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John M. Flaxman Library, Joan Flasch Artists' Book Collection, and archives at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

10/20/2026

Sneak peek and details about the duplicates sale THIS FRIDAY!

11am - 4pm, Sharp 5th Floor
All SAIC and AIC community members are welcome
Payment is by credit card or ARTICard only

More details at the bibliodérive link in our bio!

10/19/2026

The bilbiodérive has officially started! Stop by anytime the library is open to participate using our prompt deck, and mark your calendars for the situations happening all week! Get lost with us 🔎
Images are graphics detailing information about each situation during bibliodérive week in the library. An accessible version of the schedule is available via the link in our bio.

10/14/2026

NEXT WEEK! Join the library’s annual event disrupting the concept of research where participants are encouraged to reimagine what the library can be! Attend scheduled situations (activations, performances, etc.) or request a prompt in the library anytime we’re open.

Find the schedule 🔗 in our bio - more situations are added as they are submitted!
Image description: Graphic for the bibliodérive event with the following information:
“bibliodérive
October 19-23
@ the library
all saic community members welcome!”
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10/06/2026

Happy 50th birthday to the 280 Building 🎂 ⭐🥳

We saw School of the Art Institute of Chicago share some great archival pics and stills, and wanted to give you a taste of ‘New School Dedication Day’ by legendary SAIC alum and former faculty Tom Palazzolo. These clips are from a print he made just for us in 2011, for our 16mm Film Study Collection. You can stream the full thing in Panopto with your SAIC login!
Videos are short clips from ‘New School Dedication Day.’

09/24/2026

🛍️ Stop by and shop artists’ book duplicates and help support our collections! 🛍️ In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Library staff started referring to our increasing piles of duplicates as the “Book Bank.” Over the years, as acquisitions have grown and space is at a premium, more than 50 archival boxes have taken over the shelves in our storage area. We would love to make more space for new collections and share these extra publications with our community!

All proceeds from the sale will go towards purchasing new materials for the Joan Flasch Artists’ Book Collection.

During the sale we will also be hosting an open house with music, mini-exhibitions, and a FLASCH DANCE to end the day and close out Bibliodérive week!

This event is open to SAIC and AIC community members. Payment by credit card or ARTICard only.
Image description: advertisement for the sale with the following information:
“Duplicates Sale
Flaxman Library Special Collections
Friday, 10/23
11am – 4pm
Sharp 5th floor”
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09/22/2026

This summer we were lucky enough to receive the first part of a generous donation of artists’ books from collector Larry McCaffrey.

McCaffrey grew up in Chicago and eventually moved to NYC, which is where he has been developing his collection for over 30 years. His interest in artists’ books began and grew through a connection with Tony Zwicker (1925–2000), the first and foremost female dealer of artists’ books. Tony’s archives are also held in our special collections, offering a rare opportunity to see the reciprocity of dealer and collector in one place.

The Larry McCaffrey Collection of Contemporary Artists’ Books includes around 200 pieces from a variety of contemporary artists, with examples of different forms, materials, and techniques.

We are very excited to share this spectacular collection with our community! Stay tuned for more information about individual pieces, as well as updates on resources for teaching and researching with the collection.

Image Description:
1. Library staff are shown receiving and unwrapping the books after their long journey from New York.
2. A photo of a large Sigrid Calon To the Extend Of portfolio box shown beside a standard version.
3. A group photo of some of the spectacular titles that we received—including, Novopolis pop-up book, and The Whale by Kevin Steele. OR a slide show/video, a quick peek at the amazing structures, patterns, and colors represented in the donated materials.

09/09/2026

Our first “What’s New Wednesday” book of the Fall Semester is a doozy!
“Miyoko Ito: Heart of Hearts” is the first major monograph on a highly regarded painter not well known outside Chicago, where she lived and worked.

At almost 500 pages, this book has hundreds of illustrations of Ito’s paintings and drawings, an essay by author Jordan Stein, installation views of exhibitions, archival ephemera, and a transcription of a 1978 interview done with the artist from the Video Data Bank archives.

Find this, and plenty of other new books, on our new book display in the library.

08/26/2026

Welcome back to campus and to the Flaxman Library and Special Collections!

As everyone settles into the Fall semester, don’t forget to check out all the Summer 2026 issues of your favorite journals that came in over the last few months.
Everything from art and architecture to poetry to photography and sewing, there’s plenty to catch up on!

Find these and more journals in the library now!

issues

08/25/2026

Welcome back to campus! The library’s fall hours start today 🍁 Swipe to see more information, and remember you can always stop by or email if you need research help!
Image descriptions:
Slide 1: graphic reading “Fall hours + Library info” with an arrow indicating more information is in the following slide.

Slide 2: graphic listing hours;
“Sharp 5th + 6th Floors: Mon-Thu, 9am - 9pm / Fri, 9am - 6pm / Sat, 10am - 5pm / Sun, closed”
“Library Special Collections (Room 503): Mon-Thu, 9am - 7pm / Fri, 9am - 4pm / Sat, 10am - 1pm *scheduled classes only / Sun, closed”

Slide 3: graphic reading “Explore More.
Fashion Resource Center: Mon-Fri, 9 am - 5 pm, Appointment Required
Textile Resource Center: Mon-Fri, 9 am - 5 pm, Appointment Required
Video Data Bank: Mon-Fri: 9 am - 5pm, Appointment Required”

Slide 4: graphic reading “Get Help! If you need research help, use Navigate to set up a Research Consultation with a librarian! Online or in-person.”
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08/17/2026

Last call to see our summer exhibition! The Life of Stuff: Material and Repair in the Library and Special Collections comes down after tomorrow, so stop by the 5th floor of the Sharp Building before it’s gone 🗓️

Address

37 S Wabash Avenue
Chicago, IL
60603

Website

http://www.saic.edu/library

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