Bake Off Wrap-up and Corn Cake Conundrums

I clearly missed what the recipe meant by “thick paste,” and landed on something more akin to tile grout.

Wacky Diet Fads from the Past

I thought I’d explore the wacky world of diet-focused recipes in the collections. 

Parchment & Pajamas: Virtually Visiting Special Collections & Archives

Do you want to see an artists’ book in motion, or an intense zoom on the remains of a wax seal?

The Elmo TT-12F Document Camera and Special Collections Instruction

While the buzz of a classroom filled with excited discussion was somewhat lost in the move to a virtual space, this technology allowed us to share as much of the tactile experience of archives work as we could. 

Do we just collect “Old Stuff”? Appraisal in Special Collections & Archives

While monetary value and current demand for a book are part of the criteria I review in assessing its appropriateness for FSU’s Rare Book Collections, it is just one facet in a web of related values that are considered. 

Welcome to Special Collections & Archives MythBusters Month!

Throughout the month of April we’ll be debunking some of the most popular myths about our work, on our Illuminations blog and on FSU Libraries’ Twitter and Instagram. We invite you to join us on this SCA MythBusting journey!

Paul Hollywood hates Mrs. Beeton’s Cheese Biscuits

There was a touch of disagreement in our house about what it means to “rub in” the cheese with the butter, which resulted in our recreation of one of our favorite scenes in Schitt’s Creek.

Cocktail Week: A Hot Punch to the Face

The photos above contain the recipe as it was recorded in Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management, published in 1861 (the volume in our collection is a first edition).

Welcome to American Archives Month!

Watch this space! Florida State University Special Collections & Archives will be participating in American Archives Month by sharing some of our personal experiences in the archives in blog posts here and on FSU Libraries social accounts.

Michael McClure: In Memoriam

On May 4th of this year, one of the great geniuses of poetry and the arts passed away, and we wanted to take a moment here to commemorate his passing. Michael McClure helped launch the counterculture Beat generation alongside Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Philip Whalen, and Diane Di Prima, and is also associated