From Bloomington to the World: 75 Years of Language Learning That Transforms Lives
Who: Herman B Wells Library
Where : University Archives, Housed on the Fourth Floor of the Wells Library East Tower
When : 07/07/2025 – 09/26/2025
How : University Archive Exhibition
Why : (For them) to celebrates its 75th anniversary this summer language workshop, (for me) Who doesn’t love langauge workshop?
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The library will probably always be the coolest place on campus for me. Archivists voluntarily trap themselves in its deepest corners and keep uncovering fascinating things. This exhibit is part of that work—it highlights the history of Indiana University’s Summer Language Workshop, now marking its 75th anniversary. Launched in 1951 at the height of the Cold War, the Russian Workshop was created to meet an urgent national need for language instruction. The exhibit features archival documents, publicity materials, photographs, artifacts, and oral history interviews with former directors, instructors, and alumni that trace the Workshop’s development and success. (From the website)
If you love vintage documents, photos, and random souvenirs from past events—and enjoy mapping out this library in your head—you definitely shouldn’t miss it. I came across a badge that read “화이팅 (cheer up),” always nice to spot Korean in the wild, and a curious T-shirt with Croatia. I asked ChatGPT, and it turned out to be from the 2009 Summer Language Croatian Workshop. They adapted Dr. Seuss’s One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish into Croatian for the shirt. Such a unique piece—I loved it.
The library actually holds plenty of treasures about history and historic figures. Once, at First Thursday on the Fine Arts Plaza, they even handed out a recipe card for Herman B Wells Cake. When you click the “Herman B Wells” tag at the bottom, you can discover more about him as a person. I don’t know who writes those entries, but at some point, I thought—I’d really like to be friends with them.
Where : University Archives, Housed on the Fourth Floor of the Wells Library East Tower
When : 07/07/2025 – 09/26/2025
How : University Archive Exhibition
Why : (For them) to celebrates its 75th anniversary this summer language workshop, (for me) Who doesn’t love langauge workshop?
See more Information
The library will probably always be the coolest place on campus for me. Archivists voluntarily trap themselves in its deepest corners and keep uncovering fascinating things. This exhibit is part of that work—it highlights the history of Indiana University’s Summer Language Workshop, now marking its 75th anniversary. Launched in 1951 at the height of the Cold War, the Russian Workshop was created to meet an urgent national need for language instruction. The exhibit features archival documents, publicity materials, photographs, artifacts, and oral history interviews with former directors, instructors, and alumni that trace the Workshop’s development and success. (From the website)
If you love vintage documents, photos, and random souvenirs from past events—and enjoy mapping out this library in your head—you definitely shouldn’t miss it. I came across a badge that read “화이팅 (cheer up),” always nice to spot Korean in the wild, and a curious T-shirt with Croatia. I asked ChatGPT, and it turned out to be from the 2009 Summer Language Croatian Workshop. They adapted Dr. Seuss’s One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish into Croatian for the shirt. Such a unique piece—I loved it.
The library actually holds plenty of treasures about history and historic figures. Once, at First Thursday on the Fine Arts Plaza, they even handed out a recipe card for Herman B Wells Cake. When you click the “Herman B Wells” tag at the bottom, you can discover more about him as a person. I don’t know who writes those entries, but at some point, I thought—I’d really like to be friends with them.
