexpected basketball icon: Carl Sandburg.
The curious can find it and other beetles, butterflies, and more in "An epitome of the natural history of the insects of China" (1798) from @illinoisrbml.bsky.social: go.library.illinois.edu/InsectsOfChina
Color illustration of the Cimax Dispar and Cimax Hanbuschii, two winged true bugs. The former is red with yellow and black spots.
We're preparing for the @illinoisfunk.bsky.social Invasive Species panel on April 21 by looking at some insects in the Digital Special Collections!
Luckily for the entomophobics among us, the ocellated shield bug has not been found in the United States.
Flyer for the Solving the World's Challenge's panel about Invasive Species.
Get excited! We'll host our 8th annual panel on April 21, with the theme Invasive Species! If you come in person, you'll also enter a raffle for 2 books related to invasive species. Learn more here: guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=1123...
Find more charts from Afhandling om drällers och dubbla golfmattors tillverkning, med begagnande af harnesk-rustning (1828) from @illinoisrbml.bsky.social in the Digital Special Collections: go.library.illinois.edu/DamaskCharts
A variety of animal motifs, including birds, a lobster, a dog, and a lion, on a grid for use in weaving.
A variety of plant motifs, including flowers, a tree, a pinecone, and a wreath, on a grid for use in weaving. Pencil marks around the wreath motif suggest previous use.
"In need of some inspiration for National Craft Month? Look no further than the Digital Library!
Originally intended for damask weaving and carpets, we're also dreaming up cross stitch and needlepoint projects with these 1828 charts.
This unusual inclusion in the scrapbook gave us a chance to be creative with our photography--swipe to see the process and the final image.
View the entire volume in the Digital Special Collections: go.library.illinois.edu/HornerXVIII
A pop-up card of the Lincoln Memorial as seen through a camera viewfinder.
The setup for capturing the image of the pop-up card. A camera is placed on a tripod between two angled strobe lights, all in front of a book standing upright.
The final image of the pop-up card of the Lincoln Memorial.
We're celebrating Presidents' Day with a look back through the camera lens!
In December 2025, we digitized a pop-up card of the Lincoln Memorial in volume XVIII of the Abraham Lincoln scrapbooks created by Henrietta Calhoun Horner held by the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections.
To keep modern troubles at bay, our friends at Preservation Services routinely monitor library spaces for signs of pests that may harm collections.
Wood block used for printing four leaves from the Winter volume of Bakyō taizen (IUZ00409) from @illinoisrbml.bsky.social
Detail of a woodblock showing damage, evidenced by lighter wood in contrast to ink-stained wood
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
While we're pretty sure a woodchuck (AKA groundhog) isn't the cause of the damage of this circa 1728 woodblock, we sometimes see evidence of historic insect activity or other damage in the items we digitize.
That is the goal of digital preservation: to provide accurate and authentic rendering of content that remains functional over time.
Find the September 1907 Sanborn map of Aledo, Illinois, in the Digital Special Collections now and in the future: go.library.illinois.edu/Aledo1907
2016 view of the interface of the Digital Library, then in beta, when looking at a 1907 Sanborn map of Aledo, Illinois.
2026 view of the interface of the Digital Library when looking at a 1907 Sanborn map of Aledo, Illinois.
What changes in a decade? In 2016, we had just changed our name from Digital Content Creation and joined Preservation Services. The beta version of the Digital Library was also being launched!
The display might be different (swipe to compare 2016 and 2026), but the content will always be the same!
The RBML copy is the second edition, printed with the two-line printing slugs created by Gutenberg for the first printing.
View the full Catholicon in the Digital Special Collections: go.library.illinois.edu/Catholicon
The real interest, though, awaits inside: the colophon contains the first detailed printed reference to the introduction of printing with movable type and the first instance in which a book named its place of printing.
Gilt marbled fore-edge of the Catholicon. The marbling is very subtle in this view.
A verso of a leaf in the Catholicon, with more visible marbling on the fore-edge.
#ForeedgeFriday or #MarbledMonday? It's the end of our first week back in the office and we're still trying to figure out what day it is!
The mid-18th century French binding of the @illinoisrbml.bsky.social Catholicon (1469) features gilt marbled edges.
As moiré is the product of two out-of-phase geometries, it can be difficult to spot because it does not always appear on all screens or zoom levels. This is best mitigated by optimizing camera resolution, but can also be handled in post-processing (image 2).
A close up of a halftone map showing moiré (color not inherent to the image itself).
A close up of a halftone map with reduced moiré.
If you've ever encountered a wavy, distorted, or rainbow-colored pattern when looking at a photograph, that's a-moiré!
All punning aside, we've recently been seeing some moiré in our images of halftone illustrations, seen here in the bits of color in the background of this map facsimile (image 1).
Other measurements determine reproduction scale accuracy and look for interpolation.
We've recently been testing our targets against each other to ensure consistency across our workstations, hence this image!
They come in a variety of sizes at the item level (the small, medium, and large targets on the outside edges of the image) and device level (center). The L*a*b* values of each color square in the image are compared against their known values to ensure accurate exposure, white balance, and color.
A variety of color targets on a black background. There is a set of large, medium, and small item-level targets at the bottom; a set of medium and small item-level targets on the left; a medium item-level target on the right; and a device-level target in the center.
Have you ever noticed a strip of colorful squares in an image you downloaded from the Digital Special Collections? That strip is known as a color target, and it helps to make sure we are hitting our mark when it comes to accurately representing content.
Bookplate belonging to Sadie E. Onderdonk depicting a woman setting the hand on a large alarm clock under the phrase "TOUT PASSE."
Daylight Savings ended for much of the US over the weekend. Did you remember to change your clocks?
Find this bookplate from @illinoisrbml.bsky.social in the Digital Special Collections: go.library.illinois.edu/OnderdonkPlate
PS: If you're curious about the actual use of our "bonnets," they help to minimize reflections and excess light. We have affectionately named our cameras "Ofleft" and "Ofright."
A dual capture digitization system inside a black tent with a light facing forward. The two cameras have black paper bonnets and are pointed downward toward a book.
Our dual capture digitization system might be dressed for The Handmaid's Tale, but we celebrate #BannedBooksWeek every week by increasing access to texts through digitization.
The cookbook also includes recipes from other cuisines, showcasing the rich interplay of food and culture.
Find the cookbook held by the University of Illinois Rare Book & Manuscript Library in the Digital Special Collections: go.library.illinois.edu/MariaLuisaSa...
Title page from the school notebook used for the cookbook of Maria Luisa Sanchez. The school name is Escuela de Pequeñas Industrias del Estado Puebla, the class is Cocina, and the student name is Maria Luisa Sanchez.
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with the recipes of Maria Luisa Sanchez, a student of the Escuela de pequeñas industrias del estado Puebla in the 1920s. Her handwritten cookbook contains classics like "Adobo de Pollo" and "Budín de Elote."
Front cover of Das erste Buch für Kinder featuring a red and orange marbled pattern
Pepperoni pizza, anyone?
We're not quite sure why, but this week's #MarbledMonday is making us feel a bit hungry!
Whet your appetite for knowledge with Das erste Buch für Kinder, die gern bald lesen lernen wollen from @illinoisrbml.bsky.social: go.library.illinois.edu/Marbled1810