Astrida orle tantillo biography for kids

Astrida Orle Tantillo joined the Newberry as our tenth President and Librarian on December 1. In this installment of Meet the Staff, she talks about her history with the Newberry, the state of the humanities, and what the Newberry offers to contemporary and future audiences.

Tantillo, Astrida Orle | History - University of Illinois Chicago

How did you first encounter the Newberry?

The first in-depth encounter I had was as an assistant professor teaching a graduate-level German literature course at the University of Illinois Chicago. I was looking for a way to make the eighteenth century feel more tangible and alive to my students, and I knew the Newberry had opportunities to bring classes for collection presentations with its curators.

The presentation was absolutely amazing–it really brought the period to life for the students. The curators highlighted aspects of the objects, including features of the graphic designs, illustrations, the composition materials of the books themselves, the history of th