Special Stickers | Special Collections

Posted on July 28, 2026 by Dana Sheridan

Today, I’m sharing a brilliant initiative in Special Collections at Princeton University Library. It’s beautiful, mysterious, interesting, unusual, intriguing, delightful, random, fantastical, unique, surprising, and it fits on laptop cover! I’m speaking, of course, of “Decalcomania,” the brain child of library staff Adrienne Rusinko, Library Collections Specialist, and Emma Sarconi, Reference and Outreach Specialist.

Collaborating with Princeton University Library’s Makerspace, the department releases original stickers every month based on items in its special collections, cuing a stampede of campus fans. The stickers vary from centuries-old illuminations to modern styles.

For today’s post, I’m not only sharing some personal sticker favorites, I’m chatting with one of the co-creators to learn how this amazing project came to be…

Hi Adrienne, tell us a little about yourself!

Hello! My name is Adrienne Rusinko, and I’ve been at Princeton University Library’s Special Collections for about 6 years. I’m a part of the Public Services team, and my responsibilities include working with researchers to find and access the materials in our collection. We work with folks both in person and through remote reference services, which introduces me to tons of exciting items in our holdings I would otherwise not have stumbled upon.

How did this awesome sticker initiative get started?

My colleague Emma Sarconi, our Reference and Outreach Specialist, reached out to me after seeing the idea at a Makerspace conference. She knew I had some experience with Photoshop, and suggested we find a few cool designs to turn into stickers and put out for free in the lobby as an outreach project, making the space a bit more fun and inviting. This sounded like a great idea, and we immediately got to work. The reaction was incredibly positive from both staff and researchers, and I ended up continuing it into a monthly sticker release.

Please walk us through your research and selection process…

The selection process is the hardest part of stickers, for sure. I spend my downtime at the desk searching through a plethora of digitized material in our online catalog, finding aids, and Digital PUL (DPUL) site, looking at the thumbnails of every page of every item. If I come across something I think is cool, I add it to an ever-growing spreadsheet of potential stickers (the current count is 331 designs, 101 of which have become actual stickers.)

Each month, I pick three designs to turn into stickers. It’s usually a random assortment, but every once in a while I can pull together a theme. I have some wonderful (and patient) colleagues whom I go to to vibe-check a potential design. I almost passed over the “Here is a picture of a Narwhal.” sticker but was otherwise convinced, and it ended up being one of the most popular designs we’ve put out.

What’s the reaction to the stickers been like? I imagine some sets produce a bit of a mad rush!

The stickers come out every second Friday of the month, and I’ll say, I think the staff here are more excited than anyone! That being said, it’s always a fun reaction to see a group of students walk out of a class and realize we have stickers they can take. The entire point of the stickers is to make Special Collections a little more welcoming, and I think that’s been pretty successful!

What’s your personal favorite sticker, and why?

This is an incredibly tough question. I think I’m pretty partial to what I call “Baby Dragon”, who comes from the margins of a 13th-century French bible (Princeton MS. 82, fol. 42r). I spotted him before I started making stickers, and he immediately reminded me of my dog whenever he would beg for food. When Emma first brought the idea of stickers to me, I knew he would be my first pick.

Image References From Top to Bottom, Left to Right:
Peacock: Book of Hours, ca.1500 (Garrett MS. 59)
Reading Improves: The looking-glass for the mind (Cotsen Eng 18 / Newbery 7161)
Dog with Horn: Bible, ca. 1260 (Garrett MS. 27)
Bright Flowers: Primavera: New Designs and Colors (Graphic Arts 2004-0031E)
Ostrich DJ: Радио-Жираф [Radio Giraffe] (Cotsen 58164 Pams)
Moon Terrace: The Blessed Damozel (C0199 no. 923)
Curious Cat: Des chats (Cotsen, 21217 Folios)
Umbrella Fish: Putanitsa [A Muddle] (Cotsen, 91282 Pams)
Kirin: 神風倭国功 / 十返舎一九著 ; 歌川貞房画, (PL797 .J56 1829, East Asian Library) Snowy Scene: Snow at Kameyama, Station 47 (GA 2009.00719, Graphic Arts)
Block People: Russkiĭ plakat (Cotsen 153779 NR CyrillicQ)
Hand & Heart: Journal to Pikes Peak (C0199 no. 141, Manuscripts)
Three-headed creature: German report, 1791 (Ex 2012-0315N)
Narwhal: Stories About Whale Catching (GA Hamilton 298s)
Football Tiger: 1956 (Athletic Programs Collection (AC042), University Archives)
Bear with Heart: A Piano in the Children’s Room (Cotsen 103359 NR CyrillicQ)
Little Owl: American Ornithology (Graphic Arts, 2007.00515)
Adrienne’s Baby Dragon: French bible, 13th century (Princeton MS. 82)

Tiny Treasures

Posted on June 9, 2026 by Dana Sheridan

The Doll’s Library : Book [1-6] (1802). The Treasures of the Cotsen Children’s Library, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University

Last week, I blogged about “Miniature Worlds: An Artistic Collaboration of Tiny Libraries,” our beautiful exhibition of twelve original miniature libraries created by local artists. Today, I’ll be sharing the event and special collections we hosted in tandem with the exhibit, including some amazing kid-created book art.

As visitors entered, they first encountered the exhibit case with the miniature worlds libraries, which they were free to examine and enjoy. There were definitely lots of finger, chin, and nose prints on the glass after the event!

Image courtesy of Hope Van Cleaf

Inside the gallery, the theme continued with “teeny tiny reads” (i.e. several sets of ZURI Mini Brands Books with magnifying glasses) and a drawing to win one of four miniature goodie baskets – a tiny early reader library, a personal library stamp kit, a miniature bookshelf that doubles as an office supply holder, and a blank version of the diorama box we gave our local artists, so kids could have a go at creating their own miniature world (that last one was definitely the most popular)!

At the back of our gallery was mini book decorating, where kids received a 2.5″ x 4″ journal and then used various supplies (washi tape, gold stickers, glitter markers, stencils, star stickers, and more) to decorate the book. We also had bookmarks handy for decorating as well.

The creativity was definitely flowing as kids designed their books! One ingenious young man made his books even smaller by cutting the journal in half to make two smaller books. Brilliant!

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Scattered throughout the book decorating activity were exhibit signs featuring some of the amazing tiny historical treasures we have in Cotsen’s special collections. A big shout out to Katie for delving into the vaults and sharing!

The Doll’s Library : Book [1-6] (1802). The Treasures of the Cotsen Children’s Library, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University

Publisher John Marshall printed these miniature titles, typically around 50 mm (less than 2 inches) tall, in brightly colored cover boards. The various collections of books were often housed in doll-house-like bookcases, which became incredibly popular and spawned dozens of lackluster replicas.

Left: Bathing and Sleeping [洗澡和睡觉 Xi zao he shui jiao] (1961). Right: The Swallow and the Bumblebee [燕子和黄蜂 Yan zi he huang feng (1960). The Treasures of the Cotsen Children’s Library, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University

These tiny accordion style books were published for Chinese children during the 1950s and 60s. Measuring less than 3.5 inches tall, the book’s small size was a less expensive way to print multiple copies of the books in full color. The accordion fold was a clever way for a child’s hands to learn to separate the pages rather than a normal single page book. This unique printing approach also demonstrated an adult’s expectation that a child would be able to easily read the story entirely on their own.

Le bijou des enfans: pour l’année 1817. The Treasures of the Cotsen Children’s Library, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University

Cotsen’s copy of Le bijou des enfans (The Children’s Jewel) is accompanied by a real magnifying glass. Both are carefully housed together in a protective box designed to look like a leather bound book. Le bijou des enfans is just 28 mm (less than an inch) tall. Children may be able to hold and read this tiny book, but it is challenging for adult size fingers and hands!

Letters to Jack Ripley from Beatrix Potter (1909). The Treasures of the Cotsen Children’s Library, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University

Beatrix Potter often wrote letters, some illustrated, to children she knew. Many of the charming drawings and stories she told in the picture letters were the inspiration for her beloved children’s books, including The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher. She also penned miniature letters to children using the voice of her animal characters. In 2020, Cotsen acquired this collection of little letters Potter wrote to Master Jack Ripley.

Tommy Thumb’s Pretty Song Book, Volume II (1744).
The Treasures of the Cotsen Children’s Library, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University

Tommy Thumb’s Pretty Song Book, Vol. II is the oldest collection of English nursery rhymes known to exist. It is a miniature book that measures just three inches tall, and it was the sequel to the now-lost first volume printed earlier that same year. There are just two known copies of Volume II: Cotsen has one in its special collection and the other is at the British Library in London, England. The super rare tiny book has 40 nursery rhymes printed on pages that alternate between red and black ink. Some of the nursery rhymes are still popular today, such as “Baa Baa Black Sheep” and “Hickory Dickory Dock”.

The Bronte Castle Alphabet (1981). The Treasures of the Cotsen Children’s Library, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University

At just 3 cm (1.18 inches) tall, this tiny book is small enough it can be stashed inside of a leather-hinged walnut shell! The Bronte Press, who published this and many other miniature books, has been in business since 1977.

Miniature Worlds

Posted on June 2, 2026 by Dana Sheridan

This spring, the Arts Council of Princeton and the Cotsen Children’s Library presented “Miniature Worlds: An Artistic Collaboration of Tiny Libraries,” a unique and innovative exhibition of local artists. To begin, we gifted twelve creative individuals the same unpainted library diorama set…

Then, we invited them to create their own wild, wonderful, and whimsical libraries. From cozy nooks, to gorgeous collages of color, to clever twists on what a library is, the results are absolutely stunning.

The miniature libraries were displayed in Firestone Library at Princeton University, and celebrated at an accompanying event featuring activities and special collections that I will post about next week.

Below artists’ name is a link to their bio and/or vision statement. We would like to sincerely thank each and every person who was so generous with their time and talents. Thank you so much for creating such powerful and imaginative inspiration for future readers!

BRITTANY NORWOOD
Artist’s statement