Dr. Seuss in the Maps Library

Last week, the Educational and Behavioral Sciences Library held an open house celebrating Dr. Seuss who was born on March 2.  This event started an email conversation among library employees concerning his real name (Theodor Geisel)  and what he did before he became known as Dr. Seuss.  Among his "claims to fame" were the illustrations he created for the U.S. government during the World War II era and other WW II political cartoons (assembled by Philip Nel at Kansas State).  "Ann" was a mosquito created to illustrate malaria prevention for the troops, and she was featured on the backside of NEWSMAP.

One email noted that Northwestern University had Ann among its Hidden Treasures and created a Facebook page to honor her.  Mary, a long-term maps employee, pointed out that we had the poster that showcased the malaria prevention material.  Sure enough, a trip through our archives unearthed this title from the CAT -  Newsmap: Monday, November 8, 1943: week of October 28 to November 4: 217th week of the war: 99th week of U.S. participation.  Not only does this piece of history have the story of Ann the Anopheles mosquito, it has a photograph that proclaims "the Navy's new Hellcat fighter plane brings down a Japanese fighter plane nicknamed Emily near the Gilbert Islands."

However, I assume that the primary reason Ann resides in the Donald W. Hamer Maps Library are the maps "Bougainville, last stop in the Solomons," and "The Crimea is cut off," which also appear on this encapsulation.  (We are also a U.S. Depository Library and receive and retain U.S. government maps.)  Whatever the reason, we are honored to have Dr. Seuss in our library.  Come down and have a chat with Ann.