Primary Sourcery

Just a quick note to let you know about a new blog called "Primary Sourcery" produced by the folks in the Archives and Special Collections department of the University of Minnesota Libraries. The introductory post (and link) may be found here. I invite you to subscribe or otherwise follow along as we offer weekly postings on things of interest here at the Elmer L. Andersen Library.  I'm looking forward to seeing these posts from my friends here in the library and discovering new things about the amazing collections under our stewardship. No doubt you'll hear from me now and then as I join with my colleagues in posting something of interest.  I hope you enjoy what we have to share!

Tonight at the Library

Celebration of Elmer L. Andersen's 101st Birthday

What: Ten Years of Archives and Special Collections
in Elmer L. Andersen Library
When: Thursday, June 17, 2010 • 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Where: Elmer L. Andersen Library
Free and open to the public

On the occasion of Andersen's 101st birthday, join us to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the building named in his honor. Explore "Below the Surface," a new exhibit that uncovers unexpected themes and untold stories from the rich archives and special collections held in the caverns below. Learn more about the building and how archival materials are found, processed, and made available for research.

Tim Johnson, Special Collections, Rare Books, and Manuscripts, University of Minnesota Libraries, and Pat Coleman, Minnesota Historical Society, will discuss the impact of Andersen's legacy.

Rare Books on front page of the MN Daily

A nice article that appeared in today's Daily. My thanks to Luke Feuerherm and photographer Marija Majerle for the coverage.

University’s rare book collection held deep underground

One of the nation’s most unique collections of rare books is preserved and available on campus.

Library curator Tim Johnson points out archived books Tuesday in the Elmer L. Andersen Library. Comprised of nearly 3 million volumes, the library is home to one of the world's foremost rare book collections.

Published: 10/06/2009

By Luke Feuerherm

When searching for rare art on campus, most turn to the aesthetic grandeur of the East Bank’s Weisman Art Museum. However, some of the University of Minnesota’s rarest art lies buried beneath 90 feet of shale and limestone across the Mississippi River.

Elmer L. Andersen Library is home to one of the world’s foremost rare book collections, containing 120 special collections and additional archives that make up nearly 3 million volumes in total, including Andersen’s vast personal collection.

“Our Sherlock Holmes collection is one of the largest, if not the largest in the world,” said Kris Kiesling, director of archives and special collections at the University libraries.

The volumes are held in two main caverns that protect them from four major threats: temperature, humidity, dust and light. This protection includes filtered ventilation, low-flow fire sprinklers, pressurized halls and chemical detectors used to discern fires before they happen.

While these intricate caverns are closed to the general public, their rare treasures are not. Reading rooms are available during library hours where library workers access the rare collections to retrieve works upon request.

“There’s just something that happens to you when you hold a book that’s over 500 years old,” library curator Tim Johnson said.

The University library system is North America’s 15th largest research library and assists the University in its status as a research university.

“There’s just no way to get across its value in any type of virtual mode. It has an artistic value; it has a tactile value,” said graduate instructor Kevin Mummey, who recently took his students to the library to view 3,000-year-old stone tablets.

“Our hope is that the collections support the research our students do,’” Johnson said.

The collection stands as a valuable supply of primary sources on campus.

“We get a lot of students using the collection in a variety of ways. We probably see between 800 and 1,000 students in the course of an academic year, either through class presentations or working on papers or projects using the collection,” said Marguerite Ragnow , library resources advisor for graduate students.

In addition to research, the library’s collection also stands as a preservation of the art of literature. The value of the rare books extends beyond simply information.

“It’s not just the text in the book but the creator and the art,” said Johnson. His favorite pieces in the collection include “The Kelmscott Chaucer,” regarded by some as the most beautiful book in the world, and a Sherlock Holmes novel that once belonged to Tsaritsa Alexandra of Russia.

The thick stone that encases the rows of rare literature is in place to protect them from their environment, not shield them from the public, for which they are open to daily upon request.

A Man's Reach -- A Transforming Life, 47: Staying on good terms

Former Governor Harold LeVander presenting Elmer the Minnesotan of the Year award by the Minnesota Broadcasters Association, 1968

"I learned right away: always stay on good terms with people whose ideas differ from yours so that you can work with them tomorrow even if you differ today. Hot topics are unavoidable in the legislature. Success often depends on learning to disagree with civility and keeping on good terms with the other members. Respect their differences. Differ vigorously. Oppose actively. Maintain your own position. But respect their right to their position, and let the procedures, rules, and customs of the senate decide who wins."

"Reporters always have looming deadlines. I thought, the least I can do when they call me is to get back to them as soon as I can. My other rule in dealing with reporters was to answer their questions forthrightly and not beat around the bush. If they ask an embarrassing question, so be it. Answer it, and tell the truth. With those practices, I got along fine with the media."

Courtesy H. B. Fuller Company

"A Man's Reach -- A Transforming Life" is on display through August 15 in the Exhibit Gallery, Elmer L. Andersen Library, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus.

Revisiting del.icio.us

Here's where I work and live during the day--the Elmer L. Andersen Library on the West Bank campus of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. At the moment I'm waiting for a patron who wanted to chat with my online, using our new Meebo widget on our web page. So, while I'm waiting, I decided to go back to one of the Things that I wanted to spend more time with: del.icio.us. I didn't have the time, when working on that Thing, to export/import my bookmarks from my browser into del.icio.us, but now I'm in the process of doing that. I went ahead and registered, got the buttons installed, and am now waiting for the sucess message to pop up telling me that the import went well. Once that's done, then I'll play around so more with this site and see what it can do for me. I have no idea how long the process will take, but I think this will be another important tool to use, especially when I'm away from the workstation that resides in an office on the first floor of this wonderful library.