AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY IN URBANA, IN THE RARE BOOKS OF SPECIAL
COLLECTION SECTIONS,
ACCESSIBILITY SEEMS TO BE THE
WORD.
ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS AMONG THE VOLUMES OF PAPERS STORED IN SPECIAL COLLECTIONS HAS TO BE
THOSE OF FAMED AUTHOR HG WELLS.
>> AND IT IS 150 CUBIC FEET OF
MATERIAL.
THE COLLECTION CONTAINS HIS
ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS, ABOUT 150
OF THEM.
>> HANDWRITTEN NOTES AND LETTERS
ARE JUST A PART OF THIS
COLLECTION, SPANNING 50 YEARS OF
WELTION A CAREER.
INCLUDED ARE SOME OF HIS
WHIMSICAL CREATIONS SUCH AS
THESE CARTOONS DRAWN TO
ENTERTAIN FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
>> THIS PARTICULAR ONE IS OF A
OCCASION WHERE THEY HARVEST VERY
LARGE MARROW FROM THEIR GARDEN
AT HEATHERLY.
HERE IS ONE FROM THE PERIOD
WHERE HE HAD JUST IN 1895
PUBLISHED A TIME MACHINE AND WAS
EXCITED ABOUT THE PROCESS OF
PUBLISHING AND DESCRIBES THE
STAGES IN A KIND OF A CIRCULAR
FASHION.
THE SANDBURG COLLECTION IS
ANOTHER 150 CUBIC FEET OF THE
ILLINOIS POET, CARL SANDBURG.
WE ACQUIRED ALL OF HIS MATERIAL
THAT WAS RE-- OF RESEARCH
INTEREST.
HE HAD A DIFFERENT APPROACH,
WROTE VERY QUICKLY AND RAPIDLY
WITH A SHORTHAND WHICH AMOUNTED
TO SIMPLY OMITTING THE VOWELS.
MUCH OF HIS POETRY, AND ONE OF
THE PAGES YOU MIGHT SEE WOULD
SHOW THE WAY HE WOULD DO A VERY
BRIEF NOTE TO HIMSELF WHICH WAS
LATER PUBLISHED IN COMPLETE FORM
IN ADDITION TO GATHERING THE
PAPERS OF PARTICULAR AUTHORS,
THE LIBRARY, AS ONE WOULD
EXPECT, ALSO HOUSES SOME RARE
AND UNUSUAL BOOKS.
>> BEGAN SOMETIME IN 1940'S WITH
DEAN ROBERT DOWNS DECIDED TO
PULL TOGETHER ALL THE ANTIQUE
BOOK COLLECTIONS ON CAMPUS.
LET ME START WITH SOMETHING THAT
WE WRITE TO THE PW BALDWIN
COLLECTION IN SHAKESPEARE, AND
THAT'S THE SHAKESPEARE FIRST
FOLIO.
IT IS THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF
SHAKESPEARES PLAYS.
THIS VOLUME IS EXTREMELY RARE.
IT WAS FOUND IN AN OLD ENGLISH
COUNTRY HOME.
WE A YIERD IT, AND THERE ARE
ONLY TEN OR IT TWELVE COPIES IN
THE UNITED STATES.
WE HAVE HERE A MANUSCRIPT.
HAD THIS IS WASHINGTON IRVING
THE ALAMBRA, WHICH WAS WRITTEN
WHILE HE WAS IN SPAIN LIVING IN
GRANADA.
>> WE HAVE 18TH CENTURY COOKING
BOOK.
THIS IS A FUN BOOK BECAUSE THE
PAGE I HAVE IT OPENED TO TELLS
US HOW TO PICKLE BARBER I, HERE
WE HAVE MARCH 25, 1735, HOW TO
MAKE MALT LIQUOR!
(LAUGHING)
THERE IS THE ENTIRE FICIAL EDITION OF CHARLES DICKENS PAPERS ORIGINALLY SOLD ON LONDON
NEWSSTANDS DURING THE 19TH
CENTURY.
HERE IS A GERMAN BOOK ON
HORSEMAN SHIP.
THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW REMAINING
COPIES OF A GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT
PUBLISHED IN 1945 THAT DESCRIBED
HOW THE ATOMIC BOMB WAS MADE.
BUT ALL THESE BOOKS AND
COLLECTIONS, ALONG WITH MANY
OTHERS STORED HERE, ARE NOT
LOCKED AWAY ONLY FOR THE
ENJOYMENT OF SCHOLARS AND
HISTORIANS.
>> A CORONATION BOOK, A VERY
RARE DECKS.
THERE IS ONLY THREE FRENCH
ILLUMINATED ONES IN THE BOOK,
ONE IN PARIS, LONDON, AND ONE IN
URBANA, ILLINOIS.
WHAT IS INTERESTING ABOUT IT FOR
OUR PURPOSES, WE DON'T HIDE THEM
AWAY IN MUSEUM FASHION, BUT,
INSTEAD, WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO
USE OUR COLLECTION AND SO CAN
THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
WE HAVE HAD GIRL SCOUT TROOPS
COME UP HERE.
WE HAVE HAD THIRD GRADERS.
WE HAVE HAD SENIOR CITIZENS AND
EVERYTHING IN SPRINGFIELD.
ETWEEN.
>> NOW TECHNOLOGY IS BEING
EMPLOYED TO MAKE THE COLLECTIONS
ACCESSIBLE TO THE WORLD BY WAY
OF INTERNET.
>> ONE THINGS WE ARE DOING AND
CAN DO IS DIGITIZE MATERIALS,
SCAN SOME OF OUR MATERIALS SO
THAT SCHOLARS IN AUSTRALIA,FOR
EXAMPLE, OR LONDON CAN USE OUR
MATERIALS LONG DISTANCE.
IN A WAY, EVEN THOUGH THE
COLLECTIONS ARE HOUSED IN THIS
BUILDING, THEY WILL BE LEAVING
HERE REACHING OUT TO OTHERS
USING TECHNOLOGY MANY SAY WILL
REPLACE THE WRITTEN WORD.
AND THE RARE BOOK AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARY CAN BE REACHED ON THE WEB THROUGH THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS'S HOME
PAGE AT WWW.UIUC.EDU.