Digitization Services at University of Illinois Library

Digitization Services at University of Illinois Library Official page for Digitization Services at the University of Illinois Library.

It may be , but we're all about preservation all year long!Rachael Johns, Senior Digital Imaging Specialist, recently p...
04/29/2026

It may be , but we're all about preservation all year long!

Rachael Johns, Senior Digital Imaging Specialist, recently presented at digiTIPS on the process of digitizing color negatives. Digital representations of color photographs created from analog color negatives offer room for subjectivity and interpretation as we consider the photographer's intent and the degradation of the negative and any existing prints.

This example from the Gwendolyn Brooks collection showcases two different interpretations of a color negative against a print made from that negative near its time of creation (at right), each showing distinct color differences. Which do you prefer?

Here in Champaign, we're celebrating the Day of the Mushroom with some technicolor champignons! While we wouldn't necess...
04/16/2026

Here in Champaign, we're celebrating the Day of the Mushroom with some technicolor champignons! While we wouldn't necessarily recommend eating any of those pictured here, April is prime morel season in Illinois.

Morel of the story? Whether you're on the hunt or just in need of some visual interest, the five volumes of the 1919 Iconographie des champignons supérieurs from the University of Illinois Rare Book & Manuscript Library are sure to satisfy. Check them out in the Digital Special Collections: https://go.library.illinois.edu/DayOfTheMushroom

As Illinois heads to the Final Four this weekend, we celebrate the beginning of National Poetry Month with an unexpected...
04/01/2026

As Illinois heads to the Final Four this weekend, we celebrate the beginning of National Poetry Month with an unexpected basketball icon: Carl Sandburg.

No jokes here; Carl Sandburg really did once serve as the captain of the Lombard College basketball team, where he apparently gained a reputation for his throwing skills. He is seen in this 1898-1899 team photograph on the far left of the first row. Personally, we think it's time to bring back the uniforms!

See more of the Carl Sandburg Collection from the University of Illinois Rare Book & Manuscript Library in the Digital Special Collections: https://go.library.illinois.edu/SandburgBasketball

We're preparing for the Funk Library Invasive Species panel on April 21 by looking at some insects in the Digital Specia...
03/17/2026

We're preparing for the Funk Library Invasive Species panel on April 21 by looking at some insects in the Digital Special Collections!

Luckily for the entomophobics among us, the ocellated shield bug has not been found in the United States. The curious can find it and other beetles, butterflies, and more in "An epitome of the natural history of the insects of China" (1798) from University of Illinois Rare Book & Manuscript Library: https://go.library.illinois.edu/InsectsOfChina

In need of some inspiration for National Craft Month? Look no further than the Digital Library!Originally intended for d...
03/03/2026

In need of some inspiration for National Craft Month? Look no further than the Digital Library!

Originally intended for damask weaving and carpets, we're also dreaming up cross stitch and needlepoint projects with these 1828 charts. Based on the pencil marks, it looks like a previous user was particularly interested in the wreath motif (image two).

Find more charts from Afhandling om drällers och dubbla golfmattors tillverkning, med begagnande af harnesk-rustning (1828) from the University of Illinois Rare Book & Manuscript Library in the Digital Special Collections: https://go.library.illinois.edu/DamaskCharts

We're celebrating Presidents' Day with a look back through the camera lens!In December 2025, we digitized a pop-up card ...
02/16/2026

We're celebrating Presidents' Day with a look back through the camera lens!

In December 2025, we digitized a pop-up card of the Lincoln Memorial in volume XVIII of the Abraham Lincoln scrapbooks created by Henrietta Calhoun Horner held by the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections. This unusual inclusion in the scrapbook gave us a chance to be creative with our photography--swipe to see the process and the final image.

View the entire volume in the Digital Special Collections: https://go.library.illinois.edu/HornerXVIII

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?While we're pretty sure a woodchuck (AKA groundhog...
02/02/2026

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

While we're pretty sure a woodchuck (AKA groundhog) isn't the cause of the damage of this circa 1728 woodblock, we sometimes see evidence of historic insect activity or other damage in the items we digitize--it turns out wood can be quite tasty! To keep modern troubles at bay, our friends at Preservation Services routinely monitor library spaces for signs of pests that may harm collections.

Wood block used for printing four leaves from the Winter volume of Bakyō taizen (IUZ00409) from University of Illinois Rare Book & Manuscript Library

What changes in a decade?In 2016, we had just changed our name from Digital Content Creation and joined Preservation Ser...
01/20/2026

What changes in a decade?

In 2016, we had just changed our name from Digital Content Creation and joined Preservation Services. The beta version of the Digital Library was also being launched!

The display might look a little different (swipe to compare 2016 and 2026), but the content will always be the same! That is the goal of digital preservation: to provide accurate and authentic rendering of content that remains functional over time.

Find the September 1907 Sanborn map of Aledo, Illinois, in the Digital Special Collections now and in the future: https://go.library.illinois.edu/Aledo1907

or ? It's the end of our first week back in the office and we're still trying to figure out what day it is! The mid-1...
01/09/2026

or ? It's the end of our first week back in the office and we're still trying to figure out what day it is!

The mid-18th century French binding of the University of Illinois Rare Book & Manuscript Library Catholicon (1469) features gilt marbled edges. The real interest, though, awaits inside: the colophon contains the first detailed printed reference to the introduction of printing with movable type and the first instance in which a book named its place of printing. The RBML copy is the second edition, printed with the two-line printing slugs created by Gutenberg for the first printing.

View the full Catholicon in the Digital Special Collections: https://go.library.illinois.edu/Catholicon

Happy holidays from all of us at Digitization Services!We will be closed Monday, December 22 through Friday, January 3, ...
12/19/2025

Happy holidays from all of us at Digitization Services!

We will be closed Monday, December 22 through Friday, January 3, but you can always find festive bookplates and jolly good books in the Digital Special Collections!

Find the bookplate of Frank Morrill Annis in the University of Illinois Rare Book & Manuscript Library John Starr Stewart Ex Libris Collection: https://go.library.illinois.edu/FrankMorrillAnnis

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1408 W. Gregory Drive
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