Prior to October 30^th I hadn’t spent much time in Kroch Library, home of the university’s Rare and Manuscript Collection. I had visited once before, briefly for a video presentation for a First-Year Writing Seminar, but didn’t have the time to view the collections, or appreciate its vast variety of unique objects.

The library’s location is telling of its significance, the three story underground complex is accessed through the adjacent Olin Library, and houses a climate-controlled vault to store the forever aging collection when it is not being exhibited, or used in research. We had the opportunity to view some of the objects that spend most of their time in the dark. Presented in front of us were cuneiform tablets, Shakespeare’s First Folio, drafts of Charlotte’s Web, and the unique signature of Sitting Bull.

I see myself returning soon to browse through the current Gods and Scholars: Studying Religion at a Secular University exhibit, which showcases religious materials Cornell has collected over the years. Though as a group we only saw it in passing, our guide made clear that though the university was founded as a nonsectarian institution, by no means was religion barred from the school, which has accepted with open arms students with a diverse range of religious beliefs for 150 years.

It isn’t everyday that I  feel like a character is a Nicholas Cage movie.  Walking through the Kroch Rare Manuscripts Room in Olin Library, it was as if I was in National Treasure.  Like Benjamin Gates, I felt an innate need to discover the hidden treasures.

As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Cornell, it’s interesting to reflect back on what also was occurring around that time too. I’m no history buff but when the 13th amendment was established, Ezra and Andy were also championing Cornell University to State Congress. I never would’ve guessed that our campus’s history and nation’s history were simultaneously occurring.  Each shaping the others legacy.

Right now, Cornell has an exhibit titled “Gods and Scholars.” This exhibit is all about teaching religion at a secular university. “Heathens on the hill” was often how Cornell was referred to because we were established as a secular school. But Cornell’s “secular status” has little to do with atheism and everything to do with our openness to all religions.  

When the tour guide gave us a private tour of some of Cornell’s most valuable primary sources, I was excited to feel and see the history. I think as students, we often neglect to see history for its value. We forget to reflect. And I believe that through reflection we can grow and ultimately growth brings us closer to the truth. So as I saw truth up close, I was surprised to see that truth is often skewed.  While I am not national treasure hunter, I do have a mission to discover truths on this campus. While my truths have little to do with primary documents, I will continue to reflect and seek truth and acknowledge the bias that may be present. 

The day before halloween I  had the pleasure of touring Kroch library home of Cornell’s rare manuscript collection. The rare items were not spooky at all. I have always appreciated history so the chance to view primary sources was exciting to me. The current exhibition is Gods and Scholars.  Our tour guide really tried to get in as much information in the short hour we had. At the end of the tour many of us stayed a few minutes after to look at our favorite pieces. The first thing we did on the tour was talk about the Emancipation Proclamation. We viewed a powerful piece depicting soldiers announcing the proclamation to slaves. We were even lucky enough to have an Abraham Lincoln signed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation on display that day.

My favorite part of the tour was when we got to learn more about famous Cornellians. I knew that E.B White went to Cornell, but I did not even know about the contributions he made to our university before he rose to fame. I learned that F. Scott Fitzgerald was friends with Cornellians. I also learned that Mark Twain spent a lot of time in the Elmira area and that he even wrote most of uncle Tom’s cabin and Huckleberry Finn there.  I am from Lawrence, KS which is fairly close to Missouri where Mark Twain is from so I assumed that I got as close to the geographic history of Twain as any one could.

The best part of the tour was learning more about the abolitionist movement in the area. It was so powerful to read a copy of The North star. It was wonderful to learn that our university payed homage to that movement by naming various places on campus in it’s honor such as North Star Dinning room at Appel and many more. 

Before attending the tour, I had already formed my preconceived notions about it. This was going to be another boring museum walkthrough where I was going to have to pretend that I actually cared about what the tour guide was talking about. As we reached the basement of Olin, I saw a new side of the library, a historical junction that celebrated the history of Cornell and that of America.  The first attraction was more than enough to grab my attention. I was standing in front of the original copy of the 13th Amendment that had been passed 150 years ago with all the signatures of the representatives still on it.

Here are a few pictures that I took which include :

The first draft of the first chapter of Charlotte’s Web written by E.B. White

Ezra Cornell’s letter to his wife Documenting his experience of meeting Abraham Lincoln

The original paperback copies of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield

Shakespeare’s Collection of Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies

A Copy of Fredrick Douglass’s North Star

I was very impressed by the caliber of documents and manuscripts that were preserved in Olin. As a world history enthusiast, I was proud to know that my University had access to some of the world’s most famous and historical artifacts. Most importantly, I was impressed with how the University took care of all their historical documents and did not let them perish over the years that they were stored. I will definitely be returning to Olin on the future to check out some more of their exhibits.

I cannot believe I am almost 3 semesters in and I JUST went to Kroch library. I learned so much from the time we were there that I made myself go back to explore the present exhibit, Gods and Scholars.

During the presentation, I learned that there is more to Cornell than Mann, Uris, and Olin; There are 18 libraries on campus, including the Carl A. Kroch Library which is full of primary sources and artifacts. In fact, they even have a vault in there which is the most secure place on the Cornell campus. It is the size of a football field and completely environmentally controlled to protect the many artifacts. In the vault is also Ezra Cornell’s bank safe.

The coolest part of this visit was seeing a lock of Charles Dicken’s hair, the plans for Charlotte’s Web, and a book of Shakespeare’s collection.

All in all, super great event!

On Friday, I took my first trip to the Kroch Library. While we were there, we learned about the rare manuscript collection and some background history of Cornell. Learning both history of Cornell and about these rare manuscripts were very interesting.
One of the first books we saw was a book with a chain on it. When first showed the book, I was not sure what to think about the fact that there was a chain. But, we were told that the book belonged to a monastery and that it was chained so that it could not be taken from its place. The book was also hand printed and took a very long time to make. To me, this was the biggest eye opening thing we learned about. I was taken aback by the way these books were made and had to be kept under such protection. To see where people spent so much time putting books together and protecting them was very interesting. In addition to the chain, we also saw the hand work done on the inside of the book. There were hand done letters on every page that means so much time was spent making this book. This to me was really impressive. It reminds me how important our knowledge is and how lucky we are to be here with all these books at our fingertips. It also shows how much time and technology has changed. This book and the story behind it really caught my attention and made me think a little differently when it comes to my experience here.
Some other very interesting things we saw were the first draft of E.B White’s, Charlotte’s Web, along with a book that was at the death of Sitting Bull. I am glad that I went on this trip and I was able to experience such cool things that I otherwise would not have seen.

Unlike most of the students at Cornell, I actually did not know that Cornell was home to a vast amount of primary resources. And when I heard about it, I didn’t think much of it at first. That’s why I think the Kroch Rare & Manuscript Collection Tour really helped me realize how blessed I am to be at Cornell. What’s more exciting is the fact that all of these resources are meant to be shared with us (the students!).

One of the first things we got to see was the plaque that Abraham Lincoln signed that acknowledged the Emancipation Proclamation (if I recall correctly) and we found out that only 12 of them were signed because the Legislature was angry that Lincoln didn’t go through Congress first before passing it. It’s actually pretty surreal that there’s something that only 11 other people/institutions in the WORLD have access to. I also had fun looking around at the other artifacts and primary sources the Kroch Rare & Manuscript Collection had in that area. We were, then, moved into another room with a lot of literature.

In the new room, we were able to see (sort of) a timeline of primary sources. Starting from thousands of years ago, there were small stones with codified rules (?). According to our historian/tour guide, they were probably the earliest pieces of evidence that codified language existed. I actually went up closer to see the stones, but the way the stone was carved made me cringe a little (some sort of phobia, I suppose). However, I was particularly excited about the Shakespeare book. I was a Theatre major before I was an AEM major, so being able to see one of the original books/compilations of all of Shakespeare’s plays is extremely interesting to me. I really wanted to touch it, but our guide told us about how the books and artifacts are extremely delicate and they’re not something people can touch carelessly. I was particularly interested in a sonnet that I had done as a monologue once in an acting class (Sonnet 97) but apparently this book didn’t have the sonnets. So although it was kind of a bummer… I was quite content with being able to see (and slightly touch) one of the original copies of the Shakespeare plays compilation.

I have always known that Cornell has an incredible collection of books, artifacts, and ancient pieces. Although I have always been curious about exactly what we have, I never found the time to research and look into it. Last Friday I went on the Kroch book and manuscript tour where I learned about some of the amazing pieces our libraries hold. One of the first things that I learned was that Olin and Kroch Libraries have a huge safe where they keep all of their unique pieces and books under the Arts Quad. What blew my mind was that this safe is the size of an entire football field. I couldn’t even comprehend the millions of books and rare items we must have in that space.

The librarian who gave us the tour had brought up about 10 items from inside the safe so that we could look at them. He took us through history by starting with artifacts from 4,000 years ago and eventually ended with something that was only a few decades old. One particular book that I found incredibly interesting was an old book that used be housed in a monastery. It had a metal chain on it which we learned was their version of “library security” because the books would be chained to the wall and you could only read them there. Looking at the writing inside of this book was incredible because the first half was completely handwritten. You could imagine the amount of hard work that would have gone into making a book with such small print. The second half of the book was actually printed by a press, and I liked seeing the contrast between those two.

Another artifact that I really liked seeing was a letter that Mark Twain had written. It was a recommendation letter that Mark Twain had written to Cornell University on behalf of a professor who had applied for a job. This professor was ultimately given the job offer and he went on to work for Cornell for many years. I had no idea that the famous author Mark Twain and Cornell were related in any way, and it was exciting to learn. We also found out that he would spend his summers in Elmira, which is right near Ithaca.

On top of these two items that I mentioned, there were more that were showed to us and many more within the library. It is important to note that all of these items are accessible for undergraduate students to use. For example, if you are working on a project about Shakespeare’s writing, you can request to work with the books that originally printed his plays centuries ago. I didn’t know that these times were available for us to use but it is amazing that they are.

The lights were dim in the cramped room– “to minimize damage” the librarian said as he cradled a 15th century book in his hands.  All the items laid out on the table in front of us were precious bits of history. There was an ancient cuneiform tablet from the start of civilization, one of Shakespeare’s folios (the earliest collection of all his works), a stack of Charles Dicken’s paperbacks, and even a book with a bullet hole from the gun fight that ended Sitting Bull’s life. It was exciting to examine a letter in Ezra Cornell’s hand speaking of his visit to the White House, where he met Abraham Lincoln in person (though not quite as exciting as seeing Abraham Lincoln’s own signature on a memorial copy of the thirteenth amendment– I was truly in awe of that faded scrawl). Mark Twain’s writing also made an unexpected appearance, in the form of a recommendation letter for a German professor (who then proceeded to teach at Cornell for two years). E. B. White, a Cornell alumnus and the author of the classic children’s book Charlotte’s Web, had drafts of his work laid out on the table along with his sketches of the farm. It was amazing to see all of these precious items up close and to hear their stories.

(I have to admit, even with all the key pieces of history laid out in front of me, what thrilled me the most was seeing that Sitting Bull signed his autographs with hearts above the i’s. Even though the librarian insisted that Sitting Bull was not channeling his inner adolescent girl, I like to think the cutesy hearts were a deliberate touch.)

Walking into the Kroch Library’s rare and manuscript collection exhibit is always an awe-striking experience. It is astonishing to realize that artifacts and relics put on display have years worth of experience and history embedded into every crevice and minute detail. I believe it is great that we are collecting such important parts of history and are tracing and conserving the stories behind them. Culture is such an important element of society that even the smallest, seemingly insignificant objects may be of utmost importance in representing the essence of an entire time period. For example, the first exhibit introduced to us centered around a signed commemorative copy of the 13th amendment abolishing slavery, one of seven in existence. It seems silly that we are exalting a simple piece of paper, but the influence that such a simple document had at revolutionizing an entire society is simply unbelievable. Such priceless relics are meant to be treasured and remembered for their contributions.

Books are paramount in preserving the culture and history of a time period-the beliefs and ideas of a time period are enveloped into a bounded copy of imprinted paper. Not only do they tell us the transformations in political and societal ideology, but also of technological innovation and social advancement. It’s no wonder that A.D. White wanted to preserve his collection of 30,000+, for he was not only collecting priceless collectibles, but also the content and material that they represented. But his ideology was not limited to just the preservation of his collection-he wished for the books to be seen and heard, for people often learn best from primary sources. Thus the creation of the A.D. White library was placed into effect. Other artifacts are more precious, however, and need to be locked into the massive football field sized vault underneath Olin Library so that they may maintain their pristine status. These include precious and unique items such as first edition signed copies of Charlotte’s Web, and ancient library books with their distinct unique hooks to prevent theft. A lot of the relics on display were truly amusing and their unique backgrounds only spurred more curiosity within me to learn more. The tale behind the lock of Charles Dickens hair was quite the story.

It’s quite upsetting to think that I don’t often get the chance to explore what Cornell’s numerous libraries have to offer. Oftentimes I’m stuck for hours sitting on my laptop or notebook struggling to finish work or study for a prelim. It was nice to see the more beautiful and interesting side of things, and I’ve thoroughly garnered a great appreciation for the library system.

the kroch tour wasn’t exactly a tour. i’d characterize it more as a presentation i think. after we arrived the tour guide/presenter showed us a duplicate copy of the thirteenth amendment, signed  by abraham lincoln, which was really cool. it’s strange to be so close to history like that. it makes me feel small. anyway, next we took a stroll through an exhibit on religious artifacts, which, among many other interesting artifacts, had a gutenburg bible. after that we filed into a classroom and our presenter showed us a series of interesting things he’d pulled out of cornell’s vault. the most instantly striking was an original print of shakespeare’s first folio. i also enjoyed seeing e.b. white’s handwritten drafts for charlotte’s web. famous novels like that one are so ubiquitous that i think we don’t often contemplate how much effort and revision went into making them. speaking of novel’s we also saw a print of fitzgerald’s tender is the night with a note written to his friend, “what the hell?” which i thought was great. there were loads of cool things to see, the first print of frederic douglas’s newspaper, cuneiform tablets, sitting bull’s signature… i had no idea cornell collected so many important and resonant things. obviously the vault everything is kept in is tightly secured, but i can’t help but want to sneak in there and take a stroll through history. overall i’d rate the kroch tour a 10/10 and i would’t hesitate to recommend it to all ten of my top ten friends.

I had previously caught a glimpse of Olin Library’s rare manuscripts last year when my first-year writing seminar class took a trip to see some medieval artifacts that supplemented our curriculum.  I remember being fascinated with Cornell’s vast collection of valuable artifacts that I didn’t even know they had.  During the Kroch Tour, I was able to see a wider variety of artifacts and was amazed that there were so many invaluable pieces of history right here on our campus.

We started the tour looking at some legal documents from around Abraham Lincoln’s period.  There was one portrait in particular that I found interesting that pictured Lincoln surrounded by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives at the time.

We then continued into a small classroom where several artifacts were laid across a table in the front.  The speaker went down the line and gave us a brief description of each object.  There were original letters from Ezra Cornell and Mark Twain, an old library book with a chain as an outdated form of security, a first edition copy of Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, Sitting Bull’s autograph (who dotted his eyes with hearts), and even a lock of Charles Dickens’s hair cut from his head the day he died!  We were told that there is a large vault the size of a football field underneath Olin Library that contained over 80 million other artifacts like the ones we were shown.  I was amazed.  I had no idea Cornell possessed such one-of-a-kind collections and I’m very grateful I had the opportunity to learn more about them.

This past Friday, the Rose Scholars got an inside look at the Rare Manuscripts found in Kroch Library. It was pretty cool, to say the least, to learn about how the books were kept and exactly what rare things we had in possession here at Cornell.

We saw some old documents signed by Abraham Lincoln that were important to the nation’s history as well as an engraving of the men all walking to sign this document. After that, we walked into the teaching room where Lance, our guide, walked us through the history of books.

We took a look at some interesting books, like one full of hymns and ceremonial proceedings that had a chain for protection. This book was fascinating because half of it was written by hand and the other half was typed. We also saw the way Charles Dickens first published his books, and they weren’t exactly books, but rather a series in which he just released chapters. This was for two reasons, one to keep readings hooked and increase sales and two, he never really finished his books before releasing bits of it out.

We also got to look at things specific to Cornell history. AD White actually gave his collection of books to Cornell but requested it to be in a fireproof building. We saw the original blueprints to what is now Uris Library. We also saw handwritten letters from the first resident and even Mark Twain discussing admissions to the University.

We also learned cool facts such as the fact that EB White was called Andy and most of his original drafts were left as a note by Andy. He was a writer in the daily sun, who also have copies of his works, which were also drafted out by “Andy.”

If you ever get a chance to visit the Rare Collections, I would definitely recommend that you do. They have new displays every so often; such as the Hip Hop exhibition last year to the new secular religions exhibit right now. You might also get to see a book of Shakespeare’s Plays that is worth over 5 million dollars, so crazy! Check it out!

At Cornell’s Kroch Library, thousands of rare books and ancient artifacts reside, ready to be studied by visiting academics and Cornell’s own students. Their collection impressed me with its sheer size as well as its diversity – the library holds everything from clay tablets and manuscripts by authors like E.B. White. What struck me the most about the library, though, is its dedication to preserving these artifacts.

In today’s digital world, we find ourselves in a war between the digital and printed mediums, fed by two different kinds of people – those who embrace tablets and e-books, and those who prefer a good old-fashioned book.  I’m not here to argue either way, but my visit to Kroch Library did give an interesting perspective on this debate.

Almost all of the materials in the Cornell Library system, including Kroch, have a digital counterpart. There are e-book versions of the newer academic materials, countless editions and transcriptions of older novels, and photographs of ancient manuscripts and artifacts. For example, it’s not hard to find copies of Old English poems and stories, even if their original exists in highly fragile manuscripts guarded in prestigious collections. And yet, nobody would even think of suggesting that the originals don’t matter anymore. I can read Beowulf from the paperback copy on my bookshelf, but the real thing remains incredibly important.

Of course, the comparison between priceless manuscripts and my tattered paperback probably isn’t the same as the war on e-readers. But it does raise the question – does having a tangible object that you can feel and see somehow make it more important? You decide.

Let me begin by admitting a sad, sad fact:

I haven’t read for fun in several years. Since high school, I’ve had so much required reading for school that I either haven’t had the time or was too tired to read for leisure. Going on the rare books tour, it was great to see Mr. Heidig’s excitement for his work. His clear passion for the study of these books and the history behind them brought me back to a time when I read far more often.

In my junior English class, we had to pick one author and read 4 of their novels, as well as complete other assignments for a year-long major author project. I picked Mark Twain, and I remember learning all about his childhood and adult life–including that he had spent 20 summers in Elmira. What I never connected until yesterday was that the Elmira of his history was the Elmira just 30 miles away from here.

It’s so fantastic that Cornell has a library and collection as fantastic as the Kroch library. I’ll definitely be visiting again in the future. Who knows, maybe I’ll even find time to read for fun again someday.

another first edition Bible

real actual 100% papyrus

Sitting Bull’s signature

Shakespeare’s First Folio

first edition of the King James Holy Bible

page from a Gutenberg bible

Through the Rose Scholars Program we had the fantastic opportunity of learning about the Kroch Rare and Manuscript Library from Lance Heidig, an Olin librarian. He crafted a fascinating talk that highlighted several of the impressive artifacts from the Kroch library while telling an abbreviated story of the development of Western civilization from four thousand years ago to the twenty-first century. Some of the artifacts are pictured below.

However, what made this such a wonderful experience for me was learning that Cornell has a football field-sized vault in the bottom of Olin library that houses these special objects and primary sources. Mr. Heidig also did a great job of highlighting the need to balance preservation and access. While it is important to keep the objects and texts in good condition, it is equally (if not more) important that students, professors, and scholars can learn directly from them. Overall, I truly enjoyed learning about this fascinating aspect of Cornell that I previously did not even know existed!

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.