On Friday, February 7, 2025, friends and supporters of the Newberry gathered for Booked for the Evening, an event that raises funds to support collection acquisitions, processing, conservation, and digitization at the Newberry. Attendees were invited to speak with curators, conservators, and other library staff about the collection and their work to ensure it is accessible, both at the Newberry and online. Items from the collection were on display and guests could make a gift to “love” an item and support the library’s work to grow and care for the collection.
“Booked for the Evening is a unique opportunity to introduce our collections and our staff to donors and friends,” said Will Hansen, Roger and Julie Baskes Vice President for Collections and Library Services. “Items from our collections are always freely accessible, but it’s not every day you get to see them brought together in this way. It is truly special.”
A wide array of items was on display at the event. A rare and complete series of twelve pieces of sheet music composed by a Jewish-Tunisian musician and sold at the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893, all with beautifully illustrated covers, filled one table. Guests were able to read the pages of a manuscript journal written between 1860 and 1863 by an amateur meteorologist, agronomist, and journalist from Illinois. A set of extravagant French almanacs dating back as far as 1751 were shown alongside Italian broadsides from the seventeenth century.
Conservation staff showcased a newly acquired X-ray fluorescence analyzer, which allows staff to identify potentially harmful elements found in binding pigments and apply special handling protocols to the identified items. Guests learned about a project to catalog more than 500 mid-twentieth-century house plans and spoke with digitization specialists about their work to digitize Hernán Cortés’ letters to the Emperor Carlos V from 1524, making them accessible to researchers worldwide.
“It was wonderful to welcome both longtime supporters and new friends to the library for Booked for the Evening,” said Astrida Orle Tantillo, President and Librarian of the Newberry. “Our two greatest treasures—our collections and our staff—were on full display to the delight of all in attendance. We are grateful to all who supported the event, our collections, and our work.”
Learn more about the items that were on display and make a gift to support the Newberry.