The Exhibits Committee was formally created at Northwestern University Library in January 1985. According to its 1989 annual report, the Committee was formed in order to “promote the use of the library and its resources by coordinating the display of NUL and other materials.” The Exhibits Committee is responsible for coordinating, scheduling, supervising and allocating funds for the planning and preparation of displays in the exhibit cases of Level 1 of the Main Library. The Committee also handles the promotion and publicity for the exhibits. Ideas for exhibits are submitted by individuals and organizations, but must be approved by the Committee.
In accordance with the mission statement of the Committee, exhibits center on library collections, library services, current events, cultural themes, campus programs, and student/faculty writings and research. Traveling exhibits or other themed displays brought in under the auspices of an academic department may also be considered. Recurring exhibits include New Student Week, with cases containing representative items to introduce students to the various departments of the Library; the work of the Chicago Hand Bookbinders (under the auspices of the Preservation Department of the Library); and Recent Gifts to the Library.
Founding committee members included Toni Aiello, Scott Bennett, Kathleen Bethel, Dorthy Grundin, Susan Jordan and Kevin Leonard.
From the guide to the Records of the Northwestern University Library Exhibits Committee, 1984-1998, (Northwestern University Archives)
