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Milner Library

Manuscripts and Publications

Illuminated manuscript

Explore the written record of Illinois State University and beyond through books, manuscripts, periodicals, and more digitized by Milner Library. From medieval codices and circus route books to student newspapers, alumni magazines, and personal diaries, these collections digitally preserve both published works and one-of-a-kind handwritten texts held in the university’s cultural heritage collections.

For access to modern ebooks and commercial primary source databases, consult the Milner Library catalog.

Explore Digitized Collections

  • book cover embossed with 'Five Year Diary'

    Anna Ropp Diaries

    Between 1933 and 2002, Anna Ropp, a 1931 graduate of the Mennonite Hospital School of Nursing (now ISU’s Mennonite College of Nursing), recorded short daily entries detailing her farm, family, and work life in personal diaries.

  • black and white relief print of a circus

    Barnum & Bailey Circus Programs

    These ephemeral programs provide fascinating examples of P.T. Barnum and the Bailey Brothers' brilliance in building and marketing what would come to be known as the "Greatest Show on Earth."

  • woodcut print of a corpse in a catacomb

    Books and Periodicals

    An online repository for digitized published works held by Milner Library, including rare volumes, periodicals from the War Publications Collection, and a full run of the Post Amerikan (1971-2003), Bloomington-Normal’s underground newspaper.

  • painting of Charles Hovey

    Charles E. Hovey Presidential Papers

    ISNU’s first present, Charles Hovey, led the university from 1857 until the advent of the Civil War, when he left to command the 33rd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, an army unit comprised primarily of ISNU students and faculty.

  • illustration of a clown holding a book that says 'Season of 1899'

    Circus Route Books

    A distinctive artifact of circus culture, route books served as an important record of the day-to-day operations of the industry’s biggest shows as they crisscrossed the country each year.

  • black and white photo of Elmer Cavins

    Elmer Cavins Collection

    ISNU faculty member Elmer Cavins (1864-1938) taught penmanship and orthography in the English Department for more than 40 years. He visited Europe in 1911 and 1919, recording his experiences in lengthy letters to his family.

  • painting of Hazel Buck Ewing

    Ewing Family Collection

    Archival documents and photographs pertaining to Bloomington, Illinois philanthropist Hazle Buck Ewing (1880-1969) and her extended family, including seven photo-illustrated volumes recording their 1924-25 world tour.

  • illustration of a clown on a blue background

    Gamma Phi Circus Programs

    The oldest collegiate circus in America, Gamma Phi was founded in 1929 as a gymnastics fraternity by Illinois State Normal University’s Director of Physical Education Clifford "Pop" Horton. Since 1932 it has staged an end-of-semester performance each spring to showcase the traditional circus arts and demonstrate exciting new innovations in acrobatics and design.

  • illustration of a woman holding a whip surrounded by lions, tigers, and cheetahs

    Heralds and Handbills

    Typically vertically oriented and covered in dense, black text, these posters were often tacked up on telephone poles by advance men to announce coming attractions. Relatively few heralds survive to the present day as they were often cheaply produced and quickly discarded.

  • cropped section of the 2003-2004 Course Catalog

    ISU Course Catalogs

    In addition to course descriptions, these guides – historically issued in IS(N)U’s quarterly Bulletin – provide extensive information on the university’s structure, policies, and services. All catalogs profile that year’s faculty and administrators; editions published prior to 1933 also list the names of the previous term’s students and recent graduates.

  • photo of a man sitting next to a mounted gavel

    ISU Governance

    Like all public universities in Illinois, ISU participates in shared governance through its Academic Senate, Staff Council, and Student Government Association. Browse Illinois State University Academic Senate Minutes, Board Reports, and Strategic Plans.

  • 3 people in front of a lit Illinois State University sign

    ISU Histories

    Full-text downloads are available for nine of the historical retrospectives written about IS(N)U between 1882 and 2009, as well as twelve short documentary films produced 1995 and 2006.

  • stack of journals

    ISU Journals

    Current and historical scholarly periodicals published at Illinois State University or by ISU affiliates.

  • cover of 'State' magazine

    ISU Magazines and Newsletters

    Alumni publications, marketing materials, departmental newsletters, and more dating from the early 20th century through today.

  • photo of two people in stage makeup and costume

    ISU Performing
    Arts Programs

    Documentation of thousands of music recitals, dance performances, and theatrical productions staged at IS(N)U, including those pertaining to the Illinois Shakespeare Festival and the School of Music’s Madrigal Dinners.

  • photo of the stacks in Milner Library

    ISU Theses
    and Dissertations

    Most ISU graduate student theses and dissertations published between 1945 and 2012 are only available in print; consult the Digitization Center for digitization-on-demand services. Abstracts and/or full-text versions of those published between 2013 and the present can largely be accessed online via ProQuest or ISU ReD.

  • illustration with image of cake and text 'Happy Birthday 1857-1955'

    ISU Traditions

    Delve into programs, speeches, and other records documenting the time-honored traditions that continue to mark milestones at Illinois State University, including commencement, IS(N)U's Founding Celebration, and the president's annual State of the University Address.

  • cropped section of a copy of The Index

    ISU Yearbooks

    Annual retrospectives containing student headshots and group photos. IS(N)U, Mennonite College of Nursing, Thomas Metcalf School and University High School have published several distinct yearbook titles between the late 19th century and today.

  • portrait of Jesse Fell

    Jesse Fell Civil War Paymaster Records

    Jesse W. Fell (1808-1887) is credited as a founder of Illinois State (Normal) University. During the Civil War he spent 18 months serving as a paymaster in the Union Army.

  • photo of Buffalo Bill

    The Life and Legacy of Buffalo Bill

    William Frederick Cody, more commonly known as Buffalo Bill, embodies the romance of an illusory Western frontier. This collection explores the enduring influence of Buffalo Bill on American culture and our persistent fascination with one its greatest showmen.

  • postcard back with handwritten text

    Manuscripts at Milner

    From daily diaries and circus travelogues to medieval religious texts and ledgers detailing the operations of Illinois State Normal University in its infancy, this collection gathers together some of Milner Library’s many unique exemplars of handwritten codex-format texts.

  • illustration of P.T. Barnum

    P.T. Barnum Letters and Ephemera

    Explore the world and writings of legendary showman Phineas Taylor Barnum, the man who revolutionized entertainment in 19th-century America. Many of these documents deal with Barnum’s American Museum, his failed real estate speculation venture in Denver, Colorado, and his relationship with “Swedish nightingale” Jenny Lind.

  • open books of compiled 'Vidette' papers

    The Vidette Digital Archives

    IS(N)U’s student newspaper The Vidette has been in continuous publication since 1888, though print production ceased in 2021. This database, which extends to more than 100,000 pages, currently contains all issues published through February 2000.

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