The exhibit was created on the LibGuide platform. The LibGuide was inspired by Fried’s book on Rush. It’s a resource guide about Benjamin Rush for researchers, historians, and students. 

 

When creating the guide, also thought of as an online exhibit, I considered questions such as “How to create a story of Benjamin Rush’s life?” “What topics could I choose to represent Rush?” I decided to create the exhibit relating primarily to his medical career and his relationship to Penn. I structured the LibGuide as a timeline, starting from how he decided to study medicine, to how he revolutionized mental health. 

 

While discussing the project with Stephen Fried, he reminded me about the challenges of researchers in terms of accessing primary materials. Not all of the materials are available online, and for those that are available online, it can be difficult to locate them. I created the opportunity, with the help from Fried, for researchers to readily access Rush’s publications and letters. People viewing the exhibit on the LibGuide don’t have to search elsewhere online to find the Rush resources. They can simply click on the links I provided for them and it will directly lead them to the source. Fried has said that had this guide existing when he was writing his book, his research would have been so much easier.