BGSU :: Pop Culture Library :: Special Collections in the BPCL

Browne Popular Culture Library

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Special Collections in the BPCL

This list will give you an idea of what kinds of collections are housed in the Browne Popular Culture Library. Please stop by and see us to use any of these collections. Here's an overview of how to use the BPCL.

Advertising trade cards: An inventory of our collection these mainly Victorian-era advertising resources.
Alternative press: Searchable by title in the BGSU Libraries Catalog. There is also a research guide that gives additional information and links to specific titles in the Alternative and Underground Press Collection.
Audio Literature Collection: This collection is primarily books on CD and cassette from BPCL manuscript donors. Some other books from BPCL collections are included.
Automotive Vertical File Collection: The finding aid for this collection includes an overview of the collection and its organization as well as an inventory of the entire collection.
Beauty Pageant Collection: This is the finding aid for this collection of photos of Miss America contestants and programs and scrapbooks of articles from the pageants.
Big Little Books: These are available by title in the BGSU Libraries Catalog. You can also browse a list by call number.
Bookmarks (Romance): These are not processed currently. Please ask BPCL personnel for assistance.
Bridge Tally Cards: This collection, donated by Laura M. Mueller, contains mainly bridge tally cards and score pads from the early part of the 20th century to the 1960's.
Calendars: This finding aid describes the calendar collection and gives a list of subjects available.
Comic Books: These are available by title in the BGSU Libraries Catalog. A list is available for up to 10,000 records via subject heading; See also: general comics, magazine comics, underground comics; See also: Bravard Comics, Bravard magazine comics, Bravard underground comics
Display Photos Collection: A 3-box collection of black and white photographs of window displays from the Best & Co. store in New York City from 1933-1934. The displays garnered the Socrates' High Award of the Year in 1934, a competition for department store window displays in New York City. Photographs of the display manager, Richard Terhune, and his assistant, Mary Clark, are included.
Fanzines
Games Collection: This is the finding aid for the Games Collection. Background of the collection and an inventory are included.
Genre periodicals: These are periodicals focused on a particular subject or genre
Greeting cards: This gives an overview of the collection. A more detailed online inventory is in progress, with a print inventory in the BPCL reference area.
Kennedy Collection: This collection of newspapers and periodicals highlight the life of the Kennedy family, specifically, John F. Kennedy, and his impact in American history and his assassination.
Little Blue Books: The Little Blue Books were published by the Halderman-Julius Publishing Company of Giraud Kansas from 1919-1978. The small staple bound books were designed to fit into a working man's pocket. Emanuel Haldeman-Julius and his wife Marcet published them to foster ideals of American socialism and to provide basic education to the working classes. The books included classics of Western literature as well as books that dealt with current social and political issues. They were enormously popular until the 1950s when the FBI, under J. Edgar Hoover, put Halderman-Julius on its' enemies list.; Housed in numerical order. Here is a list of the BPCL's holdings of little blue books.
Little Leather Library volumes
Mail-order catalogs: There is a company and subject list available, as well as an overview of the collection.
Manuscripts: The BPCL has a number of manuscript collections. Most have finding aids available, though most of these are currently in print only in the BPCL reference area. Some, however, are in electronic form.
Matchbook covers: These are arranged by subject.
Mike Douglas Show: Black and white stills from his Philadelphia show.
Motion picture scripts: These are browsable by the subject motion picture plays, by the local call number moviescripts, and searchable by title in the BGSU Libraries Catalog. There are a number of these as yet uncataloged. See BPCL personnel for assistance if you cannot find the desired script in our library catalog.
Motion picture press kits: These are in the process of being cataloged into the BGSU Libraries Catalog. Browse by local call number or search by title of film. See BPCL personnel for assistance for press kits not yet cataloged.
Nickel weeklies: These are searchable by title in the BGSU Libraries Catalog.
Obama Collection: This is a selective collection of articles and memorabilia on Barack Obama.
Personal Growth Leaflets: These appeared in the early 20th century as commencement messages for young people.
Pin-back buttons: Many of these are displayed at the entrance to the BPCL. The rest of collection are arranged by subject. Take a look at the finding aid to read more about these buttons.
Postcards: Arranged by country, state, and city, or by subject.
Posters: The BPCL has several different kinds of posters: movie posters, World War I and II posters, movie lobby cards, and miscellaneous themed posters. To see any of these, stop by the BPCL Service/Reference Desk.
Prints: See BPCL personnel for assistance.
Pulp magazines: There is a research guide available if you'd like more information on pulp magazines. These are also searchable by title in the BGSU Libraries Catalog.
Radio scripts: These are searchable by title in the BGSU Libraries Catalog. They are also browsable by local call number radioscripts and by the subject heading radio scripts. There is also a finding aid available with the titles in the Du Pont series "The Cavalcade of America."
Realia: These are arranged by subject or format. There is an item list available with the finding aid in the BPCL reference area. These typically are toys or memorabilia.
Somerville Gates Collection
Spider-Man Collection
Star Trek: This is the finding aid for this collection. See also the collection announcement from 1997, when the collection was donated.
Story papers: See BPCL personnel for assistance.
Studio One Collection: Collection of television scripts with some videos of the programs. Searchable by title in the BGSU Libraries Catalog or browsable by "Studio One". There is also a collection announcement that further details the collection.
Television scripts: These are searchable by title in the BGSU Libraries Catalog. Within each series title, they are arranged by episode title. You can also browse this collection by the subject heading television scripts and the local call number tvscripts.
Titanic collection: Donated by Andrew Anthos, this collection has a finding aid available in the BPCL reference area.
Trading cards: This collection is arranged by sport and non-sport categories. Click on either the sport or non-sport links to see a more detailed inventory.
Vertical file: There is a listing available of subjects covered as well as a finding aid in the BPCL reference area.
Vintage paperbacks: These are searchable by title in the BGSU Libraries Catalog.
World War I posters: These are arranged by issuing agency. See BPCL personnel for assistance.
World War II posters: See BPCL personnel for assistance.
Yearbook Collection: The Yearbook Collection is a selective set of 85 yearbooks from colleges around the U.S. Years range from 1891 to 1987.