5000 Years of Book History in 50 Minutes (Online)

Using material found in the University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections & Archives, Elizabeth Riordan will cover 5000 years of book history. Starting with clay tablets used in Mesopotamia to papyrus scrolls of Ancient Egypt, from Chinese woodblocks to the Gutenberg Press and the Amazon Kindle, join us on a fast-paced historical journey of the written word. This live Zoom talk will explore how books have been made and used throughout history, and how they still remain integral to our lives today. Registration Required.

Don't have a smart device to view this program? Contact us about viewing the program at the Library in our Zoom room.

About the Presenter:

Elizabeth Riordan is the lead outreach and instruction librarian for University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections and Archives. She received a BA in Anthropology and a BA in Theater Arts from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois and her MA in Library Science from University of Iowa. She is active in local organizations like Iowa Library Association, as well as on a national groups, serving on committees for Rare Books and Manuscripts Section of Association of College and Research Libraries.  

Her background has allowed Riordan to explore different ways special collection materials can be utilized in classrooms, as well as public events. Working in an active archives that hosts multiple classes and researchers a semester often means that she teeters on that line between access and preservation, but she enthusiastically looks to new technologies and methods to bring even more of the archives out to the community.