Library Assignment:

Paraphrase and Description: Working with an Item from the UCSD Dr. Seuss Archive

Overview

This assignment asks you to write a long paragraph that could accompany a specific artifact from the Dr. Seuss Went to War archive in Special Collections at the UCSD library.

The artifact must come from UCSD's Geisel collection. Materials from UCSD's digital collections can be used for this assignment, but information from online databases must be properly cited.

One of the benefits of being a UCSD undergraduate student is that you are welcome to go to Mandeville Special Collections Library to conduct research. If you wish to return to Special Collections after your visit with your discussion section, you should be mindful of their hours of service and obey all policies for readers. Mandeville Special Collections Library staff are happy to help you search the catalog if you are having difficulty, however because of the library’s limited hours and staffing it is in your best interest to initiate your search for materials on your own first by using the library’s catalog in conjunction with the webpages describing this collection. You will need the call number to request materials from Special Collections, so be sure to jot that down when you find materials of interest to you.

(The special collections library also has a world-class collection of materials from the Spanish Civil War, which do not require the level of permissions that the Seus archive entails.)

A successful assignment will do the following:

Looking Ahead

The last assignment in this course will ask you to curate an entire exhibit for special collections with multiple labels and an eye-catching brochure to accompany the display. This assignment will help you refine the ways that you write about the emotional appeals and technical features of visual media and practice a form of writing that will be developed in the final assignment.