Elizabeth Meinke (Case Western Reserve University)

In a 1921 article from Museum Work IV, John Cotton Dana, a director in both library and museum environments, proposed shifting “… [the evolution of libraries] from closed temple of ‘wisdom undisturbed’ to an open workshop of delight and learning”. My agreement with this idea prompted the question of why the act of exhibition is considered the domain of museums; why not libraries as well? My lightning talk will explore the legacy of exhibitions as a primary component of early library collectives like the Library of Alexandria, monastic libraries, and wunderkammern. Looking toward the future I advocate for the embracing, or rather re-embracing, of exhibitions in libraries as a primary method of patron engagement based upon present-day case studies, as well as my experiences of establishing a formalised exhibition programme both in a department of special collections and for an academic research library. Of course, text-based learning is important, but I argue that a primary focus on this this method of learning and information retrieval in libraries is limiting compared with the visual object-based and ephemeral learning offered by the act of curating and displaying exhibits.

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Elizabeth Meinke has served in the role of Exhibits Program Coordinator for Kelvin Smith Library Case Western Reserve University for three years. Prior to this she has worked in large art museums and in contemporary art and antiques galleries. She has a BA in art history, an MA in preservation, and an MLIS in museum studies.