First Fridays: Sensory Experiences

Join us for the 2025-2026 season of First Fridays as we explore the things you can see, hear, touch, taste, or smell in Archives and Special Collections. This March program in the First Fridays season features presentations from the Immigration History Research Center Archives (IHRCA) and the Children’s Literature Research Collections.

Light lunch at 11:30 a.m. Presentations begin at noon. A tour of the archival caverns will take place after the event concludes. ASL interpreters will be present for all First Fridays events.

Registration will open Jan. 2026

IHRCA + Art

Presented by Ellen Engseth, Curator, Immigration History Research Center Archives, with special guests
Explore art in the immigration archives, including recent work by local Latinx photographers, and hear from the artists as they share about their work and inspiration.

Heartfelt, Groundbreaking, Unexpected: How Indigenous Characters Are Portrayed in Children’s Materials

Presented by Lisa Von Drasek, Curator, Children’s Literature Research Collections
Join the curator of the Children’s Literature Research Collections in an examination of how Native children were portrayed in children’s literature. How did these images influence the perception of Indigenous peoples? How have these illustrations changed in contemporary publications?

About the First Fridays series

First Fridays is a series of intellectually stimulating conversations from the Archives and Special Collections at the University of Minnesota Libraries. First Fridays is made possible by a generous gift from Governor Elmer L. Andersen and Mrs. Eleanor Andersen in honor of former University Librarian Dr. Edward B. Stanford.

Event details

What: First Fridays: IHRCA & Art and Heartfelt, Groundbreaking, Unexpected: How Indigenous Characters Are Portrayed in Children’s Materials
When: Friday, March 6, 2025 | Lunch at 11:30 a.m. | Presentations begin at noon
Where: Elmer L. Andersen Library, room 120 and ONLINE | Parking and directions