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NEW BOOK! Pages from the Past: Stories from the
Sunday Pantagraph
The Museum's newest publication Pages from the Past
is a compliation of 75 of the nearly 360 installments of "A
Page from our Past" that have appeared in the Sunday
Pantagraph. The column, written by Museum Librarian Bill
Kemp, debuted in December of 2005. Selections included
the book range from the 1730 siege of the Fox in eastern
McLean County to the 1970 Vietnam War protest at Illinois
State University. Readers will find in these pages
everything from new perspectives on oft-told local tales to
offbeat forays into the lives of hometown eccentrics and
rabble rousers. Kemp has a master's degree in journalism
from the University of Illinois Springfield and a master's in
history for Illinois State University.
With the advances and developments in Mobile media, the
Museum of History has decided to go mobile too. We have
developed a Mobile Architectural Tour through Downtown
Bloomington. The tour utilizes QR (quick response) codes that
have been placed in the windows of rich and historically
significant buildings around Downtown Bloomington. We hope
this helps you to learn more about Bloomington's architectural
history, while having fun.
The individual webpages are designed for visitors to gain
architectural information about each location, noting the type
of material, design style, architectural elements and other
aspects to the architecture of the building. The pages also
include brief notes of history, making the building come alive
in a sense. The Museum is also currently using QR codes in the
permanent exhibit, Encounter on the Prairie, located on the
first floor of the Museum.
Book based on Come & Get
It! exhibit now available for purchase!
The Museum has published a book based on a past exhibit, Come
& Get! The Way We Ate 1830-2008. Author Robert
Dirks' Come & Get It! McDonaldization and the
Disappearance of Local Food from a Central Illinois
Community is now available for purchase.
Robert Dirks, emeritus professor of anthropology at Illinois
State University is also the guest curator for the exhibit.
The book provides an in-depth look at the changes in our food
habits over time. Dirks has conducted research in areas of
food and nutrition for nearly 30 years. His publications
include papers in Annual Review of Nutrition, Journal of
Nutrition, The Cambridge World History of Human Disease,
African Food Systems in Crisis and other publications.
Purchase a paperback edition at the Museum's On the Square
Gift Shopfor $19.95 or order the Kindle edition online from Amazon.com
for $9.95. A paperback version can also be purchased
fromAmazon.com for $19.95.