About Special Collections

In 1990, The College of Wooster Libraries began planning for a major building renovation. During the planning process, the library proposed that the Treasure Room and "makeshift archives" be reconsidered in favor of developing a Special Collections department. In Fall 1996, the department became a reality with the completion of a new facility that includes a closed stack area, a reading room, the Notestein Room, and work spaces for employees.

The library has always had several special collections. From 1870-1905, collection development consisted mainly of the donation of private libraries and archival collections. One of the primary duties of the first librarian was to serve as solicitor of volumes for the library. Some of the earliest gifts included $5,000 in books from bookseller and publisher C.S. Bragg (Cleveland and Cincinnati, OH) and the personal libraries of Rev. A.S. MacMaster (Poland, OH), Rev. A.A.E. Taylor (President, College of Wooster), and Rev. J.H. Seelye (President, Amherst College, Congressman). These earliest contributions that once made up the core library now make up a large portion of our rare books collection (Freeman 10-12).

Over the years, many notable additions were given to the library by alumni and faculty. In 1908, Dr. Waldo Dunn's Elective English Class No. 78 donated a first edition of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language. The library's only incunabulum, Sermones de Laudibus Sanctorum by Robert of Lecce (Antwerp, Gerard Leeu, 1490), was donated by Frederick Kilgour, the first executive director of OCLC, who received an honorary doctorate from the college in 1981. Several of our early college presidents were bibliophiles and gifts of their working libraries have resulted in the addition of many fine first editions. Also, alumni and faculty continue to contribute to our understanding of the college's history through their donations of personal memorabilia, oral histories, and manuscript collections.

The department works cooperatively with many departments on campus, including the Alumni Office, President's Office, and Art Museum. Off-campus, the department works with many organizations, including the Ohio Preservation Council. The College of Wooster Libraries is a member of CONSORT and OhioLINK.

For Additional Information:

• Freeman, Michael S. "T.K. Davis' Library, 1877-1905." Wooster vol. 103, no. 1 (Fall 1988): 10-12.
• Notestein, Lucy Lilian. "Wooster of the Middle West." New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1937.
• Notestein, Lucy Lilian. "Wooster of the Middle West: Volume Two," 1911-1944. Kent, OH: Kent State University, 1971.