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Visiting Scholars delve deeply into the UW-Madison Libraries

Jonathan Victor Baldoza, PhD Candidate, Princeton University

“I’m extremely grateful to the Friends of the UW-Madison Libraries for supporting my weeklong research trip in September 2023. I spent most hours consulting materials in different collections across campus, chiefly in the stacks of the Memorial Library and the reading rooms of the Special Collections and the Wisconsin Historical Society. I’m indebted to the UW-Madison Librarian for Southeast Asian/Hmong Studies for directing me to resources that were unfamiliar to me, and for advising on several matters related to library and bibliographic work. I was also assisted by faculty, colleagues, and students of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies. All of this points to the enviable strength of UW-Madison as a research and teaching location for the study of Southeast Asia.”

David Johnson, PhD Candidate, Johns Hopkins University

“The material gathered during my two weeks in the Reinsch papers held in the Wisconsin Historical Society has given me the foundation I need to construct a detailed historical account of how U.S. international theory shaped U.S. foreign policy in the era of World War I. Thanks to this grant, I plan to present a draft of the chapter at the International Studies Association’s (ISA) Northeast Regional conference in Providence, Rhode Island this November.”

Dr. Chris Barrett, Louisiana State University

“Thanks to the Friends of the University of Wisconsin—Madison, I was able to spend two weeks in the Special Collections of the library, undertaking research necessary for my second book project. During my time in Special Collections, I reviewed more than 40 discrete items. Some of these I had expected to examine, and some I did not. But beyond all this, the richest resource for me in Special Collections took the form of the staff. Whatever is best and strongest in the manuscript portions to emerge from this stint in Special Collections will certainly reflect their suggestions, recommendations, and thoughtful work in connecting me with volumes, manuscripts, and in one case, a scroll, that pushed back the horizons of this project and opened up whole new areas for exploration.”

Dr. Siddharth Chandra, Professor and Director, Asian Studies Center, Michigan State University

“A significant amount of important material came to light only upon my visit to the library. While browsing the stacks in the vicinity of the call numbers for which I had identified materials of interest when planning my visit, I discovered a mother lode of data and documentation on the demography of Indonesia in the 1960s and 1970s. To collect as much material as I could, I spent almost all of my waking time the entire week in the Memorial Library. Thank you for your kind hospitality and for making the visit possible — as I hope my ongoing and future research will demonstrate, the visit was extremely productive.”

Dr. Donatello Aramini, Rome University, Italy

“In addition to the rich book heritage, once I arrived in Madison I learned of the existence of the rich and incredibly useful Fry Collection of Italian History and Culture in the Department of Special Collections. Within it I found fascist documents and books that are very difficult to find even in Italy. Some of these, moreover, were totally unknown to me and, in several cases, are very useful on crucial aspects such as the nationalist doctrine, the interpretations of Italy’s entry into the war, the declinations of the religion of the nation in the Fascist era, or the education policy of fascism.”

Dr. Amy Rutenberg, Iowa State University

“I want to say thank you for keeping these funds available through the entire COVID period. I applied for this grant way back in 2019, and I cannot overemphasize how important to me it was that they were still available – for a last minute trip, no less – 2.5 years later. The trip was amazing. Being back in the archives rejuvenated my interest in a project that I had barely started when COVID hit. So the time was a mental boost. I have already presented two conference papers (2023 annual conferences of the Society for Military History and Organization of American Historians) based on my findings from your collections and connected via phone and videoconference with some of the people mentioned in the records. Although my book is still a long way off, a first article from the research is also underway.”

Dr. Hanna Chuchvaha, University of Calgary, Canada

“My research trip to the Libraries of the University of Wisconsin-Madison from August 2 through August 13, 2023 was an absolute success. I was impressed by the collections and by the fact that they are open for research not only to the academic community of the University of Wisconsin but also to the external scholars. The libraries own many unique items and bibliographic rarities which are preserved in excellent condition. My work in the libraries was centered on the Memorial Library, Special Collections, the Kohler Art Library and I ordered some items from the Verona Shelving Facility. I also visited the Wisconsin Historical Society. I was able to find some absolutely unique sources which were both included into my initial bibliography and which were found on site.”

Dr. Benjamin Serby, Adelphi University

“Summer of 2023 I visited the Wisconsin Historical Society, spending six full days in the archives reading room. The principal reason for my visit was to conduct exploratory research for an article tracing the activities of antiwar and antinuclear organizers in the shadow of the atomic bomb from the 1960s through the 1980s. By my calculations, I examined materials spanning fifteen different collections, including more than fifty boxes in total and one digitized audio recording. Obviously, this was a tremendously productive visit. What I found in the archives will provide a tremendous boost as I formulate my thinking about both an article and a second book project.”

Dr. Nicole Sackley, University of Richmond

“I am still sorting through, and taking notes on, the over 2,000 (!) images that I captured during my 2022 visit. However, I am beginning to make some important discoveries. One of my favorite discoveries involves the US Peace Corps, whose promotion of cooperatives in Latin America has been largely left out of Peace Corps history. My research uncovered The Pine Log, a bi-monthly newsletter for Peace Corps volunteers to exchange stories and their experiences with cooperative projects around the world. The WHS has what are likely the only surviving copies of this publication.”

Dr. Wayne Arnold, University of Kitakyushu, Japan

“In September 2022, I spent two weeks working through the Kenneth Fearing, Margery Latimer, and Carl Rokosi-related materials held at the Memorial Library. Access to these unique materials has been essential to moving forward with the project intended to provide fresh perspectives on Fearing. The financial support of the Friends of UW-Madison Libraries allowed me to travel from Japan, conduct this crucial research, and enjoy the lovely fall weather of Madison.”

Monica Campbell, PhD Candidate, University of Mississippi

“Public health protocols enacted because of the current COVID-19 pandemic made for an interesting archives experience during my visit to Madison in October 2020, including a more limited time frame in which to work. However, with the help of the wonderful archives staff and the Friend’s generous funding, I had a very productive trip and was able to collect the materials needed to complete my dissertation. Thank you so much for making this trip possible.”