Special Collections & Archives Banner

You are here

Peek in the Stacks: united states

Women's Work at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, 1915

Special Collections and Archives holds many rare books that capture the unique history of specific events. This post focuses on the Woman’s Board of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition hosted by San Francisco in 1915 as told by Anna Pratt Simpson and John Henry Nash in Problems Women Solved: Being the Story of the Woman's Board of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition ..

Read more Peek in the Stacks blog entries

The Oldest Profession

The scholarly study of prostitution began to flourish in the mid-1980s sparked by public health concerns over sexually transmitted diseases, the need for legislative protections against sexualized violence and sex trafficking, and a growing awareness of relationships between sex work, substance abuse, and mental health. The regulation of prostitution in the United States is not ...

Read more Peek in the Stacks blog entries

Celebrating Black History in LA

In honor of Black History Month, this week’s blog post highlights just a few African Americans who have contributed to the development and culture of the City of Los Angeles. These figures have roots embedded deep in the history of Los Angeles, some well before California was even part of the United States. Special Collections and Archives holds many interesting items that capture this history...

Read more Peek in the Stacks blog entries

Quirky and Curious Calendars

Many people enjoy the yearly ritual of choosing a calendar, date book, or planner in which to note their daily activities. These seemingly innocuous notes and scribbles can sometimes reveal interesting details about people's interests, social and professional lives, priorities and goals, or other personal details...

Read more Peek in the Stacks blog entries

Baedeker's Travel Guide for the United States

Baedeker's travel guides, produced by publisher Karl Baedeker and his descendants beginning in the 1830s, were hugely popular with European audiences travelling around neighboring European nations and the far-flung reaches of their colonial empires. Baedeker wanted travelers to find ....

Read more Peek in the Stacks blog entries

Women and the American Electorate

The US Constitution originally left the determination of who should be eligible to vote up to the states, and as a result the question of which Americans should have voting rights has been debated throughout US history. Over the years five constitutional amendments and a number of federal, state, and local ...

Read more Peek in the Stacks blog entries

America First: Variations on a Theme

"America First" is a phrase that's been uttered with increased frequency over the past year. Under the current presidential administration, the phrase is used to describe a group of policies focused on American interests and American national security, with an emphasis on defeating terror groups, strengthening the US military, building diplomatic relationships, and....

Read more Peek in the Stacks blog entries