“How Many Archivists Does it Take?: Humor in the Archives” is the theme of this year’s First Fridays series of presentations. Humor is a tool alternatively employed to instill delight, put forth political commentary, teach lessons, assuage fears, or even encourage social bonding. Come hear and laugh at stories from the more comedic side of Archives and Special Collections.

Each month’s presentation is based on materials in the University Libraries’ Archives and Special Collections. This series is made possible by a generous gift in honor of Dr. Edward B. Stanford by Governor and Mrs. Elmer L. Andersen.

First Fridays 2015-2016 schedule

All events at Elmer L. Andersen Library, Room 120
Light refreshments will be served at 11:45 a.m.
Presentations begin at noon
Free and open to the public

October 2, 2015

• “There’s Nothing Really Funny About Architecture”
  Presented by the Northwest Architectural Archives
• The Romance of the Holes in Bread
  Presentation by the Wangensteen Historical Library

November 6, 2015

• “To Be Watched and Harassed”: The Editorial Cartoons of Jerry Fearing
  Presented by Special Collections and Rare Books
• “Join or Die”: Early Modern Political Cartoons
  Presented by James Ford Bell Library

December 4, 2015

• Huumor (or הומור , χιούμορ, فكاهة ) in our Collections
  Presented by the Upper Midwest Jewish Archives and the Immigration History Research Center Archives

February 5, 2016

• “For the Individual and Common Good”: How Social Welfare Agencies Used Comics to Create Better Citizens
  Presented by the Social Welfare History Archives
• What’s So Funny About Being Queer?
  Presented by the Tretter Collection

March 4, 2016

• No Business Like Show Business
  Presented by the Performing Arts Archives
• Humor and Technological Change
  Presented by the Charles Babbage Institute Archives

April 1, 2016

• That’s Snot Funny!
  Presented by the Children’s Literature Research Collections

May 6, 2016

• Wide World of Impractical Sports
  Presented by the YMCA Archives
• Out of Context
  Presented by the University of Minnesota Archives