From McFarlin Tower

My time in Special Collections at the University of St Andrews has been exciting and enriching. I’ve been cataloging 17th century books on history, primarily historical chronologies.

The first book I worked on was the 1620 edition of Opus Chronologicum by Seth Calvisius, printed by Johann Thieme in Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany. Calvisius was a well-rounded man, working as a singer, musician, composer, and astronomer. Johann Thieme was an equally busy person. In addition to his printing and publishing trade, Thieme was also mayor of Frankfurt an der Oder.

Opus Chronologicum, variant B (Special Collections. University Library. University of St Andrews. St Andrews, United Kingdom)

After transcribing the entire title, statement of responsibility, edition statement, and imprint of the book, I looked up the authorized forms of the names of the author and printer in the Library of Congress authorities and VD17 (The Bibliography of Books Printed in the German Speaking Countries from 1601 to 1700). Including as much information from the title page as possible enables a researcher to better find an item and provides a more accurate representation of the item itself.

Additionally, I had to record the pagination and collation statements for the book. This large volume had multiple paginations. After page 178, the numbering sequence restarted, going from 1-900. Thirty pages of an unnumbered index followed. The majority of the signatures had six leaves, with the last two containing only four. With pagination and collation statements, one can not only identify this edition from later editions, but also this specific copy from ones at other institutions.

Opus Chronologicum, variant A with engraved portrait. (Special Collections. University Library. University of St Andrews. St Andrews, United Kingdom)

After I finished the record for this book, I was surprised to find the next book in the queue was the same, albeit a different variant. This second copy contained an engraved portrait in the preliminary pages, while the first copy did not. I added more copy-specific notes, including provenance and binding information, and moved onto the next book. I was even more surprised to find that the third book was also the same, this one lacking the engraved portrait like the first copy.

Even though all three books were the same edition, there were differences in the bindings, the history of ownership, and even the way page numbers were inked. Recording copy-specific information like this can help researchers trace the history of publishing, printing, reading, and even libraries. At a university as old as St Andrews, many of the books from the 16th and 17th centuries were purchased around the time they were actually created, unlike newer institutions that purchase or receive books that have been collected over the years.

New Exhibit Poster

Starting Monday April 29^th the Department of Special Collections and University Archives will be showcasing some of our more masculine treasures in a new exhibit titled “The Manly Exhibit”. Student workers Brancen Gregory and Jacob Fritsch have compiled an assortment of objects that represent manhood. These objects include military rifles from WWI, medieval spear heads, vintage cigar boxes and much more. Come visit this exhibit Monday-Friday between eight and five at Special Collections on the fifth floor of McFarlin Library.

Special Collections Librarians

This week is National Library Appreciation Week, and according to the American Library Association, today is National Library Workers Day. Here at The University of Tulsa’s McFarlin Library Department of Special Collections and University Archives we would like to say how much we appreciate the staff of librarians that work every day to make McFarlin library the wonderful research institution that it is. We would specifically like to show honor to our librarians here at Special Collections. Our department is fortunate enough to boast three wonderful staff members who make special collections the unique treasure of the University of Tulsa. So thank you very much for all you do to Marc Carlson, Alison Greenlee, and Milissa Burkhart.

Marc Carlson working on materials for HCC library.

Librarian Marc Carlson

Librarian Marc Carlson is currently working on a collection of historical engravings for the Honourable Cordwainers’ Company library. The HCC “is a non-profit 501c(3) educational organization, incorporated in 1987 in Virginia, the home of America’s first English shoemakers. Founded in 1984 by a small group of shoemakers and historians, The H.C.C. is dedicated to promoting the study, practise, interpretation and preservation of historical and traditional shoemaking and allied trades. The guild promotes the historic preservation and research of the craft, forms, tools, techniques, artifacts and all other aspects of shoemaking and allied trades; and educates membership and the public about historical and traditional shoemaking and the allied trades.”

Milissa Burkart working on Rebecca West Collection

Milissa’s desk when she began work on the Rebecca West Coll.

Library Paraprofessional Milissa Burkart

Our library paraprofessional Milissa Burkhart is currently working on properly storing materials from the Rebecca West Collection.  These photos illuminate the progress she has made over the past few months working through this collection to bring the storage of these materials to proper library standards. In this photograph, from this morning, she is making a protective enclosure for a photograph.

Alison Greenlee cataloging books from the Hugh Douglas Ford Library

In this photo, librarian Alison Greenlee is cataloging a selection of books from the Hugh Douglas Ford library. These books cover everything from the Lost Generation, American expatriates, and the Spanish Civil War.

Librarian Alison Greenlee

For more information on National Library Week and to view a PSA from the National Library Week Chair Caroline Kennedy please follow this link.

Not even Tulsa’s unpredictable weather was able to put a damper on the celebration of the McFarlin Fellows Dinner held on the evening of April 11^th, 2013, in honor of Thomas F. Staley. With the reception originally scheduled to take place on the premises of Albert Plaza, the night’s festivities were moved to the Ann and Jack Graves Faculty Study due to the drop in temperature the campus had been experiencing during the week leading up to the dinner.

Arriving promptly at 6:30PM, the crowd gathered in the Faculty Study for drinks and hors d’oeuvres, and to meet with Dr. Staley during what turned out to be a very lively and entertaining reception. Following the reception, the attendees made their way to the Pat and Arnold Brown Reading Room for dinner, which began with a Tuscan white-bean salad on a bed of mixed greens with fresh mozzarella and black olives. The main course consisted of beef manicotti with stuffed mushrooms and tomatoes. To cap off the meal, dessert was a warm cannoli with ricotta filling and topped with whipped cream and sliced roasted almonds.

Following the dinner, the crowd was treated to Dr. Staley’s lecture, “The Changing Shape of the Modern Archive,” which touched on many important points within the topic of the archive and the treatment of its components, ranging from rare books and manuscripts, to artifacts and born-digital items.  Dr. Staley, a world-renowned authority on Modernism and the Archive, is the director of Director of the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin, where he is also Professor of English and holds The Harry Huntt Ransom Chair in Liberal Arts. Dr. Staley has written and edited numerous books on James Joyce, Italo Svevo, modern British women novelists, including Jean Rhys and Dorothy Richardson, and modern literature in general. His critical articles on a wide range of subjects have appeared worldwide in scholarly journals and other publications. Dr. Staley is also a former faculty member of the University of Tulsa, where he founded the James Joyce Quarterly,  served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1981-1983 and Provost from 1983-1988.

The University of Tulsa is delighted to have hosted Dr. Thomas F. Staley on such an entertaining evening, and the Department of Special Collections and University Archives is proud to have been part of such a memorable occasion.