Introduction

In 1997, British author J. K. Rowling introduced the world to Harry Potter and a literary phenomenon was born. Millions of readers have followed Harry to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he discovers his heritage, encounters new plants and animals, and perfects his magical abilities. Harry Potter's World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine uses materials from the National Library of Medicine to explore Harry Potter’s world, its roots in Renaissance science, and the ethical questions that affected not only the wizards of Harry Potter, but also the historical thinkers featured in the series.

Events

Lecture series, January 9-23, 2018

Melinda Ring, MD, Rupa Mahadevan, MD, and Joshua Kaplan (Feinberg School of Medicine) - "Herbology and Potions Primer: The Healing Magic of Herbs"

Katharine Breen, PhD (Northwestern University) - "From Hogwarts to Charlottesville: The Uses and Abuses of the Middle Ages"

Richard Miller, PhD (Feinberg School of Medicine) - "From Harry Potter's garden: Mandrakes, Monkshood, and more"

Richard Kieckhefer, PhD (Northwestern University) - "Magic in Medieval Fiction and Reality"

Visit to Lurie Children's Hospital, January 17, 2018

Librarians installed Harry Potter’s World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine in the Lurie Sky Garden for the day. 

To promote the exhibition, Impact and Dissemination Librarian (and part-time witch) Patty Smith appeared on the in-house Lurie television show Storytime with Dot, which is performed in front of a live audience and streams to hospital rooms and other areas. Donned in her best Hogwarts robe, Patty showed Dot and the audience how to use a wand and she shared her knowledge of magical spells, potions, and what it's like to be a student at Hogwarts. Patty also told the audience about her job as a librarian, and how she helps doctors find the information they need to do their best work. Patty and Dot told the audience that, like Patty, librarians can help you find what you need: whether it’s a good book to read or information on learning magic!

Over the lunch hour, Special Collections Librarian Katie Lattal and Collection Development/Special Projects Librarian Ramune Kubilius joined Patty in the Sky Garden to help children with a Harry Potter-themed craft: making banners for their favorite Hogwarts house! They could decorate a felt banner with a Hogwarts house crest and other embellishments. And for those who like to color, there were coloring pages made from the Renaissance era images in the exhibition banners.

Credits

Developed and produced by the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, and curated by Elizabeth J. Bland and Mark A. Waddell, PhD. The posters of Hogwarts' courses were created by the Special Collections Working Group (Ramune Kubilius, Katie Lattal, Corinne Miller, Abebi Pendleton, and Steph Thor) and feature images from rare books in Galter’s own collections.