Library Visit #4 - Rawlings Scriptorium Museum (Special Collections)

Fleming, S. (2022). Rawlings Scriptorum [Photograph].

Digital Access / Intellectual Access

Liberty University's website details the contents of their archives and special collections here: https://www.liberty.edu/library/archives. In addition to the archives, Liberty University also hosts three different museums on their campus, the website for which can be seen here: https://www.liberty.edu/about/liberty-museums. Both websites are informative and easy to navigate. The listings of staff jobs for both were not present on their specialized webpages, although I'm sure that they're located somewhere on the university's website. There are phone numbers and email addresses to reach the department listed on the respective websites. These specialized collections are likely used most frequently by students and staff of Liberty University, particularly those in university's School of Divinity. Many of their special collections/archives items are available in a digital format online. According to Rubin and Rubin (2020), "Like other types of services, the purpose of archives and special collections is access..." (p. 98). I appreciate that most of their special collections are available digitally, because that makes them more accessible to the public. Patrons can view them here:

https://cdm17184.contentdm.oclc.org/digital. This digital collection website is offered in English, German, Spanish, and French, although that option is not listed on the webpages for the first two. Appointments can be made with staff in each department to request viewing of particular materials, although not all of the materials are able to be handled.

Fleming, S. (2022). Sunday School Collection [Photograph].

The Space and Physical Access

According to Rubin and Rubin (2020) "The size and scope of such collections vary tremendously, with research libraries (special, public, or academic) more likely to house, manage, and preserve materials in special collections" (p. 98). This proved to be true on Liberty's campus at their academic library, because it houses an archives as well as small museums and special collections. Due to the college being a private, Christian institution, many of their special collections are Christian in nature, like a collection titled "Christian Fiction" and another titled "Sunday School Collection" (see the photo below for some of this collection.) These collections are housed in the archives space on the first floor of the Jerry Falwell Library on the university's campus. In addition, the Rawlings Scriptorium is housed in the School of Divinity, also known as Liberty's "Freedom Tower" (see the photo below). The tower itself it exactly what it sounds like; a tower. Students and patrons can climb the stairs to the top and see out into the city. Underneath the tower, the Scriptorium houses a collection of rare books and Bibles as well as a life-size replica of the Gutenberg press. Many are displayed in a glass case build into the wall so that they can be viewed. These items can be viewed through the glass even when the Scriptorium is closed. The space has low lighting, which is to be expected when housing special collections of older works.

Fleming, S. (2022). Freedom Tower [Photograph].

People (Patrons and Staff)

When I visited the archives, there was single woman working the desk who greeted us when we walked in. I wouldn't be surprised if she was a student worker, because she looked to be college aged. The Scriptorium was already closed for the day, so there were no staff present there. I did not see any other patrons in the archives or in the Scriptorium while I was there.

Collections:

In the archives, I viewed some of the pieces from the "Sunday School Collection." They were encased in glass to prevent handling. In the Scriptorium, I viewed a number of different Bibles and religious texts. Some of the most interesting texts, in my opinion, were a first edition 1539 Great Bible and a first edition 1560 Geneva Bible, brought to America on the Mayflower in 1620. Although many of the collections are Christian in nature, there were some other collections as well. For example, one special collection contains items from the personal library of Herbert A. Philbrick. He was an undercover FBI agent who spied on the U. S. Communist Party in the 1940s. According to Rubin and Rubin (2020) "Access to such collections is sometimes restricted to on-site, and great care is taken in the handling of the materials and in supervising their use" (p. 98). This proved to be true for the materials in Liberty's special collections. Some of the materials of the special collections are able to be requested in the reading room to be handled. Others are off limits and may only be viewed with written consent from the archivist.

Fleming, S. (2022). Geneva Bible [Photograph].

References:

Rubin, R. E., & Rubin R. G. (2020). Foundations of library and information science (5th ed.). ALA Neal-Schuman.