Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library

Photos by Lathan Goumas, University Communications.

Section I of “Live Oak with Moss” manuscript against a teal background. That phrase has been crossed out, and “Calamus Leaves” was written above.

Dedication page with printed text: “To Carol who willed it. To Tom who lived it.” Written in blue ink: “Wan Carol eqlit waren eleteen / Tri siqal ipi eqlit meneseer / Su lapal aka sudi seerondo / Wan Carol eqlit ipi eqlito / Sog /John Steinbeck / Los Gatos in the evening.”

Learn more about two of the featured items—an unearthed poem by Walt Whitman telling a story of manly love and writings from John Steinbeck to his first wife, Carol—on our blog:

smallnotes.library.virginia.edu/2026/02/14/c...

smallnotes.library.virginia.edu/2026/02/14/w...

Sheet with 40 portrait illustrations of an individual and a large coffee stain. Printed text: “Tom Phillips. Pella on Saturdays.”

Corner of a letter featuring signed initials “AH.”

Book open to title page for White Fire by Michael Laurie with embellishments in red ink.

In celebration of #ValentinesDay, UVA Today took a look at love letters, lithographs, poetry and first edition books, among other items, that document love that was sometimes hidden.

news.virginia.edu/content/deep...

A snowy view of Clemons Library with text stating "Clemons Library will be open Tuesday, Jan 27."

**Tuesday Jan 27 Library hours**

ONLY Clemons Library will be open — from 10 am to 10 pm.

Stay safe, and come in and get warm.

Library hours can always be checked at library.virginia.edu/hours

@rareuva.bsky.social

Book page featuring an illustration of a person wearing an apron and chef hat carrying a pie above their head. Text: “A Thanksgiving Day Menu. Woman’s Home Companion. November 1887.”

A Harvest for Thanksgiving, comp. Juniper Von Phitzer (Juniper Von Phitzer Press, 1986). McGehee Miniature Book Collection (McGehee 02231)

Text on book page: “A Feast for Thanksgiving: Raw Oysters, Turtle Soup, Boiled Fish with Anchovy Sauce, Roast Turkey with Giblet Sauce, Smothered Guinea Fowl, Chicken Pie, Roast Haunch of Venison, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Mashed Turnips, Cauliflower, Boiled Onions, Baked Salsify, Cabbage Salad, Celery, Cranberry Sauce, Sweet Peach Pickle, Pumpkin Pie, Mince Pie. Thanksgiving Pudding, Ice Cream, Thanksgiving Cake, Crackers, Cheese, Pickles, Fruit, Oranges, Grapes.”

What’s on your #Thanksgiving menu? This 1887 menu from Woman’s Home Companion features some dishes that have remained mainstays and others that might be a surprise—like turtle soup!

Holsinger Studio, “Pratt Ginkgo, 1859,” c. 1930-1940. Photographs of the University of Virginia (MSS 15048)

The Charlottesville-based Holsinger Studio made a series of photographs c. 1930-1940 of various significant trees around Grounds—including the Monroe Walnut, Pratt Gingko, Kentucky Coffee Tree planted by George F. Holmes, and McGuffey Ash.

Color photo of a large ginkgo tree with brilliant yellow leaves

Black-and-white photo of a medium-sized ginkgo tree

💛Swipe to see how much the Pratt Ginkgo has grown over the past century! Planted on the northwest side of the Rotunda in 1859, the tree is named for William A. Pratt, the University’s first superintendent of buildings and grounds. #ginkgowatch2025 @uvalibrary.bsky.social

Looking for a good scare? Here’s what to watch this Halloween Horror movie enthusiasts on UVA Library’s staff offer their recommendations.

The exhibition entries for Kits and Sea Monsters and much more are in the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, UVA, while Horror is on the 4th floor of Clemons, near the DVDs. Read more about H is for Horror on UVA Today:

news.virginia.edu/content/look...

K is for Kits image, featuring a stylized blue chest with several golden compartments on a yellow background with a large white letter 'K' overlaying the image. The blue chest is a vampire killing kit with axe and cross visible.

S is for Sea Monster showing a stylized drawing of a sea monster with a sailor in its mouth, twined around a large capital S, on a bluegreen background

H is for Horror graphic, a stylized illustration of a movie zombie and a large capital H.

Happy Halloween!! For today, a few #Halloween adjacent entries from our ABCs of the UVA Library exhibition. K is for Kits (in this case, a vampire killing kit), S is for Sea Monsters, and H is for Horror (more on that here:
smallnotes.library.virginia.edu/2025/10/29/h... )

Visit our blog, Notes from Under Grounds, to learn more about Brittany in today's Staff Spotlight: smallnotes.library.virginia.edu/2025/11/03/s...!

Headshot of Brittany Murray.

Brittany Murray (she/her) recently joined @uvalibrary.bsky.social as the Charlottesville and Virginia Collections Conservator. She is responsible for the conservation and preservation of collection items from local communities in Charlottesville and Albemarle County.

Had an absolutely glorious time today looking at medieval books of hours and breviaries at Albert and Shirley Small special collections! @rareuva.bsky.social
I always am fascinated by looking at signs of use - seeing how worn some pages were and where other codices fell open to was amazing!

Register for the event here: at.virginia.edu/visions-cata...

Join the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, @johnedwinmason.bsky.social, the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, and @uvalibrary.bsky.social in revisiting these beautiful portraits during the exhibition catalog launch celebration October 25, 3-5pm @ JMRL’s Swanson Room!

A screenshot from working with Capture One software showing a 4”x5” black-and-white film target and object, content, and speculative artist’s intent versions of two plates featuring African American women.

New on our blog: Senior Imaging Specialist Stacey Evans reflects on the process of re-digitizing African American portraits in the Holsinger Studio Collection for our 2022-23 Visions of Progress: exhibition. Read her post here: smallnotes.library.virginia.edu/2025/10/21/h....

Thanks to Abigail for sharing the joy of working with archival materials with others!

Interested in seeing these items and more like them yourself? Plan your own visit with our handy new LibGuide:

guides.lib.virginia.edu/speccoll/home.

Repost from @/abigailenjoysliterature on TikTok: “to this day, still one of the best days ever. this was one of the highlights of grad school. i yearn for access to special collections again oh my god. what’s the coolest book related artifact you’ve seen?? #reading #BookTok #literature #reader #fyp”

"P is for Point Clouds" exhibit is up in our Common Room! These aren't 3D models—they're clouds of tons of tiny points of measured, preservation-level accurate 3D data. 5 local historical locations including the Pine Grove Rosenwald School=explorable in VR, or as flythrus on our display or online +

"Z is for Zines" exhibit I curated w/ @rareuva.bsky.social help. As a librarian, zines=I can amplify more authors/experiences/topics our community cares about+needs than via just books; especially work where racism, transphobia+more violence+systematic harm=barriers to author, publish, widely share+

Manuscript frontispiece of the ledger

“Mrs. Van Lew, postmistress of Richmond, and a great friend of the prisoners.”

“The Prisoners’ Song”

Some sort of written code by a POW

In the American Civil Wars class visiting Special Collections today, students were greatly intrigued by a new acquisition: the James Thomas Watt Hairston Civil War prison ledger.
archives.lib.virginia.edu/repositories...

Exploring the ABCs of the UVA Library A yearlong exhibition showcases nearly 200 items, spotlighting rare books, artifacts and surprising objects from the collection.

New exhibition—the ABCs of the UVA Library!
From Artists' Books to Zines, with 24 stops in between. (Actually more, as the article notes)
This evening's event is a sold out full house, but the exhibition will be up for the academic year at @rareuva.bsky.social (with outposts in other libraries)

The A-Z exhibits include 2 from the lab: "P is for Point-Cloud Data" by Will Rourk & @arinbb.bsky.social (on 3D captures of historic artifacts+architecture); and "Z is for Zines" by @literaturegeek.bsky.social

Typed copy of "The Weary Blues” signed and inscribed by Langston Hughes: “For Vachel Lindsay, whose poetry I much admire, these jazz poems of mine.” Lindsay writes below Hughes’ signature, “This is to certify I think these five poems are poetry.” 

News page clipping featuring photo captioned "Langston Hughes, Washington's Bus Boy Poet"

"A Discovery and an Eclipse: Langston Hughes’ Rise to Fame": In a new post on our blog, Curator George Riser highlights a set of poems addressed from Langston Hughes to Vachel Lindsay—whose endorsement contributed to Hughes' rise in acclaim as a poet.

smallnotes.library.virginia.edu/2025/07/21/a...

Take this opportunity to print your own copy of the Declaration on the University's replica “Franklin” press. Then, walk downstairs to the Declaring Independence exhibit and see 1 of the 2 copies of the original Dunlap Broadside, part of the Albert H. Small Declaration of Independence Collection.

Approximately 200 copies were printed by young Philadelphia printer John Dunlap the night the Second Continental Congress ratified the words of Thomas Jefferson. The challenge of setting into type and printing this important document is often overlooked.

"Print your own copy of the Declaration of Independence with Josef Beery. South Gallery. Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library. Thursday, July 3, 2025. 1:00-3:00 p.m. University of Virginia Library." Graphic features a photo of Beery spreading ink on a printing plate and a photo of a copy of the Declaration of Independence.

Join printer Josef Beery as he recreates the first printing of the Declaration of Independence in the South Gallery of the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library on Thursday, July 3, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. No tickets required!

Gifts Sent to President Teresa Sullivan (RG-2/1/8.122), Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library

Sullivan was reinstated just two weeks later. A full timeline via Virginia Magazine:
uvamagazine.org/articles/tim...