Augustana College Special Collections realia collection

John O. Viking sent former Augustana College librarian, Ira O. Nothstein, the three Ojibway stone hide scrapers in 1949. The plaque of Old Main in the reading room was a gift of Mrs. Lael Erickson in 1975. The Illinois State Flag was given to Augustana College ca. 1980 from the office of the Rock Island Centennial Bridge, where it had been stored since 1965. Prior to this location, the flag was owned by Morris E. Muhleman. The National Congress of American Indians Convention poster was a gift from Gertrude Eichstaedt in 1985. Dorothy Parkander, former Augustana English professor, donated President Conrad Bergendoff’s paperweights in 2005. The nail from the Augustana Book Concern building was found in Glen Brolander's desk at an unknown date. The World War I band uniform was acquired in December 2012. The Augustana College medal showing Old Main was donated to the college in 1972. The Center for Student Life banner was donated in fall 2013 by the Office of Communication and Marketing. The football figurine was donated by Earl Sundin in 2013. Addition of 2014 (patches and window decal) received from Loran Bohman in March 2014. Addition of 2015 (pennants) received from Dianne Pegram in January 2015. 2024 accession (class ring) received from David and Susan Rayburn. All other materials in this collection have been acquired by library staff over time.

Prior to the compilation of this collection, many materials were housed in a filing cabinet in Special Collections. In 2010, they were processed and organized into a collective manuscript collection.

In July 2017, in light of growing space concerns an difficulty providing physical access to materials, approximately 60 items were weeded from the collection (primarily those not directly connected to Augustana College). Items of enduring research value were transferred to more appropriate collections; items of purely commemorative or sentimental value were either discarded or given to members of the Augustana community. The collection was then reprocessed using a new arrangement scheme.