The "Special Collections" of Special Collections
Pickler Memorial
Library's Special Collections may be divided
into two main categories:
(1) those that were created to bring together items
meeting certain collecting criteria; and
(2) those that were donated to the library with the
understanding that they would be preserved
as "a collection" and remain separate from
other collections.
Rare Books, Faculty Publications and Alumni
Publications are of the first type; the
others are of the second. |
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Rare Books
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| "Rare" books include, but are not limited to: very old; first
or limited edition; very costly or otherwise extremely valuable; unusual;
scarce; signed by the author, subject or other person involved with publication;
former property of or associated with a famous person; irreplaceable or in
fragile condition but "keepable". A "rare" book may also be one that would
normally be located elsewhere in the library but would be at risk if free access
were allowed (books that tend to disappear or are prone to mutilation) or one
that needs to be kept but doesn't really fit one of the other collections. There
are also rare periodicals, recordings, photographs and art in various formats in
the collection. |
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Faculty Publications
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| "Faculty Pubs" is a small
but growing collection created by Special Collections staff. It consists of
books, original music scores, theses, dissertations, video tapes and other
materials produced by present or former University faculty and staff. Some of
the oldest books were written by the University's founder, Joseph Baldwin. |
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| Alumni Publications |
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"Alumni Pubs" was created to acknowledge the scholarship and creativity of our former students. Books and items in a variety of formats previously catalogued to other collections were brought together as the core of this collection. Many of the books, especially those written in recent years, are signed copies and were gifts from the authors. The earliest title is Columbian Historical Novels, a 13-volume set by John R Musick (Class of 1874).
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Violette-McClure Missouriana
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| "Missouriana" (meaning Missouri collection) by
definition contains books and other materials that were written by a Missourian,
are about Missouri or were published in Missouri. It is the largest of the
"Special" collections and was the first to be donated to Pickler Library as a
designated collection. |
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The core of the collection is the combined personal Missouri
history libraries of professors Eugene Morrow Violette and Clarence H. McClure.
Violette was head of our history department 1900-23 and while here created the
University Archives and began collecting the artifacts which would later be
named the
E.M. Violette Museum in his
honor. His children donated his library after his death in 1940. McClure, head
of the Division of Social Science at the time of the Violette gift, added his
own library to the collection a short time later. Both libraries contained many
books which were already out of print, scarce or rare so a "Missouriana Room"
(later Special Collections) was created at the request of the donors to protect
the books while allowing access for research and study. The Library continues to
add both new and rare titles to the collection which is identified as "Mo
Collection" on the library catalogue.. |
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Brashear-Henderson Mark Twain Collection
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| Dr. Minnie Brashear, a Normal school
alumna, long-time University of Missouri faculty member and well-known Mark
Twain scholar, donated her personal Twain library to Pickler Library shortly
before her death in 1963. Three years later, the University purchased the
extensive collection of Moberly attorney Roswell Henderson to supplement Dr
Brashear's. Both collections contain many first and foreign language editions
of Mark Twain's works as well as works about the author. Although a part of
Missouriana, the combined collection is maintained separately and is designated
on the catalogue as "Brashear" or "Henderson".
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Glenn Frank Collection
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| The library and personal papers of
alumnus Glenn Frank were donated to Pickler by his wife after his death in 1948
and placed in the Glenn Frank Memorial Room (later combined with the Missouriana
library to form the Special Collections Department). Frank was managing editor
of Century Publishing Company (publisher of books and Century Magazine)
for several years and was later President of the University of Wisconsin. All
the books now in the collection are signed (including some with tipped-in
correspondence) or are association copies. |
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Harry H. Laughlin Eugenics Collection
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| The Laughlin Collection is another
combination books and manuscript collection and was given to Pickler Memorial
Library by the family of Harry H Laughlin, an alumnus and former faculty member.
Dr. Laughlin was the Director of the Eugenics Record Office and internationally
known for his research in this field. The book collection, with his personal
library as its core, is primarily on eugenics, genetics and related topics but
does include other subjects. The Guide to the Harry
H. Laughlin Papers
is accessible on line to help researchers locate information in the manuscript
collection. |
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Schwengel Lincoln Collection
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| Iowa Congressman and Mrs. Fred
Schwengel began giving his life-long collection of Lincolniana to their alma
mater in 1976. Primarily books and art, the collection also contains
pamphlets, periodicals, newspaper clippings and ephemera about Abraham Lincoln
and, and because it is inseparable from him, the Civil War. During his eight
terms as a member of the US House of Representatives, Mr. Schwengel organized
the US Capitol Historical Society and served as its first president, so there
are some publications in the collection on the Capitol as well as a piece of
original art by US Capitol artist Allyn Cox.
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The George Hartje Collection
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| A gift of Pickler Memorial Library's
Director Emeritus, George N Hartje, this collection covers the history of
books, libraries, printing, and all aspects of the printed word. It includes old
and rare editions as well as current works and continues to grow courtesy of a
fund established by Mr. Hartje for that purpose. |
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The John R Kirk Library
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| From 1940 until 1993, the personal library
of President Emeritus John R Kirk (1900-1925) resided in cases built especially
for it in the Kirk Room of Kirk Memorial. The primary subjects of the
collection, which Mrs. Kirk gave to the college after her husband's death in
1937, are the social sciences (psychology) and the philosophy of education. The
books are now one of Pickler's special collections. President Kirk's papers are
in the University Archives. |
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