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NIU BookLab students will showcase class projects

Student replica
Yvonne Boose
Student replica

Students in one Northern Illinois University English class will showcase their works at the end of the month. The community is invited to see what they’ve learned. Some will also get a chance to create something themselves.

Students from the fall and spring semesters will show off what they’ve learned at the NIU BookLab.

Beth McGowan is an associate professor, librarian and curator of Rare Books and Special Collections at the school. She said some students lead a workshop earlier in the day.

“They'll be making paper with participants,” McGowan said, “but that is their only space for about 20 people. So that one's an RSVP.”

The day will also include a “History of the Book” seminar, which will showcase a premiere collection.

Presenters for that include Matthew Short, the head of technical support for the Digital Collections team and Sata Prescott, the preservation coordinator.

After that, the community will have a chance try out some book presses.

“Simultaneously with some paper marbling," she said, "and also a space for people to make cards, graduation cards, Mother's Day cards, thank you cards.”

The NIU BookLab showcase takes place on Wednesday, April 29, at the university’s Founders Library.

Yvonne covers artistic, cultural, and spiritual expressions in the COVID-19 era. This could include how members of community cultural groups are finding creative and innovative ways to enrich their personal lives through these expressions individually and within the context of their larger communities. Boose is a recent graduate of the Illinois Media School and returns to journalism after a career in the corporate world.