CalStateLA's 1954 Yearbook

CalStateLA students have always been creative. The evidence is in the yearbooks. This illustration and others, created by ASI, were featured in the 1954 yearbook. Back then, CalStateLA was called Los Angeles State College.The mascot wasn't a Golden Eagle yet; it was a Diablo. Even the location of campus was different.

1954, Yearbook Collection, Special Collections and Archives, JFK Memorial Library, CalStateLA

For more about the Yearbook Collection and others, check out the Special Collections and Archives website here. Please visit us on Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram too.

Happy Halloween, Cal State LA!

 

Pictures of Our Past Collection, CSULA Special Collections
and Archives, JFK Memorial Library

 

If you're in need of some last minute Halloween costume ideas look no further than Special Collections and Archives!

 

We've come across lots of photographs of students in costume, from mascots to cats and devils to angels, Cal State LA Students have dressed up as it.

 

These pictures from an old Greek life event called the Huckster's Ball demonstrate that Cal State LA students have always gotten an A in costuming. The young woman dressed as a cat delightfully pulls off a Halloween standard. The student dressed as Mr. Peanut delivers a clever ode to the classic character who still graces Planter's Peanuts packaging today. We have no idea who the couple with the door are supposed to be, but we can be sure that it's something perfect for the occasion.

 

As always, have fun and be safe this Halloween/Day of the Dead weekend.

 

For more about the Pictures of Our Past Collection and others, check out the Special Collections and Archives website here. Also, watch out for our Items of the Day on the Library Facebook Page.

 

Pictures of Our Past Collection, CSULA Special Collections and Archives, JFK Memorial Library
 

 

Open Access Week Faculty Reception -- Thursday, Oct. 22nd at 3:30pm -- Library North, 3rd Floor

New Exhibition: El Pueblo de Wyvernwood - The Memories, The Movement, and the Struggles Continue

        

          Wyvernwood is an apartment complex in Boyle Heights, but it is also much more than that. It is a close-knit community, where people have built lives, families, and strong social connections over generations. When it opened in 1939, Wyvernwood was the first large-scale, privately funded multiple housing development on the West Coast. Now its current owner seeks to replace the historic community with a $2 billion mixed use development known as the Boyle Heights Mixed Use Community Project. 

          The exhibit is a visual history of the residents of the Wyvernwood Garden Apartments and the importance of preserving the community. The exhibit includes stunning artwork provided by Adriana Carranza and Alfonso Aceves. The husband and wife team designed the El Puebo de Wyvernwood exhibit as a celebration of the people of Wyvernwood and their incredible culture. Along with the representative artwork, the collection also includes personal photographs, artwork, stories, and even poetry by longtime residents of the community, including people who have lived there all their lives like Adriana Carranza.

          The exhibit was brought to the University Library by Professor Bidhan Roy and community organizers of Wyvernwood, Alfonso Aceves and Adriana Carranza. Join us in our celebration of the Wyvernwood community on the 1^st floor of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library – North from September 28 to December 11, 2015.

 

Banned Books Week -- Sept 27 - Oct 3, 2015

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read.

It highlights the value of free and open access to information. 

Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.

Learn more @ 
http://calstatela.libguides.com/bannedbookweek2015

Item of the Day: Girls with Guns u.d., Pictures of Our Past Collection

         


Pictures of Our Past Collection, Special Collections and Archives, JFK
Memorial Library, CSULA

         
          Our university has a long history, dating back to 1947. The photographs in the Pictures of Our Past Collection are a record of everything from our humble beginnings at a different campus to the many successes of the famed Solar Eagle, but perhaps the most important thing documented in the collection are the students.

          Many of our former students went on to great careers such as tennis star Billie Jean King (featured on this blog last month) and Dr. Mervyn Dymally, a former California Senator and Assemblyman. His collection is also housed in Special Collections and Archives.

Today's Item of the Day doesn't feature any famous faces, but it does show some interesting students. This photograph is from the Criminal Justice Department section of the Pictures of Our Past Collection, and it shows two young women handling firearms. These women learned to protect themselves and others in the line of duty. This is only one of many photographs that highlight the history and instruction of our Criminal Justice department. The specific topics of the photos include forensic science instruction and crime scene investigation instruction.



Pictures of Our Past Collection, Special Collections and
Archives, JFK Memorial Library, CSULA


          The other photograph that we've included, also from the Pictures of Our Past Collection, features two students and an instructor studying a mock crime scene. This photo complements our Item of the Day by demonstrating another critical part of the Criminal Justice Department: instruction. The body (don't worry, it's just a dummy!) appears to have been shot. The Cal State LA students are on the case, examining everything to solve the murder.

          If you'd like to learn more about the modern day CSULA Criminal Justice Department, check it out on the University website. For more information about this or any other item or collection please visit CSULA Special Collections online. You can also view library news and other Special Collections Items of the Day at the CSULA Library Facebook Page.



The Bookplate Collection

         
         

The Special Collections and Archives Bookplate,
CSULA, Artist: Lorenzo Rams

The Bookplate Collection, Special Collections and
Archives, JFK Memorial Library, CSULA

          What is a bookplate? A bookplate, also called ex libris, is a label placed inside a book, usually on the inside front cover, to indicate ownership. The first bookplates were made in Germany around the 15th century, and the practice of using them continued. Individuals, clubs, organizations, and institutions used them. They were made in a variety of sizes and were usually made of paper, leather or vellum. While bookplates are mostly a relic of the past, many people still buy and make personalized bookplates today. The Bookplate Collection is a great resource for anyone interested in the art and design of the past.

           Special Collections and Archives has a collection of over 1,500 bookplates from all over the world including such countries as Spain and Japan (pictured). The materials date from 1772 to 1937. It includes designer, international, library, medical, and personalized bookplates amongst others. Check out The Bookplate Collection Guide for a complete list of the collection's contents.


Lorenzo Rams, Special
Collections Resident Artist
 

         





The Bookplate Collection, Special Collections and
Archives, JFK Memorial Library, CSULA

          The Special Collections Bookplate was designed by Cal State LA student and our resident artist, Lorenzo Rams. Lorenzo has designed many signs for Special Collections and Archives exhibits in the past, and he will also be painting a mural on the 1st floor of Library North. Lorenzo balances his classes, work at Special Collections, and an apprenticeship with a noted L.A. artist.

          For more information about this or any other collection, check out CSULA Special Collections online and our previous contributions to this blog. For more library news and updates, visit the CSULA Library Facebook page.