The posters represented here were given to the River Campus Libraries’ Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Dr. Edward C. Atwater beginning in 2007. The over 8,000 AIDS education posters in the collection document efforts to educate and inform the people of over 100 countries in over 60 languages, from 1982 to the present. The collection has been a catalyst for numerous student projects by University of Rochester graduate and undergraduate students, as well as exhibitions, scholarly research, and public programming. AIDS touches individuals of all ages. Our collection includes posters aimed towards educating young children, the elderly, and everyone in between, about HIV/AIDS prevention, risks, social advocacy, and compassion for those affected. Posters, as an art form and as a medium of communication, are graphic. As long as HIV/AIDS continues to affect people of all ages around the world, the purposes for which these posters were originally created will continue to be relevant. Dr. Atwater’s gift also includes extensive ephemera and other materials, as well as documentation about how he acquired items for the collection. If you have information that you would like to share about and the opportunity to contact us to suggest translations, image tags and more, or if you have questions about the collection, please contact Jessica Lacher-Feldman, Exhibits and Special Projects Manager, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, at JLF@rochester.edu
