Source: IU Libraries Blog
From the Classroom is a new series featuring interviews with IUB students and faculty who are utilizing IU Archives’ collections for class assignments and inspiration. Follow here over the coming months for periodic posts about the various forms this can take!
Name: Beth Maben
Background: I am from Bloomington, Indiana and grew up here as well. I wanted to stay in Bloomington for college because IU has good programs for what I wanted to major in. I’ll graduate in May 2018, with majors in Japanese Language and Fashion Design and a minor in Apparel Merchandising. I want to go into the fashion industry eventually, but first I have applied for jobs teaching English abroad in South Korea and Japan.
For my History of Fashion class (taught by Ashley Hasty, Senior Lecturer in the School of Art and Design) we visited the IU Archives to see how we could use their resources in our projects. I was making a 1930’s style evening dress and used the Arbutus yearbooks from IU Archives for my research to see what college students were wearing for formal events despite it being the Great Depression.
Other repositories she visited at IU: I have been to the Sage Collection which focuses on historical fashion as well as the Mathers Museum which has many items from all over the world.
Favorite item at the IU Archives: The 1933 Arbutus was my favorite because of the art deco theme.
What she wanted to tell her family and friends after visiting the IU Archives: They have almost everything on IU’s history! Even if you don’t have any relatives that attended IU, it is still really interesting to see the lives of students who were just like us.