Flaxman Library

🛍️ Stop by and shop artists’ book duplicates and help support our collections! 🛍️ In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Library staff started referring to our increasing piles of duplicates as the “Book Bank.” Over the years, as acquisitions have grown and space is at a premium, more than 50 archival boxes have taken over the shelves in our storage area. We would love to make more space for new collections and share these extra publications with our community!

All proceeds from the sale will go towards purchasing new materials for the Joan Flasch Artists’ Book Collection.

During the sale we will also be hosting an open house with music, mini-exhibitions, and a FLASCH DANCE to end the day and close out Bibliodérive week!

This event is open to SAIC and AIC community members. Payment by credit card or ARTICard only.
Image description: advertisement for the sale with the following information:
“Duplicates Sale
Flaxman Library Special Collections
Friday, 10/23
11am – 4pm
Sharp 5th floor”
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This summer we were lucky enough to receive the first part of a generous donation of artists’ books from collector Larry McCaffrey.

McCaffrey grew up in Chicago and eventually moved to NYC, which is where he has been developing his collection for over 30 years. His interest in artists’ books began and grew through a connection with Tony Zwicker (1925–2000), the first and foremost female dealer of artists’ books. Tony’s archives are also held in our special collections, offering a rare opportunity to see the reciprocity of dealer and collector in one place.

The Larry McCaffrey Collection of Contemporary Artists’ Books includes around 200 pieces from a variety of contemporary artists, with examples of different forms, materials, and techniques.

We are very excited to share this spectacular collection with our community! Stay tuned for more information about individual pieces, as well as updates on resources for teaching and researching with the collection.

Image Description:
1. Library staff are shown receiving and unwrapping the books after their long journey from New York.
2. A photo of a large Sigrid Calon To the Extend Of portfolio box shown beside a standard version.
3. A group photo of some of the spectacular titles that we received—including, Novopolis pop-up book, and The Whale by Kevin Steele. OR a slide show/video, a quick peek at the amazing structures, patterns, and colors represented in the donated materials.

Our first “What’s New Wednesday” book of the Fall Semester is a doozy!
“Miyoko Ito: Heart of Hearts” is the first major monograph on a highly regarded painter not well known outside Chicago, where she lived and worked.

At almost 500 pages, this book has hundreds of illustrations of Ito’s paintings and drawings, an essay by author Jordan Stein, installation views of exhibitions, archival ephemera, and a transcription of a 1978 interview done with the artist from the Video Data Bank archives.

Find this, and plenty of other new books, on our new book display in the library.

Welcome back to campus and to the Flaxman Library and Special Collections!

As everyone settles into the Fall semester, don’t forget to check out all the Summer 2026 issues of your favorite journals that came in over the last few months.
Everything from art and architecture to poetry to photography and sewing, there’s plenty to catch up on!

Find these and more journals in the library now!

issues

Welcome back to campus! The library’s fall hours start today 🍁 Swipe to see more information, and remember you can always stop by or email if you need research help!
Image descriptions:
Slide 1: graphic reading “Fall hours + Library info” with an arrow indicating more information is in the following slide.

Slide 2: graphic listing hours;
“Sharp 5th + 6th Floors: Mon-Thu, 9am - 9pm / Fri, 9am - 6pm / Sat, 10am - 5pm / Sun, closed”
“Library Special Collections (Room 503): Mon-Thu, 9am - 7pm / Fri, 9am - 4pm / Sat, 10am - 1pm *scheduled classes only / Sun, closed”

Slide 3: graphic reading “Explore More.
Fashion Resource Center: Mon-Fri, 9 am - 5 pm, Appointment Required
Textile Resource Center: Mon-Fri, 9 am - 5 pm, Appointment Required
Video Data Bank: Mon-Fri: 9 am - 5pm, Appointment Required”

Slide 4: graphic reading “Get Help! If you need research help, use Navigate to set up a Research Consultation with a librarian! Online or in-person.”
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We’re open and have the summer reads to suit your needs 📚☀️📚 Leisure reading, research, or curiosity – stop by and grab a book during our summer hours: Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm.
Image description: Graphic with the following information: “Summer Hours. Sharp 5th + 6th Floors, Mon – Fri, 9 am - 5 pm, Closed Saturday + Sunday. Library Special Collections, Mon – Fri, 9am - 4pm, Closed Saturday + Sunday. Special Collections visits are by appointment only. Email [email protected] to schedule.” /EndID

Grab your summer reads this week! The library will be closed May 17th - 31st. 📚

If you need assistance, librarians are replying to emails sent to [email protected] between May 18th - 29th, Mon-Fri. Library materials can be returned on the first floor of Sharp whenever the building is open. We will begin summer hours (Mon-Fri, 9am - 5pm) on June 1st ☀️
Image description: Graphic with the information above and this additional note: “No Flaxman, I-Share, or Worldshare pick-ups until 6/1.”

We hope everyone is having a good Crit Week! For folks who’ve been hitting up - check out this from1975.

We found this snapshot of the former art supply store at SAIC (280 Building) in our Digital Collections. Explore more using the link in our bio 📸