Get to know our unique collections! Here we feature newly processed or noteworthy archival collections.
Swedish Council of America records (I/O:73)
The Swedish Council of America (SCA) existed from 1972 to 2020 and was the national umbrella organization for Swedish-American lodges, clubs, associations, museums, and more across the United States. This collection contains information on the governance of the SCA and its activities: namely its awards, scholarships, grants, and publications. The largest series in the collection relates to the grants issued by the SCA which gives a good snapshot of what activities were happening in Swedish-America, such as museum exhibitions, folk arts, publications, performances, language camps, conferences exchanges, and more.
Gottfried Johnson collection on I.O.G.T Rockford (I/O:74)
This collection was created by Gottfrid and Sophie Johnson of Rockford, Illinois over the course of their connection with the Independent Order of Good Templars in Rockford (Rockford Lodge No. 6/Logen Skandinavia No. 6). One of the main purposes of the organization was to promote temperance (the abstinence from alcohol). The bulk of this collection contains programs and event flyers for I.O.G.T.-related activities in Illinois and Rockford, but it also includes some photographs, and Good Templars publications.
King Oscar II's Traveling Library collection (I/O:75)
Föreningen Konung Oscar II:s Vandringsbibliotek (King Oscar II’s Traveling Library Association) was founded in Stockholm in 1906 to provide “good, useful and enlightening” literature freely to Swedish sailors on long voyages and Swedish associations abroad. A secondary purpose was to provide these materials to the “common people” in Sweden. More than 100 of these traveling collections were sent to Swedish-American organizations. This collection contains 157 bound volumes from King Oscar II’s Traveling Library previously held in collections of different Swedish-American organizations (Immanuel Woman’s Home and North Park College, both of Chicago). This collection demonstrates the connection between libraries, literature, and nationalism, particularly at this moment in Sweden’s history.
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