Hidden Treasure Discovered Below the A.C. Clark Library

Special Collection and Archives are Used by Few but Available to Many

By Alex Schlee, 2/18/11

The second floor of the A.C. Clark Library plays home to a large selection of books, including a section for children’s picture books, and children’s fiction and non-fiction, along with another section for the library’s collection of books Q-Z.  This floor is one of the quieter floors of the library, usually being used by students for its private study rooms.  

Tucked off to the left side of the second floor is the special collection and the BSU archives.  What is the special collection?  What is the archive?  Why are they there and why are they useful?  Why should we care?  There is a veritable gold mine of primary study material tucked away, but it seems no one knows about it.  

The special collection comprises rare books, really old books, backups of faculty documents and master’s theses, and publications directly related to the university.  There is a locked cabinet amongst the shelves of books which houses rare and early publications dating all the way back to the 16^th century, along with first editions of important literature.  The earliest books housed here date to around 100 years after the first Gutenberg Bible.

Shelves of books line the walls of the Special Collection

and Archive on the second floor of the A.C. Clark Library

Phtot by Alex Schlee

The special collection is a room just like any you’d expect to find in a library; it’s dimly lit, filled to the rafters with books and smells very much like an attic filled with dust.  It’s décor is similar to a grandmother's living room.  A large conference table dominates the center of the room, and the walls are lined with bookshelves.  Some shelves are not piled with books, but with some other odds and ends, one of the most notable being an old record player.  A large, squashy armchair sits at the head of the conference table.  It’s legs are so short, the chair practically sits flat on the floor.  It is mentioned off hand that it once belonged to a composer. 

Bill Shaman, the Director of Special Collections, has his office in the back of the room.  A balding man of shorter stature wearing a sweat shirt, jeans, and a pair of moccasins.  He keeps hours available for open access to the collection, and will tell you anything you’d need to know about what is kept there.  He is currently in the process of scanning images of the title pages of many volumes from the special collection, though he is far from completely digitizing anything there.  

According to Shaman, the most interesting example of what is housed in the special collection is a copy of the very first edition of the King James Bible printed somewhere around 1615-1617 (though the book itself is actually imprinted with the date 1611).  It's worn leather cover and thick, yellowed pages have taken the test of time well.  The intricate designs on the cover page look like they could have been printed yesterday.  This volume will last for years to come.  

The title page of the early edition of the

King James Bible

Photo by Alex Schlee

“Even for atheists, the Bible is one of the most interesting publications ever,” said Shaman. 

The copy of the Bible housed in the special collection is a rare, even amongst its similar editions.  It contains a passage in the book of Ruth that reads "She went into the city."  Most copies of this edition read "He went into the city," which is a misprint.  The correct version of the passage is more rare than the incorrect one.  

The copy of the King James Bible, being a good example of what the special collection has to offer, is kept company by multiple other original publications, including “The Two Noble Kinsmen,” the only play co-authored by Shakespeare.  Most of the old books in the special collection were acquired through donations from a Beverly A. and Kenneth E. Henriques.  

Special collections is divided into two parts -- the actual special collection itself, and the BSU archives, which are a history of the school.  It looks more like part of an office; its linoleum floors and bright florescent lights give it a stark appeal.  Filing cabinets and even more bookshelves dominate the room, all filled with record of BSU’s history dating all the way back to its founding in 1919.  Old editions of The Northern Student are housed here, though the newspaper archives were never indexed, so finding a specific issue would be very difficult.  An original compilation of the Bemidji Pioneer is also kept here.  

According to Shaman, the archives are not often used by students, but more often faculty.  Most of the material in the archives, and some in the special collection, is primary material, and could be an invaluable resource to students.  The material found in the special collection and archives are just the kind that could be useful to students doing research projects that require primary sources.  However, it doesn’t seem that many students know that it’s there.  Shaman put it this way: “Libraries are still useful. . .What are we saving it for if no one is going to be interested again?”