The Center for Research Libraries (CRL) has been busy digitizing a feast of agricultural resources as a part of part of the Project Ceres initiative, a collaboration between the United States Agricultural Information Network (USAIN), the Agriculture Network Information Collaborative (AgNIC), and CRL.
The University Libraries received one of seven Project Ceres grants for 2015 and we will be digitizing Arkansas Extension Circulars. So more bounty will be coming your way soon. In the meantime, explore CRL’s newest agricultural resource to be placed online, The Drover’s Journal, as you enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday. Well, maybe wait until after your Thanksgiving meal.
Advertisement from 1905 International Livestock Exposition catalog. Courtesy, CRL.
The Drover’s Journal, 1882-1962, was a newspaper devoted to the business of the Chicago stockyards. This 80-year run documents changes in the shipping and processing of beef and pork, the evolution of agricultural practices as advertisements for horse and mules gave way to tractors and combines, and the volatile nature of the nation’s food supply through depressions, wars, and plenty. Industries and products related to meat production and processing are also found here, such as horse harnesses, axle grease, and hog insurance. As a daily newspaper, the Drover’s Journal also provides fascinating insights into social history, with advertisements for Hostetter’s Bitters (“a regular habit”), Hazelton Pianos (“Grand, Square and Upright!”) and Wilde’s Clothiers (“Solid Suits for the Money”).
Other agricultural material of note at CRL include a premier collection of federal and state censuses of agriculture and a growing number of digitized trade agricultural periodicals.
More About CRL
CRL is a “library’s library,” collecting and preserving obscure and international materials for the use of scholars at member libraries. CRL holds more than 5 million items with particular emphasis on geographical regions:
and on difficult-to-find publication types
- foreign dissertations
- foreign journals and periodicals, with an emphasis on scientific and technical literature
- foreign and U.S. newspapers
- government documents, censuses, and official gazettes
Because the University Libraries have membership in CRL, University of Arkansas students, faculty, and staff may borrow these collections through the ILLiad Interlibrary Loan service. While some materials are loaned to the Libraries long-term, requests are increasingly filled by digitization on demand. You can search all CRL materials through their online catalog or browse their topic guides for inspiration