The University Libraries invite you to explore and discover new worlds of knowledge. On the first Friday of each month, feed your mind with a thought-provoking talk on an engaging topic.
Each month's presentation is based on materials from the University Libraries' special collections and archives. Featured presenters include scholars, archivists, and curators from the University community and beyond.
First Fridays is made possible by a generous gift from Governor and Mrs. Elmer L. Andersen in honor of Dr. Edward B. Stanford.
Click here to view images from previous First Fridays
2010 Season: (2011 info coming soon!)
Call it Character: A Selectio of Stars from Archives and Special Collections
From childhood superheroes to explorers of the Pacific and collectors of Sherlockiana, the University of Minnesota Libraries Archives and Special Collections are home to many unique characters. Join us this year as First Fridays presents a wide variety of distinctive personalities, not all of them human!
All First Friday events begin at Noon in Room 120.
October 7, 2011
Batgirl, Nick Carter, Ramona Quimby, and Other Childhood Heroes
Presented by the Children's Literature Research Collections
November 4, 2011
The WAM Files: A peek behind the scenes at the University Art Gallery
Presented by University Archives
December 2, 2011
Collecting Sherlockiana
Presented by the Sherlock Holmes Collections
February 3, 2012
Collectors of African American Literature
Presented by the Givens Collection of African American Literature
Acting Ethnic in America
Presented by the Immigration History Research Center
March 2, 2012
Building (with) Character
Presented by the Kautz Family YMCA Archives
April 6, 2012
Pacific Explorers
Presented by the James Ford Bell Library
May 4, 2012
Squee, Simon, and the Brainiac: Edmund Berkeley and Machines That Think
Presented by the Charles Babbage Institute
Dr. Justus Ohage, St. Paul Legend
Presented by the Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine