This Friday, we had the privilege of receiving an exclusive tour of Kroch Library. Prior to, I referenced Kroch as the pin-drop silent closet of Olin. Fortunately, I discovered the vast rarities that have been collected into a giant, football field-sized (actually) archive. Everything from a first-edition King James Bible, to handwritten letters from Mark Twain, to Buffalo Bill’s signature, to Fredrick Douglas’ The North Star, Kroch Library is a haven of primary sources and artifacts.

30,000 of the books that are a part of Kroch’s collection were contributed by, our very own, Andrew D. White. He was known as one of the best book collectors of his time. One of his conditions upon his donation to Cornell was the necessity of constructing a fireproof building for the books. Hence, Uris Library. The second condition was to make the books accessible to all students. I think this condition exemplifies the mission of Cornell University: an institution where “any person can find instruction in any study.” His collection used to be housed in the ‘Harry Potter’ library, but is now stored in a temperature-regulated vault under the Arts Quad, along with half a million other rarities. Fun fact: this vault is the most secure place on campus. After the tour, I started thinking about this vault. A football-field of physical history.

You could literally walk through time.