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8 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015 Langendoerfer said the University Archives section of the department contains about 640 linear feet of docu- mentation of Truman’s past. “These are the historical documents that reflect what has happened on our campus, whether that be the stu- dent experience through clubs and organizations or the faculty experience through faculty governance,” Langen- doerfer said. “It’s important that we have records of the University’s past, whether that be from the Vice President of Academic Affairs’ office or student publications.” Langendoerfer said she encourages students and campus organizations to donate any significant research, writings, or historical documents to the department so the University’s history can be preserved. Museums Collections, the third sub-department, con- tains about 20,000 objects and primarily is reflective of northeast Missouri’s regional history and the lifestyle of Missourians during the 19th and early 20th centuries, Langendoerfer said. The department also contains Na- tive American objects, artifacts from the Civil War, World War I and World War II. The E.M. Violette Collection is the largest collection within the sub-department, Langendoerfer said. Violette collected objects with the assistance of Missouri’s state historical society for teaching purposes and for display on the second floor of Baldwin Hall until early 1924, ac- cording to library.truman.edu. The objects were spared from the fire and moved to Kirk Auditorium, then Pick- ler Memorial Library during 1925, according to library. truman.edu. When Walter H. Ryle became University President, he oversaw the opening of the E. M. Violette Museum in the basement of Kirk Memorial on June 4, 1943. The Museum remained open until fall 2003 when staff decided to move the collection back to Pickler Me- morial Library because of concerns that the environment in Kirk Memorial’s basement might cause the objects to degrade, according to library.truman.edu. Preservation efforts are an integral part of the depart- ment’s mission, Langendoerfer said. Preservation efforts include precautions the department requires of visitors, such as disallowing food, drink, pens and highlighters in the Reading Room. The department ensures objects in storage are subject to a constant temperature and humidity. Langendoerfer said the department recently has developed a conservation laboratory to help restore damaged texts. “We have about 500 World War I posters, and have been doing some very basic conservation techniques,” Langendoerfer said. “This includes surface cleaning — you know, getting all the soil and grime that accumu- lates over the years off of them. We’ve been doing some repairs on tears that may be around the edges, and then encapsulating them into protective covers so that others can work with them without them sustaining any further damage.” Langendoerfer said the department uses preservation techniques like humidification to mend folded pages, and stores rare books in custom boxes and manuscripts in acid-free boxes to help protect the objects. Sophomore Emma Shouse, an art history major creat- ing a digital exhibit on a Special Collections object for the “Museums: Objects and Collection” course, said she chose a 19th century handwritten Quran for the project. “I really love all the manuscripts here [in Special Collections],” Shouse said. “I collect antique books and manuscripts, although I don’t have anything as old as some of them here. Being able to hold and look at books that people used 500 years ago is really amazing.” Shouse said she plans to take an Islamic art course next semester, and she views this project as good preparation for the course. She said Special Collec- tions and University Archives allows her an opportu- nity to pursue her interests in rare books and Islamic art with research about tangible objects. “I think Special Collections will have something for everyone no matter what their major is,” Shouse said. “Even if they don’t want to use it for a project or a paper, it’s just interesting to come look at all of this stuff.” Cole Woodcox, English and art history professor, said Special Collections and the University Archives offers more than just an interesting look at historical artifacts — it allows faculty to provide a more com- plete, “three-dimensional” learning experience for students. “[Students in my English Senior Seminar: The Great War class] started to understand physical characteris- tics of munitions and armaments [they discussed in class], and related that to aspects of texts we looked at, like historical and filmic texts,” Woodcox said. “All of the sudden, those texts take on much more real- ity. You look at a potato-masher [grenade] and think ‘How am I going throw that?’, or you pick up a World War I machine gun and think ‘That’s pretty heavy, how am I going to tote that under fire?’” Woodcox said he thinks of Special Collections and University Archives as an especially important re- source for art history and museum studies students. He said it allows these students to learn about how objects are conserved through time. “The art history and museum studies classes gain a broader and deeper sense of behind the scenes,” Woodcox said. “They begin to think, ‘How and why were these objects acquired by the University?’, ‘Where are they kept?’, ‘What conditions are necessary to con- serve the object?’ They get a sense of the condition of the object and how their handling it contributes to both appreciating and valuing the object as well as the disintegration of the object.” Woodcox said he sees Special Collections and Uni- versity Archives as a link to Truman’s past, and said he applauds Violette and local historian P.O. Selby for their vision in contributing to the collection. “The collection is a measure of our indebtedness and gratitude to the forward-thinking people at the Univer- sity who put this teaching collection together over the decades,” Woodcox said. “They started to collect and created the rich collection for students and faculty that the University has. And, I think Amanda [Langendoer- fer] and [Digital Collections Librarian Aaron Speight] certainly see it as part of Truman’s patrimony.” COLLECTIONS | Truman State’s Special Collections and University Archives gives students access to rare books and artifacts Continued from page 7 Above: This leaf is from a copy of “Works of Chaucer” printed by William Morris’ Kelmsco Press during 1896. The Arts and Craſts movement of the late Victorian period. The paper is handmade and printed with woodcuts. Below: This canteen was used by an American soldier during World War I. It is part of Special Collections and the University Archives’ Museums Collection. Special Collections and University Archives encourages faculty to schedule personalized presentations to their classes. Contact Amanda Langendoerfer, Head of Special Collections and the University Archives, at [email protected]. Special Collections Hours: 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday Pickler Memorial Library 3rd Floor West Photos by Robert Overmann/Index 202 S. Hwy 63, Greentop, MO 660-949-2130 Serving Fresh, Local Food & Drinks With food made from scratch, our menu features locally-raised beef & pork. We also use local produce as much as possible. Wednesday & Thursday 5 - 9 p.m. Friday & Saturday 11 - 3 p.m. & 5 - 9 p.m. Sunday Brunch Buffet from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. www.sebrees.com Check us out on Facebook for our daily specials. Reservations required for parties of 8 or more. KITCHEN HELP WANTED 7:30 p.m. • Tuesday, March 3, 2015 Baldwin Auditorium WILL BE AVAILABLE Feb. 24, 2015. Free tickets for students with a Truman ID will be available in the Student Activities Board Office. Free tickets for faculty and staff with a Truman ID will be available at the information desk. Both are located in the Student Union Building. A limited number of general admission tickets will be available for $10 each at Edna Campbells in downtown Kirksville and the Truman State University Business Office cashier window in McClain Hall. Tickets may also be purchased online at lyceum.truman.edu. For more information, call 660.785.4016 or visit the Lyceum website at lyceum.truman.edu. “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” Tickets WWW.TRUMANRENTALS.COM Providing affordable student housing for more than 25 years Boardwalk Waterworks Park Place States Avenue St. James Place New York Avenue Four Horizons Realty 703 N. Marion St. Kirksville, MO 63501 660-665-RENT www.4horizonsrealty.com
