As my time at the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature wound down in August, I found myself finalizing my time with my research boxes of choice (the Margaret Sidney papers) and beginning to ask the staff to bring me other little treasures within the archive, some of which I requested just so I could hold them in my own hands. The Baldwin Library is a treasure trove of historic children’s literature materials, and if you are the next Bechtel fellow, here are just a few of the exciting little things you can get your hands on too:
Tag: Baldwin Library
Saving Stories: My First Week at the Baldwin Library
Almost seven months after finding out I was the 2025 ALSC Bechtel Fellow, I journeyed down to Gainesville, Florida to officially begin my research at the Baldwin Library of Children’s Literature, and by the end of my first week, I had unearthed a secret undertone of my project that made me feel like a storytelling saver, not just an avid researcher and reader.
Professional Experience of a Lifetime
The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)’s Special Collections and Bechtel Fellowship Committee is now accepting applications for the $4,000 Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship, endowed in memory of Louise Seaman Bechtel and Ruth M. Baldwin. The Baldwin Library of the George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, contains a special collection of 85,000 volumes of children’s literature published mostly before 1950. This fellowship allows qualified children’s librarians to spend a total of four weeks or more reading and studying at the Baldwin Library. As a past recipient and member of the Fellowship Committee, I feel that the experience at the Baldwin Library was a highlight of my professional career. Imagine spending four weeks reading and researching historical children’s books–it was incredible! Some of the topics of research by past fellowship winners include a survey of horror in Children’s books, 19th & 20th century Cinderella books, family stories of…