Have you ever wondered where to find the recipe for baker's clay, what a fire proximity coverall looks like, or what is performance sculpture? 

Whether you have asked yourself these questions or not, I can't resist telling you about the first phase of the American Craft Council Library's digital projects: making our Council newsletter collection accessible online. Detailing craft history in America from 1957-1986, these newsletters account for major events, important individuals' involvement, as well as movements and trends in modern American craft.

Currently I am in the throes of the digitization process, happily lost among the stacks of archival boxes. Nearly all that's detectable about my presence is the audible and ghostly typa-typa of the keyboard. Let me give you a glimpse inside the folds. These newsletters have it all: information about exhibition schedules with enticing titles such as Body Covering, Fantasy Furniture, The Great American Foot, Cookies and Breads (edible art!); calls for nationwide engagement in craft competitions like Craftsman USA or Young Americans; and efforts of international diplomacy through craft summits. And to boot, they're easy on the eyes with groovy graphics galore. Soon, it will all be searchable with the application of image metadata and full-text search!

Once this project is complete, the content will be available to everyone, whether you're a craft scholar in search of fodder, a graphic designer in need of vintage inspiration, a blogger for outer space-like garb, or a pajama-wearing Internet cruiser looking for a bit of entertainment. Look for the launch of the American Craft Council Library and Archives Digital Collections this September, and in the meantime, stay tuned for more project updates and other tastes of the collection, like the accompanying PDF of the June 1979 newsletter to whet your craft history appetite.

The Portable Library explores the American Craft Council Library and Archives Digital Collections, launching September 2011. This open-access online compendium will contain more than 8,000 unique images, documents, and media detailing the history of contemporary craft in America. From ACC newsletters and photographs to firsthand documentation of major national craft exhibitions, the digital collections offer makers, scholars, and craft appreciators a glimpse at some of the ACC library's most invaluable resources.