Saturday's NewberryFest will be all about the U.S. at 250. Two exhibitions, a Ken Burns screening, a book sale, and a presentation featuring a Tea Party broadside, Lexington & Concord map, and an extra-illustrated The Life of George Washington. www.newberry.org/calendar/new...

One of General Washington's personal guards visited our "Free and Independent" exhibition today as part of our America 250 events. Michael Hensinger is visiting from the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia and part of a tent display taking place in Washington Square Park.

In January 1931, a lecture by German sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld at Chicago’s Dill Pickle Club, just south of the Newberry, was postponed by authorities because of its “indecent” subject matter. Hirschfeld was a trailblazing advocate who founded the world's first gay rights organization. #pride

Historians Danielle Allen and Scott Stephenson will take a deep dive into the history, impact, and contemporary resonance of the Declaration of Independence in a free program on 6/6 at 2pm. Allen will sign her book, "Radical Duke," following the event. Register: www.newberry.org/calendar/all...

Save the date! Our next exhibition features popular art about liberty from 1812 to the Civil War and WWI, and works by Nina Allender, John T. McCutcheon, Leslie Rogers, Thomas Nast, and Art Young. See the diverse, inspiring, and contradictory ways that liberty has been conceived and realized.

William Shakespeare was born on this date in 1564, and The Garden of Shakespeare's Birthplace - from an early twentieth century oilette postcard - is one of many Shakespeare-related items in the Newberry's collection, including an original copy of his First Folio (published in 1623). #historysky

From our artifacts cage with Library Assistant Alexis - "Officium Seraphici Patris Nostri Sancti Francisci" is an oversize a choral score by the Franciscan Order in 1773. The book was intended for use in mass, the musical notation being large enough for parishioners to read it from a distance.

This Library Week, we are showing how we protect some of our most valuable collection items. These spheres are FM-200™ Clean Agent Extinguishing System Units. They disperse a colorless, odorless clean agent used in waterless fire suppression, removing heat or free radicals thereby extinguishing.

This #nationallibraryweek, we’ll be sharing how staff find their joy in our collection. Here's Jill Austin, VP for Public Engagement. “The Dil Pickle Club collection, particularly the photo documenting the entrance on Tooker Alley, remains my favorite item and collection.” #findyourjoy

We’re celebrating the joy of libraries all next week! What brings you joy at the Newberry? Take a photo of yourself, a book, or another item that brings you joy. Upload it to social media and tag us with #findyourjoy. We’ll provide a special prize to one lucky poster.

Thank you to all who attended our 2026 Award Celebration yesterday evening honoring author Jonathan Franzen! Special thanks to our Event Co-Chairs Michael Pope, left, and Christopher Hagenah. The Newberry Library Award is presented annually to recognize extraordinary achievements in the humanities.

A few selections from last week's Edible Books Festival, including our winner of the Golden Spatula: a cake dressed up as a Victorian poisonous green book, a shade created by combining copper and arsenic (by the Victorians). Also featured are The Works of John Locke and Bookfish. #historysky

This postcard from our Digital Collections is especially apt as the University of Illinois women’s team opens the NCAA tournament tomorrow! Illinois is a No. 7 seed and takes on Colorado in Nashville. Illinois’s men’s team was victorious last night against Penn. An exciting time in Champaign!

The Newberry recently celebrated a milestone: 150k public items in Digital Collections! Images include the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company Records documenting everyday life along the route, which covered the Midwest and stretched all the way to Wyoming. @digitalnewberry.bsky.social

The Newberry’s Center for Renaissance Studies recently held its Multidisciplinary Graduate Student Conference in Premodern Studies, welcoming advanced doctoral students from more than fifty universities. Attendees represented fields of classical, medieval, Renaissance, and early modern studies.

Happy Presidents Day from our painting of Abraham Lincoln in the 3rd floor reading room! We hold three George Healy portraits including Lincoln, Grant, and Arthur. It has been said artist Kehinde Wiley’s portrait of President Barack Obama was influenced by Healy’s portrait of Lincoln. #historysky

Trianon Ballroom in Woodlawn, "The World's Most Beautiful Ball Room," hosted the 1926 National Charleston Contest, 100 years ago this month. A couple from Grand Rapids, Mich., took home 1st place. Alas, the Trianon was demolished in 1967. Postcard from our Teich Postcard Collection. #historysky

Florence Price was the first African American woman to achieve national recognition as a symphonic composer, including for the Chicago Symphony. Price's first major work was Symphony in E minor, premiered by the Symphony (1933). Image: Chicago Reader archives. #blackhistorymonth

Thanks to Tribune critic Lori Waxman for this review of our exhibition "Mapping Outside the Lines," highlighting the exhibit’s investigation of the political, epistemological, and navigational implications of lines and the maps that contain them. Open through February 14. @chicagotribune.com

Due to the extreme cold, the Newberry will be closed tomorrow, Friday, January 23. The library will re-open the following day, Saturday, January 24, and NewberryFest will continue as scheduled.

Registration for our Winter/Spring term of Adult Education is now open! The Newberry provides thought-provoking classes led by passionate, expert instructors. cc: @sjventurino.bsky.social @rogersparkman.bsky.social @dawnsardellaayres.bsky.social www.newberry.org/learn/adult-...

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other pastors at the 125th anniversary of the First Presbyterian Church, held at the Shoreland Hotel, 5454 S. Shore Dr., June 24, 1958. He gave a speech a few years after First Presbyterian became one of the first racially integrated congregations in Chicago. #mlkday

NewberryFest returns on Saturday 1/24, and it's all about maps! This open house event features curator presentations, tours, a book sale, and a paper-making workshop. Registration is free, visit www.newberry.org/calendar/new... to learn more.

The number of people signing up for a reader’s card this year reached a high not seen since 2009—5,148 people registered, which represents a significant increase following pandemic closures. Reader’s cards are free and available to anyone 14 or older with valid ID. www.newberry.org/news/the-new...

Sundown tonight marks the fourth night of Hanukkah. Here is a reminder from c.1954 to enjoy eating latkes, sufganiyot, and gelt, but not your dreidel! To read the other holiday tips in this ABC book, “All about Chanukah,” check out our digital collections. Call number: Wing ZP 983 .K985.

Today is Jane Austen's 250th birthday! What did the places in Jane Austen's novels actually look like? Our new digital exhibit "Sense and Scenery: Picturing Jane Austen's World" pairs Austen's words with Oilette postcards from the Newberry Library's collection. digital.newberry.org/sense-scenery

Have you seen the Newberry featured on a digital billboard along 90/94? Wintrust has generously provided space to us as a nonprofit partner throughout this month. The billboard is best viewed from 90/94 near the North Avenue exit. Drive safely!

We made the Sphere! When the Eagles were looking for a backdrop for their Vegas residency, they reached out for images from our Teich Postcard Collection. Our postcards from Winslow, Arizona, and other locations are being displayed during the band's performances of "Take It Easy" through spring.

ICYMI, last month was the 250th anniversary of the Continental Army's capture of Montreal. The campaign ended in defeat amid a snowstorm in Quebec City. "A New map of the province of Quebec," from 1776, published just after the failed invasion. Call number: Novacco 4F 73. #us250 #america250

Re-visiting this early 20th century postcard--and some nearby Chicago hotels--on the busiest travel weekend of the year. From our Curt Teich Postcard Collection. #historysky #chicago @pastpostcard.bsky.social