Exploring 250 years of Maryland history

Join the Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery’s Special Collections department throughout the Fall semester as we commemorate 250 years of Maryland history. All semester long we will have exhibitions, events, and online programming highlighting the items in our collections that support scholarly historical research in Maryland. A full description of programming in Special Collections and the Library Gallery is below. 

Lewis Hine in Maryland

The Library Gallery exhibition, Lewis Hine in Maryland, is open to the public through December 18, 2026. In July 1909, documentary photographer Lewis Hine (American, 1874–1940) visited Maryland, photographing child workers at Bottomley berry farms in Anne Arundel County and at the J. S. Farrand Packing Company in Baltimore. Drawn from UMBC’s Photography Collections, this exhibition explores the places and people behind these photographs. A selection of Hine’s most iconic and enduring images situates his Maryland work within the broader context of his documentary project.  

Lewis Hine in Maryland is accompanied by an installation of two works from artist Lisa Oppenheim’s Spine series, in which she appropriates images by Lewis Hine from the Library of Congress. Enlarged to life size, the photographs depict the backs of adolescent textile workers whose bodies were curved and misshapen by their labor. 

Curatorial tour and opening reception, Thursday September 17, 5:00 p.m. Free and open to the public.

Panel Discussion: Food and Labor in Maryland, Thursday October 22, 6:00 p.m. Followed by a reception. Free and open to the public.

Closing reception, Thursday December 4, 6:00 p.m.

UMBC’s 60th anniversary

UMBC opened in 1966 and our students, faculty, staff and larger community of scholars has continued to make history over the past 60 years! A university history exhibit, curated by Library staff member Emma Sigrist, will be on display in the Library Rotunda from September 18 - November 1. Join Emma and archivist Lindsey Loeper on Wednesday October 28 during free hour for a hands-on exploration of university history including the first volumes of The Retriever Weekly and student yearbooks.

Women’s movement in Baltimore

The Library Rotunda exhibit “What is Liberation?”: Women’s Movement in Baltimore will be on display in the Library Rotunda from November 2 - 30. Curated by Morgan Dowty, program management specialist in the American Studies department, the exhibit brings together ephemera collected from a wide range of feminist activities occurring in Baltimore between 1970 and 1990. The exhibit borrows its title from the second issue of Women: A Journal of Liberation and the items on display are drawn from collection 334, the women’s movement in Baltimore collection, and the Alternative Press Center Collection.  

MD250 blog series

All semester, Special Collections faculty and students will be highlighting items in our collections that connect us to Maryland’s history. Weekly posts will be available on the Special Collections blog and on the Library’s myUMBC page. 

#PhotobookFriday

Your favorite Instagram series is back this semester with a full list of Maryland photography books. Follow us at @umbcspecialcollections and don’t miss a post! 

Research assistance

Are you working on your own Maryland history research project? Be sure to check out our local history research guide or schedule a personal research consultation.