April 2026 First Fridays - Featuring the CBI Archives

First Fridays: Sensory Experiences

Join us for the 2025-2026 season of First Fridays as we explore the things you can see, hear, touch, taste or smell in Archives and Special Collections. This penultimate program in the First Fridays season features presentations from the Andersen Horticulture Library and the Charles Babbage Institute Archives.

Light lunch at 11:30 a.m. Presentations begin at noon. A tour of the archival caverns will take place after the event concludes. ASL interpreters will be present for all First Fridays events.

Registration will open March 2026

A Sensory Walk Through the Forest: Discovering the Andersen Horticultural Library

Presented by Kristen Mastel, Head Librarian and Curator, Andersen Horticulture Library
Embark on a sensory-rich journey through the Andersen Horticultural Library’s collections, where nature, literature, and lived experience intertwine. This immersive presentation invites participants to explore the five senses — sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell — through the library’s unique holdings and experiential learning. Guided by Kristen Mastel, librarian and certified forest bathing guide, we’ll discover how sensory awareness deepens our connection to the natural world. Kristen will weave her experience leading forest bathing sessions on campus throughout the presentation.

Social Change and Experiential Art: The Maureen A. Nappi Papers

Presented by Maureen A. Nappi Project Archivist, Charles Babbage Institute Archives
Dr. Maureen A. Nappi was an activist and artist who utilized computer graphics and design to produce thought provoking, multi-sensory works invoking the cultural zeitgeist and social movements of the 1980s and 1990s, with a specific focus on the relationship between humanity and technology, feminism, and racial violence. Join us for an experiential introduction and deep dive into Dr. Nappi’s work and activism.

About

First Fridays is a series of intellectually stimulating conversations from the Archives and Special Collections at the University of Minnesota Libraries. First Fridays is made possible by a generous gift from Governor Elmer L. Andersen and Mrs. Eleanor Andersen in honor of former University Librarian Dr. Edward B. Stanford.

Event details 

What:  First Fridays: A Sensory Walk Through the Forest: Discovering the Andersen Horticultural Library and Social Change

When: Friday, April 3, 2026 | Lunch at 11:30 a.m. | Presentations begin at noon

Where: Elmer L. Andersen Library, room 120 and ONLINE | Parking and directions