I'm almost finished with the third (or fourth, or fifth, or whatever) go-'round with the Mullan papers.

That means that I've completed organizing the press clippings, copying them (I think I've permanently curved my spine from the hours spent bending over the copier...an exaggeration, but it feels true!) and putting them in to chronological order. The observer (hopefully scholar, maybe thrill-seeker) will presumably be able to follow the trajectory of Mullan's career, interests, and focuses - at least in his Bloody Sunday years.

So, once again, I've been paying attention to other things to garner interesting posts for this blog. I decided to give y'all a mini-tour of the SPCA, since that's where I've been working these weeks.

This was a map that the Archives was just given. It is very, very cool. It led to a long conversation about modern maps vs. maps from previous centuries, and the relative sturdiness thereof. 

This is part of the special collection. There's a very, very large collection on Napoleon. I don't actually know the story, but I think that it's a donation from a sole source - just someone that collected works on Napoleon.

We also have an extensive Charles Dickens collection.

And this (may be my favorite section) is all works published by Depaul faculty. Really, really interesting! I wish Loyola had something similar (or publicized it if they do. I know someone's been working on it but haven't heard much since May).

Books that need restoring...

More books in need of conservation...

And a few more...

Also, lots of old Depaul yearbooks - which they don't do anymore, but are a valuable resource for research on alumni...

Books!

This is where I work. I tend to be on the first or second desk, but sometimes work at the computer just out of view on the right. To the left is a sink and mini-fridge, so there's some community back here, which is nice.

What was Monica Lewinsky's role in the Clinton Administration, exactly? This was a strange, strange fax.

These men look interesting.

Candidate for MOST AWKWARD FAMILY PHOTO EVER. EVER. (Donal De Roiste looks like an older version of my partner. I'm a little bit frightened.)

Humanitarians doodle too!

Hee hee.

My hands get black after working with the newspapers for too long,

You can't really tell, but all the indentations in my fingers are filled with ink.

And just to remind everyone what I'm actually working with...this is a tragedy.

And this, left after the massacre, makes me want to vomit.

Here's Derry!

And here's a headline that was misspelled. Whoops.

'Til next week! I hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving break!