Elaborate Special Collections in Corner of Library
By Matthew D. Larson
On the 2nd floor of the Bemidji State University library is a room filled with rare archives and historical publications relating to the university and the geographic region. An articulate and eccentric man named Bill Shaman gave us the privilege to explore the deep history of the special collection. Shaman discussed how the special collections room was a university function and is maintain by Shaman himself. This type of literature has “perspectives that change through time,” claims Shaman.
The collection also archives master’s thesis that date back to the 1950’s written by students who have attended Bemidji State. These are accessible to the entire university. This area also deals with the organization of the university publication the Northern Student. The history of this paper dates back to 1929. This collection of newspapers also extends to regional papers such as the Pioneer and the Bemidji Sentinel. The room smelt of old musty newspapers which was no surprise after the discovery of the elaborate collection. The worn edges and coloration of the paper clearly indicated the time behind collecting.
Shaman, with his sleeves now rolled and cuffed, started talking about how the most widely used tool from the archives were the photographs. Photographs are so common because of the rarity of some of the pictures. Another pride and joy of Shamans is the highly detailed set of bibliographies. Along with the bibliographies is a set of books looked in a steel framed locker. These are the rarest of all the books at the entire university. The university possesses a first edition King James Bible that dates back to 1611. The Bible was in decent condition and was set out for display.
The collection extends beyond the King James 1st edition. A 32 fold Latin Bible also accompanies the King James Version. However, Shaman claims that it is a “controversial edition” because of the layout of the text. Shaman has studied 10 different editions to better help his understanding. “No Bible name has ever changed just the versions” said Shaman as he set out the entire collection on the table.
The most interesting part of Shamans work in the special collections archives is the restricted photographs. There are also presidential documents from previous university presidents located in the archives. This unknown part of library serves a purpose protecting and maintaining the special history of the archives. Shaman will continue to do as much as he can to ensure that these articles and pieces of university history will be safely kept for years to come.
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